Місце ящірки у священних книгах, скульптурі та системах вірувань Індії

Abstract

A study concerning a lizard’s symbolism is well-known in the scholarly world. Nevertheless, it has not attracted the required attention of many academicians. In the light of Indian ethos, we have incredibly diverse belief systems for a lizard; somewhere, it is deified as the goddess Lakṣmī, but it is also considered a bad omen. A total of 88 names have been found for a lizard in Sanskrit. Some of the names are very typical and oft used, like godhā, pallī, saraṭa, and kṛkavāku, a variety of atypical names, like ṭaṭṭanī, dārumatsyāhvayā, brāhmaṇī, lalantikā, etc. are also found in the language. After collecting the lexical data for a lizard, we vividly find exciting occurrences in the Sanskrit literature. A lizard has been mentioned symbolically in texts from the Vedas to Tantra and classical Sanskrit literature to scientific treatises. Studying these texts, temple art, and belief systems in the light of a lizard is much required to uncoil the symbolism. Thus, this paper aims to comprehend and uncoil the symbolism of a lizard in Indian ethos based on literary and supportive temple art-related sources. This paper will give attempt to address the following problems: 1) Listing of Sanskrit names for a lizard and a general study of its auspicious and inauspicious shades; 2) Collection, interpretation, and study of the literary references (limited to Sanskrit texts only) related to a lizard (This literature will be divided into the following categories: “The beliefs like gaining merits and sins”; “Mythology”; “Vedic literature & Tantra”; “Miscellaneous”); 3) Study concerning the tangible heritage like temple art: an icon at the Hoyasaleshwara temple (Halebidu, Karnataka, India), goddess Jogul̥āmbā (Alampur, Andhra Pradesh, India), Virupaksha temple (Hampi, Karnataka, India), etc.; 4) Study of a few peculiar local belief systems in India.