The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c19.s1.t11: 8. Prasannatārā

The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c19.s1.t11

Language: English

8. Prasannatārā

Prasannatārā is mentioned twice in the Sādhanamālā, once as a companion of Aṣṭabhujā Kurukullā and once again as a principal deity in the Sādhana. As a companion of Kurukullā she is red, but her independent form shows the yellow colour. Thus in the absence of more definite information, she has to be assigned to the family of the Dhyāni Buddha Ratnasambhava of yellow colour. The Sādhana devoted to her independent form gives the epithets of Amṛtamukhī and Amṛtalocanā and there is no doubt that except for the face on the top all her seven faces are represented as having charmingly sweet expression. But she is not benign and peaceful. She is fearful like Vidyujjvālākarālī, a form of Ekajaṭā. The Dhyāna describes her form in the following terms:

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“Hemavarṇāṁ mahāghorāṁ Tārādevīṁ maharddhikāṁ I
Trinetrāṁ aṣṭavadanāṁ bhujaṣoḍaśabhūṣitāṁ II
Ūrdhvapiṅgalakeśāṁ sārdraśatārdhamuṇḍamālāṅkṛtahārāṁ.
Pratyālīḍhapadopetāṁ jagattrāṇāṁ mahābalāṁ I
Vicitravastranepathyāṁ hasantīṁ navayauvanāṁ II

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Pradhānamukhaṁ pītaṁ dakṣiṇaṁ dvitīyaṁ nīlaṁ, tṛtīyaṁ śyāmaṁ caturthaṁ gaganaśyāmaṁ, vāme kundasannibhaṁ, dvitīyaṁ raktaṁ, tṛtīyaṁ gaganaśyāmaṁ ūrdhvāsyaṁ dhūmravarṇābhaṁ mahāghoraṁ vikaṭoṭkaṭaṁ ; dakṣiṇa-kareṣu khaḍga-utpala-śara-vajra-aṅkuśa-daṇḍa-kartri-abhayadharāṁ ; vāmabhujeṣu sapāśatarjanī-kapāla-dhanuḥ-khaṭvāṅga-vajrapāśa-Brahmaśiraḥ-ratnakalaṣadharāṁ ; viśvapadmacandrasthāṁ sūryyaprabhāvibhūṣitāṁ : vāmapādena Indraṁ, dakṣiṇapādena Upendraṁ, pādadvayamadhye Rudraṁ Brahmāṇaṁ cākramya sthitāṁ, sarvāvaraṇavināśanīṁ bhāvayet. Prasannatārā-Sādhanam.” Sādhanamālā, p. 241.

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as (Prasannatārā) who is of golden complexion, of terrible appearance, bestows prosperity, is three-eyed, eight-faced and sixteen-armed. Her brown hair rises upwards and her necklace is made of half-a-hundred heads wet with blood. She emancipates the universe and is terrible to behold. She stands in the Pratyālīḍha attitude, has smiling faces, is in the fulness of youth and her garments are of variegated colour. Her first face is yellow, the second to the right is blue, the third green, and the fourth blue like the sky ; the face to the left is white like the Kunda flower, the second red, and the third blue like the sky ; the face on the top is of the colour of smoke, terrible in appearance, distorted and disfigured. In her eight right hands are : 1. the Khaṭvāṅga, 2. the Uptala, 3. the arrow, 4. the Vajra, 5. the Aṅkuśa, 6. the staff, 7. the Kartri and 8. the Abhaya pose ; and in the left 1. the noose with the Tarjanī, 2. the Kapāla, 3. the bow, 4. the Khaṭvāṅga, 5. the Vajra, 6. the noose, 7. the head of Brahmā, and 8. the vessel of gems. She stands on the moon over the double lotus, is radiant with the glow of the sun, tramples under her left foot Indra, under the right Upendra, and presses Rudra and Brahmā between the two, and destroys the veils of ignorance”.

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Fig. 192 illustrates a Nepalese drawing of the goddess which tallies with the Sādhana in major details.

Linked texts (1)

Sādhanamālā — Sanskrit