A gift from Varuna
At the burning of the Khandava forest, the sea god Varuna gives Krishna the discus and the mace Kaumodaki, and gives Arjuna the bow Gandiva.
WeaponIconography
Kaumodaki: Origin
कौमोदकीKaumodaki is the mace (gada) of Vishnu, held in one of his four hands with the discus, conch and lotus. The Mahabharata says the sea god Varuna gave it to Krishna at the burning of the Khandava forest, and the Vishnu Purana reads it as the power of the intellect.
Borne byविVishnu
Where did it come from?
The texts tell different stories.
The intellect made visible
The Purana explains Vishnu's ornaments and weapons as the powers of the cosmos, and names the mace as buddhi, the intellect.
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