Navagunjara

Written by Lakshmi Menon

As we go through different epic stories, the presence of a beast with the body parts of different animals can be seen. Like the Sphinx with a human head and lion body, there are many such mythical creatures recorded in mythology. Have you heard of such a creature in Indian Mythology?

Well, There is Navagunjara. A creature that is the amalgamation of 9 different creatures, each embodying different characteristics and symbolism. Rooster, elephant, tiger, deer, peacock, bull, lion, snake, and human are the animals representing the diverse attributes found in the natural world.

If you have not heard of such a creature, it is normal. The mention of Navagunjara only comes in the version of the Mahabharata, written by Sarala Dasa, an Odia poet. No other versions of the epic have such a creature inscribed. So the story goes like this, when Arjuna was in exile, he was doing penance on the hill. When Arjuna encountered an awe-inspiring Navagunjara, he tried to attack with his bow and arrows. His attacks were useless before the best realized that the creature had the presence of Lord Krishna. Upon realizing this, Arjuna submitted and surrendered to the divine entity.

“Navagunjara has the head of a rooster, and stands on three feet, those of an elephant, tiger and deer or horse; the fourth limb is a raised human arm carrying a lotus or a wheel. The beast has the neck of a peacock, the back or hump of a bull, and the waist of a lion; the tail is a serpent.”

“The Navagunjara-Arjuna scene is sculpted at the northern side of the Jagannath Temple, Puri. Also, the Nila Chakra disc atop the Jagannath Temple has eight Navagunjaras carved on the outer circumference, with all facing towards the flag post above.”

The symbolism this mythical character holds in Indian mythology is immense. It represents the unity and interconnectedness of nature and the divine, embodying various aspects of existence and reflecting on the complexity of each life. As it is a combination of different animals, it represents different qualities like wisdom, beauty, strength, knowledge, and so on. This is a symbolic representation of how contrasting qualities co-exist in nature and the transcendent nature of divinity. Also, there is a popular belief that Navagaunja shows that the ultimate reality is One, but it appears different to different people, depending on their point of view.

It could be seen as the abnormality we encounter in nature, which also has the presence of divinity. Just because something is not common or considered a beast, if it is in nature, then it is natural. The Navagunjara is an abnormal creature, yet Arjuna was able to find the presence of Lord Krishna in it and accepted it. This is applied to many contemporary concepts marked as unnatural or anomalies. 

Isn’t it interesting how such complex ideas were brought to an image centuries ago? There will be countless unexplored ideas with this particular creature itself. Well, we can look into a different mythical character in the next issue.

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