Trishula

The Trishul (Sanskrit: त्रिशूल triśūl, Malay: trisul, Kannad:ತ್ರಿಶೂಲ್, "triśūl" Telugu:త్రిశూలం , trisoolam, Malayalam: തൃശൂലം tr̥iśūlaṁ, Tamil:ⁱ// திரிசூலம் tiricūlam, Thai: ตรีศูล trīṣ̄ūl or tri) is a type of South Asian trident also found in Southeast Asia. It is commonly used as a Hindu-Buddhist religious symbol. The word means "three spear" in Sanskrit and Pali.

In India and Thailand, the term often refers to a short-handled weapon which may be mounted on a danda or staff. But unlike the Okinawan sai, the trishul is often bladed. In Malay and Indonesian, trishul usually refers specifically to a long-handled trident while the diminutive version is known as a chabang or tekpi.

Symbolism

The trishul symbolism is polyvalent and rich. The trishul is wielded by the Hindu God Shiv and is said to have been used to sever the original head of Ganesh. Durga also holds trishul, as one of her many weapons. There are many other gods and deities, who hold the weapon trishul. The three points have various meanings and significance, and, common to Hindu religion, have many stories behind them. They are commonly said to represent various trinities—creation, maintenance and destruction, past, present and future, the three guna. When looked upon as a weapon of Shiv, the trishul is said to destroy the three worlds: the physical world, the world of the forefathers (representing culture drawn from the past) and the world of the mind (representing the processes of sensing and acting). The three worlds are supposed to be destroyed by Shiv into a single non-dual plane of existence, that is bliss alone.