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The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c17: Chapter VIII

The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c17

Language
English

Contents

Chapter VIII

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According to the Sādhanamālā all the deities that emanate from the the Dhyāni Buddha Vairocana have generally the white colour or the colour assigned to Vairocana. Several goddesses have the images of Vairocana on their crowns, thus showing that they are all emanations of this particular Dhyāni Buddha. Some of the deities are expressly stated in the Sādhanas to be "Vairocanakulodbhavā" or "born of the family of Vairocana" The deities emanating from this Dhyāni Buddha are said to reside in the interior of the Caitya, since Vairocana, it may be remembered, is the lord of the sanctum of the temple or the Stūpa. Among the deities emanating from Vairocana Mārīcī seems to the first in importance and popularity. She is even regarded as the consort of Vairocana. Vairocana is distinguished from the other Dhyāni Buddhas by his white complexion and the Dharmacakra mudrā he dis plays in his two hands.

1. Nāmasaṅgīti

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Colour—White Face—One Arms—Twelve Āsana—Vajraparyaṅka

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Pandit Amṛtānanda's Dharmakoṣasaṅgraha gives the description of a most interesting god, named as Nāmasaṅgīti. This description enables the students of iconography to identify a large number of his images that he scattered throughout the Nepal valley and other Buddhist countries. This deity should be distinguished from the Nāmasaṅgīti Mañjuśrī who has already been described as one of the varieties of the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. Like the goddess Prajñāpāramitā who is the embodiment of the Prajñāpāramitā literature, Nāmasaṅgīti also seems to be the deification of the Nāmasaṅgīti literature of the Buddhists. Pandit Amṛtānanda characterises Nāmasaṅgīti as a Buddha but from the description and the illustration it would appear that he is a Bodhisattva. The elaborate ornaments, the fierce symbol of Khaṭvāṅga as also other Bodhisattva symbols do not befit a Buddha. Although the parental Dhyāni Buddha of Nāmasaṅgīti is not expressly mentioned in the description of Amṛtānanda, he is brought here under Vairocana because of his white colour.

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Images of Nāmasaṅgīti are to be found in large numbers in Nepal either in stone or in bronze and he is popular also in Tibet and China. Getty ¹ erroneously labels this deity as a "Dogmatic Form of Avalokiteśvara" and the names given to the various mudrās exhibited by the deity are also inaccurate. The Dhyāna as given in the Dharmakoṣasaṅgraha is quoted as follows :

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¹ Getty : GNB, pp. 66, 67.

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"Nāmasaṅgītināma (Bodhisattvaḥ).

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Ekavaktraḥ śvetavarṇaḥ dhyānanayanaḥ smerānanaḥ Jaṭāmukuṭadharaḥ nānālaṅkārālaṅkṛtaḥ ṣaṇmudrālaṅkṛtaḥ dvādaśabhujaḥ prathamābhyāṃ savyadakṣābhyāṃ hṛdayapradeśe abhayamudrādvayaṃ, dvayābhyāṃ mukuṭopari kṛtañjalimudraṃ, dakṣatṛtīyena viśvavajropari khaḍgaṃ savyavāmacaturthābhyāṃ tarpaṇamudrādvayaṃ, savyavāmapañcamābhyāṃ pātrasthāmṛtakṣepaṇamudraṃ ṣaṣṭhasavyavāmābhyāṃ sapātradhyānamudraṃ vāmatṛtīyena savajrakhaṭvāṅgaṃ dadhānaḥ, kamalopari vajrāsanaḥ."

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Dharmakoṣasaṅgraha (A. S. B. MS.) Fol. 91

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"The (Bodhisattva) Nāmsaṅgīti.

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"He is one-faced, white in colour, has eyes (half-closed) in meditation, a smiling countenance, the Jaṭāmukuṭa and various ornaments, is decked in the six auspicious ornaments, and twelve-armed. He exhibits in the first pair of right and left hands the two Abhaya mudrās against the chest; and in the second pair the Añjali (clasped hand) mudrā over the crown. The third right hand carries the sword on the double Vajra. The fourth pair exhibits the Tarpaṇa mudrās, the fifth pair shows the mudrā of sprinkling nectar from the vessel (Kṣepaṇa), and the sixth pair exhibits the Samādhi mudrā on which is the vessel (of nectar); the third left hand carries the Khaṭvāṅga with the Vajra; and he sits in the meditative pose on the lotus".

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The image reproduced by Getty has lost the sword on the double Vajra and the Khaṭvāṅga with the Vajra carried in the third pair of hands by the deity.

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Fig. 151 illustrates a Nepalese statuette of the deity.

2. Mārīcī

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Mārīcī is invoked by the Lamas of Tibet about the time of sun-rise, which shows her connection with the sun. She too, like the Hindu Sun-god, has a chariot. Her chariot is drawn by seven pigs, while that of the sun is drawn by seven horses. Again, the charioteer of the sun is Aruṇa, who has no legs, but that of Mārīcī is either a goddess with no legs, or Rāhu—only the head without a body.

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There is a theory that Mārīcī and Vajravārāhī are the same, but it cannot be supported; for, whereas Vajravārāhī is actively associated in yab-yum with her consort Heruka, or Samvara an emanation of Akṣobhya, Mārīcī invariably appears singly, and her consort is Vairocana himself, and not any emanation of a Dhyāni Buddha. Again, Heruka rides a corpse lying on its chest, and accordingly, such a Vāhana has been given to Vajravārāhī, but Mārīcī is never known to tread upon a corpse, or even the prostrate body of a man. The images of Vajravārāhī always represent her as one-faced with an excrescence near the right ear, but Mārīcī, even when represented as one-faced is not known to have any excrescence on her face. Vajravārāhī according to the Dhyāna, may have four arms, but Mārīcī must have either two, eight, ten or twelve arms according to the Sādhana. Mārīcī is always said to reside in the womb of a Caitya, whereas Vajravārāhī, being an abbess, may reside anywhere. The mantra for Vajravārāhī is “Oṃ Sarva-Buddhaḍākinīye Vajravaṛṇanīye hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā” or “Oṃ Vajravetālī hūṃ phaṭ”. Śāntideva gives the Dhāraṇī for Mārīcī but the Dhāraṇī never refers to her as Vajravārāhī. The conception of Mārīcī has a greater antiquity than the conception of either Vajravārāhī or Heruka. The union of Heruka and Vajravārāhī is the subject-matter of the Vajravārāhī Tantra, but no Tantra is assigned to Mārīcī. Vajravārāhī stands in the Ardhaparyaṅka in a dancing attitude on a corpse, but Mārīcī stands almost always in the Ālīḍha attitude and moves in a chariot, but she is never in the dancing attitude. Last but not the least, Vajravārāhī has been called a Ḍākinī, that is, an abbess who had attained perfection, ( siddhi ) and had become a deified woman, but Mārīcī is a goddess, first and last.

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In view of these wide differences in form, character and accoutrements, the identity of the two goddesses Mārīcī and Vajravārāhī, can not be established. The only points of agreement between them are that both of them are emanations of Vairocana, and both sometimes have two arms and two legs.

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Sixteen Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe six distinct forms of Mārīcī. She may have one, three, five or six faces and two, eight, ten or twelve arms. She is generally accompanied by her four attendants, Varttālī, Vadālī, Varālī and Varāhamukhī. She is recognized generally by the sow face and the seven pigs that run her chariot. The needle and the string are her characteristic symbols, to sew up the mouths and eyes of the wicked. Images of Mārīcī are rather common in India. In her two-armed form of Aśokakāntā she accompanies Khadiravaṇī Tārā; amongst other varieties of Mārīcī, the form with three faces and eight arms, is extensively met with in sculptures ¹. Images of Mārīcī are found in Tibet ² and China ³.

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¹ Bhattasali: IBBS. p. 43f and Pl. XIII—XIV

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² Getty: GNB, p. 133

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³ Clark: TLP, II, pp. 207, 286, 189, 201

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Goddess Mārīcī is the principal deity in the Mārīcī Maṇḍala of the Niṣpannayogāvalī. The form described here is three-faced and six-armed. Śāśvata or Vairocana is said to be the spiritual sire of Mārīcī ⁴.

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⁴ NSP: pp. 40, 41

(I) Aśokakāntā

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Vāhana—Pig Colour—Yellow

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Āsana—Standing Mudrā—Varada

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Distinctive feature—Left hand touching the Aśoka bough

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Ordinarily, Mārīcī has two arms and one face. She is called Aśokakāntā when she holds the bough of an Aśoka tree in the left hand and exhibits the Varada mudrā in the right hand; but she is called Ārya-Mārīcī if she carries the needle and the string in her two hands. The Dhyāna describing the form of Aśokakāntā is stated below:

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"Hemābhaśūkarārūḍhāṃ taptakāñcanabhāsvarām I
Līlayordhvasthitāṃ candrabimbāmbhoruhasaṃsthitāṃ II
Aśokavṛkṣaśākhāgravilagnāṃ vāmapāṇinā I
Bibhratīṃ varadākāradakṣiṇakarapallavām II
Dīptaratnapośobhena maulinā Buddhaśekharām I
Svetavastrāṃ namasyāmi Mārīcīṃ abhayapradām" II
Sādhanamālā, p. 306

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"I bow to Mārīcī who rides the sow of golden colour, whose complexion is like the colour of molten gold. She stands in a sportive attitude on the moon over the lotus, and holds with her left hand the bough of an Aśoka tree, and displays the Varada pose in the right. She bears the image of the Dhyāni Buddha (Vairocana) on the crown, is decorated with bright jewels, wears white garments and grants assurance of safety (to the world)".

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An image of Aśokakāntā is referred to by Alice Getty ⁵.

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⁵ Getty: GNB, p. 133

(II) Ārya-Mārīcī

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Symbols—Needle and String.

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Ārya-Mārīcī is identical with Aśokakāntā except for the symbols she bears in her hands. As already stated, Aśokakāntā has the Aśoka bough and the Varada pose, but Ārya-Mārīcī carries the needle and the string ¹.

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¹ Sādhana No. 147 in the Sādhanamālā, p. 305.

(III) Mārīcīpicuvā

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Faces—Three

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Arms—Eight

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Mārīcīpicuvā is also called Aṣṭabhujapīta-Mārīcī or Saṃkṣipta-Mārīcī. These two names denote two distinct varieties of Mārīcī, although both are endowed with three faces and eight arms and carry similar weapons in their hands. One Sādhana only is devoted to Mārīcīpicuvā, and it does not mention whether she should be accompanied by the four goddesses as usual. She holds the needle and the string in the first pair of hands, the Aṅkuśa and the noose in another pair, the bow and the arrow in the third pair, and the Vajra and the Aśoka flower in the fourth pair. She has three faces, each displaying a mixture of three different sentiments (Rasa). The Dhyāna in verse runs as follows :

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Śṛṅgāravīrasaddharṣair-jāmbūnadasamaprabhām I
Madhyendranīlavarṇasyāṃ bhayabībhatsaraudrakaiḥ II
Karuṇādbhutaśāntaiśca sphaṭikendvitarānanāṃ I
Trivimokṣamukhaistryakṣāṃ dharmasambhoganirmitām II
Pītābharaṇasadvastrāṃ mayūkhasukhavāsinīṃ I
Sucyākṣaśyāni śīvantīṃ badhnantīṃ mukhacakṣuṣī II
Hṛdgaleṅkuśapāśābhyāṃ bindhantīṃ bāṇakārmukaiḥ I
Vajreṇa duṣṭṛdbhitvāśokenāsecanāparām II...
Prajñopāyapadākrāntāṃ Mārīcīṃ bhāvayedvratī II

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Mārīcīpicuvā-Sādhanam’’. Sādhanamālā pp. 297-298.

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"The worshipper should conceive himself as Mārīcīpicuvā who displays the sentiments of Śṛṅgāra, Vīra, and Harṣa in one of her faces, which is of the colour of Jāmbūnada (gold). In the middle face which is of the colour of the Indranīla gem, the sentiments of Bhaya, Bībhatsa, and Raudra are displayed ; and in the third face of crystal colour, the sentiments of Karuṇā, Adbhuta and Śānta appear. She has three eyes in each one of her three faces, which give freedom from the three great evils. Her essence is made of Dharmakāya and Sambhogakāya. She is clad in garments of yellow colour and resides happily in the mass of rays. She sews up the eyes and the mouths of the wicked with the needle and secures them with the string. She strikes their hearts with the Aṅkuśa, draws them by the neck with the noose, pierces them with the bow and the arrow, and shatters their hearts to pieces with the Vajra, and then sprinkles water with the leaves of Aśoka...She tramples under her feet Prajñā and Upāya.”

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Aṣṭabhuja-Mārīcī or Saṃkṣipta-Mārīcī is yellow in colour, wears red garments, is decked in various ornaments, bears the image of Vairocana on the crown and resides within the cavity of a Caitya. Her three faces display three different sentiments. The first, or the principal face displays passionate love, and is of the colour of gold. The second, or the left face is distorted, sow-like, has the colour of the Indranīla gem, displays wrath and looks terrible with bare fangs and protruding lips. The third, or the right face is of deep red colour, glows in heavenly splendour and displays the sentiment of Śānta. She rides a chariot drawn by seven pigs, stands in the Ālīḍha attitude, and appears a virgin in the fulness of youth. Below the seven sows is the fierce Rāhu, who devours the sun and the moon. She is surrounded by the four attendant goddesses, Varttālī, Vadālī, Varālī and Varāhamukhī.

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(i) Varttālī has red complexion, the sow-face and four arms. She wears red garments, is decked in all sorts of ornaments, and carries the noose and the Aśoka in the two left hands and the Vajrāṅkuśa and the needle in the right.

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(ii) Vadālī has many features in common with Varttālī, but her colour is yellow and she carries the noose and the Vajra in the two left hands and Aśoka and the needle in the right.

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(iii) Varālī is identical with Vadālī, except that she holds the Vajra and the needle in the two right hands and the noose and the Aśoka in the left.

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(iv) Varāhamukhī wears the same garments and the same ornaments as Vadālī and Varālī, but her complexion is ruddy, and she carries the Vajra and the arrow in the two right hands and the Aśoka and the bow in the left.

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It is very curious that almost all the images of Mārīcī known so far, belong to this variety. In actual images, a legless lady charioteer may sometimes be met with instead of Rāhu, while some images retain the charioteer as well as Rāhu. Two images of the eight-armed variety of Mārīcī are in the Dacca Museum; two are in the Indian Museum ( Figs. 152, 153 ) Calcutta, and the one (Fig. 154) which is reproduced in many works of art, was discovered at Sarnath and is now deposited in the Lucknow Museum, while a sixth has been discovered in Orissa. Besides these, several other images of Mārīcī are available in the museums at Rajshahi and Sarnath. All these images are three-faced and eight-armed, and some of them are very fine specimens of art. In the more artistic and accurate images the three sentiments have actually been depicted by the sculptors. A study of these images will show that though the sculptors generally follow the Sādhana in all details, yet they are not always so scrupulous in the case of the four attendant goddesses who are sometimes two-armed, and sometimes, though four-armed, do not carry the symbols prescribed by the Sādhanamālā.

(IV) Ubhayavarāhānana

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Faces—Three Arms—Twelve Asana—Ālīḍha Distinctive mark—Two Sow-faces

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She has been given this name because, unlike all other three-faced forms of Mārīcī, both her right and left faces are like that of a sow. She is clad in tiger-skin, has red complexion, a jewelled headdress, a red scarf and is decked in all sorts of ornaments. She resides within the womb of a Caitya, stands in the Ālīḍha attitude, and is endowed with three faces, each with three eyes, and twelve arms. The principal face smiles with delight, is peaceful in expression and display the emotion of love, while the two side ones are distorted sow-like. The face to the left is red, and is paid homage to by a deity carrying the Vajra and the Mudgara ; the face to the right has a reddish effulgence like that of Saindhava salt, and is paid homage to by Purandara (Indra) who carries the Vajra and the noose. In her six left hands she shows the Tarjanī against the chest, the Aśoka bough, the Vajrāṅkuśa, the Kapāla, the head of Brahmā and the vessel, and in the six right hands the needle, the Aṅkuśa, the Bhiṇḍipāla ( spear ), the sword, the Kartri and the Staff stamped with a Vajra. She bears the image of Vairocana on her crown, and tramples under her feet the Hindu gods, such as Hari (Viṣṇu), Hara (Śiva), Hiraṇyagarbha (Brahmā) and others. The guardians of the quarters all pay homage to this goddess.

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It may be pointed out here that the Sādhana is reticent about the chariot, the seven sows that run it, and about the four attendant goddesses, Varttālī, Vadālī, Varālī and Varāhamukhī ¹.

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¹ Sadhana No. 145 in the Sādhanamālā, pp. 299-302.

(V) Daśabhujasita-Mārīcī

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Faces—Five Colour—White Arms—Ten Legs—Four

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Two Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe her form which is ten-armed, and white in colour. The most important feature of this variety is that she is endowed with four legs. She has five faces. The principal face is white, the right is blue, the left is red and distorted sow-like, the face behind is green, and the face above is yellow and bears the Triśikhā (three tufts of hair) and the Jaṭāmukuṭa. The five right hands hold the sun, the blue Vajra, the arrow, the goad and the needle while the five left hands carry the moon, the bow, the Aśoka bough, the noose with the Tarjanī and the string. She rides a chariot drawn by seven pigs, and tramples under her feet the four Hindu gods Indra, Śiva, Viṣṇu and Brahmā. She bears the effigy of Vairocana on her crown.

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The Sādhanas further add that she should be accompanied by three other goddesses of whom the first is blue in colour, and rides upon a Makara. Her face is mis-shapen like that of a sow, and she carries the Vajra in one hand and the Tarjanī in the other.

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The second goddess appears to the right of Mārīcī, wears celestial ornaments, is ruddy in colour with one face mis-shapen like that of a sow.

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The third goddess appears to the left of Mārīcī. She is of red colour, with one face mis-shapen like that of a sow, and four arms. The two principal hands are engaged in drawing to the full the bow charged with an arrow, while the remaining two hold the Vajra in the right and the Aśoka bough in the left.

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Below the seven pigs drawing the chariot are the Navagrahas or the Nine Planets, and various diseases and disasters in human shape lie flat on the ground¹.

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¹ Sādhana No. 139 in the Sādhanamālā, pp. 285-286.

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The Sādhanas do not give the names of the attendant deities, which are only three in number. It is possible that these three are the members of the Varttālī group. Fig. 155 illustrates a Nepalese drawing of this variety of Mārīcī.

(VI) Vajradhātvīśvarīmārīcī

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Faces—Six Āsana—Ālīḍha Arms—Twelve Appearance—Terrible

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When six-faced and twelve-armed, Mārīcī is invoked in three different forms and under three different names: Vajradhātviśvarī Mārīcī, Uḍḍiyāna Mārīcī, and Vajravetālī. These three forms are classed together here because of their marked resemblance. They differ however in minor details and in respect of the weapons they carry in their hands.

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The features that are common to all the three may be summarised from the Sādhanas as follows. They are all endowed with six faces and twelve arms. The first five faces are respectively of red, blue, green, yellow and white colour. The face on the top is mis-shapen like that of a sow, and is blue in colour. All the three are said to reside in the womb of a Caitya; they stand in the Ālīḍha attitude and bear the image of Vairocana on the crown. They present a terrifying spectacle with three eyes, protruding tongue, bare fangs, serpents for ornaments and garments of tiger-skin.

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Vajradhātviśvarī carries in her six right hands, 1. the sword, 2. the Mūṣala, 3. the arrow, 4. the goad, 5. the Vajra and 6. the Paraśu, and in the six left 1. the noose, 2. the Kapāla, 3. the Aśoka bough, 4. the severed head of Brahmā, 5. the bow and 6. the Triśūla.

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Uḍḍiyāna Mārīcī holds the Cakra in one of her right hands, instead of the goad, and the Khaṭvāṅga-Kapāla in one of the left hands instead of only the Kapāla. Vajravetālī in one of her right hands holds the crossed double thunderbolt instead of the goad or the Cakra, and in one of the left the noose instead of the Kapāla or the Khaṭvāṅga-Kapāla. All the other hands carry the same weapons in all the three cases¹.

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¹ Sādhana No. 136 in the Sādhanamālā, p. 280

3. Uṣṇīṣavijayā

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Colour—White Faces—Three Arms—Eight Identification mark—Buddha on lotus

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Like Mārīcī, Uṣṇīṣavijayā is also said to bear the image of Vairocana on her crown and to reside within the womb of a Caitya. She is one of the most popular deities of the pantheon, and almost every temple in Nepal contains her image. The most artistic specimen, however, belongs to the Indian Museum, Calcutta. A miniature Caitya on the top of the image of Uṣṇīṣavijayā signifies that she is an offspring of Vairocana who resides in the centre of the Caitya. It is not improbable that Uṣṇīṣavijayā is the deified form of the Dhāriṇī of the same name included in the group of twelve Dhāriṇī goddesses. She may thus represent the deified form of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāriṇī. Several Sādhanas describe her form and the Dhyāna contained in one of these is given below :

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“Śuklāṃ trimukhāṃ trinetrāṃ navayauvanāṃ nānālaṅkāradharāṃ aṣṭabhujāṃ Bhagavatīṃ cintayet ; pītakṛṣṇadakṣiṇetaravadanāṃ ; dakṣiṇacaturbhujaiḥ viśvavajra-padmastha-Buddha-bāṇa-varadamudrādharāṃ, vāmacaturbhujaiḥ cāpa-tarjanīpāśa-abhayahasta-pūrṇakumbhāḥ ; caityaguhāgarbhasthitāṃ, Vairocanamukuṭinīṃ niṣpādya...”

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Uṣṇīṣavijayā-Sādhanam.” Sādhanamālā, p. 394

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as (Uṣṇīṣavijayā) who is white in complexion, three-faced, three-eyed, youthful and is decked in many ornaments. Her right and left faces are respectively of yellow and blue colour. Her four right hands display the Viśvavajra, Buddha on lotus, the arrow and the Varada pose, and her four left hands show the bow, the noose with the Tarjanī, the Abhaya pose and the well-filled water-vessel. She resides in the womb of the Caitya, and bears the image of Vairocana on the crown. Thus meditating...”

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The statuette (Fig. 156) of Uṣṇīṣavijayā in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, agrees almost in all details with the description given in the Sādhana. The attitude in which she sits here is the Vajraparyaṅka attitude.

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The other illustration (Fig. 157) is the reproduction of a painting contained in an illuminated manuscript of Pañcarakṣā in the possession of Dr. W. Y. Evans-Wentz. In it, the right hand which ought to have carried the Viśvavajra or the crossed thunderbolt, carries the jewel instead. In all other respects the painting follows the description of the Sādhana most accurately.

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

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¹ Getty : GNB, p. 135,

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² Clark : TLP, II, p. 286

4. Sitātapatrā Aparājitā

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Faces—Three Arms—Six Colour--White

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One Sādhana only is devoted to the worship of this deity. The word “Vairocananāyakāṃ” in the Sādhana shows that she also belongs to the family of the Dhyāni Buddha Vairocana. She is mild in nature except for the eyes, which display anger. The Dhyāna describes her form in the following manner :

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“Sītātapatrāparājitāṁ Bhagavatīṁ trimukhāṁ ṣaḍbhujāṁ, pratimukhāṁ trinayanāṁ, śuklāṁ nīlāruṇadakṣiṇavāmamukhīṁ, cakrāṅkuśadhanurdharadakṣiṇakarāṁ sitavajraśarapāśatarjanīdharavāmakarāṁ sakrodhadṛṣṭikāṁ sarvagrahavidhvaṁsinīṁ divyālaṅkāravastravatīṁ Vairocananāyakāṁ dhyātvā...” Sādhanamālā, p. 395

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as goddess Sītātapatrā Aparājitā, who is three-faced, six armed, and has three eyes in each of her faces. She is of white colour. Her faces to the right and left are respectively of blue and red colour. She carries in her three right hands the Cakra, the goad and the bow, and in the three left the white Vajra, the arrow and the noose with the Tarjanī. She has angry looks, destroys all sorts of evil spirits (Grahas lit. Planets), wears celestial ornaments and garments, and is led by Vairocana. Thus meditating...”

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This goddess is called Sītātapatrā Aparājitā “The Invincible Goddess with the White Parasol” and should be distinguished from the other Aparājitā who has an entirely different form and is yellow in colour. Fig. 158 illustrates a Nepalease drawing of the deity Sītātapatrā Aparājitā ¹.

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¹ Bhattasali : IBBS, p. 53, Pl. XVIII.

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As Sītātapatrā this deity is known in Tibet ² and China ³.

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² Gordon : ITL, p. 27 ; For Sītātapatrā Aparājitā see Getty : GNB, p. 136.

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³ Clark : TLP, II, pp. 190, 202 under the title of Sītātapatrā.

5. Mahāsāhasrapramardani

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Colour—White Arms—Six

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Mahāsāhasrapramardani is another goddess of the Pañcarakṣā group, and is assigned to Vairocana exactly in the same way as Mahāsītavatī and Mahāmantrānusāriṇī are affiliated respectively to Amitābha and Akṣobhya. Her form is different from that in which she is worshipped in the Pañcarakṣā Maṇḍala. Here the Dhyāna describes her form in the following terms :

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“Mahāsāhasrapramardanīṁ ātmānaṁ dhyāyāt ; śuklāṁ ekamukhīṁ ṣaḍbhujāṁ ; dakṣiṇatribhujeṣu khaḍgabāṇavaradamudrāḥ vāmatribhujeṣu dhanuḥpāśaparaśavaḥ ; vicitrālaṅkāradharāṁ rūpayauvanaśṛṅgāravatīṁ Vairocanakirīṭayuktāṁ padmacandrāsanaprabhām”. Sādhanamālā, p. 400

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"The worshipper should conceive himself as Mahāsāhasrapramardani who is of white complexion, one-faced and six-armed. She carries in her three right hands the sword, the arrow and the Varada pose, and in the three left the bow, the noose and the Paraśu. She is decked in variegated ornaments, is young and beautiful, displays the sentiment of amour, bears the figure of Vairocana on her crown, sits on the moon over a lotus, and is radiant like the moon".

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Images of this deity are found in Tibet ¹ and China ².

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¹ Gordon : ITL, p. 76

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² Clark : TLP, II, p 275

6. Vajravārāhī

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Āsana—Dancing in Ardhaparyaṅka

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Characteristic feature—Excrescence near the right ear.

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The union of Vajravārāhī with Heruka is the cult of the celebrated Cakrasamvara Tantra. One of the Sādhanas gives her the epithet of "Śrī-Herukadevasyāgramahiṣī" or "the first queen of the god Śrī-Heruka". She is also called a Dākinī and in the Buddhist Tantra this signifies any Śakti with whom the Yuganaddha (yab-yum) worship may be performed. It will not be out of place to mention here that Heruka is also associated with Vajrayoginī and their union is the subject of the great Heruka Tantra, but Vajravārāhī differs considerably from Vajrayoginī in form. If Vajravārāhī is the first queen of Heruka, there is no reason to suppose that Vajrayoginī may not be another. In fact, it has already been shown that Heruka in yab-yum form used to be associated with other goddesses, such as Nairātmā and Vajraśṛṅkhalā, as well. Vajravārāhī is represented as nude and as displaying intense and passionate love.

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The name Vajravārāhī or 'adamantine sow' is given to her for the simple reason that she has an excrescence near her right ear which resembles the face of a sow. It is far more likely that Getty's story about Yun-gar's attack on the abbess and the monastery refers to Vajravārāhī than to Mārīcī; for while Mārīcī has one face which may be distorted sow-like, Vajravārāhī has a natural excrescence just near the right ear, which has gained for her the epithet 'Vajraghoṇā' in the Sādhanas. Another argument in favour of this is that, while Vajravārāhī is called a Dākinī, and is associated with four other Dākinīs, she may quite easily be an abbess, and therefore, a Siddha woman deified, and not a goddess. But Mārīcī is decidedly a goddess; she is Vajradhātviśvarī and the consort of a Dhyāni Buddha.

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Several Sādhanas, both long and short, describe two distinct forms of Vajravārāhī who is also known as Buddhaḍākinī and Vajravairocanī. She is either two-armed or four-armed. Even when two-armed she may have several forms according to weapons she carries in her two hands. In one Sādhana only is she said to emanate from the family of Vairocana, and bear the double Vajra on her head, but the others are silent as to her sire.

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Images of this very popular goddess are found in Tibet ¹ and China ².

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¹ Gordon: ITL, p. 80 ; Getty : GNB, pp. 131, 132.

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² Clark : TLP, II, p. 238.

(I) Vajravārāhī

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Colour—Red Appearance—Nude Arms—Two Āsana—Pratyālīḍha Symbols—Vajra-Tarjanī and Kapāla.

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Several Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe two-armed forms of Vajravārāhī. Below is quoted a Dhyāna which gives a general idea of her form:

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Ātmānaṃ Bhagavatīṃ Vajravārāhīṃ dāḍimakusumaprakhyāṃ dvibhujāṃ dakṣiṇakareṇa vajratarjanīkākarāṃ vāmena karoṭakhaṭvāṅgadharāṃ ekānanāṃ trinetrāṃ muktakeśāṃ ṣaṇmudrāmudritāṃ digambarāṃ pañcajñānātmikāṃ sahajānandasvabhāvāṃ, pratyālīḍhapadākrānta-Bhairava-Kālarātrikāṃ sādramuṇḍamālālaṅkṛtagātrāṃ sravadrudhirāṃ pibantīṃ bhāvayet. Sādhanamālā, p. 425.

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"The worshipper should think himself as goddess Vajravārāhī whose colour is red like the pomegranate flower and is two-armed. She exhibits in her right hand the Vajra along with the raised index finger, and shows in the left the Kapāla and the Khaṭvāṅga. She is one-faced and three-eyed, has dishevelled hair, is marked with the six auspicious symbols and is nude. She is the essence of the five kinds of knowledge, and is the embodiment of the Sahaja pleasure. She stands in the Pratyālīḍha attitude, tramples upon the gods Bhairava and Kālarātri, wears a garland of heads still wet with blood which she drinks."

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The Sādhana further adds that the four petals of the lotus on which she stands are occupied by the four goddesses Ḍākinī, Lāmā, Khaṇḍarohā and Rūpiṇī in the four cardinal directions beginning from the right. The four companions are of blue, green, red and white colour respectively, and they are all one-faced and four-armed. They all carry the Khaṭvāṅga, the Kapāla in the left hands and the Ḍamaru and the Kartri in the two right hands.

(II) Vāsya-Vajravārāhī

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Symbols—Kartri and Kapāla Asana—Dancing in Ardhaparyaṅka Vāhana—Corpse lying on back

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This form of Vajravārāhī is invoked in those rituals which are performed with the specific purpose of bewitching men and women, and is very popular in Nepal and other Buddhist countries. This form is almost identical with the one described above with the difference that here the goddess wields the Kartri in the right hand instead of the Vajra, along with the raised index finger. The left has the Kapāla like the previous one. The Khaṭvāṅga as usual hangs from her left shoulder just as it is seen in the Heruka and Nairātmā images. She stands in the attitude of dancing in Ardhaparyaṅka on a corpse instead of showing the Pratyālīḍha as in the previous case ¹.

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¹ Sādhana No. 220 in the Sādhanamālā p. 433.

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Fig. 159 illustrates a Nepalese drawing of the goddess. A beautiful statute of Vajravārāhī is preserved in the Baroda Museum (Fig. 160).

(III) Ārya-Vajravārāhī

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Appearance—Terrible Asana—Ālīḍha Arms—Four

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The four-armed form of Vajravārāhī is also similar to the forms mentioned before, and is called Ārya-vajravārāhī. The difference lies only in the attitude, number of arms, and the symbols carried in her hands. She carries in the two right hands the Vajra and the goad, and in the two left the Kapāla and the Tarjanī with the noose. She is one-faced and three-eyed, and appears terrible with contortions of eye-brows, the adamantine excrescence, and the protruding tongue, teeth and belly. She stands in the Ālīḍha attitude on the corpse, unlike the other forms of Vajravārāhī. The Khaṭvāṅga hangs from her left shoulder as usual ².

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² Sādhana No. 224 in the Sādhanamālā, pp. 437, 438.

7. Cundā

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Colour—White Symbol—Book on Lotus. Face—One Arms—Two, Four, Sixteen, Eighteen and Twenty-six.

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According to a definite statement ³ contained in the Niṣpannayogāvalī under the Mañjuvajra Maṇḍala, Cundā is affiliated to the Dhyāni Buddha Vairocana, and thus Cundā is the spiritual daughter of Vairocana, and is required to be classed under the emanations of this very Dhyāni Buddha.

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³ Niṣpannayogāvalī, p. 52. Here Mañjuvajra is the same as Vairocar a.

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The name of the deity is spelt variously as Cundā, Cundrā, Candrā, Caṇḍā, and Cuṇḍrā. She is also called Cundavajrī. The spelling of Cundā as adopted by Foucher appears to be correct since her mantra as given in the Sādhanamālā : "Oṃ Cale Cule Cunde Svāhā contains the word Cundā in the vocative as Cunde Under the circumstances the correct spelling and the name of the deity as Cundā may be taken as certain.

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From the Sādhana it is not possible to ascertain the character of the deity or her origin. But from a reference in the Niṣpannayogāvalī ¹ it appears probable that the deity Cundā is the embodiment of the Buddhist Dhāraṇī work called the Cundādhāraṇī to which a reference is made by Śāntideva. The Niṣpannayogāvalī acknowledges altogether twelve Dhāraṇī deities and gives their descriptions. These Dhāraṇīs look alike when represented and they are usually two-armed, holding the Viśvavajra in the right hand and their special symbols in the left.

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¹ See the list of Dhāraṇī deities in the Dharmadhātu-Vāgīśvara Maṇḍala, NSP, p. 57.

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The names of the twelve Dhāraṇīs as given in the Niṣpannayogāvalī are these : 1. Sumati, 2. Ratnolkā, 3. Uṣṇīṣavijayā, 4. Mārī 5. Parṇaśabarī, 6. Jāṅgulī 7. Anantamukhī 8. Cundā 9. Prajñāvardhanī 10. Sarvakarmāvaraṇaviśodhanī 11. Akṣayajñānaka-raṇḍā and 12. Sarvabuddhadharma-Koṣavatī. These Dhāraṇīs are collectively assigned to the Dhyāni Buddha Amoghasiddhi, and are described later in this book.

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The Dhāraṇīs are a peculiar kind of Buddhist literature which is supposed to generate great mystic power if repeated continually for a long time. They are short works mostly composed of meaningless syllables, sometimes revealing traces of a language now defunct. The deification of books is not unknown in Buddhism. The best example of this is the deity Prajñāpāramitā, who is the embodiment of the great Mahāyāna scripture, the Prajñāpāramitā, which is believed to have been rescued from the nether regions by Nāgārjuna the Pontiff.

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Amongst the Dhāraṇī deities Uṣṇīṣavijayā, Jāṅgulī, Parṇaśabarī and Cundā are popular, and there are Sādhanas and images of these deities in art. But they represent nothing more than the respective Vidyās or mantras of which they are the embodiments.

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Cundā thus is the embodiment of the Cundā Dhāriṇī or the Cundā mantra. The Buddhists believe that when the Dhāriṇī is repeated in deep meditation for a long time with concentration and faith, the mantra vibrations grossen themselves in the concrete form of a deity which the worshipper visualizes, and thus obtains Siddhi or success. Once realized, the deity never leaves the worshipper and gives him everything that he desires.

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With regard to the antiquity of Cundā in the Buddhist pantheon, it may be said that the very first mention of her name Candrā which is considered to be the same as Cundā, appears in the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, the composition of which is usually placed cir. 200 A. D. As Cundā-vajrī, she finds mention in one of the earliest Tāntric works, the Guhyasamāja which was written most probably in the time of Asaṅga, cir. 300 A. D. Cundā is also mentioned in the Śikṣāsamuccaya of Śāntideva in the 7th century. Cundā images are found in illuminated Prajñāpāramitā MSS of the 11th century and several Sādhanas are dedicated to her in the Sādhanamālā, the earliest MS of which bears a date which is equivalent to A. D. 1165. Earlier, she is mentioned in the Niṣpannayogāvalī of Abhayākara Gupta (C 1130 A. D.).

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So far only three Sādhanas of Cundā are known, and they are all to be found in the printed edition of the Sādhanamālā as Nos. 129, 130, and 131. There is a further description of the goddess in the same book where Cundā is included as a minor deity in the Maṇḍala of Aṣṭabhuja-Kurukullā. Three more descriptions are available in the Niṣpannayogāvalī.

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The three Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe the principal deity Cundā in one form only. She is four-armed, one-faced and of white complexion. The Dhyāna is given below :

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“Śaraccandrābhāṃ caturbhujāṃ dakṣiṇena varadāṃ, vāme pustakāṅkitapadmadharāṃ karadvaye pātradharāṃ sarvālaṅkārabhūṣitāṃ”

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Sādhanamālā, p. 271.

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“She is of the colour of the autumn moon, and is four-armed. She shows the Varada mudrā in the right hand and holds the book on a lotus in the left. The two other hands hold the bowl. She is decked in all ornaments.”

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Only one image of Cundā (Fig. 161) of this description was in the collection of the late Mr. W. B. Whitney¹ of America. The illustration is from a photograph kindly supplied by the owner.

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¹ Also illustrated in Gordon : ITL, p. 74. It is now in the famous Freer Gallery of Art.

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The Sādhanamālā also makes Cundā a companion deity of Aṣṭabhu-jā Kurukullā in Sādhana No. 174, p. 352. In the Īśāna corner of the Kurukullā Maṇḍala on a lotus petal sits Cundā while the other petals are occupied by Prasannatārā in the east, Niṣpannatārā in the south, Jayatārā in the west, Karṇatārā in the north, Aparājitā in the Agni corner, Pradīpatārā in the Nairṛta corner and Gaurītārā in the Vāyu corner. All the deities including Cundā look alike and are described as follows :

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“Etāśca sarvā raktavarṇāḥ pañcatathāgatamukuṭā vajraparyaṅkaniṣa-ṇṇā dakṣiṇabhujābhyāṃ varadamudrā-ākarṇapūritaśaradharā vāmabhu-jābhyāṃ utpala-cāpadharāḥ.” Sādhanamālā, p. 352.

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“All these deities are red in colour. They wear a crown with the figures of the five Dhyāni Buddhas, and sit in the Vajraparyaṅka attitude. With the two right hands they show the Varada mudrā and the arrow drawn to the ears. They carry in their two left hands the blue lotus and the bow.”

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In the Niṣpannayogāvalī there are altogether three descriptions of Cundā. In the Kālacakra Maṇḍala, Cundā is the consort of Takkirāja who is similar to Ratnasambhava in appearance The relevant passage is given below :

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“Cundā śuklā savyābhyāṃ mudgara-kuntau vāmābhyāṃ padma-daṇ-ḍau vibhrāṇā”. NSP, p. 89

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“Cundā is white in colour. In the two right hands she carries the Mudgara (club) and the Kunta (knife) and in the two left the Padma (lotus) and the Daṇḍa (staff)”

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Cundā is once again mentioned in the Dharamadhātuvāgīśvara Maṇḍala. In this Maṇḍala her form is described in the following words :

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“Cundā śuklā akṣasūtrāvalambita-kamaṇḍaludharā” NSP, p. 57

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“Cundā is white in colour. She carries in her two hands the rosary to which a Kamaṇḍalu is suspended.”

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A third form of Cundā is described in the Niṣpannayogāvalī in the Mañjuvajra Maṇḍala. It is an elaborate description of Cundā who is here endowed with as many as twenty-six arms. The relevant extract is quoted below :

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“Cundā candravarṇā ṣaḍviṃśatibhujā pradhānābhyāṃ hṛdi mūla-mudrāṃ dakṣiṇairabhayaṃ khaḍgaṃ ratnadāma bījapūraṃ śaraṃ para-śuṃ gadāṃ mudgaraṃ aṅkuśaṃ vajraṃ tripatākābhinayaṃ akṣasūtraṃ ca ; vāmaiścintāmaṇidhvajaṃ padaṃ kamaṇḍaluṃ pāśaṃ cāpaṃ śaktiṃ cakraṃ khaḍgaṃ tarjanaṃ ghaṇṭāṃ bhiṇḍipālaṃ prajñāpāramitāpusta-kaṃ ca vibhrati. NSP, p 49

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"Cundā is moon-white in colour. She has twenty-six arms. With the two principal hands she exhibits the chief mudrā¹. In the remaining right hands she shows the 1. Abhaya mudrā, 2. sword, 3. garland of jewels, 4. citron, 5. arrow, 6. axe, 7. club, 8. hammer, 9. goad, 10. thunderbolt, 11. Tripatākā and 12. rosary. In the remaining left hands she shows the 1. flag marked with Cintāmaṇi jewel, 2. lotus, 3. Kamaṇḍalu, 4. noose, 5. bow, 6. javelin, 7. discus, 8. sword, 9. Tarjanī (raised index finger), 10. bowl, 11. Bhiṇḍipāla and 12. the Prajñāpāramitā Scripture".

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¹ This mudrā may be called the Cundamudrā which is akin to the Dharmacakra mudrā displayed by Vairocana.

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Although images of Cundā with twenty-six arms are not available, there are several images of Cundā with sixteen arms. These can be identified with the help of a miniature painting of sixteen-armed Cundā (Fig. 162) available in the manuscript No. Add 1643 of Prajñāpāramitā in the Cambridge University Library. This miniature bears a label in old Newari characters which reads as :

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"Paṭṭikere Cundāvarabhavane Cundā"

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"Cundā in the excellent temple of Cundā at Paṭṭikera."

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This inscription leaves no room for doubting the identification of the sixteen-armed image as that of Cundā. In this figure also the principal pair of hands exhibits against the chest the mudrā which is called in the Sādhana as the Mūla mudrā which is akin if not equal to the Dharmacakra mudrā. Foucher has given a description of the miniature of Cundā in his L'Iconographie Bouddhique, part I, p. 199. According to him the two principal hands exhibit the mudrā of teaching. The remaining seven right hands show the 1. Varada mudrā, 2. thunderbolt, 3. discus, 4. club, 5. dagger, 6. (indistinct) and 7. rosary. In the seven left hands she carries the 1. vessel, 2. axe, 3. trident, 4. bow, 5. dagger, 6. (indistinct) and 7. sceptre. Dr. N. K. Bhattasali² gives a slightly different description of the same miniature.

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² Bhattasali : IBBS, p. 13.

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Thus it is apparent that there was an image of Cundā in the Cundā temple at Paṭṭikera which is identified by Dr. Bhattasali with the remains on the Lalmai hills in Tippera in East Bengal. The miniature of the Prajñāpāramitā manuscript obviously depicts the sixteen-armed image of Cundā, and thus becomes instrumental in identifying several of her unidentified images.

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The Baroda Museum image (Fig. 163) is one such image and is a small and very artistic piece made of the usual octo-alloy of the Nepalese school. Thinly covered in the front part with a golden leaf or polish which has faded out at many places, on a pedestal there is the prostrate figure of a man lying on his back. In the Paryaṅka Āsana the deity sits on the prostrate figure. She is richly dressed and is decked in ornaments such as necklace, chain, tiara, ear-rings, bracelets, armlets, anklets and girdle. She is sixteen-armed. The two principal hands are arranged in the form of a mudrā which is akin to Dharmacakra The remaining seven right hands show downwards from the top 1. sword, 2. Damaru (kettle-drum), 3. knife, 4. (broken), 5. hammer, 6. garland of jewels, 7. Abhaya mudrā. The remaining seven left hands show likewise the 1. discus, 2. bell, 3. noose, 4. dagger, 5. goad, 6. arrow ard 7. Varada mudrā. The deity is one-faced.

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The Baroda Museum image has therefore to be identified with Cundā, although there is some minor variation. Similarly, the Bodh Gaya image found in the Hindu monastery (Fig. 164) has also to be identified with Cundā with sixteen arms. One more stone image of Cundā is illustrated in the History of Bengal, Vol. I, pl. xxvi, 64. Here Cundā has eighteen arms instead of sixteen as in the miniature.

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The special feature of the Baroda Museum image is its seat which is on the prostrate figure of a man. This kind of special seat is absent in all other images of Cundā so far discovered either in stone or in metal. But this seat appears to be a special feature of the Cundā images which is not against the direction of the Sādhana. Cundā is said in the Sādhana to be seated on a Sattvaparyaṅka or a seat spread on a ‘Sattva’ which usually means a man or an animal. This particular bronze gives the indication that Sattvaparyaṅka is a seat that is placed on a man lying on his back.

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Cundā is popular both in Tibet ¹ and China ².

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¹ Gordon : ITL, p 74 ; Getty : GNB, pp. 129, 130.

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² Clark : TLP, II, pp. 285, 222, 284.

8. Grahamātṛkā

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Faces—Three Arms—Six Mudrā—Dharmacakra Āsana—Vajraparyaṅka

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She has been described in the Dharmakoṣasaṅgraha in the following words:

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“Grahamātṛkā trimukhā śvetapītaraktā ṣaḍbhujā dakṣe dharmacakra-mudrā-vajra-śarā ; vāme kamala-cāpā ; sahasradalapadme vajrāsanā”.

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Dharmakoṣasaṅgraha. fol. 44A.

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“Grahamātṛkā has three faces of white, yellow and red colour, and six-arms, displaying the Dharmacakra mudrā (in the principal pair of hands) and carrying the Vajra and the arrow in the two right hands, and in the two left the lotus and the bow. She sits in the Vajrāsana on a lotus of a thousand petals”.

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Fig. 165 illustrates a miniature painting in the possession of Dr. Evans-Wentz ¹.

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¹ Getty : GNB, illustrates a similar miniature on plate LXI, p. 474.

Linked texts (6)