Chaturbhuja

Granite figure of Vishnu, India, 16th century CE. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
This article is about the concept in Hindu iconography. For the deity who bears this epithet, see Vishnu.

Chaturbhuja (Sanskrit: चतुर्भुज, romanized: Caturbhuja, lit. 'four-armed') is a concept in Hindu iconography in which a deity is depicted with four arms. Several Hindu deities are often portrayed with four arms in their iconography, featured in Hindu literature. The iconography of four arms is regarded to symbolise divinity and power, as well as dominion over the four quarters of the universe.[1]

Chaturbhuja is also primarily employed as an epithet for the preserver deity, Vishnu.[2][3]

  1. ^ Stutley, Margaret (2019-04-09). The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-429-62425-4.
  2. ^ Rama, Swami (1985). Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita. Himalayan Institute Press. p. 469. ISBN 978-0-89389-090-2.
  3. ^ Dowson, John (2004). A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology, and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature. Asian Educational Services. p. 388. ISBN 978-81-206-1786-5.