འཕགས་མ་ར་ཁྲད་ལ་མ་གྱན་པའ་གཟངས intro.3

intro.3

In the dhāraṇī translated here, Parṇaśavarī is described only briefly as a piśācī with two arms, one holding a noose and the other an axe. Her form evolved in the later Indo-Tibetan tradition, however, and a three-faced, six-armed form has become widely popular. In this depiction her body is described as yellow or green in color, with a matching center face, a white face to the right, and a red face to the left. Her six arms wield a vajra, axe, and arrow on the right while making the gesture of threat and holding a noose, bow, and bundle of leaves on the left.² Her relationship to wild and untamed spaces is made particularly explicit by the description of leaves clinging to her body and her matted locks, tiara of woven flowers, tiger-skin sash, and so forth.³