Kaumodaki

Kaumodaki (Sanskrit: कौमोदकी, romanized: Kaumodakī, lit. 'captivator of the mind')^[1] is the gadā (mace) of the Hindu deity Vishnu.^[2] Vishnu is often depicted holding the Kaumodaki in one of his four hands; his other attributes are the chakra, the conch and the lotus. The gada is also found in the iconography of some of Vishnu's avatars.

The name, 'Kaumodak' first appears in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, where it is associated with Vishnu's avatar, Krishna. The gada is depicted in images of Vishnu since c. 200 BCE. While initially unadorned, the size and shape of Kaumodaki vary in depictions. More elaborate design features like flutes and segments were added in depictions of Vishnu's gada.

Though the weapon may be depicted as an inanimate gada, Kaumodaki sometimes appears personified as a woman known as Gadadevi or Gadanari in sculptures of Vishnu. In depictions that use this version, Vishnu rests one of his hands on her head, while she herself holds the gada, is seen emerging from it or has the gada carved on her head/crown.

The gada, regarded as one of the oldest and strongest weapons, is a symbol of Vishnu's shakti. Various texts discuss the symbolism of Kaumodaki in Vishnu's iconography.