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Vaikuntha Chaturmurti or Vaikuntha Vishnu is a four-headed aspect of the Hindu god Vishnu, mostly found in Kashmir (northern part of the Indian subcontinent). The icon represents Vishnu as the Supreme Being. He has a human head, a lion head, a boar head and a demonic head. Sometimes, even three-headed aspects of Vishnu where the demonic rear head is dropped are considered to represent Vaikuntha Chaturmurti. Though iconographical treatises describe him to eight-armed, he is often depicted with four. Generally, Vaikuntha Chaturmurti is shown standing but sometimes he is depicted seated on his ''vahana'' (mount) Garuda. The concept of a four-headed Vishnu first appears in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', but the complete iconography was first found in a 5th-century Pancharatra text. The icon reflects influences from the Gupta period and the Gandhara architectural tradition. While as per one interpretation, the animal heads represent Vishnu's avatar Narasimha (lion-headed man) and Varaha (boar), another theory based on Pancharatra texts relates the four heads to ''Chaturvyuha'' - Vasudeva (Krishna), Samkarshana (Balarama), Pradyumna and Aniruddha - four ''vyuha''s (manifestations) of Vishnu. A cult centered on Vaikuntha Chaturmurti developed in Kashmir in the 8-12th century, when the deity also enjoyed royal patronage in the region. The Lakshmana Temple of Khajuraho suggests his worship in the Chandela kingdom (Central India) in the 10th century. ==Names== The icon is known by various names: ''Vaikuntha'',〔〔 ''Vaikunthanatha'' ("Lord of Vaikuntha"),〔 ''Chaturmurti'' ("four-fold representation"),〔 ''Chaturanana'' ("four-faced"),〔 ''Para Vasudeva Narayana'', ''Vishnu Chaturmurti'', ''Vishnu Chaturanana'' and ''Vaikuntha Chaturmukhi'' ("four-faced Vaikuntha"). The ''Vishnudharmottara Purana'' calls him ''Vishnu-Vaikuntha''.〔Gail p. 300〕 The icon may be called ''Chaturvyuha'' ("having four vyuhas"), when identified with the four manifestations or ''vyuha''s of Vishnu.〔Chaturmurti or Chaturvyuha. (2002). In ''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend, Thames & Hudson''. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/thhll/chaturmurti_or_chaturvyuha〕 Vaikuntha generally refers to Vishnu's abode, but in the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas, this term is also used as an epithet of Vishnu.〔Gail p. 305〕 Though no clear etymology of ''vaikuntha'' exists, the term is believed to be derived from ''vi-kuntha'', literally meaning "not blunt". The earliest scriptures like the Vedas, Upanishads and Brahmanas connect the epithet to Indra, the king of the gods and the Supreme god of the era. By the time of the ''Mahabharata'', Vishnu gained the role of Indra and the epithet ''vaikuntha'' was transferred to him. The use of ''vaikuntha'' in the name also suggests that the form represents the Para (Ultimate Reality) form of Vishnu.〔Desai pp. 37–8〕 The name ''Chaturmurti'' also appears in the ''Vishnu sahasranama'' (thousand names of Vishnu). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vaikuntha Chaturmurti」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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