Nandi
नन्दी nandinShiva's bull, his mount (vahana), gatekeeper, chief of the ganas and, in the southern Shaiva traditions, a guru who transmits his teaching. The seated Nandi faces every Shiva sanctum, and devotees whisper their prayers into his ear for him to carry to the god.
Where this term appears
- How to Read a Murti Deities
The bull Nandi means Shiva; the great eagle Garuda means Vishnu; a lion or tiger means Durga, the warrior Goddess; the swan or wild goose, the hamsa , means Saraswati and Brahma; the mouse means Ganesha; the pe…
- Who is Shiva? Deities
And his mount, Nandi the bull, is a documented attribute, his epithet vṛṣabha-dhvaja meaning "bull-bannered," with the bull read devotionally as dharma and as the model devotee.
- The Bull and the Beetle Treatise
This is Nandin — Nandi — and he is far more than a stone animal placed for decoration.
- The Classes of the Gods Treatise
…nd we have so far seen only in pieces: the vāhana , the mount. We met Nandin as Shiva's bull; we met Garuḍa as Vishnu's eagle.
- The Temple Is a Cosmos Treatise
… Shiva sanctum you will find Gaṇeśa and Skanda his sons, the Mātṛkās, Nandin facing the shrine, Bhairava at the edge, the dikpālas at their points, Chandeśa the steward.
- The Tamil Siddha Lineage Treatise
…e Gorakhnath of the broader Nath tradition); Sattaimuni ; Machamuni ; Nandi Devar .