Subject: Eight Great Gods

☰

MENU

Gods & Deities

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Eight Great Gods (below)
- Eight Gods of the Cemeteries
- Ten Gods: Guardians of the Ten Directions
- Trampled Gods & Deities
- Worldly Deities (Buddhist Protectors)
- Confusions: Eight Gods of the Cemeteries, Guardians of the Ten Directions
- Others...

Videos:
- Eight Great Gods
- Ten Gods of the Directions
- Eight Gods of the Cemeteries
- Gods & Deities: Part 1
- Gods & Deities: Part 2

Eight Great Gods (Mahadeva):
- Ishvara (Shiva)
- Indra (Shakra)
- Brahma
- Vishnu
- Kamadeva
- Ganesha
- Bhrngiriti
- Karttikeya (Skanda)

In Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhist art the Eight Great Gods are generally only found as secondary figures in mandala configurations of the Three Lower Tantras: Kriya, Charya and Yoga. All three of the popular systems of Indian Gods over-lap one with the other: Eight Great Gods, Eight Gods of the Cemeteries, Guardians of the Ten Directions

There are different lists of the Eight Great Gods (mahadeva) depending on the tradition or according to various rituals. The two groups of figures, the Eight Great Gods and the Guardians (gods) of the Ten Directions, contain several overlapping names. Both groups appear frequently as secondary figures in Buddhist mandalas. Shiva is a very good example showing the inclusion of the god and the other eight in Buddhist mandalas. The Karandavyuha Sutra has a slightly different and varying list of nine Indian gods and goddesses.

Karandavyuha Sutra:
"From the eyes are the sun [Surya] and moon [Chandra], from the forehead Maheshvara [Shiva], from the shoulder Brahma, from the heart the Great Powerful One [Vishnu], from the two teeth the Goddess Sarasvati, from the mouth all of the wind is born [Vayu], from the feet earth [Bhudevi], and from the belly arises the Water God [Varuna]." bka' 'gyur (stog pho brang bris ma). 'phags pa za ma tog bkod pa shes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo. Volume 74, Chapter 4, pages 501-502.

Jeff Watt 9-2022

(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).