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Yakṣa

Chapter · January 2018

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_514-1

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Amitabhvikram Dwivedi
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
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Y
Yaksa
˙
Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi
College of Humanities & Social Sciences –
Languages & Literature, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi
University, Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Introduction
Yakshas, a sort of demigods, fall under nature
spirits. Like Shakespearean Puck, Yakshas are
mischievous, fickle-minded, and sexually charged
spirits, but at the same time, they are subtle care-
takers of hidden natural resources found in the tree
roots and the wealth buried underneath. They are
physically attractive – very handsome or
extremely beautiful – as well as they are very
prosperous [4]. Like ayyars in Khatri’s
Chandrakanta, Yakshas could change their
forms at will. They live in forests, trees, caves,
mountains, water bodies, and esoteric cities in the
sky. We can find their near relatives as sprites,
gnomes, and fairies in the European tradition.
The feminine form of Yaksha is Yakshini or
Yakshi. The excavation of the Indus Valley sites
and the unearthed artefacts depicts them as
humans, animals, and gods and goddess. One
such seal shows a female divinity, resembling
like Yakshas or nature beings, being worshipped
in a tree.
# Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2018
P. Jain et al. (eds.), Hinduism and Tribal Religions, Encyclopedia of Indian Religions,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_514-1
Representation of Yakshas in Religions
In the Vedas, Yakshas are deities and divinities.
Besides Hinduism, many Hindu-based religions,
such as in Jainism and Buddhism, we find refer-
ences and representations of Yakshas [3]. In Bud-
dhism, Yakshas are represented as guardians of
the doors in many temples. They are considered
the guardian deities during the ancient and medi-
eval period, and their statues are found in the
many temples located in South Asia and Southeast
Asia [1]. The scriptures present Yakshas in both
positive and negative forms, i.e., they have a dual
personality: their fairy-like nature is associated
with woods and mountains, whereas the darker
side of their nature represents them as ghosts and
man-eaters. Like rakshasas, they devour lonely
travellers and haunt the wilderness but often asso-
ciated with sacred tress in hamlets and villages.
In the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Puranas,
we find Yakshas depicted as trees and tutelary
spirit. The Yaksha Prashna “Yaksha’s question”
is a famous episode in the Aranya Parva (311–12)
of the Mahabharata where the lives of Pandavas
are saved when their eldest brother Yudhishthira
successfully answered to the questions posed by
Yaksha [2]. In Kenopanishad, there is a story
where the Supreme Lord transforms Himself as
Yaksha to teach a lesson to Indra and other celes-
tial beings. Once there was a fight between celes-
tial beings and ausras, and with the help of the
supreme Brahman, the celestial beings became
successful. But after being victorious, Indra and
2 Yaksa
other devatas became so haughty that they forgot
about the Supreme Being. One after another all
celestial beings was defeated by the Supreme
Lord, and finally they realized their ignorance
and mistake.
The Sanskrit poets Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti
have mentioned Yakshas in their works. In
Meghaduta, the Yaksha narrator is a romantic
person, missing his female counterpart and desir-
ing love. The Jain and Buddhist literature and
sculpture are replete with Yakshas and Yakshinis.
In Jainism, Yakshis mark their presence in subsid-
iary shrines, and there are 24 different Yakshas,
representing each tirthankaras “prophets.” The
Indian artists often portray male Yakshas as
dwarflike fat warrior with plump bellies and fat
legs, whereas the female Yakshas are depicted as
beautiful young women with ripen breasts and big
round hips [5].
Kubera as Yaksha
Kubera, the lord of prosperity and wealth, is
worshipped as the god-king or as demigod in
Hinduism. He is the protector of the material
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world and a ruler of the North Himalayan king-
dom called Alaka. There are many adjectives used
in the Hindu scriptures to glorify his importance
as an overlord and owner of the treasures of the
world. He rides a mongoose and has a plump
body. He is adorned with precious jewels and
holds a money-pot. Kubera is also described as
the head of evil spirits, and sometimes he is also
pictured next to Laxmi “the goddess of prosperity,
wealth, and fortune.” [2] Only Puranas and other
Hindu epics regard him as god.
References
1. Coomaraswamy AK, Schroeder P, Indira Gandhi
National Centre for the Arts (1993) Yakṣas: essays in
the water cosmology. Indira Gandhi National Centre for
the Arts, New Delhi
2. Misra RN (1981) Yaksha cult and iconography.
Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi
3. Sharma JP (1996) Jaina Yakshas. Kusumanjali Book
World, Jodhpur
4. Srinivasan AV (1984) A Hindu primer: Yaksha Prashna.
IND-US, E. Glastonbury
5. Sutherland GH (1992) Yakṣa in Hinduism and Bud-
dhism: the disguises of the demon. Manohar, New
Delhi