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Heramba ( sa, हेरम्ब, ), also known as Heramba Ganapati (), is a five-headed iconographical form of the Hindu god
Ganesha
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...
(Ganapati). This form is particularly popular in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
.
This form is important in Tantric worship of Ganesha. He is one of the most popular of the
thirty-two forms of Ganesha
Thirty-two forms of Ganesha are mentioned frequently in devotional literature related to the Hindu god Ganesha (Ganapati). The Ganesha-centric scripture ''Mudgala Purana'' is the first to list them.
Detailed descriptions are included in the ''Shiv ...
.
As an epithet
The ''
Mudgala Purana
The Mudgala Purana (Sanskrit:; ) is a Hindu religious text dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganesha (). It is an that includes many stories and ritualistic elements relating to Ganesha. The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana are core scriptures f ...
'' mentions Heramba Ganapati as one of the thirty-two names of Ganesha. The ''
Skanda Purana
The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest ''Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumaram, Kaumara literature, titled after Kartikeya ...
'' lists that Heramba Vinayaka as one of the 56 Vinayakas in the vicinity of
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
. Heramba also figures in the lists of Ganesha's names in the ''
Brahma Vaivarta Purana
The ''Brahmavaivarta Purana'' ( sa, ब्रह्मवैवर्त पुराण; ) is a voluminous Sanskrit text and a major Purana (''Maha-purana'') of Hinduism. It is an important Vaishnavism text. This Purana majorly centers aroun ...
'' (8 names), the ''
Padma Purana
The ''Padma Purana'' ( sa, पद्मपुराण or पाद्मपुराण, or ) is one of the eighteen Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brah ...
'' (12 epithets) and the ''Cintyagama'' (16 Ganapatis). Heramba is also used as an epithet of Ganesha in the ''
Ganesha Purana
The Ganesha Purana (Sanskrit:; ) is a Sanskrit text that deals with the Hindu deity Ganesha (). It is an (minor Purana) that includes mythology, cosmogony, genealogy, metaphors, yoga, theology and philosophy relating to Ganesha.
The text is o ...
''.
The ''Brahma vaivarta Purana'' explains the meaning of Heramba: the syllable ''he'' denotes helpnessless or weakness, while ''ramba'' is protection of the weak, to save them from harm; thus ''Heramba'' means the "Protector of the weak and good people".
Iconography
Heramba is described having five elephant heads, four facing the cardinal directions while the fifth at the top looking upwards.
The colours of Heramba's heads closely relate to
five aspects of his father
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
–
Ishana
Ishana (Sanskrit: ईशान, IAST: Īśāna), is a Hindu god. He is often considered to be one of the forms of the Hindu destroyer god Shiva, and is also often counted among the eleven Rudras. In Hinduism, some schools of Buddhism and Jainis ...
, Tatpurusha,
Aghora,
Vamadeva In Hinduism, Vamadeva ( sa, वामदेव) is the preserving aspect of the God Shiva, one of six aspects of the universe he embodies, as well as the name of an ancient rishi. On a five-faced Shivalingam, Vamadeva appears on the right hand side. ...
and Sadyojata. The five heads symbolize his power.
He should be golden yellow in colour.
Sometimes, he is described to be white in complexion.
Heramba rides his ''
vahana
''Vahana'' ( sa, वाहन, or animal vehicle, literally "that which carries, that which pulls") denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical, a particular Hindus, Hindu God is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana ...
'', a mighty lion.
The lion, represents the deity's royalty and fierce nature.
The lion is said to be inherited from his mother
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
, who often rides it.
Though the lion primarily appears as the vahana of this aspect, Dinka, the usual vahana of Ganesha - a rat or a mouse - may also be included in the depiction. In an 11th–13th-century depiction in
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
, Dinka the rat is depicted on a pedestal besides the seated Heramba. In a depiction in
Bhaktapur
, motto = ne, पुर्खले सिर्जेको सम्पत्ती, हाम्रो कला र संस्कृति , lit=Creation of our ancestors, our heritage and culture
, image_map ...
, Nepal; Heramba stands on two rats. In Nepal, Heramba is generally depicted with a lion as well as Dinka.
Heramba has ten arms. As per descriptions in iconographical treatises, he holds a ''
pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...
'' (noose), ''danta'' (his broken tusk), ''
akshamala
A japamala, , or simply mala ( sa, माला; , meaning 'garland') is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism for counting recitations when performing ''japa'' (reciting a m ...
'' (rosary), a ''
parashu
Parashu ( sa, Paraśu, script=Latn) is the Sanskrit word for a battle-axe, which can be wielded with one or both hands.
Construction
The parashu could be double-edge bladed or single-edge bladed with a spike on the non cutting edge. It usually me ...
'' (battle-axe), a three-headed ''mudgara'' (mallet) and the sweet
modak
Modak (Marathi: मोदक; Japanese: 歓喜団; Thai: โมทกะ or ขนมต้ม; Malaysian: Kuih modak; Indonesian: Kue modak; Burmese: မုန့်လုံးရေပေါ်), also referred to as Koḻukattai (கொழ ...
. Two other arms are held in ''
Varadamudra
Varadamudra is a mudra, and it indicates a gesture by the hand and symbolizes dispensing of boons. For varadamudra, the right hand is used. It is held out, with palm uppermost and the fingers pointing downwards. Varadamudra and abhayamudra are ...
'' (the boon-giving gesture) and ''
Abhayamudra
The Abhayamudrā "gesture of fearlessness" is a mudra, mudrā (gesture) that is the gesture of reassurance and safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss in Buddhism and other Indian religions. The right hand is held upr ...
'' (a gesture denoting protection of the devotee).
Other descriptions add a garland and a fruit to the attributes in his hand.
He may be depicted in sculpture holding an ''
ankusha
The elephant goad, bullhook, or ankus (from Sanskrit ' or ''ankusha'') is a tool employed by mahout in the handling and training of elephants. It consists of a hook (usually bronze or steel) which is attached to a handle, ending in a tapered ...
'' (an elephant goad) in one of his hands.
Sometimes, a consort may be depicted seated on his lap and one of Heramba's arms cuddles her.
Worship
Heramba is a protector of the weak. Heramba also has the power to confer fearlessness and bring defeat or destruction to one's enemies.
Heramba is popular in the
Tantric worship of Ganesha. The Hairamba or Heramba sect is a Tantric sect that worship Ganesha with
Devi
Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.
The conce ...
or Shakti (the Hindu goddess) as his consort; though usually she is considered his mother and consort of his father Shiva.
Like a number of other Hindu deities, Heramba was also associated with the six "fearful abhichara rites" (use of spells for malevolent purposes) by which an adept is said to gain the power to cause a victim to suffer delusions, be overcome with irresistible attraction or envy, or be enslaved, paralysed or killed.
In Thiyagaraja swamy temple Thiruvarur, Tamil nadu, a shrine is dedicated to this type of ganapathy. In Nagapatinam, a utsavabera is dedicated to this ganapathy.
See also
*
Herambasuta
Herambasuta (Devanagari:हेरम्बसुत, IAST:), was a Tantric exponent who belonged to the vamachara Ganapatya sect. The tenth century work attributed to certain mentions the cult of led by Herambasuta. The name of the group deriv ...
References
{{Ganesha
Forms of Ganesha
Lion deities