The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c11.1

c11.1

The term Bodhisattva consists of two words Bodhi (enlightenment) and Sattva (essence) and they represent a class of deities who derive their origin from the five Dhyāni Buddhas representing the five primordial elements. The Bodhisattvas thus connote all the male deities of the Buddhist pantheon, while their female counterparts are known by the generic name of Śaktis. These Śaktis should be distinguished from the Buddhaśaktis who are the queens of the five Dhyāni Buddhas. The Bodhisattvas are sometimes represented in the company of their Śaktis who are seated either beside them or on their laps or in close embrace. Although all the male deities of the Buddhist pantheon can be called the Bodhisattvas, they are nevertheless separated in iconographic studies as an independent group. Thus, in the Niṣpannayogāvalī, three distinct groups of sixteen Bodhisattvas are mentioned and it is necessary to refer to them here along with their iconography as found in this excellent book. Amongst the Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara and Mañjuśrī are the chief and have wide popularity not only in this country, but also in other Buddhist countries such as Tibet, China and Japan. As the images of Avalokiteśvara and Mañjuśrī are found in these countries in large numbers and in a wide variety of forms they require obviously a separate treatment in subsequent chapters.