Yaksha is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in
HinduHindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
,
JainJainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and
Buddhist mythologyBuddhist mythology operates within the Buddhist belief system. It is a relatively broad mythology, as it was adopted and influenced by several diverse cultures such as Gandhara which was the capital of Bactria. Later on, it also came to incorporate aspects from countries such as China and Japan...
. The feminine form of the word is
or
YakshiniYakshinis are mythical beings of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology.-Description:A yakshini is the female counterpart of the male yaksha, and they both attend on Kubera , the Hindu god of wealth who rules in the mythical Himalayan kingdom of Alaka. They both look after treasure hidden in the...
(
, Pāli:
yakkhī or
yakkhiṇī ).
In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist mythology, the has a dual personality. On the one hand, a may be an inoffensive nature-
fairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, associated with woods and mountains; but there is also a darker version of the , which is a kind of ghost (
bhutaA bhoot or bhut is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the Indian subcontinent...
) that haunts the wilderness and waylays and devours travelers, similar to the
{{otherusesof}}
Yaksha ({{lang-sa|यक्ष}} {{IAST|yakṣa}}, {{lang-pi|यक्ख}} yakkha, {{lang-ta|யக்கர்}} {{IAST|Yākka}}, {{lang-th|ยักษ์}} yaksa, {{lang-zh|夜叉}} yèchā or yaochā, {{lang-ko|야차/夜叉}} yacha, {{lang-ja|夜叉}} yasha, {{lang-my|ဘီလူး}} bìlú, {{lang-bo|གནོད་སྦྱིན་}} gnodsbyin) is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in HinduHindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
,
JainJainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and
Buddhist mythologyBuddhist mythology operates within the Buddhist belief system. It is a relatively broad mythology, as it was adopted and influenced by several diverse cultures such as Gandhara which was the capital of Bactria. Later on, it also came to incorporate aspects from countries such as China and Japan...
. The feminine form of the word is
{{IAST|yakṣī}} ({{lang|sa|यक्षी}}) or
YakshiniYakshinis are mythical beings of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology.-Description:A yakshini is the female counterpart of the male yaksha, and they both attend on Kubera , the Hindu god of wealth who rules in the mythical Himalayan kingdom of Alaka. They both look after treasure hidden in the...
(
{{IAST|yakṣiṇī}} ({{lang|sa|यक्षिणी}}), Pāli:
yakkhī ({{lang|pi|यक्खी}}) or
yakkhiṇī ({{lang|pi|यक्खिणी}})).{{Citation needed|date=July 2007}}
In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist mythology, the {{IAST|yakṣa}} has a dual personality. On the one hand, a {{IAST|yakṣa}} may be an inoffensive nature-
fairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, associated with woods and mountains; but there is also a darker version of the {{IAST|yakṣa}}, which is a kind of ghost (
bhutaA bhoot or bhut is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the Indian subcontinent...
) that haunts the wilderness and waylays and devours travelers, similar to the
{{otherusesof}}
Yaksha ({{lang-sa|यक्ष}} {{IAST|yakṣa}}, {{lang-pi|यक्ख}} yakkha, {{lang-ta|யக்கர்}} {{IAST|Yākka}}, {{lang-th|ยักษ์}} yaksa, {{lang-zh|夜叉}} yèchā or yaochā, {{lang-ko|야차/夜叉}} yacha, {{lang-ja|夜叉}} yasha, {{lang-my|ဘီလူး}} bìlú, {{lang-bo|གནོད་སྦྱིན་}} gnodsbyin) is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in HinduHindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
,
JainJainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and
Buddhist mythologyBuddhist mythology operates within the Buddhist belief system. It is a relatively broad mythology, as it was adopted and influenced by several diverse cultures such as Gandhara which was the capital of Bactria. Later on, it also came to incorporate aspects from countries such as China and Japan...
. The feminine form of the word is
{{IAST|yakṣī}} ({{lang|sa|यक्षी}}) or
YakshiniYakshinis are mythical beings of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology.-Description:A yakshini is the female counterpart of the male yaksha, and they both attend on Kubera , the Hindu god of wealth who rules in the mythical Himalayan kingdom of Alaka. They both look after treasure hidden in the...
(
{{IAST|yakṣiṇī}} ({{lang|sa|यक्षिणी}}), Pāli:
yakkhī ({{lang|pi|यक्खी}}) or
yakkhiṇī ({{lang|pi|यक्खिणी}})).{{Citation needed|date=July 2007}}
In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist mythology, the {{IAST|yakṣa}} has a dual personality. On the one hand, a {{IAST|yakṣa}} may be an inoffensive nature-
fairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, associated with woods and mountains; but there is also a darker version of the {{IAST|yakṣa}}, which is a kind of ghost (
bhutaA bhoot or bhut is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the Indian subcontinent...
) that haunts the wilderness and waylays and devours travelers, similar to the
{{IASTA Rakshasa or alternatively rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion...
.
In
KālidāsaKālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
's poem
MeghadūtaMeghadūta is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa, considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets.A short poem of 111 stanzas, it is one of Kālidāsa's most famous works...
, for instance, the {{IAST|yakṣa}} narrator is a romantic figure, pining with love for his missing beloved. By contrast, in the didactic Hindu dialogue of the
{{IAST|Yakṣapraśnāḥ}} "Questions of the {{IAST|Yakṣa}}", it is a tutelary spirit of a lake that challenges
{{IASTIn the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira , the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, was king of Indraprastha and later of Hastinapura. He was the leader of the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War...
.
The {{IAST|yakṣas}} may have originally been the tutelary gods of forests and villages, and were later viewed as the steward deities of the earth and the wealth buried beneath.
In Indian art, male {{IAST|yakṣas}} are portrayed either as fearsome warriors or as portly, stout and
dwarfIn Germanic mythology, a dwarf is a being that dwells in mountains and in the earth, and is associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting...
-like. Female {{IAST|yakṣas}}, known as
{{IASTYakshinis are mythical beings of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology.-Description:A yakshini is the female counterpart of the male yaksha, and they both attend on Kubera , the Hindu god of wealth who rules in the mythical Himalayan kingdom of Alaka. They both look after treasure hidden in the...
, are portrayed as beautiful young women with happy round faces and full breasts and hips.
{{See also|Yaksha Kingdom}}
{{IAST|Yakṣas}} in Buddhism
In
Buddhist mythologyBuddhist mythology operates within the Buddhist belief system. It is a relatively broad mythology, as it was adopted and influenced by several diverse cultures such as Gandhara which was the capital of Bactria. Later on, it also came to incorporate aspects from countries such as China and Japan...
, the {{IAST|yakṣa}} are the attendants of
{{IAST' or ' also known as Jambhala in Tibet and Bishamonten in Japan is the name of the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology.-Names:...
, the Guardian of the Northern Quarter, a beneficent god who protects the righteous. The term also refers to the
Twelve Heavenly GeneralsIn some Buddhist denominations, the Twelve Heavenly Generals or Twelve Divine Generals are the protective deities, or yaksha, of Bhaisajyaguru, the buddha of healing...
who guard {{IAST, the Medicine Buddha.
According to the
MahavamsaThe Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
, Prince Vijaya encountered the royalty of the Yakkhas. King Maha Kalasena, Queen Gonda on the celebration of the marriage of their daughter Princess Polamitta in the Yakkha capital of Lankapura and conquered them. Lankapura may have been in Arithra or
VijithapuraVijithapura , also known as Vijitha Nagara or Vijithagama, was a fortress–city in ancient Sri Lanka. When Vijaya, the first recorded ruler of the country arrived from India, he brought a large retinue of his followers with him. These followers spread throughout the country, and established...
. The Yakkhas served as loyal subjects with the Vijiyan dynasty and the Yakkha cheiftan sat on equal height to the Sri Lankan leaders on festival days.
Yaksha and Yakshini in Jainism
Jains mainly
worship idolsIn the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
of
ArihantArihant in Jainism is a siddha who has not yet died and thereby lost all aghatiya karma. The Ṇamōkāra mantra begins, Ṇamō arihantāṇaṁ "I praise the arihants"....
s and Tirthankaras, who have conquered the inner passions and attained God-consciousness status. Some Jains also believe that Yaksha and Yakshini look after the well-being of Tirthankaras. Usually, they are found in pair around the idols of Jinas as male (yaksha) and female (yakshini) guardian deities. Yaksha is generally on the right-hand side of the Jina idol and Yakshini on the left-hand side. In earlier periods, they were regarded mainly as devotees of Jina, and have supernatural powers. They are also wandering through the cycles of births and deaths just like the worldly souls, but have supernatural powers. Over time, people started worshiping these deities as well.
Som sections of Jains looked at yaksas and yaksanis for the immediate returns, and gave them the places in their temples. Some Yaksa were and are known for bestowing fertility and wealth upon their devotes. Therefore, they had become very popular and their idols had been placed in Jain temples and Jains worship them. Jains offer them different things in favor of boons for children, wealth or freedom from fears, illness or disease.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
Jainism provides very clear foundations and guidelines, and it is up to every individual jains to decide which idols to worship and which ones that should just be acknowledged. Sthanakvasi and Terapanthi Jains of the Svetambara and Taranpanthi Jains of the Digambaras do not believe in idol worshiping.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
Padvamati Devi
Padvamati DeviAlamelu also known as Alamelmanga and Padmavati , is a Hindu devi. Believed to be a form of Lakshmi, the Hindu devi of wealth and good fortune, Alamelu is the consort of Sri Venkateshwara...
is the dedicated deity of
ParshvaPārśva or Paras was the twenty-third Tirthankara "Ford-Maker" in Jainism . He is the earliest Jain leader generally accepted as a historical figure. Pārśva was a nobleman belonging to the Kshatriya varna....
, the 23rd Tirthankara. Parshva is always represented with the hood of a snake shading his head. The Yaksha Dharanendra and the Yakshi
PadmavatiPadmāvatī is the protecting goddess or śāsanadevī of Pārśva, twenty-third Tīrthaṅkara in Jainism. She enjoys an independent religious life and is very popular amongst Jains. Padmāvatī is the main deity at Humbaj, the famous tirtha....
are often shown flanking him. Her color is golden and her vehicle is the
snakeSnakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
with a cock's head. She has four arms and her two right hands hold a lotus and a Japa mala. The two left hands hold a fruit and a
reinReins are items of horse tack, used to direct a horse or other animal used for riding or driving. Reins can be made of leather, nylon, metal, or other materials, and attach to a bridle via either its bit or its noseband.-Use for riding:...
.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
Chakreshware Devi
Chakreshware DeviIn Jain cosmology, Chakreshvari or Apraticakra is the guardian goddess or Yakshini of Rishabha, the first Tirthankara. She is the tutelary deity of the Sarawagi Jain community.-Iconogrphy:...
is the dedicated attendant deity of lord
RishabhaIn Jainism, R̥ṣabha or Ādinātha , also known as the "Lord of Kesariya") was the first of the 24 Tīrthaṅkaras. According to Jain beliefs, R̥ṣabha founded the Ikshvaku dynasty and was the first Tīrthaṅkara of the present age...
. She is also called by another name, Apratichakra. The color of this goddess is golden. Her vehicle is the
eagleEagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
. She has eight arms. In her four right hands she holds the blessing
mudraA mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...
, arrow, rope, and wheel. In her four left hands she holds the rein, the bow (the protective weapon of
Indra' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
), and the wheel.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
Ambika Devi
AmbikaIn Jainism, Ambika or Ambika Devi is the "dedicated attendant deity" or "protector goddess" of the 22nd Tirthankara, Neminath. She is also known as Ambai, Amba and Amra Kushmandini....
Devi is the dedicated deity of
NeminathNeminatha was twenty-second Jain Tirthankar of the present age . According to Jain beliefs, he became a Siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. He is also known as Arishtanemi He along with Rishabha or Adinatha is mentioned in the Rig Veda Samhita...
, the 22nd Tirthankara. She is also called Ambai Amba and Amra Kushmandini. Her color is golden and the
lionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
is her vehicle. She has four arms. In her two right hands she carries a
mangoThe mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
and in the other a branch of a mango tree. In her one left hand she carries a rein and in the other she has her two sons.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
Saraswathi Devi
Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge, is considered to be the source of all learning. This divine energy is the source of spiritual light, remover of all ignorance, and promoter of all knowledge. She is respected and adored by all faiths, worldly persons, and saints. She has four arms, one holding a book, the other a Japa mala (a kind of rosary), and two hands holding a stringed musical instrument called a
VeenaVeena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
. Her seat is a lotus and the
peacockPeafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
is her vehicle, representing equanimity in prosperity. In some places{{Which?|date=April 2010}} it is mentioned that the
swanSwans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
is her vehicle.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
Lakshmi Devi
The goddess
LakshmiLakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
represents wealth. People worship her as the goddess of wealth, power, money, etcetera. Just like Sarasvati, She is respected and adored by all faiths, and popular amongst worldly persons. In the upper two hands, she is holding a lotus with an
elephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, in the lower-right hand a Japa mala (a kind of rosary) and in the lower left hand a pot.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}