Himalayan Art Resources

Buddhist Deity: Grahamatrika Mahavidya Main Page

Grahamatrika Masterworks

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Iconography
--- Two Armed
--- Six Armed
--- 14 Deity Mandala
--- 46 or 50 Deity Mandala (Vajravali)
- Female Deities Index
- Kriya Tantra
- White Deities
- Confusions: Pancha Raksha, Ushnishavijaya
- Others...

Video: Grahamatrika Mahavidya

Grahamatrika Mahavidya (knowledge queen, mother of planets), peaceful in appearance, white in colour, with three faces, white, blue and red. Having six hands, the first pair perform a gesture at the heart. The two right hands holds an arrow and a vajra scepter. The two left hands hold a bow and flower blossom. (Alternately the right hands could hold a wheel and flower and the left a staff and lasso). Seated in vajra posture, she is surrounded by rays of light.

"...the Great Mother with the colour of an autumn moon, three faces, the right face black and the left face red, with three eyes [each] and slightly smiling. Having six arms the first pair perform the Dharma teaching gesture, [the right two] hold a vajra and arrow. In the left is a lotus and bow. The hair is piled with some falling loose. The two legs perform the vajra posture, very beautiful, adorned with the marks and examples [and] wearing various fluttering garments. Vairochana adorns the head as a crown." (Gongkar Dorje Denpa Kunga Namgyal, 1432-1496 [P3183]). rgyud sde rin po che kun las btus pa bzhugs so. Volume 1, folio 358-408).

"...Vidyarajni Grahamatrika with a body white in colour, three faces, white, blue and red, each having three eyes. With six arms the first pair [perform] the teaching gesture. The middle two [hold] a vajra and lotus. The lower two hold an arrow and bow. Seated with the legs in vajra posture and wearing heavenly garments and ornaments." (Jonang Taranata, 1575-1635 [TBRC P1428]. yi dam rgya mtsho'i sgrub thabs rin chen 'byung gnas. Volume 1, folio 464-466).

Lineage (14 Deity): "Buddha, Yogeshvara Virupa, Abbot Shantirakshita, Khon Luwang Sungwa, Khon Dorje Rinchen, Khon Sherab Yontan, Khon Tsultrim Gyalwa, Khon Dorje Tsugtor, Khon Gekyab, Khon Getong, Khon Balpo, Khon Shakya Lodro, Khon Sherab Tsultrim, Khon Konchog Gyalpo, Khon Tsewa Chenpo Kunga Nyingpo, Lobpon Rinpoche Dragpa Gyaltsen, Choje Sakya Pandita, Drogon Chogyal Pagpa, Sharchen Sherab Jungne, Sharchen Dorje Ozer, Lama Epa Jamyang, Bagton Shonnu Tsultrim, Lama Tsultrim Gyaltsen, Kunkhyen Namkha Ozer, Tagtsang Lotsawa Sherab Rinchen, Gongkar Dorje Denpa Kunga Namgyal, Khenchen Sonam Gyatso, Drepung Tsewang Tashi, Lama Orgyan Gyalpo, Khenchen Sonam Gyalpo," etc.

Alternate 'Recent' Lineage: "Vajradhara, Vajrapani, Jetari, Vajrasana Senior & Junior, Bari Lotsawa Rinchen Drag, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo," etc. (rgyud sde rin po che kun las btus pa bzhugs so. Volume 30, folio 22-23).

The lineage of Grahamatrika found in the Rinchen Trengwa of Jonang Taranata follows the Alternate 'Recent' lineage of Jetari. (yi dam rgya mtsho'i sgrub thabs rin chen 'byung gnas. Volume 2, folio 295).

Jeff Watt [updated 8-2018, 2-2019]


Toh 660/997. The Incantation, The Mother of the Demons. གཟའ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཡུམ་གྱི་གཟུངས། · gza' rnams kyi yum gyi gzungs. grahamātṛkādhāraṇī.

Toh 661/998. The Incantation, The Mother of the Demons. གཟའ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཡུམ་གྱི་གཟུངས། · gza' rnams kyi yum gyi gzungs. grahamātṛkādhāraṇī.