Yakshas

I'm starting, or should at the moment be starting to compose a prospectus for what will be my final formal assigned research paper (I hope!) -other than my thesis. I am fascinated with Yakshas and Yakshis. Well not really, but I am fascinated with Vraj and they fit into the picture, along with Naga puja.

Vry little work has been done in this area, the first by Coomaraswamy, followed by an excellent work by Misra and Sutherland (The Disguises of the Demon:... SUNY 1991). As there was apparently no liturature associated directly with their worship, pieces have to be assembled from Buddhist, Jain, and other texts, as well as the numerous images extant.

What I said in a previous entry is not true; there is no proof Vrnda was a Yaksi, but there is a lot of evidence that local Goddesses were incorporated into early Vaisnavism (and Saivism). I say I worship Shri Krishna, but it is not the same Krishna another may worship who may incorporate more or less aspects of the respective contemplators' ego misconceptions.

That is a different story though. The Tulasi/Vrnda thing will not be cessed out by me, or anyone. Does (did) Vrnda equal the plant Tulasi? By the time of Rupa Goswamin it did. Was Vrnda simply a Vandevi -protectress of the forest?

Bhandiravan was noted as being the center of worship for a certain Yaksha. The famous Parkham image was worshiped right up until the time the Brits put the devata (as he was discribed by the villagers) in the Mathura museum. Misra says the Yaksha cult was existing concurrently with Buddhism etc.

Krishna lila as per Bhagavatam is filled with stories of Shri Krishna subduing snakes, and other local deities. But he did not kill Kaliya, only won him over. Varuna who was called a Yaksha (and asura) in various references, was chastened by Krishna. Nalakuvera and Manigriva, sons of the Yaksharaj Kubera liberated from trees -which along with water were considered the abode of Yakshas. I need to check on Sankacuda, whether he was a Rakshasa or Yaksha...Yaksha I think. If so it is quite interesting for the Tulasi story. A different Shankacuda is named, a non-Vaisnava, vanquished by Vishnu (worshipper of Siva, as it were), whose body turned to conch (Yaksha symbol-hold water) in the ocean (the abode of Varuna) and Tulasi (a type of tree/plant - associated with Yaksha also as mentioned above), become the consort of the mountain-born Vishnu as Saligrama. In some stories the figure is named Jalandhara (water holder ) born from Siva's third eye and the ocean (or from Gangaji depending on what you prefer).
The Yaksas (I) statues we see likely predate some of these Puranik stories. Sankacuda is called a Danava in the BvP and Jalandhara an asura in PP , as is Varuna in Rg V. etc.It doesn't really matter either way though, because I may be familiar with more of the versions of the story than the persons back then who wrote and added to the Puranas. They were probably writing verses of oral versions that varied from region to region anyway. Its a fun thing to ponder though.