Image title: Figure 10: Varada-mudra

Varada-mudra refers to the “hand-gesture of benevolent nature”.—Varadamudra is like abhaya-mudra but turned downward hanging loose, signifying benevolent nature of the deities’ charity. It is one of the common hand gestures shown almost in all icons of the deities in Indian religions. This hand pose may be on any side but obviously the lower hand. Walker observes that the patāka with the hand pointing downwards, palms towards the spectator, fingers stretched and sloping downwards as if offering something is the varada, signifies the bestowing of gifts.

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Both the Pancaratra and Vaikhanasa Agamas extensively deal with the technical features on temple art and architecture. Sometime , they detail certain stance or pose but do not mention the technical term: the same way.... In order to study and understand the iconography of the Vaishnava Agamas, is inevitable to consult the treatises on dance (Natya-shastra), sculpture (Shilpa-shastra) and architecture (Sthapatya or Vastu-shastra).