Lambodara
sk लम्बोदर lambodara, 'big belly'.
Lambodara, lit. “big belly”, refers to another name or epithet for the god Ganesha.
Ganesha appears as Lambodara in the Mahabharata story of Samudra Manthan [The Churning of the Ocean of Milk] when, in several Puranic variations, the god took the form of Lambodara to conquer and subdue the female demon Krodhasura, a creation of Shiva. After the demons were charmed by Vishnu’s Mohini (मोहिनी) [the female form of Mahāviṣṇu avatar], Shiva's impatience at seducing her led to the birth of a demon Krodhasura (Anger). Ganesha took the form of Lambodara (one with a huge belly) to conquer and subdue Krodhasura.
Lambodara is also one of the 56 vināyakas positioned in the South-Eastern corner of the second circle of the kāśī-maṇḍala, worshipped during yātrā (sacred pilgrimages) and tirtha (holy pilgrimages) in Kachi (Vārāṇasī, Bengaluru, India, and defined as "the giver of coolness".
Source
- ADB Research team.
- Wisdom Library.
