Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Vajrapani (Bodhisattva & Buddhist Deity) - (Three Deities Combined)

ཕྱག་ན་རྡོ་རྗེ། 金刚手菩萨
(item no. 34810)
Origin Location Tibet
Date Range 1700 - 1799
Lineages Gelug and Buddhist
Material Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection Private
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Deity

Appearance: Wrathful

Gender: Male

Interpretation / Description

Vajrapani, Three Deities Combined (phyag rdor drag po g.sum dril).

A the upper left is the Indian scholar Dharmakirti. At the upper right is Lodrag Khenchen Lekyi Dorje. At the bottom center is the protector deity Dorje Shanglon.

"Guhyapati Vajrapani with a body blue-black in colour, one face and two hands. The right hand holds a five pointed vajra. The left raised to the heart is pointing in a wrathful gesture; yellow hair twisting upwards amongst which is a Horse head, neighing sharply three times over-powering the Three Realms. The neighing of the Horse on the right over-powers the male lineages. The neighing of the Horse on the left over-powers the female lineages. The neighing of the middle Horse bestows attainments on the practitioner. On the crown of the head of the Horse is the King of Birds, Garuda, with a body white in colour, beating the sword-wings, having turquoise horns; adorned with a blazing jewel between the horns. Guhyapati's hair is adorned with a white spotted snake of the Kings Race, yellow spotted - Nobles Race for earrings and armlets, red spotted - Brahmins Race for necklace and belt, green spotted - Craftsmans Race for bracelets and anklets, black - Outcastes as a long necklace. Wearing a lower garment of tiger skin, [Vajrapani is] adorned with all the jewel ornaments - dwelling in the middle of a mass of pristine awareness [fire]." (Lhodrag Drubchen Lekyi Dorje, 1326-1401).

Jeff Watt 8-2014

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