Ankusha

Ankusha

“goad”, “elephant mahout's tool”

Ankusha symbolizes the incentive to continue spiritual practice and application of teachings. It is also a Guru’s call that encourages us to spiritual practice. Another meaning is anger control.

In some yoga treatises, an aṇkuśāsana (अण्कुशआसन) can be found, really resembling the form of ankusha.

Pasha and ankusha often act as paired symbols, for example, in the hands of Ganesha and Tripurasundari Devi. In the case of Tripurasundari, ankusha indicates that She controls the devotees so that they do not go astray, and pasha indicates that She corrects them from time to time.

In “Lalita Sahasranama”, ankusha is referred to as Krodha Svarupa. The fear of Devi’s anger (krodha) keeps the devotees from delusion. Pasha is referred to as Raga Svarupa. It is through this passion (raga) that Devi corrects the devotees whenever necessary.

In Buddhist literature, training in shamatha (one-pointed concentration) is often compared to training a wild elephant, and the two main tools are the tether of mindfulness and the ankusha of introspection.