In Hindu Religion, Vishwakarma is the divine architect of the universe. Biswakarma (as called in eastern parts of
Vishwakarma is referred to as chakshushah pita manasa dherah
the father equipped with perceptive powers and fixed mind, created the oil or
ghee in which floated the nebulous heaven-earth conjoint. When their boundaries
got solidified, the conjoint (dyawa-prithivi) began to separate and become
extended in space. In this way, Vishwakarma, as creator, with his mystic
perception and firm mind, created the ritual liquid in which the heaven-earth
conjoint floated as the primal creation. So Vishwakarma the divine architect not
only created the Earth but also the Heaven simultaneously.
As per tradition the genealogy of the silpis is found in the
Mahabharata and other texts. In the Mahabharata, Vishwakarma, the son of
Prabhasa, is described as Silpa Prajapati, meaning the foremost among the artisans.
According to the Manasara, their origin was “from the four faces of Brahma, the
creator of the universe. The four faces orgininated in sequential order as the
heavenly architect Vishwakarma, May, Tvashtr and Manu. Their four sons in turn
were called the sthapati, sutragrahi, vardhaki and takshaka. Vishwarka is the
architect of the gods, amaravardhaki. Vishwakarma wrote a treatise on art and
architecture called Vishwakarmaprakasa. Perhaps this is the first such work by
mankind.
Determination, hard work and patience make a good artisan. He becomes an excellent artisan when he remembers and pays respect to his ancestors and Lord Vishwakarma is the first ancestor of all carpenters and artisans.
When we offer prayers to Him, we are offering prayers to all the ancestors who passed down the knowledge of various crafts. We are also praying to keep this knowledge and craft intact and also to pass it on to the next generation.
Daily prayers to Vishwakarma assure safety and success in the respective fields.
The greatness of Hindu tradition is that it respects and finds divinity in all activities of life.
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Abhilash Rajendran