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The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c16: Chapter VII. II. Goddesses

The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c16

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Chapter VII. II. Goddesses

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Compared to the other Dhyāni Buddhas the number of goddesses emanating from the Dhyāni Buddha Akṣobhya is large. Some of the goddesses are well known and popular in the Buddhist countries of the north but many Sādhanas are not assigned to them. It has already been pointed out that the emanations of this Dhyāni Buddha are, as a rule, terrible in appearance and awe-inspiring in character. The goddesses emanating from Akṣobhya are likewise blue in colour, and partake of the fierce nature of the male divinities. The genuinely peaceful and benign deities such as Prajñāpāramitā and Vasudhārā are exceptions to the rule. The goddesses emanating from the Dhyāni Buddha Akṣobhya are described below one by one.

1. Mahācīnatārā

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Asana—Pratyālīḍha Vāhana—Corpse Appearance—Terrible Arms—Four

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Two Sādhanas are devoted to the worship of Mahācīnatārā or Tārā of Mahācīna (Great China) and two Dhyānas, one in prose and the other in verse describe one and the same form of the goddess. She is also known in Buddhist Tāntric literature as Ugratārā, and the Vajrayogini temple at Śāṅku in Nepal, contains in the sanctum a figure of Ugratārā. This Ugratārā or Mahācīnatārā of the Buddhists has been incorporated in the Hindu pantheon under the name of Tārā, and is now regarded as one of the ten Mahāvidyā goddesses. The Dhyāna in the Sādhanamālā describes her form in the following verses:

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“Pratyālīḍhapadāṁ ghorāṁ muṇḍamālāpralambitāṁ I
Kharvalambodarāṁ bhīmāṁ nīlanīrajarājitāṁ II
Tryambakaikamukhāṁ divyāṁ ghorāṭṭahāsabhāsurāṁ I
Suprahṛṣṭāṁ śavārūḍhāṁ nāgāṣṭakavibhūṣitāṁ II
Raktavarttutanetrāñca vyāghracarmāvṛtāṁ kaṭau I
Navayauvanasampannāṁ pañcamudrāvibhūṣitāṁ II
Lalajjihvāṁ mahābhīmāṁ sadamṣṭroṭkaṭabhīṣaṇāṁ I
Khaḍgakartrikarāṁ savye vāmotpalkapaladhāṁ II
Piṅgograikaṭaṭāṁ dhyāyāt maulāv-Akṣobhyabhūṣitāṁ II
Mahācīnatārā-Sādhanam”. Sādhanamālā, p. 210

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as (Mahācīna-Tārā) who stands in the Pratyālīḍha attitude, and is awe-inspiring with a garland of heads hanging from the neck. She is short and has a protruding belly, and her looks are terrible. Her complexion is like that of the blue lotus, and she is three-eyed, one-faced, celestial and laughs horribly. She is in an intensely pleasant mood, stands on a corpse, is decked in ornaments of snakes, has red and round eyes, wears the garments of tiger-skin round her loins, is in youthful bloom, is endowed with the five suspicious symbols, and has a protruding tongue. She is most terrible, appears fierce, with bare canine fangs, carries the sword and the Kartri in the two right hands and the Uptala and the Kapāla in the two left. Her Jaṭāmukuṭa of one coil is brown and fiery and bears the image of Akṣobhya within it.”

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This is the Dhyāna in the Sādhanamālā, the earliest manuscript of which belongs to A. D. 1165. According to the colophon, the Sādhana for Mahācīnatārā has been restored from the Mahācīna-Tantra, which should therefore be earlier than the earliest extant manuscript of the Sādhanamālā. As the Sādhana in verse is attributed to Śāśvatavajra it is certain that the Dhyāna, just quoted, was not in existence before Śāśvatavajra. Now, in the Tārārahasya of Brahmānanda, who flourished in the middle of the 16th century and in the Tantrasāra of Kṛṣṇānanda Āgamavāgīśa an almost identical Dhyāna is stated describing a goddess of the name of Tārā :

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“Pratyālīḍhapadāṁ muṇḍamālāvibhūṣitāṁ I
Kharvāṁ lambodarīṁ bhīmāṁ vyāghracarmāvṛtāṁ kaṭau II
Navayauvanasampannāṁ pañcamudrāvibhūṣitāṁ I
Chaturbhujāṁ lolajihvāṁ mahābhīmāṁ varapradāṁ II
Khaḍgakartrisāmyukta-savyetarabhujadvayāṁ I
Kapālotpalasamyuktasavyapāṇiyugānvitāṁ II
Piṅgoraikajaṭāṁ dhyāyenmaulāv-Akṣobhyabhūṣitāṁ I
Bālārkamaṇḍalākāralocanatrayabhūṣitāṁ II
Jalaccitāmadhyagatāṁ ghoradaṁṣṭrāṁ karālinīṁ I
Sāveśasmeravadanāṁ stryalaṅkāravibhūṣitāṁ II
Viśvavyāpakatoyāntaḥ śvetapadmoparisthitāṁ I
Akṣobhyadevīmūrdhanyastrīmūrtināgarūpadhṛk” II

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Tantrasāra, p. 415 et sqq.

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A comparison of the two Dhyānas will at once reveal how the original composition of Śāśvatavajra has been modified in the Tantrasāra by a Hindu Tāntric author. Some lines have been added to the original Dhyāna and all grammatical errors are rectified. This is evidently the recognized method of Hinduizing a Buddhist Tāntric deity.

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It is remarkable that the Hindus retained in their Dhyāna the effigy of Akṣobhya bespeaking as it does, the Buddhist origin of the goddess, for it is well known that the Hindu gods or goddesses are not in the habit of wearing a miniature figure of their sires on the crown. Moreover, Akṣobhya is unknown in the Hindu pantheon except when he is borrowed from the Buddhists, and the Hindus fail to explain the desirability of putting his figure on the crown of Tārā.

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Figs. 135, 136 illustrate the Buddhist form of Tārā or Mahācīnatārā, and shows in what different forms she is represented in Nepal in modern times. It may be pointed out that the corpse under the feet of the Hindu Tārā is not a corpse properly speaking, but it is the prostrate form of Mahādeva to whom she is attached as a Śakti.

2. Jāṅgulī

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Jāṅgulī is widely worshipped amongst the Buddhists as a goddess who cures snake-bite and even prevents it. According to a Saṅgīti in the Sādhanamālā she is as old as Buddha himself, and the secret of Jāṅgulī and the mantra for her worship are said to have been imparted to Ānanda by Lord Buddha. Besides, the Saṅgīti, four Sādhanas describe the procedure of her worship and give elaborate mantras for the extraction of poison from the body of the snake-bitten. These four Sādhanas describe three entirely different forms of Jāṅgulī, two with one face and four arms and one with three faces and six arms. Images of Jāṅgulī are found in Tibet ¹ and China ².

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¹ Getty : GNB, p. 123

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² Clark : TLP, II, pp. 204, 217, 281

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(i)

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Colour—White Symbol—Snake, or Viṇā Mudrā—Abhaya

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In two Sādhanas Jāṅgulī is described as having one face and four arms. In both cases she is alike in all respects except for the weapons she carries in her hands. In one of the Dhyānas she is described as follows:

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“Ātmānaṁ Ārya-Jāṅgulīrūpāṁ sarvaśuklāṁ caturbhujāṁ ekamukhāṁ jaṭāmukuṭinīṁ śuklāṁ śuklavasanottarīyāṁ sitaratnālaṅkārabhūṣitāṁ śuklasarpairvibhūṣitāṁ sattvaparyaṅke upaviṣṭāṁ mūlabhujābhyāṁ viṇāṁ vādayantīṁ dvitīyavāmabhujena sitasarpadhāriṇīṁ aparadakṣiṇenābhayapradāṁ candrāṁśumālinīṁ dhyāyāt...”

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Sādhanamālā, p. 253.

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“The worshipper should meditate himself as Ārya Jāngulī who is all white in complexion, four-armed, one-faced, wears the Jaṭāmukuṭa and a white scarf. She is decked in white ornaments of gems and white serpents and rests on an animal. She plays on the Vīṇā with the two principal hands, carries the white snake in the second left and exhibits the Abhaya mudrā with the second right, and is radiant like the moon.”

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In a second Sādhana she is said to exhibit the Varada mudrā in the second right hand. Fig. 137 illustrates a Nepalese drawing of the two-armed form of Jāngulī.

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(ii)

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Colour—Green Mudrā—Abhaya Symbols—Triśūla, Peacock's feathers and Snake.

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The second variety resembles the first in many respects, but the Sādhana¹ does not mention the animal-seat or the particular Āsana in which Jāngulī should stand or sit. The symbols also are different namely, the Triśūla, peacock's feathers and the snake. The mudrā, however, is the same Abhaya mudrā.

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¹ Sādhana No. 121, Sādhanamālā p. 251.

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(iii)

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Faces—Three Arms—Six Vāhana—Snake Colour—Yellow

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The third variety of Jāngulī has three faces and six arms. Two Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā, one in prose, and the other in verse, describe this form. The Dhyāna contained in one of these runs as follows :

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“Ārya-Jāngulīṃ ātmānaṃ jhaṭiti niṣpādayet pītāṃ, trimukhāṃ ṣaḍbhujāṃ nīlasitadakṣiṇetaravadanāṃ khaḍgavajrabāṇadakṣiṇahastatrayāṃ satarjanīpāśaviṣapuṣpakārmukavāmakaratrayāṃ sphītaphaṇāmaṇḍalaśīraṣṭhāṃ sarvadivyavastrābharaṇabhūṣitāṃ kumārīlakṣaṇojjvalāṃ Akṣobhyākrāntamastakāṃ dhyātvā...”

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Sādhanamālā, p. 248

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“The worshipper should quickly conceive himself as Ārya-Jāngulī, who is yellow in colour, three-faced, and six-armed: Her faces to the right and left are blue and white. She carries the sword, the Vajra and the arrow in the three right hands, and the Tarjanī with the noose, the blue lotus and the bow in the three left hands: She rests on the expanded hood of the serpant, is decked in celestial ornaments and dress, is resplendent with the auspicious marks of a virgin, and bears the image of Akṣobhya on head. Thus meditating...”

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The Hindu goddess Manasā or Viṣahari has a marked resemblance to the appearance of Jāngulī and some of the Dhyānas in the Hindu Tāntric works for the goddess distinctly give her the epithet of "Jāngulī".

3. Ekajaṭā

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Colour—Blue Appearance—Terrible

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Attitude—Pratyālīḍha

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Ekajaṭā is one of the most powerful goddesses in the Vajrayāna pantheon. It is said in the Sādhanamālā that if a person listens to her mantra but once, he is at once freed from all obstacles and is attended always with good fortune, his enemies are destroyed and he becomes religiously inclined, even attaining the level of a Buddha. Four Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā dovoted to the worship of Ekajaṭā, describe three different forms of the goddess. She may have one face with two, four or eight arms.

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The main features of the goddess aie given in one of the Sādhanas, the Colophon of which asserts that the Sādhana has been restored from Tibet ( Bhoṭa ) by Ārya Nāgārjuna, who was famous in the mediæval ages as one of the eighty-four Siddhapurusas of India. The general description of the goddess given in the Sādhana is as follows :

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Kṛṣṇavarṇā matāḥ sarvāḥ vyāghra-carmāvṛtāḥ kaṭau I
Ekavaktrāḥ trinetrāśca piṅgordhvakeśamūrdhajāḥ II
Kharvā lambodarā raudrāḥ pratyālīḍhapadasthitāḥ I
Saroṣakarālavaktrā muṇḍamālāpralambitāḥ II
Kuṇapasthā mahābhīmā Maulāv-Akṣobhyabhūṣitāḥ I
Navayauvanasampannāḥ ghorāṭṭahāsabhāsvarāḥ II
Viśvapadmopari sūryye cintanīyāḥ prayatnataḥ” II

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Sādhanamālā p. 266.

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“All these (three) forms (of Ekajaṭā) are of blue colour, have the tiger-skin round their loins, are one-faced and three-eyed, and have brown hair rising upwards on their head. They are short, pot-bellied, wrathful and stand in the Pratyālīḍha attitude, they have faces distorted with anger; with garlands of heads hanging from their necks, they rest on corpses, are terrible in appearance and bear the image of Akṣobhya on the crown. They have youthful bloom and laugh horribly and they should be conceived on the orb of the sun over the double lotus.”

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This general description only applies to the following three forms of Ekajaṭā with one face and two, four or eight arms :

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(i) When two-armed, she carries the Kartri and the Karoṭa (skull-cup) in her two hands (Fig. 138).

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(ii) When four-armed, Ekajaṭā carries the arrow and the sword in the two right hands and the bow and the skull in the two left. In two other Sādhanas describing the four-armed variety, her appearance undergoes a slight modification. Here she holds in the first pair of hands the Kapāla and the Kartri, while the other pair shows the Utpala and the sword. She may hold also the rosary instead of the sword (Fig. 139).

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(iii) When eight-armed, she carries the sword, the arrow, the Vajra and the Kartri in the four right hands and the bow, the Utpala, the Paraśu and the skull in the four left hands.

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Images of Ekajaṭā are found in almost all Buddhist countries of the North. She is known in Tibet ¹ as well as in China ².

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¹ Gordon : ITL, p. 76, Getty : GNB, pp. 125-126

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² Clark : TLP, II. p. 284

4. Vidyujjvālākarālī

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Faces—Twelve Arms—Twenty-four Colour—Blue Āsana—Pratyālīḍha Vāhana—Indra, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva

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SYMBOLS :

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| Right | | Left | |
| 1. Khaḍga | 7. Dart | 1. Bow | 7. Wine-glass |
| 2. Vajra | 8. Mudgara | 2. Noose | 8. Utpala |
| 3. Cakra | 9. Muṣala | 3. Tarjanī | 9. Bell |
| 4. Jewel | 10. Kartri | 4. Banner | 10. Paraśu |
| 5. Aṅkusa | 11. Damaru | 5. Mace | 11. Brahmaśiras |
| 6. Arrow | 12. Rosary | 6. Triśūla | 12. Kapāla |

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Another variety of Ekajaṭā is known as Vidyujjvālākarālī, who is said to have originated from the sweat of Buddha. This form of Ekajaṭā, with twelve faces and twenty-four arms, is rarely met with in sculptures either in stone or in bronze. The Dhyāna is rather long and it describes the goddess vividly thus :

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"Dvādaśamukhāṃ mahākṛṣṇavarṇāṃ caturviṃśatibhujāṃ caturmārasamākrāntāṃ śvetakapālopari pratyālīḍhapadāṃ mahāpralayāgnisamaprabhāṃ vivṛtāsyāṃ hāhākārāṃ lalajjihvāṃ saroṣāṃ vikṛtakoṭibhīmabhṛkuṭītaṭobhrūnetracaladvartulāṃ bhayasyāpi bhayaṅkarīṃ

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kapālamālā śirasi bhūṣitāṃ vyādairalaṅkṛtāṃ ṣaṇmudropetāṃ prathamamukhaṃ mahākṛṣṇaṃ tathā dakṣiṇamukhapañcakaṃ sitapīṭaharitaraktadhūmavarṇañca, vāmamukhapañcakaṃ raktasitapīṭaharitasitaraktañca, ūrdhvamukhaṃ dhūmraṃ vikṛtaṃ kruddhaṃ, sarvamukhāni daṃṣṭrākarālavadanāni, trinetrāṇi, jvalitordhvapiṅgalakeśāni , saroṣāṃ kharvalambodarīṃ pīnonnatapayodharāṃ vyāghracarmanivasanāṃ dakṣiṇadvādaśabhujeṣu khaḍga-vajra-cakra-ratnacchat-aṅkuśa-śara-śakti-mudgara-mūṣala-kartri-ḍamaru-akṣamālikāñca, vāmadvādaśabhujeṣu dhanuḥ-pāśa-tarjanī-patākā-gadā-triśūla-caṣaka-utpala-ghaṇṭā-paraśu- Brahmāśiraḥ-kapālañca.

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Suprahṛṣṭāṃ śavārūḍhāṃ nāgāṣṭakavibhūṣitāṃ I
Navayauvanasampannāṃ hāhāṭṭahāsa-bhāsurāṃ II
Piṅgograikajaṭāṃ dhyāyāt maulāv-Akṣobhya-bhūṣitāṃ II

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Iti Vidyujjvālākarālīnamaikajaṭāsādhanam ”

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Sādhanamālā, p. 257

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as (Vidyujjvālākarālī) who has twelve faces, deep blue colour and twenty-four arms, she tramples upon the four Māras (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva and Indra), stands on white skulls in the Pratyālīḍha attitude, is terrible like the Fire of Destruction, has a wide open mouth from which comes the sounds of ‘hā’ ‘hā’. She has protruding tongue, is wrathful, has eyes round and moving, and her forehead is distorted owing to the frequent contortions of the brows. She is more awe-inspiring than Awe itself, and her head is decorated with a garland of skulls ; she is decked in ornaments of snake, and is endowed with the six auspicious symbols ; her first face is of deep blue colour and the five faces to the right are white, yellow, green, red and smoky in colour ; the five faces to the left are of red, white, yellow, green and whitish red colour. The face on the top is of the colour of smoke, distorted and displays anger. All her faces look terrible with bare fangs and three eyes ; her brown hair rise upwards in the shape of a flame ; she is short and has a protruding belly. Her breasts are full and heaving ; she is clad in tiger-skin, and carries in her twelve right hands, 1. the sword, 2. the thunderbolt, 3. the discus, 4. the jewel, 5. the elephant-goad, 6. the arrow, 7. the dart, 8. the hammer, 9. the pestle, 10. the saw, 11. the drum and 12. the rosary ; and in her twelve left hands she has 1. the bow, 2. the noose, 3. the raised index finger, 4. the flag, 5. the mace, 6. the trident, 7. the wine-glass, 8. the blue lotus, 9. the bell, 10. the axe, 11. the severed head of Brahmā, 12. and the skull. In an extremely happy mood she rides a corpse, is youthful, appears resplendent with terrible laugh, wears a Jaṭāmukuṭa, which is brown and fiery and which bears the image of Akṣobhya on it.”

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Here ends the Sādhana for Vidyujjvālākarālī, another form of Ekajaṭā.”

5. Parṇaśabarī

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| Colour—Yellow | Faces—Three |
| Arms—Six | Vāhana—Vighnas |
| Asana—Pratyālīḍha | |

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The worship of Parṇaśabarī, it is believed, is effective in preventing out-breaks of epidemics and in assuring safety to the terror-striken. The epithet ‘Piśācī’ given in the mantra shows that she was regarded as one of the demi-gods, half human, half divine. Two Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe two forms of the goddess, one with the image of Akṣobhya on the crown and the other with that of Amoghasiddhi. In one, her faces are lit with pleasant smiles, and in another she smiles but has an irritated expression all the same. Curiously enough, the two images that have been discovered in Eastern Bengal, both have the effigies of Amoghasiddhi on the crown. The Dhyāna describing Parṇaśabarī of yellow colour with the image of Akṣobhya on her crown, runs as follows :

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“Bhagavatīṁ pītavarṇāṁ trimukhāṁ trinetrāṁ ṣaḍbhujāṁ prathamamukhaṁ pītaṁ, dakṣiṇaṁ sitaṁ vāmam raktaṁ, lalitahāsinīṁ sarvālaṅkāradharāṁ parṇapicchikāvasanāṁ, navayauvanoddhatāṁ pīnāṁ... dakṣiṇabhujaiḥ vajraparaśuśaradhāriṇīṁ vāmabhujaiḥ satarjanikāpāśaparṇapicchikādhanurdhāriṇīṁ puṣpāvaddhajaṭāmukuṭastha-Akṣobhyadhāriṇīṁ sūryyaprabhāmaṇḍalinīṁ adho vighnān nipātya sitapadmacandrāsane pratyālīḍhasthāṁ, hṛdvāmamuṣṭitarjanyādho vighnagaṇān santarjya dakṣiṇavajramuṣṭiprahārābhinayāṁ ..bhāvayet.

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Parṇaśabarī-Sādhanam” Sādhanamālā, pp. 306-307.

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as (Parṇaśabarī) of yellow complexion, with three faces, three eyes and six arms. Her first face is blue, the right white and the left red, and she smiles in a pleasing manner. She is decked in all sorts of ornaments, bears a garment of leaves, is arrogant in her youthful bloom, is stout in appearance and carries in her right hands the Vajra, the Paraśu and the arrow, and in her left the Tarjanī with the noose, the cluster of leaves and the bow. Her Jaṭāmukuṭa is decorated with flowers and the image of Akṣobhya; she has the effulgence of the sun as her aureole, stands in the Pratyālīḍha attitude on the moon over the white lotus, trampling under her feet the Vighnas. She threatens the host of (other) Vighnas with the clenched fist of the left hand exhibiting the Tarjanī against the chest, and shakes her right fist at (the host of the Vighnas) ..”

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The mutilated image (Fig. 140) in the Indian Museum, with three faces and six arms trampling upon Gaṇeśa, probably represents this form of Parṇaśabarī, as the word ‘Vighna’ in the Sādhanamālā often refers to Gaṇeśa. The above-mentioned Sādhana, further states that Parṇaśabarī may have an alternative form with four arms and the image of Akṣobhya on the crown, in which case she will carry the Vajra and the Paraśu in the two right hands, and the Tarjanī with the noose, and the cluster of leaves in the two left, omitting the bow and the arrow.

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Images of Parṇaśabarī are also found in Tibet ¹ and in China ².

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¹ Gordon : ITL, p. 71 ; Getty : GNB, pp. 134-135.

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² Clark : TLP, II, p. 278

6. Prajñāpāramitā

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Prajñāpāramitā is the embodiment of the Mahāyāna Scripture of the same name which was, according to the Buddhist tradition, restored from the nether regions by Nāgārjuna in the second century A. D. Buddha is said to have entrusted this Book of Transcedental Knowledge to the care of the Nāgas in the nether regions, as in his time people were not sufficiently intelligent to grasp the true meaning of the doctrines it contained. The worship of Prajñāpāramitā was very popular among the Buddhists, and Ārya Asaṅga is credited to have composed one of the Sādhanas for her worship which is said to confer wisdom and erudition on her devotees Nine Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe the procedure of her worship, and of these only two are assigned to the kula of the Dhyāni Buddha Akṣobhya. She too, like Mañjuśri, could not be assigned to any one of the Dhyāni Buddhas because the Prajñāpāramitā scripture was chronologically earlier than the Dhyāni Buddhas. The two Sādhanas describe the white and the yellow forms of the goddess. Images ³ of Prajñāpāramitā are found in Tibet ⁴ and China ⁵.

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³ See Bhattasali : IBBS, p. 42.

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⁴ Getty : GNB, pp. 131-132.

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⁵ Clark : TLP, II, pp. 140, 160.

(i) Sitaprajñāpāramitā

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Colour—White Asana—Vajraparyaṅka Symbols—Lotus and Book

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Only one Sādhana in the Sādhanamālā describes the form of white Prajñāpāramitā with the image of Akṣobhya on the crown. She is twoarmed, one-faced, sits in the Vajraparyaṅka attitude on a white lotus, and carries the red lotus in the right hand and the Prajñāpāramitā Book in the left. She is decked in all sorts of ornaments, has a beautiful face and pleasant expression, unlike other emanations of Akṣobhya. The Dhyāna runs as follows :

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Dvibhujāṃ ekavadanāṃ sitavarṇāṃ manoramām I
Ardhacarcarakeśāñca śvetāmbhoruhasaṃsthitām II
Padmaṃ dakṣiṇahaste tu raktavarṇaṃ vibhāvayet I
Prajñāpāramitāṃ vāme vajraparyaṅkasaṃsthitām II
Sarvalāṅkārasampūrṇāṃ bhāvayennābhimanḍale I
Aṅkarājñānasambhūtāṃ paramānandakāriṇīm II
Akṣobhyamudritā ceyaṃ
Śukla-Prajñāpāramitā-Sādhanam”.

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Sādhanamālā, pp. 310-311.

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The worshipper should meditate on the navel the form of Sitaprajñāpāramitā, as two-armed, one-faced, white in colour, and beautiful in appearance, with half curly hair, as sitting on the white lotus, carrying in her right hand the red lotus, and the Prajñāpāramitā Book in her left. She sits in the Vajraparyaṅka attitude, and is decked in all sorts of ornaments. She originates from the knowledge of the letter ‘Aṃ’ and releases immense delight... This goddess is stamped with the image of Akṣobhya (on the crown).”

(ii) Pītaprajñāpāramitā

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Colour—Yellow Mudrā—Vyākhyāna

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Distinctive Mark—Book on lotus to the left.

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The yellow variety of Prajñāpāramitā with the effigy of Akṣobhya is identical in form with the one described above, except with regard to the colour and the mudrā. She is yellow in complexion, bears the image of Akṣobhya on her Jaṭāmukuṭa, wears celestial ornaments, and her two hands display the Vyākhyāna attitude. On a lotus to her left rests the scripture Prajñāpāramitā ¹.

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¹ Sādhana No. 158, Sādhanamālā, p. 321

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The celebrated image of Prajñāpāramitā (Fig. 141) of Java belongs to this variety, and tallies in all details with the description given in the Dhyāna.

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(iii) KANAKAPRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ Colour—Golden Mudrā—Dharmacakra Āsana—Vajraparyaṅka Symbol—Book on lotus on two sides.

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This form of Prajñāpāramitā is identical in all respects with one of the forms described previously. The difference lies in the fact that although she exhibits the Dharmacakra mudrā with her two hands, there are two books on two lotuses rising from under her two arm-pits. She is golden in colour ¹. The Java figure of Prajñāpāramitā illustrated previously has only one lotus bearing the book in her left, but the Indian Museum image (Fig. 142) with two lotuses on either side, each bearing a manuscript, may definitely be identified with this variety of Prajñāpāramitā.

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¹ Sādhana No, 154, Sādhanamālā, pp. 313-314

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7. VAJRACARCIKĀ Āsana—Dancing in Ardhaparyaṅka Arms—Six Colour—Red Distinctive feature—Emaciated body Vāhana—Corpse Appearance—Terrible

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Only one Sādhana in the Sādhanamālā describes the form of Vajracarcikā and the Dhyāna contained therein runs as follows :

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“Vajracarcikāṃ trinetrāṃ ekamukhīṃ ardhaparyaṅkatāṇḍavāṃ mṛtakāsanasthāṃ, kṛśāṅgīṃ daṃṣṭroṭkaṭabhairavāṃ naraśiromālāvibhūṣitakaṇṭhadeśāṃ asthyābharaṇavibhūṣitāṃ pañcamudrādhāriṇīṃ Akṣobhyamukuṭinīṃ vyāghracarmanivasanāṃ muktakeśīṃ ṣaḍbhujāṃ dakṣiṇe vajrakhaḍgacakradhāriṇīṃ vāme kapālāmaṇikamaladharāṃ raktavarṇāṃ karmānurūpataḥ śukladivarṇayuktāñca dhyātvā”
Sādhanamālā, p. 395.

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as Vajracarcikā, who is three-eyed and one-faced, dances in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude on a corpse, is emaciated in appearance and looks terrible with bare fangs. Her neck is embellished by a garland of human heads, and she is decked in ornaments of bones, is endowed with the five auspicious symbols, bears the image of Akṣobhya on the crown, is clad in garments of tiger-skin and has dishevelled hair. She is six-armed and carries in her three right hands the Vajra, the sword, and the Cakra and in her three left the Kapāla, the jewel and the lotus. She is red in colour but changes to white and other colours in accordance with the different purposes for which she is invoked. Thus meditating...”

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The accompanying sketch, (Fig. 143) gives a vivid idea of her terrible form, with the skeleton of her fleshless body showing through the skin in all its nakedness, and her vulture-like claws enhancing the fierceness of her appearance.

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A statuette of this goddess is found in China ¹.

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¹ Clark : TLP, II, p. 289.

8. Mahāmantrānusāriṇī

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Colour—Blue Arms—Four Mudrā—Varada

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The remarks made in the case of Mahaśīṭavatī, an emanation of Amitābha and one of the Pañcarakṣā goddesses, apply to the case of Mahāmantrānusāriṇī also. This goddess is another of the Pañcarakṣā goddesses, and as her colour is blue, she affiliates herself to the family of the Dhyāni Buddha Akṣobhya Only one short Sādhana describes her form, and the Dhyāna contained therein is as follows :

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“Mahāmantrānusāriṇī caturbhujaikamukhī kṛṣṇā dakṣiṇabhujadvaye vajravaradavatī vāmabhujadvaye paraśupāśavatī Hūṃkārabījā Akṣobhyakirīṭinī sūryyāsanaprabhā ceti”

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Sādhanamālā, p. 401.

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“Mahāmantrānusāriṇī is four-armed and one-faced, is blue in complexion, shows in her two right hands, the Vajra and the Varada mudrā and in her two left the Paraśu and the noose. She originates from the syllable “Hūṃ”, bears the image of Akṣobhya on the crown, sits on and glows like the sun.”

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Images of this deity are known in Tibet ² and China ³.

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² Gordon : ITL, p. 76

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³ As Mantrānudhāraṇī she occurs in Clark : TLP, II, pp. 205-275.

9. Mahāpratyaṅgirā

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Colour—Blue Arms—Six

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One short Sādhana only is assigned in the Sādhanamālā to Mahapratyaṅgirā. The Dhyāna describing her form is as follows :

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“Mahāpratyaṅgirā kṛṣṇā ṣaḍbhujaikamukhā khaḍgāṅkuśavaradadakṣiṇahastā raktapadmatriśūla-hṛdayasthasapāśatarjanīyuktavāmahastā Hūmbījā Akṣobhyamukuṭā sarvālaṅkāravatī rūpayauvanasampannā”.

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Sādhanamālā, p. 402.

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“Mahāpratyaṅgirā is blue in colour, six-armed, and one-faced. She shows in her three right hands the sword, the goad, and the Varada mudrā, and in her three left hands she holds the Tarjanī with the noose against the chest, the red lotus and the trident ; she originates from the syllable “Hūṃ”, bears the image of Akṣobhya on her crown, is decked in all sorts of ornaments, and is young and beautiful.

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Figs. 144 and 145 illustrate two Nepalese drawings of the goddess Mahāpratyaṅgirā. They conform to the description given in the Sādhanā. The ivory image from Nepal (Fig 146) with innumerable heads is also worshipped as Mahāpratyaṅgirā. This goddess is found also in China ¹.

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¹ Clark : TLP II, pp. 200, 289.

10. Dhvajāgrakeyūrā

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Two Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe two widely different forms of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā. In one the effigy of Akṣobhya on the crown is expressly mentioned, but in the other, the Dhyāni Buddha is absent. The weapons are also different, and in one case she is three-faced and in the other four-faced. In all other respects, however, the forms are identical.

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Images of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā are found in China ².

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² Clark : TLP II, pp. 200, 289.

(i) Three-Faced

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Colour--Blue Faces--Three Arms--Four Appearance--Terrible Āsana--Pratyālīḍha

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The Dhyāna describing Dhvajāgrakeyūrā, with three faces and four arms and with the effigy of Akṣobhya, runs as follows :

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“Dhvajāgrakeyūrā kṛṣṇā trimukhī caturbhujā raktaśyāmadakṣiṇa-vāmamukhī khaḍgapāśadhāridakṣiṇakaradvayā vajrāṅkitakhaṭvāṅgacakravāmahastadvayā ūrdhvapiṅgalakeśī śuṣkapañcamuṇḍālaṅkṛtaśiraskā vyāghrājinavasanā daṃṣṭrākarālamukhī pralambodarī pratyālīḍhapadā sūryāsanaprabhā pītavastrakañcukinī Hūmbījā Akṣobhyamukuṭā.”
Sādhanamālā, p. 403

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“Dhvajāgrakeyūrā is blue in colour, three-faced, and four-armed, with the right and left faces of red and green colour (respectively). She carries the sword and the noose in the two right hands, and the Khaṭvāṅga stamped with a Vajra and the Cakra in the two left, has brown hair rising upwards on her head which is embellished by a row of five shrivelled heads. She wears garments of tiger-skin, and has faces distorted with bare fangs. She has a protruding belly, stands in the Pratyālīḍha attitude, has her seat on and glows like the sun, wears yellow garments and jacket, originates from the syllable ‘Hūṃ’ and bears the image of Akṣobhya on the crown”.

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(ii) Four—Faced Faces—Four Arms—Four Colour—Yellow

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As already pointed out, Dhvajāgrakeyūrā has another form, with four faces and four arms carrying the sword and the Cakra in the two right hands, and the Tarjanīpāśa and the Mūṣala, marked with a Vajra, in the two left. A Triśūla hangs from her left shoulder. Her first face is yellow, left red, right white, and the face above is distorted and is of the colour of smoke. In all other respects her form is identical with the one described above.

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Fig. 147 illustrates a Nepalese drawing of the goddess.

11. Vasudhārā

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Mudrā—Varada Symbol—Ears of Corn Colour—Yellow

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Vasudhārā figures in the pantheon of the Mahāyāna Buddhists as the consort of Jambhala, the Buddhist god of wealth. Only three Sādhanas are devoted to her worship and in one of these only is she said to bear the image of Akṣobhya. The two others assign her to the Dhyāni Buddha Ratnasambhava. It may be noticed, by the way, that Vasudhārā is of a greater antiquity than the Dhyāni Buddhas themselves. The Dhyāna describing the goddess with the figure of Akṣobhya on the crown runs as follows :

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“Vasudhārāṃ Bhagavatīṃ dhyāyāt, kanakavarṇāṃ sakalālaṅkāravatīṃ dviraṣṭavarṣākṛtiṃ dakṣiṇakareṇa varadāṃ, vāmakareṇa dhānyamañjarīdharāṃ Akṣobhyadhāriṇīṃ. Purato Bhagavatīṃ Śrīvasundharāṃ dakṣiṇato Vasuśriyaṃ paścimataḥ Śrīvasumukhīṃ, vāmato Vasumatiśriyaṃ ; etāścādyākṣarabījāḥ svanāyikāsamānārūpāścintanīyāḥ.”
Sādhanamālā, p. 421

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as the goddess Vasudhārā of golden complexion and decked in all sorts of ornaments. She appears a young girl of twice eight years, exhibits the Varada mudrā in the right hand, carries the ears of corn in the left, and bears the image of Akṣobhya (on the crown). In front of the goddess should be conceived Śrīvasundharā, in the right Vasuśrī, in the west Śrīvasumukhī, and in the left Vasumatīśrī. These four goddesses originate from the first syllables of their names, and are identical in form with the principal goddess”.

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¹ Sādhana No. 210 in the Sādhanamālā, pp. 415, 416.

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Images of Vasudhārā are found in the Buddhist countries of the North including Tibet ¹.

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¹ Gordon : ITL, p. 72 ; Getty : GNB, p. 174.

12. Nairātmā

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Āsana—Dancing in Ardhaparyaṅka

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Colour—Blue

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Appearance—Terrible

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Vāhana—Corpse lying on its back.

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Symbols—Kartri and Kapāla.

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Two Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe her form, which is in many respects, similar to the form of Vajravārāhī with the Kartri and the Kapāla, the principal point of difference being the position of the corpse which forms their Vāhana. When it lies on its chest it is Vajravārāhī, but if it lies on its back the goddess is Nairātmā. There are other distinguishing features also For instance, Vajravārāhī being an emanation of Vairocana, should bear the image of Vairocana on the crown; while Nairātmā, being an emanation of Akṣobhya, should bear the image of Akṣobhya instead. Moreover, the excrescence near the right ear of Vajravārāhī must be absent in the case of Nairātmā. In all other respects there is a remarkable resemblance between the two. The Dhyāna in one of the two Sādhanas describe the form of Nairātmā in the following terms:

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“Śavahṛccandrasthārdhaparyaṅkanātyasthitāṁ Nairātmāṁ kṛṣṇāṁ ekamukhāṁ ūrdhvapiṅgalakeśāṁ Akṣobhyamukuṭinīṁ daṁṣṭrākarāla lalajjihvāṁ, dakṣiṇena kartridhāriṇīṁ, vāme kapālakhaṭvāṅgadhāriṇīṁ, raktavartulatrinetrāṁ pañcamudrāvibhūṣaṇāṁ (dhyāyāt).”

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Sādhanamālā, p. 451

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as Nairātmā who stands in the Ardhaparyaṅka in a dancing attitude on the moon over the chest of a corpse. She is blue in colour, has brown hair rising upwards, and bears the image of Akṣobhya on her crown. Her face looks terrible with bare fangs and protruding tongue, and she carries the Kartri in the right hand and bears the Kapāla and the Khaṭvāṅga in the left. Her three eyes are red and round, and she is endowed with the five auspicious symbols.”

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The word ‘Nairātmā’ means ‘no-soul’ and is another name for Śūnya, in which the Bodhisattva merges on the attainment of Nirvāṇa. Gradually, the conception of Śūnya took the form of a goddess in whose embrace the Bodhisattva is said to remain in eternal bliss and happiness. Nairātmā gets the blue colour, because the colour of Śūnya according to the Buddhist tradition, is like the colour of the sky, which is blue.

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The Indian Museum image No. 3941 (Fig. 148) is the only image of this goddess which conforms to the description given in the Sādhana just quoted. Here the goddess, in accordance with the Dhyāna, has a terrible appearance with canine teeth, garland of heads and three eyes rolling in anger. She stands on the corpse lying on its back, and dances in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude. Burning flames radiate from her person, and her hair rise upwards in the shape of a flame. She is decked in the five auspicious symbols, the Kaṇṭhikā (torque), Rucaka (bracelets), Ratna (jewels), Mekhalā (girdle), and Bhasma (ashes) or the Sūtra (sacred thread) in the form of a garland of heads. She bears the image of her sire Akṣobhya on her crown and carries the menacing Kartri in the right hand. The left hand holding the Kapāla is broken. The Khaṭvāṅga, as usual, hangs from her left shoulder.

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The Vāṅgīya Sāhitya Parishat bronze (Fig. 149) shows the above characteristics, but the Khaṭvāṅga is lost. It is lost in the same way as small weapons in Nepalese and Tibetan bronzes are often found missing. Nairātmā is popular in China ¹.

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¹ Clark : TLP, II, pp. 61, 238

13. Jñānaḍākinī

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| Colour—Blue | Faces—Three |
| Arms—Six | Kuleśa—Akṣobhya |

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Jñānaḍākinī is the principal deity of the Jñānaḍākinī Maṇḍala of the Niṣpannayogāvalī. She is described thus :

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“Jñānaḍākinī nīlasyā...savyam śuklam...vāmam raktaśṛṅgāram... dakṣiṇabhujatraye ūrdhvīkṛtakhaṭvāṅgam paraśum vajrañca vāmatraye ghaṇṭāraktapūrṇakapālakhaḍgāḥ.” NSP, p. 12

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“Jñānaḍākinī has a blue face...the right is white...the left is red and amorous...In the three right hands she carries the raised Khaṭvāṅga, the axe and the Vajra. In the three left there are the bell, the cup full of blood and the sword.”

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Jñānaḍākinī is represented in the Chinese collection ².

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² Clark : TLP, II, p. 237

14. Vajravidāraṇī

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Vajravidāraṇī is described in the Dharmakoṣasaṅgraha of Amṛtānanda as follows :

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“Vajravidāraṇī pañcamukhī daśabhujā ; dakṣe aṅkuśa-khaḍga-śara-vajra-varadā ; vāme paśa-carma-dhanu-dhvaja-abhayā pratyālīḍhāsanā”.

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Dharmakoṣasaṅgraha Fol. 44A.

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“Vajravidāraṇī is five-faced, ten-armed, carries in the right hands the goad, the sword, the arrow, the Vajra, and the Varada mudrā, and in the left the noose, the shield, the bow, the flag and the Abhaya pose. She stands in the Pratyālīḍha attitude”.

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Fig. 150 illustrates a miniature painting of the goddess in the collection of Dr. Evans-Wentz.

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