The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c12.s8.3
The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c12.s8.3
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c12.s8.3
The form of Mañjuśrī called by the name of Mañjuvajra is somewhat popular amongst the Tāntric Buddhists. Several of his forms are described both in the Sādhanamālā and the Niṣpannayogāvalī of Abhayākara Gupta. In the Sādhanamālā the colour of his body including the principal face is red like Kuṅkuma, the right face is blue and the left white. He has six arms of which the principal pair is engaged in embracing his female counterpart. The remaining four hands carry the sword, the arrow, the bow and the night lotus. He sits in Vajrāsana or in the Vajraparyaṅka attitude on the orb of the moon supported by a lotus. The Dhyāna is in verse and may be quoted as follows :—