The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c20.s2: II. Six Goddesses of Direction

The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c20.s2

Language: English

II. Six Goddesses of Direction

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Just as there are ten gods of the quarters for all the Maṇḍalas of principal gods, even so there are six goddesses presiding over the six quarters, with different names and different weapons in their hands. An account of these goddesses is not only interesting but also very important for the purpose of identifying deities of the Buddhist pantheon. Their names and weapons are recorded in the Maṇḍala of Vajratārā in the Niṣpannayogāvalī (p. 38) as also in the Vajratārāsādhanam (p. 185) in the Sādhanamālā. If Puṣpā, Dhūpā, Dīpā and Gandhā are added, the number will be ten for the directions.

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Fig. 103 Khasarpaṇa (Vikrampur, Dacca)

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Fig. 105 Lokanātha (Mahoba)

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Fig. 104 Khasarpaṇa (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 106 Lokanātha (Baroda Museum)

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Fig. 107 Lokanātha (Sarnath)

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Fig. 108 Lokanātha (Nepal)

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Fig. 109 Halāhala (Nepal)

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Fig. 110 Padmanartteśvara (Nepal)

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Fig. 111 Padmanartteśvara (Peiping)

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Fig. 112 Padmanartteśvara

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Fig. 113 Harihariharivāhana

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Fig. 114 Trailokyavaśaṅkara (Peiping)

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Fig. 115 Rakta-Lokeśvara (Peiping)

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Fig. 116 Nīlakaṇṭha (Sarnath)

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Fig. 117 Sugatisandarśana

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Fig. 118 Pretasantarpita

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Fig. 119 Sukhāvatī Lokeśvara (Nepal)

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Fig. 120 Vajradharma

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Fig. 121 Kurukullā (Nepalese Drawing)

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Fig. 122 Kurukullā (Peiping)

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Fig. 123 Bhr̥kuṭī (Peiping)

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Fig. 124 Caṇḍaroṣaṇa

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Fig. 125 Heruka (Dacca Museum)

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Fig. 126 Buddhakapāla

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Fig. 127 Buddhakapāla (Baroda Museum)

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Fig. 128 Hayagrīva

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Fig. 129 Hayagrīva (Peiping)

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Fig. 130 Ucchuṣma-Jambhala (Sarnath)

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Fig. 131 Vighnāntaka (Baroda Museum)

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Fig. 132 Paramāśva

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Fig. 133 Yogāmbara (Peiping)

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Fig. 134 Kālacakra (Nepalese Drawing)

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Fig. 135 Mahācīna Tārā

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Fig. 136 Mahācīna Tārā

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Fig. 137 Jaṅgulī

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Fig. 138 Ekajaṭā (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 139 Ekajaṭā

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Fig. 140 Parṇaśabarī

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Fig. 141 Prajñāpāramitā (Leiden, Holland)

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Fig. 142 Prajñāpāramitā (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 143 Vajracarcikā

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Fig. 144 Pratyangirā

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Fig. 145 Pratyangirā

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Fig. 146 Pratyangirā (Nepal)

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Fig. 148 Nairātmā (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 147 Dhvajāgrakeyūrā

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Fig. 149 Nairātmā (Vaṅgīya Sāhitya Pariṣat)

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Fig. 150 Vajravidāraṇī

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Fig. 152 Aṣṭabhuja Mārīcī (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 151 Nāmasaṅgīti (Nepal)

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Fig. 153 Aṣṭabhuja Mārīcī (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 154 Aṣṭabhuja Mārīcī (Lucknow Museum)

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Fig. 156 Uṣṇīṣavijayā (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 155 Daśabhujasita-Mārīcī

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Fig. 157 Uṣṇīṣavijayā

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Fig. 158 Sītātapatrā Aparājitā

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Fig. 159 Vajravārāhī

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Fig. 160 Vajravārāhī (Baroda Museum)

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Fig. 161 Cundā (W. B. Whitney collection, New York)

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Fig. 162 Cundā (Miniature painting from a Cambridge Ms.)

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Fig. 163 Cundā (Baroda Museum)

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Fig. 164 Cundā (Bodh Gaya)

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Fig. 166 Khadiravaṇī Tārā (Mahoba)

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[Figure: Fig. 165 Grahamātṛkā Courtesy : W. Y. Evans Wentz]

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[Figure: Fig. 167 Khadiravaṇī Tārā (Indian museum)]

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[Figure: Fig. 168 Khadiravaṇī Tārā (Baroda museum)]

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Fig. 170 Vaśyatārā

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Fig. 171 Ṣaḍbhuja-Sitatārā

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Fig. 172 Dhanada-Tārā

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Fig. 173 Parnaśabarī (Vajrayogini, Vikrampur)

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174 Parṇaśavarī (Vikrampur, Dacca)

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175 Vajraśṛṅkhalā

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176 Jambhala (Nepal)

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Fig. 177 Jambhala (Vikrampur, Dacca)

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Fig. 178 Jambhala (Vikrampur, Dacca)

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Fig. 179 Jambhala

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Fig. 180 Vajratārā (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 181 Vajratārā (Orissa)

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Fig. 182 Vajratārā (Nepal)

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Fig. 183 Puṣpatārā (Peiping)

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Fig. 184 Mahāpratisarā (Dacca Sāhitya Pariṣat)

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Fig. 185 Mahāpratisarā (Dacca Museum)

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Fig. 186 Vasudhārā (Nepalese Drawing)

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Fig. 187 Vasudhārā (Nepal)

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Fig. 188 Vasudhārā (Baroda Museum)

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Fig. 189 Aparājitā (Nalanda)

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Fig. 190 Aparājitā (Indian Museum)

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Fig. 191 Vajrayoginī Temple at Saṅku (Nepal)

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Fig. 192 Prasannatārā

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Fig. 193 Vajrapāśī (Peiping)

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Fig. 194 Vajrasphoṭa (Peiping)

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Fig. 195 Vajroṣṇīṣa (Peiping)

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Fig. 196 Mahāpratisarā

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Fig. 197 Mahāsāhasrapramardani

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Fig. 198 Mahānantranusāriṇī

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Fig. 199 Mahāsitavatī

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Fig. 200 Mahāmāyūrī

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Fig. 201 Mahattarī Tārā (Nepal)

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Fig. 202 Vetālī (Peiping)

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Fig. 203 Ghasmarī (Peiping)

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Fig. 204 Pukkasī (Peiping)

1. Vajrāṅkuśī

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Face—One Arms—Two Direction—East Symbol—Goad

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The first goddess in the series is Vajrāṅkuśī who is the presiding deity of the Eastern direction. Her form is as follows :

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“Pūrvadvāre Vajrāṅkuśī (śuklā) śuklāṅkuśāṅkasavyakarā”. NSP, p. 38.

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“On the Eastern gate is Vajrāṅkuśī white in colour holding in her right hand the white Goad”.

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The left hand shows like the rest the raised index finger. Her images are found in China ¹.

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¹ Clark : TLP, II. p. 64

2. Vajrapāśī

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Colour—Yellow Face—One Arms—Two Direction—South Symbol—Noose

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The second goddess in the series is Vajrapāśī who is the presiding deity of the Southern quarter. Her form is as follows :

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“Dakṣiṇe Vajrapāśī pītā pāśabhṛt-savyapāṇipallavā”. NSP, p. 38.

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“In the South is Vajrapāśī, yellow in colour holding in the right hand the Noose”.

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She shows the raised index finger in the left hand. Her image is found in China ². One of the Chinese statuettes is illustrated in Fig. 193.

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² Clark : TLP, II, p. 64

3. Vajrasphoṭā

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Colour—Red Face—One Arms—Two Direction—West Symbol—Chain

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The third goddess in the series is Vajrasphoṭā as the presiding deity of the Western direction. Her form is given as under :

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“Paścime Vajrasphoṭā raktā vajrasphoṭāṅkasavyakarā” NSP, p. 38.

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“In the West, there is Vajrasphoṭā, red in colour, holding in her right hand the Chain marked with a Vajra”.

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The left hand as usual displays the raised index finger. There are statuettes of this deity in China ¹. One of the Chinese statuettes is illustrated in Fig. 194.

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¹ Clark : TLP, II, pp. 64, 163.

4. Vajraghaṇṭā

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The fourth deity in the series is Vajraghaṇṭā, who is the embodiment of the Northern direction and is described as follows :

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“Uttare Vajraghaṇṭā śyāmā vajraghaṇṭāṅkadakṣiṇabhujā”. NSP, p. 38

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“In the North there is Vajraghaṇṭā, green in colour, holding in her right hand the Bell”.

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The left hand of the goddess displays as usual the raised index finger. A statuette of this goddess occurs in the Chinese collection ².

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² Clark : TLP, II, p. 286.

5. Uṣṇīṣavijayā

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The fifth goddess in the series is Uṣṇīsavijayā who is the presiding deity of the Upper region. Her form is described thus :

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“Ūrddhve Uṣṇīsavijayā śuklā cakrabhṛtsavyabhujā”. NSP, p. 38

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“In the upper region there is goddess Uṣṇīsavijayā, white in colour, holding the Discus in her right hand”.

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The left hand of the goddess displays as usual the raised index finger. A statuette of this deity occurs in China ³.

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³ Clark : TLP, II p. 65.

Linked texts (2)

Sādhanamālā — Sanskrit
Niṣpannayogāvalī — Abhayākaragupta, Sanskrit