Kaustubha
कौस्तुभ मणिThe Kaustubha is the brilliant gem that Vishnu wears on his chest. It rose from the ocean of milk during the Samudra Manthan, together with Lakshmi, and Vishnu took it as his ornament. The Vishnu Purana explains the gem as the atman, the pure soul of the world.
What is the Kaustubha?
Kaustubha is the jewel, often shown as a large red or brilliant gem set in a pendant, that hangs on Vishnu's chest. It is one of the adornments that identify him, together with the Srivatsa mark and the Vaijayanti garland.
Krishna, as Vishnu's avatar, is also described wearing it.
A treasure of the churning
The story of the Samudra Manthan, told in the Bhagavata Purana (Book 8) and the Vishnu Purana, lists the treasures that rose from the ocean of milk as the devas and asuras churned it with Mount Mandara and the serpent Vasuki. Among them were the wish-granting cow Kamadhenu, the horse Uchchaihshravas, the elephant Airavata, the tree Parijata, the goddess Lakshmi and the gem Kaustubha. Lakshmi chose Vishnu as her consort, and Vishnu took the Kaustubha and wore it on his chest, where it has remained in every image of him since.
Kaustubha and Srivatsa
The jewel is usually shown together with the Srivatsa, a curl or mark on the right side of Vishnu’s chest that is identified with the abode of Lakshmi. Together with the Vaijayanti garland of five kinds of flowers, they complete the adornments of the god. Texts on temple ritual describe the Kaustubha as the jewel that outshines the sun.
What does it symbolise?
The Vishnu Purana (1.22) says that Vishnu wears the Kaustubha as the atman of the world, the pure and unstained soul, while the Srivatsa mark beside it is pradhana, the primal matter. The god thus carries both spirit and nature upon his chest. Popular devotion…
