Rashad, protector of Lakshmi?

Valerie J Roebuck vjroebuck at APPLEONLINE.NET
Thu Jul 6 09:45:53 UTC 2000


J. Kingston Cowart writes:
>
>Someone I know was recently shown a figurine purported to depict
>"Rashad Dav" (or Dan?).  He was told that this was a name for a
>"protector" of Lakshmi.  He declined to purchase the object and has
>inquired of me whether or not such a figure exists in any aspect of
>Indian mythology.
>
>I have never heard of any consort or protector for Lakshmi other
>than Vishnu -- but "Vishnu has a thousand names" and I may easily
>have missed this one.

This "protector" is perhaps an attendant deity rather than a consort.  The
second element in the name will presumably be "dev" (deva).  Most likely
sources for the first element would seem to be r.s.i (sage) or some
derivative of hr.s. (to horripilate, be excited, be joyful etc) such as
hars.a (joy).  Cp. Hr.s.iikes'a, a name for Vis.n.u and Kr.s.n.a.  A
Vais.n.ava attendant figure would probably have Vis.n.u-related attributes
(conch, cakra, mace?) and name.  But this could be a very local deity,
adopted into the worship of Laks.mii.

Valerie J Roebuck
Manchester, UK





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