Kaumodaki

Kaumodaki 

Did you know that Kaumodaki , weapon of honour also known as gada or mace, is one of the attributes of god Vishnu, which according to Vishnudharmottara Purana represents his wife Lakshmi.?

Kaumodaki, the mace, is an attribute of Lord Vishnu, the preserver god among the triad of gods, which was a gift to him by Varuna, the god of the waters. Its name is a derivative of the blue water lily plant (Nymphaea nouchali). It is used in hand to hand warfare described to sound like the lightning was used mostly to destroy the daityas . A popular nomencalture of Vishnu is "Shankha-chakra-gada-pani" meaning "he who holds in his hands shankha, chakra, and gada". It is regarded as one of the oldest and strongest weapons. 

In the Vishnudharmottara Purana, Kaumodaki represents Vishnu's wife Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and beauty. The Gopala Tapani Upanishad says that held in the lower left hand, it denotes individual existence and primordial knowledge.The Varaha Purana says the gada is to teach a lesson to irreligious rulers.

During the prehistoric period it said to have been used in the neoltihic age and its use is also traced to Mahenjo Daro of 2500 BC of Indus Civilization, from which it could be inferred that god Vishnu was worshipped in that age . 

Philosophically, as Vushnu's weapon, it is known to represent the intelect, the power of knowledge and power of time. It clears illusion. It destroys any one who opposes it. 

Vishnu's attributes is belived to have originated from his avatars, Rama and Krishna, the heroes of the ancient Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata (existing in the 5th to 4th century BCE) respectively. Both the epics narrate various characters – gods, men and demons alike – using the gada.

In the epic Mahabharata it was the weapon of Pandava prince Bhima and in the epic story an entire section has been devoted to this weapon as Gandhiva Parva . Balarama, elder brother of Krishna was proficient in its use as a weapon and the vanaras who fought for Rama used it during Ramayana period. 

In the ancient historical period in India, the gada appears as an attribute in the oldest known sculpture of Vishnu (from Malhar, Chhattisgarh), dated to c. 200 BCE. and over the centuries its iconci representaion changed.The personified weapons of Vishnu, known as Ayudhapurusha, emerged in Gupta era (320–550 CE) sculptures. Kaumodaki sometimes appears personified as a woman known as Gadadevi or Gadanari in sculptures of Vishnu. In Vishvarupa (all pervading "Universal form") of Vishnu appears as humans, including the Kaumodaki.

In literature, the Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa mentions dwarf-like ayudhapurushas including Vishnu's mace.

Narasipur Char