The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c22.s6: 6. Ten Principal Hindu Deities

The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c22.s6

Language: English

6. Ten Principal Hindu Deities

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In the Brahmā group there are ten deities. They are popular in India and their statuettes occur in the Chinese collection. Their appearance in the Buddhist pantheon is almost the same as we find them described in the Purāṇas and Tāntric works of the Hindus. The gods of the Brahmā group are described with typical examples in the same order as they appear in the Dharmadhātuvāgīśvara Maṇḍala of the Niṣpannayogāvalī.

(I) Brahmā

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Colour—Yellow Arms—Four Vehicle—Swan

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The first among the ten gods of this list is Brahmā. His form is given in the following text:

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“Haṃse Brahmā pītaścaturbhujaḥ akṣasūtrābjahṛt-savyetarābhyāṃ kṛtāñjalir-daṇḍa-kamaṇḍaludharaḥ”. NSP, p. 61

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“On a Swan appears Brahmā of yellow colour with four arms. With the two principal hands carrying the rosary and the lotus, he displays the Añjali (clasped hand) mudrā, and the two other hands carry the staff and the Kamaṇḍalu”.

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Three statuettes of his occur in the Chinese collection ². Fig. 238 illustrates one of the three.

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² Clark : TLP, II, pp. 100, 156, 179

(II) Viṣṇu

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Arms—Four Vehicle—Garuḍa

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The second god in this series of ten principal gods of the Hindu pantheon is called Viṣṇu. His form is described as under:

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“Garuḍe Viṣṇus-caturbhujaḥ cakrasaṅkhabhṛtsavyavāmābhyāṃ mūrdhni kṛtāñjalir-gadāśārṅgadharaḥ”. NSP, p. 61

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“On a Garuḍa there is Viṣṇu with four arms. With the two principal hands carrying the Cakra and the Śaṅkha he displays the Añjali on his head. With the two others he holds the Gadā (mace) and the bow”.

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Two statuettes of Viṣṇu occur in the Chinese collection ³.

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³ Clark : TLP, II, pp. 98, 156.

(III) Maheśvara

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Colour—White Arms—Four Vehicle—Bull

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The third in this series of ten principal gods of the Hindus is Maheśvara. His form is described thus :

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“Vṛṣabhe Maheśvaraḥ sitaḥ śaśikanakāṅkitajaṭāmukuṭaś-catur bhujah śirasi kṛtāñjalis-triśūlakapālabhṛt’’. NSP, p. 62

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“Maheśvara sits on the Bull, and is white in colour. His crown of matted hair is beautified by the moon. He is four-armed. With the two principal hands he displays the Añjali over the head, and with the two others he carries the Triśūla and the Kapāla’’.

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One statuette of Maheśvara occurs in the Chinese collection ¹. It is illustrated in Fig. 240.

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¹ Clark : TLP, II, p. 156

(IV) Kārttikeya

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Colour—Red Arms—Six Symbol—Hen Vehicle—Peacock

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The fourth god in this series is Kārttikeya and his form is described as follows :

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“Mayūre Kārttikeyo raktaḥ ṣaṇmukhaḥ savyābhyāṃ śaktiṃ vajraṃ ca vāmābhyāṃ kukkuṭaṃ ca dadhāno dvābhyāṃ kṛtāñjaliḥ.’’ NSP, p. 62

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“Kārttikeya rides a Peacock, is red in colour, and has six faces. With the two right hands he holds the Śakti (javelin) and the Vajra and with the two left the hen. With two others he shows the Añjali’’.

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One statuette of this deity is found in the Chinese collection ².

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² Clark : TLP, II, p. 157

(V) Vārāhī

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Colour—Blue Arms—Four Symbol—Fish Vehicle—Owl

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The fifth deity in this series is a goddess and is called here as Vārāhī. Her form is described as follows :

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“Vārāhī kṛṣṇā pecakārūḍhā caturbhujā savyavāmābhyāṃ rohita-matsyakapāladharā dvābhyāṃ kṛtāñjaliḥ’’. NSP, p. 62

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“Vārāhī is blue in colour. She rides on an Owl and is four-armed. In one pair of hands she shows the Rohita fish in the right and the Kapāla in the left. Two others are clasped in Añjali’’.

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Two statuettes of the deity are represented in the Chinese collection ³.

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³ Clark : TLP, II, pp. 72, 176

(VI) Cāmuṇḍā

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Arms—Four Vehicle—Corpse

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The sixth deity in the series of Hindu gods is also a goddess and is known by the name of Cāmuṇḍā. Her form is described as follows :

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“Pretopari Cāmuṇḍā raktā caturbhujā kartrikapālābhṛtsavyetarā kṛtāñjali”.
NSP, p. 62

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“Cāmuṇḍā rides on a corpse and is of red colour. She is four-armed. With the first pair of hands she holds the Kartri in the right and the Kapāla in the left. In the second she exhibits the Añjali”.

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One statuette of this goddess occurs in the Chinese collection ¹.

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¹ Clark : TLP, II, p. 176

(VII) Bhr̥ṅgī

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Colour—Blue Arms—Four

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The seventh deity in this series is Bhr̥ṅgī whose form is described in the Dharmadhātuvāgīśvara Maṇḍala as follows :

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“Bhr̥ṅgī kr̥ṣṇaḥ kr̥ṣṇākṣasūtrakamaṇḍaludharaḥ kr̥tāñjaliḥ”.
NSP, p. 62

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“Bhr̥ṅgī is blue in colour and he holds in the first pair of hands the blue rosary and the Kamaṇḍalu. In the second pair the Añjali is shown”.

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Bhr̥ṅgī is not represented in the Chinese collection.

(VIII) Gaṇapati

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Colour--White Arms—Four Symbol—Elephant-face Vehicle—Rat

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Gaṇapati is a popular deity in the Buddhist pantheon. He is described several times in the Niṣpannayogāvalī, and as already stated an independent Sādhana in the Sādhanamālā is devoted to his worship. In the Maṇḍala of Dharmadhātuvāgīśvara his description is as follows :

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Mūṣake Gaṇapatiḥ sitaḥ karivaktraḥ sarpayajñopavītī caturbhujaḥ savyābhyāṁ triśūlalaḍḍukau vāmābhyāṁ paraśumūlake dadhānaḥ.
NSP, p. 62

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“Gaṇapati rides on a Mouse and is white in colour. He has an elephant face and a snake forms his sacred thread. He is four-armed. In the two right hands he carries the Triśūla and the Laḍḍuka (sweet balls), and in the two left the Paraśu (axe) and the Mūlaka (radish).

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In the Bhūtadāmara Maṇḍala, he is given four hands carrying the Mūlaka and the Paraśu in the two right, and the Triśūla and the Kapāla in the two left ¹.

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¹ NSP p. 72

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One statuette of his is recorded in the Chinese collection ². It is illustrated in Fig. 241.

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² Clark : TLP, II, p. 153

(IX) Mahākāla

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Colour—Blue Arms—Two Symbol—Trident

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The ninth in this series of Hindu deities in the Buddhist pantheon is called Mahākāla who is popular both in the Sādhanamālā as well as in the Niṣpannayogāvalī. His form is described as follows : “Mahākālaḥ kṛṣṇas-triśūla-kapālabhṛt”. NSP, p. 62 “Mahākāla is blue in colour and carries the Triśūla and the Kapāla in his two hands”.

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One statuette of his occurs in the Chinese collection ³. His description in the Sādhanamālā is more detailed. The different forms of Mahākāla have already been discussed in an earlier section in this very chapter.

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³ Clark : TLP, II, p. 101

Cites (1)

Niṣpannayogāvalī — Abhayākaragupta, Sanskrit