The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c18.s5: 5. Ṣaḍbhujā Sitatārā
The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c18.s5
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5. Ṣaḍbhujā Sitatārā
c18.s5.1
Colour—White Asana—Ardhaparyaṅka Faces—Three Arms—Six
c18.s5.2
There are many Sādhanas for Sitatārās, or the Tārās of white colour but in none of them are they mentioned as bearing the image of Amoghasiddhi on their crowns. It is only in this case that the image of the Dhyāni Buddha is expressly mentioned. This White Tara is three-faced and six-armed, and the Dhyāna describes her form in the following terms:
c18.s5.3
"Sitatārāṃ trimukhāṃ ṣaḍbhujāṃ pītanīladakṣiṇetaramukhīṃ pratimukhāṃ trinetrāṃ varadā-kṣasūtra-śaradharadakṣiṇatrikarāṃ utpalapadma-cāpadharavāmapāṇitrayāṃ ardhaparyaṅkaniṣaṇṇāṃ candrāsanacandraprabhāṃ jaṭāmukuṭasthit-Amoghasiddhim pañcamuṇḍavibhūṣitamastakāṃ ardhacandrakṛtaśekharāṃ nānālaṅkāradharāṃ dviraṣṭavarṣākṛtiṃ aṣṭaśmaśānamadhyasthitāṃ.. vicintya."
c18.s5.4
Ṣaḍbhuja-śukla-Tārāsādhanam Sādhanamālā, p. 216
c18.s5.5
"The worshipper should conceive himself as Sitatārā, who is three-faced, and six-armed. Her right face is yellow and the left blue in colour, and the faces are endowed with three eyes each. Her three right hands show the Varada mudrā, the rosary and the arrow, and the three left carry the Utpala, the lotus and the bow. She sits in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude, sits on and shines like the moon, and bears the effigy of Amoghasiddhi on her crown of matted hair. Her head is embellished by five severed heads and the crescent moon. She is decked in many ornaments, is twice eight years old, and resides in the midst of the eight cremation grounds. Thus meditating..."
c18.s5.6
The accompanying sketch (Fig. 171) shows how she is represented in Nepal. It tallies in all respects with the description given in the Sādhana, except that here she is represented in Vajraparyaṅka instead of Ardhaparyaṅka as required by the Sādhana.
c18.s5.7
She is known to the Chinese collection at Peiping ¹.
c18.s5.8
¹ Clark : TLP, II, p. 282
Cites (1)
- Sādhanamālā — Sanskrit