Buddhist Deity: Manju Nagaraksha Main Page
Manjushri Main Page Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Forms of Manjushri: Context Page
- Health, Healing & Longevity Page
- Naga, Snakes & Serpents Page
- Masterworks
- Confusions: Rahula
- Others
Video: Manju Nagaraksha
Form, Function, Origin:
- Form: Raksha Upper Body/Naga Lower Body
- Function: Preventing/Removing Naga Diseases
- Origin School: Nyingma, Revealed Treasure
- Treasure Revealer: Chogyal Rinchen Lingpa (14th century)
Nagaraksha is a form of Manjushri with a number of different iconographic types. He can have a great number of arms and appear in several different body colours. The wrathful appearance (raksha) and serpent (naga) lower body are a consistent feature with most forms of the deity. Although Nyingma and originating with Rinchen Lingpa in the 14th century there are also forms of Vajrapani in a wrathful appearance belonging to the Lodrag Khenchen Namkha Gyaltsen (1326-1401) which seem very similar in form and function.
Lineage: Manjushri, Vajrapani, Padmasambhava, Trisong Detsen, Terton Chogyal Rinchen Lingpa (14th century), etc. (Rinjung Gyatsa Lineages: vol. 2, page 297).
General Appearance:
- Wrathful Appearance
- Nine Faces
- Sixteen Hands
- Raksha Upper Body
- Snake/Naga Lower Body
Types of Nagaraksha:
- One face, four hands (Namcho Treasure Tradition)
- One face, sixteen hands
- One face, eighteen hands
- Nine faces, sixteen hands
- Nine faces, eighteen hands
- Nine faces, eighteen hands, with consort (Tugdor Tradition)
- Nine faces, multiple hands
- Ten faces, eighteen hands
- Others...
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Jeff Watt 2-2002 [updated 9-2016, 5-2017, 5-2023]
