Jnana Mudra of Lord Dakshinamurthy

Jnana Mudra of Lord Dakshinamurthy

Lord Dakshinamurthy is the manifestation of Lord Siva as the Aadi Guru, the original teacher. He is seen in most of the Siva temples seated facing south, with is his right foot over the body of a demon (Apasmara, demon of ignorance) and left leg over the right thigh. Among his four hands, the left hand shows a gesture or mudra known as Jnana mudra.

Jnana Mudra (also known as Chin Mudra) is a hand gesture where the tip of the index finger touches the tip of the thumb. The symbolism based on Vedanta is as follows. The thumb represents the Brahman, the Supreme and the index finger represents the Jiva, the individual. The three other fingers separated from the index finger represent  the three bodies of the Jiva, namely sthula (gross), sukshma (subtle) and karana (causal) sareera (bodies). The Jiva usually identifies itself with the three bodies  which is the cause of samsara (cycle of birth and death). This mudra symbolizes the union of individual with the Supreme, the ultimate self realization as proclaimed in Upanishad mahavakyam, ‘Aham