Gaja Śānti in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa
A śānti is a ritual for peace and protection that calms harmful influences. Gaja means elephant. Chapter 49 of the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa (second part) of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa teaches the Gaja-śānti, the ritual of divine protection for a king’s elephants.
It comes after the Gaja-cikitsā, the text’s manual on the medical care of elephants, and after the account of Nandaka and Lohadānava. The teacher Pushkara explains that for elephants, this ritual partner to medical treatment is essential. According to the Nandaka account, some stubborn elephant diseases have their origin in an asura.
The Story Behind the Ritual
The account of Nandaka and Lohadānava (Chapters 45–49) tells that Lohadānava, the “iron asura”, was driven down into the depths of pātāla (the lower worlds) but was not fully destroyed. His lingering harmful influence still causes elephant diseases that cannot be explained. The Gaja-śānti deals with this unseen cause by calling on the divine protectors of elephants and creating a field of protection around the royal elephant corps.
The Divine Protectors of Elephants
The Gaja-śānti calls on:
- Airāvata: Indra’s white elephant of svarga, king of all elephants. His presence is invoked to bless the royal elephants as members of his line
- The eight Dik-gajas: the eight great elephants who guard the eight directions (see the table below)
- Indra: as the master of Airāvata and the deva of strength
- Bhagavān Vishṇu: in his form as Trivikrama, whose three strides measured the whole universe, an echo of the elephant’s great size
| Direction | Dik-gaja |
|---|---|
| East | Airāvata |
| South | Puṇḍarīka |
| West | Vāmana |
| North | Kumuda |
| South-east | Añjana |
| South-west | Pushpadanta |
| North-west | Sārvabhauma |
| North-east | Supratīka |
The Ritual
When it is done:
- Every year at the start of the war season, in the month of Āśvayuja
- When an elephant falls ill for no clear reason
- When a new royal elephant is acquired and brought into the palace elephant stable (gajāgāra)
- On the Hasta nakshatra (lunar mansion), which is linked with elephants. The Gaja-lakshaṇa section of the Pūrvārdha (first half) of the text connects the Hasta nakshatra with the welfare of elephants
Where: In the gajāgāra (elephant stable), or in the open ground where the elephants are kept.
Steps:
- The space is purified and the floor is cleaned
- A fire is lit with mango wood, which is linked with auspiciousness and fertility
- The eight Dik-gajas are invoked in the eight directions, with mantras recited facing each direction
- Airāvata is invoked as the central deity
- Bhagavān Vishṇu is invoked as the highest protector
- Offerings are made of white sesame, white rice, ghee, white flowers and sugarcane (the elephant’s favourite food, offered symbolically to the divine elephants)
- A mixture of herbs (bilva bark, neem leaves and turmeric) is burned in the fire. The fragrant smoke purifies the space and also does the elephants physical good
- Each elephant’s mahout (keeper and rider) brings it near the fire, but not too close, so that the protective smoke and the sound of the mantras reach it
- The officiating purohita places his hand on each elephant’s trunk, the traditional gesture of blessing an elephant
For a particular sick elephant: The ritual is done with the elephant present the whole time, and an extra homa (fire offering) is performed naming that elephant by its personal name, given by its mahout.
Sources
- Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa), Chapter 49