Pītāmbara () is a term in

Hindu iconography Over the millennia of its development, Hinduism has adopted several iconography, iconic symbols, forming part of Hindu iconography, that are imbued with spiritual meaning based on either the Hindu scriptures, scriptures or cultural traditions ...

, meaning "yellow garment or

shawl A shawl (from ''shāl'') is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of Textile, cloth, but can also be Square (geometry), square or tr ...

", also translated as "clothed in yellow garments", and "name of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

".pītāmbara पीताम्बर
/ref> It is primarily depicted on the deity Vishnu and his incarnations, regarded to represent the

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

Description

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

, the pītāmbara is regarded to represent a

yajna In Hinduism, ''Yajna'' or ''Yagna'' (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐd͡ʒɲə ) also known as Hawan, is a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedas, Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature ...

or sacrifice,Pitambara, Pitāmbara, Pītāmbara, Pita-ambara: 19 definitions
In Hinduism, Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa), ''wisdomlib.org'' and is referred to as a garment of

Purusha ''Purusha'' (, ʊɾʊʂᵊ ) is a complex concept whose meaning evolved in Vedic and Upanishadic times. Depending on source and historical timeline, it means the cosmic being or self, awareness, and universal principle.Karl Potter, Presupposit ...

and the

Vedic metre Vedic metre refers to the poetic metre in the Vedic literature. The study of Vedic metre, along with post-Vedic metre, is part of Chandas, one of the six Vedanga disciplines. Overview In addition to these seven, there are fourteen less freque ...

. In the

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

, pītāmbara means "yellow cloth", and is used to describe Vishnu. In

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

and

Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

, the pītāmbara is the "yellow

dhoti The dhoti is an ankle-length breechcloth, wrapped around the waist and the legs, in resemblance to the shape of trousers. The dhoti is a garment of ethnic wear for men in the Indian subcontinent. The dhoti is fashioned out of a rectangular p ...

" or "bright golden-yellow garment" described as the garment of Vishnu or Krishna.Pitambara, Pitāmbara, Pītāmbara, Pita-ambara: 19 definitions
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma), ''wisdomlib.org''

References

Sources

* Dowson, John: A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion – Geography, History and Religion; D.K.Printworld Ltd., New Delhi, India, 2005

External links

Sanskrit - Dictionary
Indian philosophical concepts Hindu religious clothing Religious clothing Hindu iconography {{Hinduism-stub