of actual combat with Mahisha and other demons, so they must be purely attributive in purpose. Because they also happen to be two of the primary attributes of Vishnu, on one level they are clearly intended to proclaim Durga's sibling relationship to him. According to theogonies of the late epic period, [n.23] most notably the Harivamsha, Durga in her alternate form as Kali (i.e., Darkness or Sleep) was once born as the cross-uterine sister of Vishnu's dark avatar, Krishna. This came about when Vishnu decided to descend to earth as Krishna in order to oppose the evil King Kamsa. Vishnu planned to be born to Devaki, Kamsa's cousin. Kamsa, however, having heard that an offspring of Devaki's would kill him, [end p. 56] had each of her babies slain. To protect himself, Vishnu persuaded the goddess Sleep (Kali) to incarnate herself simultaneously in the womb of another woman. After the embryos were secretly exchanged, Devaki's surrogate daughter was killed instead of her actual son Vishnu-as-Krishna. For the assistance of the goddess Durga-Kali-Sleep, Vishnu blessed her as follows: ...I will do a favour for you to make your glory on earth equal to mine; you will be goddess of the whole world. . . . You will obtain an eternal place in the sky. . . . You will he dark like my own skin. . . . You will have four stout arms like my arms. . . . Your shining face will be the rival ofthe moon. A triple diadem will hind your shining hair. . . . You will be attended by throngs of grotesque ghosts, and by my command you will take a vow of eternal chastity and dwell in the triple heaven. . . . You will adorn the earth with thousands of residences lshrines dedicated to her). With your retinue of ghosts you will receive an offering of sacrificial beasts on the ninth day of each month, for you will always be fond of sacrifices of flesh. . . . When men worship you you will protect them from capture, painful slaughter, the death of sons, loss of wealth, and danger of disease or death. [n.24] Even the Tamil Shilappadikaram, a text at least coeval with the Harivamsha, refers to Durga as Vishnu's younger sister,[n.25] so it is perfectly understandable that they should share the discus and conch in South Indian iconography. But far less certain is the underlying connotation of these attributes, particularly when held by Durga. In a thorough study Wayne Begley has concluded that an actual discoid weapon, in use in India until the nineteenth century, gave rise to cakra symbolism in Vaishnava iconography; solar, imperial, temporal, and other philosophical connotations were secondary accretions. [n.26] But is this conclusion equally relevant for Shakta circles, in which supreme deity is ascribed to Durga, the Great Goddess independent of her brother Vishnu or husband Shiva? considering that she favors other weapons in her contest with Mahisha and his legions-a Shaiva trident first, with bow and arrows, sword, and club being mentioned next in frequency--why is the cakra given such prominence? Might it not be reminiscent of the quintessential aniconic symbol of Shaktism, the Shri-cakra [Fig. 5.7]? Fig 5.7 Shri Yantra [n. 26.1] Fig 5.6 Victorious Durga, Boston Museum of Fine Art, Tamilnadu, 10th c., Accession no.... 23. I.e., the third through fifth centuries, during which the two great epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, probably received their final interpolations, including two hymns to the goddess Durga in the latter (IV.6; VI.23), which are not accepted as part of the critical edition. 24. Harivamsha 47; O'Flaherty, Hindu Myths 208 210. 25. Shilappadikaram, trans. Danielou, 77-78. 26.Wayne Begley, Vishnu's Flaming Wheel: The Iconography of the Sudarsanacakra (New York 1974). 26.1 18th c. gouache painting from Rajasthan, Ajit Mukherjee collection, from Philip Rawson, The Art of Tantra (New York 1978), fig. 34