Godhā
Godhā, “the iguana”
Grammar: feminine noun.
Meaning: the iguana, a large lizard.
In the scriptures: Sūta, teaching the brāhmaṇas the utpātas and their śānti, names among the omens of the graha Śani: when oshadhis and crops lose their juice, elephants and horses grow maddened, all in city and village turn against the king, cows and buffaloes cause havoc, and a godhā and a śaṅkhinī enter the door of the house, it is inauspicious, and brings trouble to the king and loss of wealth (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 3, Chapter 20).
In the Madhūkatṛtīyā, kept on the śukla tṛtīyā of Phālguna, Śrī Kṛshṇa tells Yudhishṭhira to meditate under the madhūka tree on Bhagavatī Pārvatī in this form: established in brahmacarya, adorned with a jaṭā-mukuṭa, engaged in tapas, seated on a chariot of the godhā, absorbed in dhyāna of Rudra (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 16–17).
Related terms: Utpāta · Madhūkatṛtīyā
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 3, Chapter 20; Uttara Parva, Chapters 16–17