Buddhist Deity: Ekajati (Sarma Tradition)
Ekajati IconographySubjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Source Text: The Tantra of Ekajaṭa (below)
- Outline Page
- One Face, Two Arms (sadhanamala)
- One Face, Two Arms (Rinjung)
- One Face, Four Arms (sadhanamala)
- One Face, Eight Arms (sadhanamala)
- Twelve Faces, Twenty-four Arms (sadhanamala)
- Protector Deities Main Page
- Confusions: Dragtsen, Chen-chig
- Others...
Ekajati as a Retinue Figure:
- Amoghapasha Mandala
- Tara Three Deity
- White Hayagriva Consort
- Others...
Ekajati as a Protector Deity:
- Ekajati, Mother of Shri Devi & Mahakala
- Panjarnata Mahakala Three Deity Practice
- Panjarnata Mahakala Eight Deity Practice
- Others...
In the Sarma, New Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism after the 10th century, Ekajati is represented in all three types, by many different forms in each, accompanied by different narratives depending on the religious tradition and lineage.
In the Sakya Tradition, as a protector inherited from Rinchen Zangpo, Ekajati also plays the role of the mother of Shri Devi (Palden Lhamo Dudsolma) and has a more typical appearance with a wrathful visage and one braid of hair.
(1) As a Meditational Deity Ekajati has a two-armed form, four-armed, eight-armed and a twenty-four armed and twelve headed form. (2) As a Retinue Figure Ekajati, in a wrathful form, stands behind Lokeshvara in the Five-deity practice. Older more traditional forms of practice of Green Tara describe the Three-deity Green Tara with the goddess Marichi standing to the right side of Tara and a semi-wrathful Ekajati standing on the left side. Ekajati is also an important (3) Protector Deity in both the Nyingma and Sarma (Sakya, Kagyu, Jonang, Gelug) Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
[49] Ekajati, [one face, four hands].
"Ekajati, [with] a body black in colour, one face and four hands. The first two [hands] hold a curved knife and skullcup. The lower right a sword. The lower left an utpala. [With] three eyes and bared fangs. Brown hair bristling upwards. Swelling breasts and the belly hanging down. Having a lower garment of tiger skin. Adorned with a skull and flower garland and ornaments of blue snakes and small bells, etc. Seated in a manner with the left [leg] extended." (Bari Gyatsa, Konchog Lhundrub).
Drub Thab Gyatso (Ocean of Sadhanas, Thartse Panchen, edited):
66. Ekajati (1), Black with Twelve Faces and Twenty-four Hands
67. Ekajati (2), Black with One Face and Four Hands
68. Ekajati (3), Black with One Face and Two Hands
Database Search: All Images
Jeff Watt [updated2-2021]
84000: TRANSLATING THE WORDS OF THE BUDDHA:
Toh 476. The Tantra of Ekajaṭa. རལ་པ་གཅིག་པའི་རྒྱུད། · ral pa gcig pa'i rgyud. ekajaṭatantra.
Volume 83 (0968), pages 489-494. Maha Yogeshvara Shri Jagata Mitra Ananda. Indian maha pandita Vajra Shri Kalarudra. Tibetan translator Bhikshu Jampa'i Pal.
(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).
