Panchalogam Lord Sudarshanar (chakrathalwar)

Panchalogam Lord Sudarshanar

Measurements- single piece

Height -10 inches

Width- 7 inches

Depth -2.5 inches

Material – Made of Panchalogam with south Indian handmade work.

Sri Sudarshanar means one who shows the right path – in other words its the one who shows the seeker the path of realisation. He is also fondly known as Chakrathalwar and has a shrine for himself in most of the temples associated with Lord Narayana.

He is known to have the combined grace of Lord Varaha and Lord Narasimha. Since Lord Varaha is considered to be an embodiment of wisdom, Sudarshanar bestows ultimate wisdom to everyone.

Lord Narasimha had removed the anxiety that was bothering the child devotee Prahlada and similarly Sudarshanar grants wealth, knowledge and freedom from fear, disease and other evils.

Lord Vishnu has a number of weapons – the bow is known as Sarangam, the sword is known as Nandakam, the conch is known as Panchajanyam, the mace is known as Koumodaki and the holy discus is known as Sudarshanar. The weapons are together known as ‘ Panchayudham ‘. Sudarshanar or Sudarshanam is also known as Thiruvazhialwan and he is the most important weapon of Lord Vishnu. Devotees consider Sri Sudarshanar as an aspect of Lord Vishnu and he is represented with eight or sixteen or thirty two arms. Sudarshanar is seen in a six cornered star ( Shatkona ) as a ferocious deity and while in a three cornered star Yoga Narasimhar is along with him at the rear. The five weapons of Lord Vishnu are the security personnel of the Universe and they are ever vigilant.

While Lord Vishnu has five weapons and his main weapon Sri Sudarshanar has sixteen weapons.
Sri Sudarshanar is known to protect the true devotees of Lord Hari or Narayana.

On one occasion he did his part by protecting the great devotee Raja Ambareesha from a fiend dispatched by the age angry Sage Durvasa on him. Sudarshanar annhiliated the fiend and sought to finish off Sage Durvasa. It was only because of the request of Ambareesha that the sage was spared.

Panchalogam Lord Sudarshanar acted with great alacrity on behalf of Lord Narayana and saved Gajendra, the elephant who was caught by a crocodile. Sudarshanar hacked the crocodile at the behest of Lord Vishnu.

The false Vasudeva who was known as Poundrika Vasudeva was vanquished by Sudarshanar who was despatched by Lord Krishna. The Mahabharata war was fought over eighteen days and Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna was killed due to the deciet of the Kauravas and their brother in law Jayadratha.

Arjuna had taken an oath that he would extinguish himself by setting himself on fire if he did not kill Jayadratha by sun down of the fourteenth day of the big war at Kurukshethra.

At around sunset, Sudarshanar was made to create an artificial sunset and Jayadratha emerged out of the shadows. Immediately, Lord Krishna withdrew the holy Sudarshanar and brave Arjuna used the oppourtunity to slay Jayadratha. Thus Sudarshanar played his role in the war.