English

Alternative forms

• trishul, trisul
• trishula

Noun

trisula ‎(plural trisulas)

1. A trident, seen as a religious symbol of Hinduism and Buddhism.
   • 1894, Eugène Goblet d'Alviella, The Migration of Symbols:

     It may be wondered, at first sight, that the innumerable texts left by Buddhism give us no positive information with regard to the meaning and origin of the trisula.

   • 2004, Khushwant Singh, Burial at Sea, Penguin 2014, p. 96:

     She had a trishul in one hand. Her long raven-black hair was left loose.

   • 2014, Micah Issitt, ‎Carlyn Main, Hidden Religion, p. 168:

     The trishula is most commonly associated with the god Shiva, one of the most prominent Hindu deities and the primary god in the sect of Hinduism known as “Shaivism.”