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The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c22.s1: 1. Mahākāla

The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c22.s1

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1. Mahākāla

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In the Sādhanamālā as well as in the Niṣpannayogāvalī there are several descriptions of the ferocious Hindu god, Mahākāla. He has been given a variety of forms in these two works. He may have one face with two, four or six arms, or eight faces with sixteen arms. He is one of the many terrible deities of the Buddhist pantheon with ornaments of snakes, canine teeth, protruding belly and garment of tiger-skin. The different forms of Mahākāla are described below.

(I) Two-Armed

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Colour—Blue Arms—Two Symbols—Kartri and Kapāla

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At least six Sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā describe the two-armed variety of Mahākāla. One among them is quoted here.

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“Śrī-Mahākālabhaṭṭārakaṃ dvibhujaṃ ekamukhaṃ kṛṣṇavarṇaṃ trinayanaṃ mahājjvālaṃ kartrikapāladhāriṇaṃ dakṣiṇavāmabhujābhyāṃ muṇḍamālālaṅkṛtorddhvapiṅgalakeśopari pañcakapāladharaṃ daṃṣṭrābhīmabhayānakaṃ bhujāṅgābharaṇayajñopavītaṃ kharvarūpaṃ sravadrudhiramukhaṃ ātmānaṃ jhaṭiti niṣpādya..”. Sādhanamālā, p. 585.

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“The worshipper should conceive himself as Śrī Mahākāla Bhaṭṭāraka who is two-armed and one-faced and has blue colour. He is three-eyed, has fiery radiance, and carries the Kartri and the Kapāla in his right and left hands respectively. He bears five skulls on his brown hair which rises up on his head and is decorated with a chain of severed heads. He looks terrible with bare fangs, and is decked in ornaments of serpents and a sacred thread made out of a snake. He is short and from his mouth trickles forth blood. Thus quickly meditating...”.

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Instead of the Kartri, Mahākāla carries the Triśūla in his right hand in some cases. Images of Mahākāla abound in Nepal and are found in large numbers in Buddhist temples, monasteries and even in the streets. Sometimes the head only is represented. Fig. 226 illustrates one of the finest specimens of Mahākāla beloning to the collection of Pandit Siddhiharṣa Vajrācārya of Nepal. Here the god tramples upon two figures representing two human corpses as required by the Sādhana. He weilds the menacing Kartri in the right hand and the Kapāla full of blood in the left. Images of Mahākāla are also found in abundance in Tibet¹ and China².

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¹ Gordon: ITL, p. 90 in which four images of Mahākāla are represented. See also Getty : GNB, Pl. XLIX where four more illustrations are available.

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² Clark : TLP, II, pp. 101, 299, 301 and 75

(II) Four-Armed

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Arms—Four Symbols—Kartri and Kapāla, Sword and Khaṭvāṅga

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When four-armed he resembles the two-armed one in all details except in the number of arms and the symbols he displays in his hands. Here he carries the Kartri and the Kapāla in the first or the principal pair of hands, and the sword and the Khaṭvāṅga in the second pair.

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(III) SIX-ARMED Colour—Blue Arms—Six Symbols—r. Kartri, Rosary, Ḍamaru l. Kapāla, Śūla, Vajrapāśa

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When six-armed the form of Mahākāla resembles the two-armed variety already described, with the difference that here he has six arms carrying six different symbols. In his six hands he exhibits the Kartri, the rosary and the Ḍamaru in the right and the Kapāla, the Śūla and the Vajrapāśa in the left.

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(IV) SIXTEEN-ARMED Colour—Blue Arms—Sixteen Faces—Eight Legs—Four

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When sixteen-armed, he is eight-faced and is represented in yab-yum in the embrace of his Śakti, and what is really strange, he is also four-legged. The Sādhana describes his form in the following words:

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"Ātmānaṁ Bhagavantaṁ ṣoḍaśabhuja-Mahākālaṁ bhāvayet ; aṣṭavadanaṁ caturviṁśatinetraṁ catuścaraṇaṁ ṣoḍaśabhujaṁ ; dakṣiṇakaraiḥ kartri-vajra-gajacarma-mudgara-triśūla-khaḍga-yamadaṇḍāḥ, vāmakaraiḥ raktapūrṇakapāla-gajacarma-ghaṇṭā-aṅkuśa-śvetacāmara-ḍamaru-naraśiro dadhānaṁ śeṣabhujābhyāṁ Prajñāliṅgitaṁ ; kharvakṛṣṇaṁ hāhāhīhi-hehepūritamukhaṁ mahāraudraṁ trikāyātmakaṁ pañca-Buddhamukuṭinaṁ naramuṇḍamālābharaṇaṁ bhayasyāpi bhayaṅkaram".
Sādhanamālā, p. 598

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"The worshipper should conceive himself as sixteen-armed Mahākāla with eight faces, twenty-four eyes, four legs, and sixteen arms. He carries in his (seven) right hands the Kartri, the Vajra, the elephant-hide, the Mudgara, the Triśūla, the sword and the staff of Yama, and in the (seven) left hands the Kapāla full of blood, elephant-hide, the bell, the goad, the white chowrie, the Ḍamaru and the human head. The two remaining hands are engaged in embracing the Prajñā. He is short and blue in complexion, utters laughing sounds, such as hā hā, hī hī, he he, and looks terribly fierce. He is the essence of the Three Kāyas, bears the images of the five Dhyāni Buddhas on his crown, is decked in garlands of heads as ornaments, and is more awe-inspiring than Awe itself.”

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The Sādhana further adds that Mahākāla should be surrounded by seven goddesses, three in the three cardinal points, (the fourth being occupied by his own Śakti) and the other four in the four corners.

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To the East is Mahāmāyā, consort of Maheśvara, who stands in the Ālīḍha attitude and rides a lion. She has four arms, of which the two left hands carry the Kapāla and the Ḍamaru, and the two right the Kartri and the Mudgara. She is blue in complexion, has dishevelled hair, three eyes and protruding teeth.

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To the South is Yamadūtī, who is of blue complexion and has four arms. She carries in her two right hands the staff of lotus stalk and the Kartri, and in her two left the bowl of blood and the fly-whisk. She stands in the Ālīḍha attitude on a buffalo and has dishevelled hair.

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To the West is Kāladūtī, who carries in her two left hands the Kapāla and the Cow’s head and in the two right the Mudgara and the Triśūla. She stands in the Ālīḍha attitude on a horse, has red complexion and dishevelled hair.

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All these deities are terrible in appearance, with protruding teeth and ornaments of serpents.

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The four corners are occupied by the following goddesses. Kālikā in the SE corner is blue in complexion, has two arms carrying the Kapāla and the Kartri, and stands on a corpse in the Ālīḍha attitude. Carcikā in the SW corner has red complexion, carries the Kartri and the Kapāla in her two hands and resembles Kālikā in all other respects. Caṇḍeśvarī in the NW corner has yellow complexion, carries in her two hands the grass and the deer, and stands in the Ālīḍha attitude on a corpse. Kulīśeśvarī in the NE corner has white complexion, carries the Vajra and the staff, stands in the Ālīḍha attitude on a corpse. These four deities are nude, and look terrible with bare fangs, three eyes and dishevelled hair.

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Surrounded by all these deities Mahākāla should be meditated upon as trampling upon Vajrabhairava in the form of a corpse.

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Mahākāla is a ferocious god who is generally worshipped in the Tāntric rite of Māraṇa and for the destruction of enemies. Mahākāla was also regarded as a terrible spirit, and was calculated to inspire awe in the minds of those Buddhists, who were not reverential to their Gurus, and did not care much for the Three Jewels. He is supposed to eat these culprits raw, and the process of eating has been minutely described in almost all the Sādhanas. The Sādhanas generally contain the following verses in order to show the terrible nature of Mahākāla :

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Ācāryye yaḥ sadā dveṣī kupito Ratnatrayepi yaḥ ।
Anekasattvavidhvamsī Mahākālena khādyate ॥
Cchedayet svāngamāṃsāni pivedrudhiradhārayā ।
Śirasi viniveśyaiva tilamātrañca kārayet ॥
Sādhanamālā, p. 586

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“He who hates his preceptor, is adversely disposed to the Three Jewels, and destroys many animals is eaten up raw by Mahākāla.
He, (Mahākāla) cuts his flesh to pieces, drinks his blood, and (after) entering into his head breaks it into small bits.”

Cites (2)