Pustaka

By Swami Harshananda

Pustaka literally means ‘book’.

The various gods and goddesses are often shown with āyudhas^[1] in their hands. One such āyudha, of the sāttvika type is the pustaka. The gods in whose hand this is shown are:

Brahmā
Dakṣiṇāmurti
Gaṇapati
Hanumān
Hayagrīva
Sarasvatī
Sage Vyāsa

It symbolizes the āgama or the scriptures. The other objects that generally go with it are the akṣamālā,^[2] the kamaṇḍalu^[3] and the jñāna-mudrā or the gesture of exposition.

References[edit]

↑ Āyudhas means the weapons or implements.
↑ Akṣamālā means the rosary.
↑ Kamaṇḍalu means the water pot.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Deval Sancheti

Explore Other Articles

Dasakam 21-30
Prāyaścitta
Uthralikkavu
Anandamarga
Adhithya Ashtakam

[1] Āyudhas means the weapons or implements.

[2] Akṣamālā means the rosary.

[3] Kamaṇḍalu means the water pot.

[1]

[2]

[3]