Vidyādharas
Vidyādhara · vidyā-dhara, “the holders of vidyā”
The Vidyādharas, “the holders of vidyā (learning)”, are a race of celestial beings, named in the Vāmana Purāṇa with the gandharvas, kinnaras, yakshas, apsarases, siddhas and nāgas. The ṛshis taught that their dharma is to gain unequalled learning and knowledge of the world, to have valour, and to hold true bhakti (devotion) to Bhavānī. They march in the hosts of the devas, they served the daitya Andhaka when he ruled from Pātāla, and they served Kātyāyanī Devī on the peak of the Vindhya. They play many instruments at the court of King Bali in svarga, and they play auspicious music in the house of Brahmā, where Bhagavān Vishṇu dwells in the form of Vāmana. With their wives they serve Mount Trikūṭa, and they are ever present at the Saptasārasvata tīrtha (holy bathing place) of Kurukshetra.
Their dharma
When the rākshasa Sukeśī asked the ṛshis what dharma is, they taught him the dharmas that Brahmā laid down for the twelve yonis (classes of beings). Fifth in their list are the Vidyādharas, whose dharma is:
- acquiring unequalled vidyā (learning);
- loka-vijñāna, knowledge of the world;
- paurusha, manly valour;
- true bhakti towards Bhavānī.
These marks, the ṛshis said, give each class of beings sadgati, a good destination.
When the girl Carcikā arose from the sweat of Bhagavān Śiva‘s forehead in his Bhairava form, he gave her a vara (blessing): the devas, pitṛs, ṛshis, uragas, yakshas, Vidyādharas, humans and all others would worship her with bhakti, always offering her bali and handfuls of flowers and reciting stotras (hymns of praise) to her.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 11, 44
With the devas and the asuras
When Devendra Indra rode out on Airāvata against the daitya Andhaka, the deva army went in its order: the twelve Ādityas in front, the Rudras behind, and in the middle the eight Vasus, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the Maruts, the Aśvins, and all the yakshas and Vidyādharas, each on his own vāhana. Andhaka routed the devas, brought the earth under his rule, and went down to Pātāla, to the city named Aśmaka. While he dwelt there, the gandharvas, Vidyādharas and apsarases went down to Pātāla and served him.
When Sūrya, burned by the fire of Bhagavān Śiva‘s eye, fell between the rivers Varaṇā and Asī, the ṛshis, yakshas, rākshasas, nāgas, Vidyādharas, apsarases, birds, bhūtas and pretas went together to Brahmaloka to tell Brahmā. Brahmā then brought Bhagavān Śiva from Mandara to Vārāṇasī to protect Sūrya.
When Devarāja Indra led the devas out against the armies of King Bali, the Ādityas, Vasus, yakshas, Rudras, Sādhyas, Viśvedevas, Aśvins, Vidyādharas, yakshas, rākshasas and pannagas, the rājarshis, the siddhas and the many bhūtagaṇas went out to war, some on elephants, some on horses, some in chariots, some on vimānas and bird-vāhanas.
Lakshmī Devī told Bali that Janārdana had made four beautiful women. The fourth was of all three guṇas, with the lustre of a black bee, in blue garments, blue garlands and blue sandal paste, riding a blue bull. She was taken by the dānavas, the nirṛtis, the Vidyādharas and the śūdras, and the daityas, Vidyādharas, śūdras and others praise her with bhakti as Śrīdevī.
When Bhagavān Vishṇu granted King Kuru‘s vara that the land he had ploughed become a dharmakshetra (field of dharma), Śrīman Nārāyaṇa appointed guardians to protect that kshetra: the yaksha Candra, the pannaga Vāsuki, the vidyādhara Śaṅkukarṇa, the rākshasa lord Sukeśī, the king Ajāvana, and Pāvaka Mahādeva.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 9, 10, 16, 23, 47, 49
Their service and music
When Kātyāyanī Durgā, resolved to slay the rākshasas, climbed the highest peak of the Vindhya and stood there, the devas, siddhas, uragas, Vidyādharas, bhūtagaṇas and apsarases forgot their troubles and stayed in her service, delighting Kātyāyanī Devī.
When King Bali ruled in svarga as lord of the ten worlds, the gandharvas led by Viśvāvasu sang, the apsarases led by Tilottamā danced, and the yakshas, kinnaras and Vidyādharas played many instruments together to delight him.
When Brahmā praised Bhagavān Vishṇu and asked him to dwell always in his house in the form he had shown, Vishṇu said “Tathāstu” and remained in Brahmā’s house in that same form of Vāmana. There the jewels among the apsarases dance, the deva singers sing sweet songs, the Vidyādharas play many kinds of auspicious instruments, and devas, dānavas and siddhas praise Bhagavān Vishṇu with stotras.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 19, 48, 66
At the holy places
When the muni Maṅkaṇa bowed to Bhagavān Śiva, Śiva blessed the place where Maṅkaṇa had danced to be a puṇya tīrtha equal to Pṛthūdaka: in that Sārasvata tīrtha the suras, asuras, gandharvas, Vidyādharas, kinnaras and others are always present, and it destroys every impurity of pāpa (wrongdoing).
Mount Trikūṭa, the son of Meru, full of every kind of gem, which rose out of the ocean of milk, is served by gandharvas, kinnaras, apsarases, siddhas, cāraṇas, pannagas and Vidyādharas together with their wives.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 36, 58
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 9–11, 16, 19, 23, 36, 44, 47–49, 58, 66