Nandaka

Nandaka is the divine khaḍga (sword) of Bhagavān Vishṇu. It is the fourth of the four main weapons shown in Vishṇu’s four hands. The other three are the Sudarśana Cakra, the Pāñcajanya conch and the Kaumodakī mace. The name Nandaka means “giver of joy” or “the delightful one.”

In its deeper meaning, the sword stands for jñāna (knowledge). It is the sword of wisdom that cuts through ignorance and karma. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa calls Nandaka jñāna-maya, which means made of knowledge. Kṛshṇa carries Nandaka too. It is named among his weapons in Bhīshma’s stuti (hymn of praise) at the Rājasūya.

Nature and meaning

Nandaka is one of Vishṇu’s four āyudhas (main weapons). Each has a physical form and a deeper meaning:

• Sudarśana Cakra: the wheel of cosmic rule and destruction.
• Pāñcajanya: the conch of creation, of proclaiming, and of the first sound.
• Kaumodakī: the mace that upholds dharma and sovereign power.
• Nandaka: the sword of knowledge, which frees by cutting bondage.

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa plainly says Nandaka is the sword made of jñāna. It is Bhagavān Vishṇu’s weapon against ajñāna (basic ignorance), which binds every jīva (living being). A physical sword cuts physical ropes. In the same way Nandaka cuts the bonds of saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death.

In the Sabhā Parva

At the Rājasūya, Bhīshma gave a great stuti. In it he listed Kṛshṇa’s divine weapons to show that Kṛshṇa is Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa. The four weapons mark his full identity as an avatāra. He is the same Being who holds Sudarśana and Pāñcajanya in Vaikuṇṭha and who wields the Kaumodakī. He also carries Nandaka, the sword of moksha.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, dākshiṇātya prati, Chapter 38 (Bhīshma’s stuti at the Rājasūya)
• Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Nandaka as jñāna-maya; no chapter given)