The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c13.s6: 6. Padmanartteśvara
The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c13.s6
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Contents
- c13.s6.t1 (II) Two-Armed — 12 parts
6. Padmanartteśvara
c13.s6.1
(I) Eighteen—Armed Face—One Arms—Eighteen Āsana—Dancing in Ardhaparyaṅka Symbol—Double lotus in all hands
c13.s6.2
Three Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā are devoted to the worship of this variant of Avalokiteśvara, all entirely different and describing three widely different forms of the deity. It is, therefore, necessary that all the three Dhyānas should be quoted and translated. There is no difficulty in taking the three to refer to Padmanartteśvara, because all doubt is set at rest by the fact that the Mantra, where mentioned, is in all cases the same, and that the Sādhanas always designate him as Padmanartteśvara.
c13.s6.3
Images of Padmanartteśvara are rare in India. Fig. 110 illustrates one good example from Nepal. It follows the Dhyāna given below:
c13.s6.4
"Padmanartteśvarāmnāyena Ārya-Avalokiteśvara-Bhaṭṭārakaṃ ātmānaṃ vibhāvayet ekamukhaṃ aṣṭādaśabhujaṃ ardhaparyaṅkinaṃ Amitābhajaṭājūṭamaṇḍalaṃ sarvakarair-viśvapadmadhāriṇaṃ, yoginīvṛndaparivṛtaṃ, dakṣiṇavāmapārśvasthita-Tārā-Sudhana-Bhr̥kuṭī-Hayagrīvaṃ divyālaṅkāravastrabhūṣaṇaṃ." Sādhanamālā, p. 77.
c13.s6.5
“The worshipper should think himself as Bhaṭṭāraka Avalokiteśvara in the form of Padmanartteśvara, who is one-faced and eighteen-armed. He stands in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude, and on his Jaṭāmukuṭa there is an effigy of Amitābha. He carries the double lotus in all his (eighteen) hands and is surrounded by a host of Yoginīs. His right and left sides are occupied by Tārā, Sudhana, Bhṛkuṭī and Hayagrīva. He is decked in all kinds of divine ornaments and dress”.
c13.s6.6
The Āsana prescribed in the Sādhana is the Ardhaparyaṅka. This Āsana may have two varieties; the ordinary, which is also called the Mahārājalīlā, as in the cases of Vāgīśvara and Siṃhanāda, and the dancing variety, (ardhaparyaṅkena nāṭyastha) as in the cases of Heruka, Vajravārāhī and others. As the word ‘nartteśvara’ means the “God of Dance” or the “God in a dancing attitude” the Āsana of Padmanartteśvara may be taken as the dancing variety of Ardhaparyaṅka, and this is borne out by the fact that the Nepal image illustrated in Fig. 110 shows the god in this particular attitude. This image hails from the Sarasvatīsthāna or the Mañjuśrī Hill at Svayambhūkṣettra in Nepal. Though the god is here represented with only two of the companion deities, yet the principal figure corresponds in all details, to the description given in the Sādhanamālā.
c13.s6.7
One statuette of this god is found in China¹. This Chinese statuette is illustrated in Fig. 111.
c13.s6.8
¹ Calrk : TLP, II, 193.
(II) Two-Armed
c13.s6.t1.1
Colour—Red Companion—Śakti Mudrā—Sūcī Symbol—Lotus Vāhana—Animal
c13.s6.t1.2
Another form of Padmanartteśvara is described in a second Sādhana, and the Dhyāna contained therein runs as follows:
c13.s6.t1.3
“Padmanartteśvaram ātmānaṃ bhāvayet sattvaparyaṅkaniṣaṇṇaṃ dvibhujaikamukhaṃ raktaṃ sakalālaṅkāradharaṃ Amitābhamukuṭaṃ vāmapārśve Pāṇḍaravāsinīsamāśliṣṭaṃ āliṅanābhinayasthitavāmabhu-jena raktapadmadharaṃ, narttanābhinayena Sūcīmudrayā vikāśayada-paradakṣiṇakaraṃ...”. Sādhanamālā, p. 75.
c13.s6.t1.4
“The worshipper should think himself as Padmanartteśvara, who is seated on an animal, is two-armed and one-faced. His colour is red, and he is decked in all kinds of ornaments; he bears the effigy of Amitābha on the crown and is embraced by Pāṇḍaravāsinī in the left. His left hand, which carries the lotus, is raised in the act of embracing (the Śakti), while the right shows the Sūcīmudrā in the act of dancing...”.
c13.s6.t1.5
The same Sādhana which contains the Dhyāna quoted above, gives a description of the Maṇḍala, and adds the information that the lotus on which the god sits has eight petals. The petals contain one goddess each. For instance, on the East petal there is Vilokinī, white in colour and carrying the red lotus. The South is occupied by Tārā of green colour, holding the Palāśa and the lotus flowers. Bhūriṇī is in the West, is yellow in complexion and carries the Cakra and the blue lotus. Bhṛkuṭi is in the North, with white colour holding the yellow lotus. In the North-East there is Padmavāsinī, who is yellow in colour and holds the red lotus. The South-East is occupied by Viśvapadmeśvarī, who is sky-coloured and holds the white lotus. The South-West is occupied by Viśvapadmā, who is white and carries the the black lotus. In the Norh-West there is Viśvavajrā of variegated colour holding the double lotus ¹.
c13.s6.t1.6
¹ Sādhanamālā, pp, 75—76.
c13.s6.t1.7
Fig. 112 illustrates a Nepalese drawing of the principal deity although it does not agree with the Sādhana in all details.
c13.s6.t1.8
(III) Eight-Armed Colour—Red Arms—Eight Āsana—Dancing in Ardhaparyaṅka
c13.s6.t1.9
One Sādhana in the Sādhanamālā describes an eight-armed form of Padmanartteśvara. The Dhyāna contained therein is given below : “Namaḥ Padmanartteśvarāya.
c13.s6.t1.10
Tatra Viśvapadmopari candre rakta-Hrīhkāra-pariṇataṃ Padmanartteśvaraṃ raktavarṇaṃ ekamukhaṃ jaṭāmukuṭinaṃ trinetraṃ, aṣṭabhujaṃ sarvālaṅkārabhūṣitaṃ sarpayajñopavītaṃ ardhaparyaṅkena tāṇḍavaṃ. Prathamabhujadvayena nṛtyābhinayaṃ, dvitīyadakṣiṇabhujena hṛdi vikāśayantaṃ sūcīmudrāṃ, vāmabhujena raktapadmaṃ śirasi dhṛtaṃ, tṛtīyabhujadvayena vajravaddaṇḍatriśūladharaṃ, caturthabhujadvayena akṣasūtrakuṇḍikādharamaṃ, aṣṭadevīparivṛtaṃ, evambhūtaṃ Padmanatteśvaraṃ Lokanāthaṃ bhāvayet.” Sādhanamālā, p. 76.
c13.s6.t1.11
“Salutation to Padmanartteśvara !
c13.s6.t1.12
Here the worshipper should think himself as Padmanatteśvara, on the moon over the double lotus, originating from the sacred syllable Hrīḥ. He is red in colour with one face, the Jaṭāmukuṭa, three eyes and eight arms. He is decked in all sorts of ornaments, wears the sacred thread of a snake, and dances in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude. The first pair of hands exhibits the dancing pose; the second right shows the Sūcīmudrā against the chest, the second left holds a red lotus over his head.; the third pair carries the staff and the Triśūla, stamped with the Vajra; while the fourth pair carries the rosary and the water-pot. The principal god is surrounded by eight goddesses. In such a manner the god Padmanartteśvara Lokanātha should be meditated upon”.
Cites (1)
- Sādhanamālā — Sanskrit