The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c15.t17.2

c15.t17.2

Jambhala has undoubtedly a greater antiquity behind him than that of the five Dhyāni Buddhas. Jambhala again is a Yakṣa and that indicates his non-Buddhist origin. This may be one of reasons why he could not be assigned to any one as parental Dhyāni Buddha. In other words Jambhala is similar to Mañjuśrī whose sire also could not be definitely determined. In the Sādhanamālā the parental Dhyāni Buddha of Jambhala is either Ratnasambhava or Akṣobhya. Images of Jambhala are to be met with in the Gandhara, Mathura, Sarnath, Magadha, Bengal and Nepal sculptures. For the purpose of this section, however, the form emanating from Akṣobhya is important. Here he is three-faced and six-armed and is represented in yab-yum. Though the Dhyāna does not mention the colour, it can be presumed that his colour is blue which is the colour of the Dhyāni Buddha Akṣobhya from whom he takes his origin. Jambhala as the god of wealth commanded great respect amongst the Buddhists, and received worship in various forms in all Buddhist countries. The Dhyāna in the Sādhanamālā describes his six-armed form as follows :