Keshava
Keshava (Sanskrit: केशव, lit. 'one who has beautiful long hair or the slayer of Keshi', IAST: Keśava) is an epithet of Vishnu in Hindu tradition.[1] The name appears as the 23rd and 648th names in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata. Keshava is also venerated by those persons wanting to avert bad luck or ill-omens. His consort is Kirti (Lakshmi).[2]
Keshava is an iconographical form of Vishnu.
Etymology
[edit | edit source]Keshava means "the one with beautiful long (unshorn) hair" or "killer of the Keshi demon". According to the Padma Purana, the name refers to Krishna's long, beautiful, looking unshorn hair.[3] Referring to Sangraha Ramayana of Narayana Panditacharya, Authors Meenakshi Bharat and Madhu Grover says that "The name Keshava refers to Vishnu. The letter 'Ka' refers to Brahma and 'Isha' refers to Shiva. The word Keshava refers to one who animates both Brahma and Shiva".[4]
Literature
[edit | edit source]
A verse from the Vishnu Sahasranama mentions Keshava:
आकाशात् पतितं तोयं यथागच्छति सागरम् ।
'सर्वदव नमस्कारः केशवं प्रतिगच्छति ॥'ākāśāt patitaṃ toyaṃ yathāgacchati sāgaram
sarvadeva namaskāraḥ keśavaṃ pratigacchati
Just as the rainwater falling on the earth reaches the ocean, in the same way, offerings (namaskara) made to various deities ultimately reach only one God Keshava (Vishnu).[6][7]
In Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna uses the name Keshava[8] for Krishna a number of times, referring to him as the 'killer of the Keshi demon':
"I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I see only causes of misfortune, O Kesava, killer of the Keśī demon."
— Bhagavad Gita, Verse 1.30
The demon Keshi, in the form of a horse, was sent by Kamsa to kill Krishna, but was overpowered and slain (Vishnu Purana 5.15-16).
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography, Margaret Stutley, pp. 71, 73
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Bharat & Grover 2019, p. 205.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita, a New Translation and Commentary, Chapter 1-6. Penguin Books, 1969, pp. 148–149 (v 54)
Sources
[edit | edit source]- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).) by Anna Dhallapiccola
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).