The Cult and Iconography of the Tibetan Protective Deities

FOREWORD

The iconography of the deities worshiped by the Tibetans as protectors and guardians of Buddhism belongs to the least known field of Tibetan Studies. The exceedingly numerous class of protective divinities com­prises many figures who originally belonged to the pantheon of the old Tibetan Bon faith. A study of the Tibetan protective deities and their cult, apart from giving an insight into a little known aspect of Lamaism, reveals new facts regarding the beliefs of pre-Buddhist Tibet and their relation to the early shamanistic stratum out of which the Bon religion developed. Unfortunately, considerable difficulties obstruct research in this field. The Tibetan books describing the appearance and worship of the divine guardians of Buddhism are rare and their language, because of the use of archaic and obscure expressions not recorded in dictionaries, is often difficult to interpret. The chief obstacle, however, is the secrecy with which Tibetans surround the cult of the protective deities, expecially the ceremonies involving ritual dances, divination, black magic, and weathermaking.

The greater part of the material presented in this first survey of the Tibetan guardian deities and their cult was collected between 1950 and 1953 during my stay in the Indo-Sikkimese borderland. The base for my work was the town Kalimpong, the terminus of the main caravan road leading from Lhasa to India. Shortly after my arrival in Kalimpong hostilities broke out between Tibet and China. The fourteenth Dalai Lama, together with members of the Tibetan Government, left the capital and took refuge in a monastery in the Chumbi Valley only a few miles from the Tibeto-Sikkimese border. The Dalai Lama remained in Tibetan territory, but several of his relatives and numerous high Govern­ment officials with their families as well as several dignitaries of the Yellow Hat Sect came to stay in Kalimpong. Most of them returned to Tibet in late summer of 1951 when the Dalai Lama, after Tibet had been included within the Chinese People’s Republic, went back to Lhasa. The close contact which I established during this period with many Tibetan officials and priests enabled me to gather a considerable amount of valuable information on various aspects of Tibetan Buddhism and especially on the subject discussed in this publication.

My chief informants, however, were three Tibetan Incarnate Lamas who had chosen Kalimpong as their permanent residence and who re­mained there after most of the other Tibetan dignitaries had gone back to their homeland. Two among them, called Dar mdo rin po che and bKras mthong rin po che, were Incarnate Lamas of the Yellow Hat Sect. Dar mdo rin po che or Dar mdo sprul sku, «the Incarnate Lama from Tatsienlu», known by his full name as Thub Idan Ihim grub legs bzang, was 34 years old in 1950, the year we met first. He had been born in the Tibeto-Chinese border-town, Tatsienlu (Yb.Dar rise mdo), the only child of a Tibetan merchant. At the age of seven he was declared by monks of a local lamasery to be the first rebirth of a saintly lama who had lived in their monastery. His parents, however, refused to hand over the child to the lamas and they consented only after receiving a letter sent by order of the Dalai Lama reproaching them for their obstinacy. The sPrul sku was brought to Central Tibet at the age of nine to begin a course of religious studies in the rGya rong College of ‘Bras spungs (Iho gling) Monastery. In 1947 Dar mdo rin po che undertook a pilgrimage to the sacred places of Buddhism in India and Nepal. Two years later he was appointed by sTag brag rin po che, the Regent then ruling instead of the still minor Dalai Lama, as Head of the monastery which the Tibetan Government had built at Bodhgaya, the place where Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment. Dar mdo rin po che lived in Bodhgaya only during the winter, the season in which Tibetan pilgrims visit India; the rest of the year he spent in Kalimpong, The sPrul sku kindly placed his comprehen­sive, valuable library of Tibetan blockprints and manuscripts at my dis­posal and helped me in the search for texts pertaining to the subjects in which I was especially interested. I made extracts from many of these books and copied several completely; some of them were presented to me as gifts. The questions which arose through the study of these works were discussed with the sPrul sku in the course of our frequent meetings. In the beginning our conversation was carried on through the medium of Phur lags, a young English-speaking Tibetan. Later, after I had learned some colloquial Tibetan, use of the interpreter’s services was made only when difficulties had to be overcome. Dar mdo rin po che’s assistance also enabled me to witness a considerable number of Tibetan religious cere­monies.

My studies with bKras mthong rin po che, also an Incarnate Lama of the Yellow Hat Sect, began in 1951 and, though not as intensive as those undertaken with Dar mdo rin po che, rendered many important results. bKras mthong rin po che was a native of the Kkams Province (Eastern Tibet). At the time of our first meeting he was 26 years old. He had studied for nine years at *Bras spungs Monastery and afterwards for eight years at Bla ma rgyud pa, one of the two chief tantric schools of the Tibetan capital. I am especially indebted to him for information regard­ing various tantric teachings and the particular religious traditions and practices prevailing in Eastern Tibet.

The third Incarnate Lama who supplied me with information and books was ‘Chi med rig ‘dzin of the rNying ma pa Sect. His home monastery bears the name Thub bstcm e warn gsang sngags chos‘khor mam rgyal gling. Though a native of Khams, he had spent most of his time in the Central Tibetan gTsang and dBus Provinces. He proved an excellent informant especially on the religious teachings and rites current among the rNying ma pa Sect and the related schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

The advice of these three learned Incarnate Lamas was asked on all the more important questions of the subject here discussed. However, it proved at times impossible to have the various informants agree to each others definitions. Thus e.g. Dar mdo rin po che and bKras mthong rin po che, although both members of the same sect, very often disagreed in their explanations of the more complicated religious theories or in the translation of obscure passages in Tibetan works.

The final translation of the texts, acquired or copied from the three Incarnate Lamas, was carried out with the assistance of Ay і ma, Agent of a former Tibetan Cabinet Minister. Nyi ma had been bom in the Chumbi Valley and he was thoroughly familiar with the religious traditions of this and the neighbouring areas in which remnants of the Bon faith have survived. Through his studies with several well-known Tibetan scholars, among them a teacher of the present Dalai Lama, he had acquired an impressive education. Travels outside Tibet had broadened his perspec­tive and he readily answered even those questions concerning Tibetan religious ceremonies and theories which are usually kept secret. His good knowledge of English, which proved a great help in translating and ex­plaining difficult passages of Tibetan texts, was an especially fortunate circumstance.

A considerable amount of highly interesting information regarding the selection, life, rites, etc. of oracles consulted by the Tibetan Government was received from Bio bzang phun tshogs, a «Peak Secretary» {rise drung) of the Dalai Lama’s office and son of the former state oracle, rGyalmtshan mthar phyin. Bio bzang phun tshogs also spoke fluent English and occa­sionally assisted in translating Tibetan texts. General information on Tibetan oracles was received from the oracle priest, I Hag pa don grub, who practised his profession in Kalimpong. Various details on the Kesar Saga and on legends current in the ‘Phan Province north of Lhasa were learned from Byams pa gsang bdag, a former court-singer of Rva sgreng rin po die, the last but one Regent of Tibet.

Most of these informants, in addition to supplying me with the infor­mation already specified, taught me colloquial Tibetan, usuallyin exchange for lessons in English, I am deeply indebted to them and all my other Tibetan friends and acquaintances for the great and untiring help they gave me in collecting and analysing the material presented in this pub­lication. I would also like to express my cordial thanks to Tshe rten bkra shis, Private Secretary to H.H. The Maharaja of Sikkim and especially to bKra shis dgra ‘dul gdan sa pa (Burmiak Kazi) — who at the time of my visit to Sikkim held among other posts that of a Minister of Religious Affairs — for the information given to me during my stay in Gangtok and for placing at my disposal several ancient books concerning the cult of the mountain-gods of Sikkim.

The study of early Tibetan beliefs was supplemented by research on the original religion of the Lepchas, the mongoloid aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim, and that of some of the neighbouring populations, especially the Bhutanese, Limbus, Tamangs, and Sherpas, This material will be published at a later date. The preliminary studies, which have already appeared, are listed on p. 9 of this book; some further details are given on pp. 36-38 of my ‘Report on Ethnographical Research in the Sikkim Himalayas 1950-1953′, Wiener Volkerkundliche Mitteilungen, И/1, Vienna 1954.

My work in the Indo-Sikkimese borderland was carried out at a time of considerable political tension caused chiefly by the revolution which broke out in Nepal in 1950, and the occupation of Tibet by Chinese troops. I am deeply grateful to the Government of India for having been allowed to carry out my research for nearly three years in the proximity of the Tibetan border in spite of the sometimes tense situation prevailing in this area and to have been enabled to bring it eventually to a suc­cessful conclusion. Valuable help was rendered to me during this period by the late K. Pereira, then Austrian Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi, by his successor, K. Enderl, and by W. Weissel, Austrian Honorary Consul in Calcutta, who kindly assisted me in dispatching my collections of Tibetan and Lepcha objects destined for the Museum fiir Volkerkunde in Vienna. The funds required for the acquisition of these collections were provided by the Austrian Ministry of Education.

I-The Protective Deities. Their classification, appearance and attributes 3

The ‘Jig rten las ‘das pa’І srung ma

H-dPal Idan lha mo 22

3. The group of the mGon po 38
4. Vaisravana, Kubera, and Jambhala 68
5. gShin rje and related deities 82
6. lCam sring 88

The ‘ Jig rten pa’і srung ma

VII-Pe har and companions 94

VIII-rDo rje shugs ldan 134

IX-Tshangs pa 145

X-rDo rje legs pa » 154

XI-The dGe bsnyen Phying dkar ba 160

XII-Tsi’u dmar po and the btsan demons 166

XIH-The Tshe ring mched Inga and related goddesses … 177

XIV-Mountain deities 203

XV-Local protective deities 231

XVl-The dregs pa 253

XVD-The dgra lha 318

} PART II

THE <pULT OF THE PROTECTIVE DEITIES

XVTTT-Sacrificial objects and offerings 343

XIX-Thread-crosses and thread-cross ceremonies …. 369

CONTENTS

XX-Worship of the dharmapalas 398

XXI-Tibetan oracles. Their position, attire, feasts, and

prophetic trances . 409

XXII-The State Oracle 444

3. 23. Methods of divination 455
   24. Tibetan weathermakers 467

XXV-Destructive magic 481

XXVT-Protection against evil 503

XXVU-Some notes on Tibetan shamanism 538

Tibetan texts » 555

Tibetan sources 573

XIV

Indexes 605

PART 1

THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE PROTECTIVE DEITIES

CHAPTER I

THE PROTECTIVE DEITIES

THEIR CLASSIFICATION, APPEARANCE AND ATTRIBUTES

To protect the Buddhist religion and its institutions against adversaries, as well as to preserve the integrity of its teachings is a task assigned, in accordance with precepts common to the various sects of Tibetan Buddhism, to an important group of deities, best known under the name chos skyong (Skt. dharmapala, dvarapala), «protectors of the religious law». Other appellations frequently given to the gods and goddesses of this particular group, are bstan srung ma, «guardians of the Buddhist doctrine», or simply srung ma, «guardians» — though under the latter term, in more colloquial usage, sometimes also harmful, non-Buddhist spirits are understood — and dam can, «those bound by an oath», a title given primarily to originally non-Buddhist deities who were later subdued and compelled to assume the position of protectors of the Buddhist religion. In accordance with the duties they have to fulfil, the dharmapalas are usually depicted in a fierce aspect, brandishing weapons and crushing the human or supernatural enemies of Buddhism under their feet.

The group of protectors and guardian deities, which comprises some of the best-known gods and goddesses of the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, is considered to be divided into two main branches: firstly the powerful, high-ranking deities, known as the ‘jig rten las ‘das pa’і srung ma, i.e. the gods and goddesses who have passed beyond the six spheres of existence; to this group belong «all the protective deities of the eighth, ninth and tenth rank», as my Tibetan informants explained it. Secondly those deities who are still residing within the spheres inhabited by animated beings and taking an active part in the religious life of Tibet, most of them assuming from time to time possession of mediums who act then as their mouthpieces. These gods and goddesses, known as the ‘jig rten pa’i srung ma or ³jig rten ma ‘das pa’і srung ma, are also frequently called dregs pa, «the haughty ones», an expression derived from the fact that most of the deities of this class are depicted with a haughty-fierce facial expression.

The by far greater part of deities belonging to the two above mentioned branches, is recognized and worshiped by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, only a smaller number of gods and goddesses being claimed to be special protectors of the precepts of one or the other sect. Thus Pe har, a wall- known ancient god of the branch styled ³jig rten pa’i srung ma, occupies a prominent position in the religious systems of all Buddhist schools of Tibet, while on the other hand rDo rje shugs Idan, another important god of the same branch, is apparently recognized only by the dGe lugs pa and Sa skya pa sects, especially the former claiming that he is a powerful guardian and protector of their doctrine against any detrimental influence coming from the side of the old rNying ma pa school.

The ‘jig rten las ‘das pa’i srung ma and the ‘jig rten pa’i srung ma are sometimes collectively addressed as the phyi nang gsang ba’i chos skyong; in this case, the ‘jig rten pa’i srung ma are identical to the phyi ba’i chos skyong while the higher-ranking dharmapalas who stand already outside the wordly sphere, correspond to the nang and the gsang ba’i chos skyong. Another classification unites both the ‘jig rten las ‘das pa’i srung ma and the ‘jig rten pa’i srung ma under the term dkar phyogs skyong ba’i srung ma, «guardians, protecting the white quarter», standing in opposition to the nag phyogs gi bdud, «the Mad-devils of the black quarter». The latter term refers to the protective deities of the pre- Buddhist Bon faith — known as the bon skyong or bon srung, who are classified into eight groups, known collectively as the bon skyong srung ma sde brgyad further many of the ancient local deities classified under the vague term yul lha, «country gods», and also those spirits of the dead who are said to have failed to find another rebirth and have turned into malevolent roaming demons.

Rigs ‘dzin brgyud kyi srung ma is a more general term, denoting all the guardian deities of the Buddhist creed, while the expression slob dpon brgyud kyi srung ma is an appellation referring particularly to the protec­tive divinities of the religious preceptors. A more rarely encountered expression specifies the guardian deities as the dben gnas gnyan gyi srung ma. Also the following three terms,..-apparently refering to various orders of legendary descent, are rarely used; phyi rabs brgyud kyi srung ma, dmu rabs brgyud kyi srung ma and gtsug rabs brgyud kyi srung ma. Several other terms, which can be applied to both the protective deities

*

Ш

Rin po che Dar mdo sprul sku of the HGe lugs pa sect.

who passed beyond the six spheres of existence and also to those still taking a direct part in the religious life of Tibetan Buddhism, should be -entioned here as well. Thus the expression skyes bu chenpo’isrung ma, «guardians of the great saints», is a title by which sometimes high- ranking protectors of the religious law are addressed. According to the special protective tasks, which various of the srung ma have to fulfil, they ire also called the pha mes (brgyud) kyi srung ma, «ancestral protective deities»; under this name a deity is understood which a family regards as its special protector and its cult is therefore carried on for genera­tions. An example for the cult of a pha mes {brgyud) kyi srung ma is the worship of Shing bya can, a companion of Pe har, in his capacity as a protective deity of the Minyag (Mi nyag)¹ province, alleged to be the ancestral home of the Sikkim royal family. Further, the title mtshams іgyi) srung (ma), «border guardian», is given to those protective deities, who are believed to have their abode at some locality close to the Tibetan border and whose special task it is to prevent hostile foreigners from entering the Forbidden Land. The term gnas srung refers to those deities who guard the holy places of pilgrimage.

The above division is, however, not to be regarded as a rigid system. The existence in the class of the ‘jig rten po’i srung ma, though it may extend over periods beyond human comprehension, is believed to be limited and subject to the karmic law, all the deities of this group passing eventually, by the power of the merits which they acquired by protecting Tibetan Buddhism, into the rank of the ‘jig rten las ‘das pa’i srung ma. While the ascent into this higher class is said to be a progress of infinite slowness, if judged by human standards of time, the number of the ‘jig rten pa’i srung ma by comparison increases rapidly due to the circumstance that many harmful spirits of the class called nag phyogs gi bdud are still being conquered and changed into protectors of the Buddhist creed by appropriate ceremonies of the Tibetan Buddhist priesthood.

Most of the dharmapalas are said to be wrathful deities and only a few are believed to appear in a peaceful mood. But even in the case of the latter group the sadhanas often mention that the peaceful dharmapalas

are of an instable nature and that they are apt to assume suddenly a ferocious disposition. The wrathful protective deities are mostly de­scribed as figures possessing stout bodies, short but thick and strong limbs and many of them have several heads and a great number of hands and feet. The colour of their bodies and faces is frequently compared with the characteristic hue of clouds, precious stones, etc. Thus we often read in the sadhanas that one or the other dharmapala is black «like the cloud which appears at the end of a kalpa», «like rain-clouds», «like the ha la poison», «like the eye-medicine (mig smart)», «like, the bung ba stone», blue «like an emerald» and white «like a snowy mountain», «like a mountain of crystal» or «like the lustre produced when the rays of the rising sun strike a pile of crystal». The yellow colour is compared to that of pure gold and the red colour of some of the dharmapalas is supposed to be «like the hue produced when the sun rises and its rays strike a huge mountain of coral». The sadhanas often mention that the body of a ferocious protective deity is smeared with ashes taken from a funeral pyre and with sesame oil or that the skin of a wrathful god or goddess is covered with grease-stains, blood spots and shining specks of human fat. Many of the guardian-goddesses, especially those of the ma mo type, are pictured as ugly women with long, emaciated breasts and huge sexual organs, while only a few are said to have the lovely appearance of «a girl who has just passed her sixteenth year of age». The faces of many protectors of religion possess a typical wrathful expression: the mouth is contorted to an angry smile, from its corners protrude long fangs — often said to be of copper or iron -, or the upper teeth gnaw the lower lip. A «mist of illnesses» comes forth from the mouth and a terrific storm is supposed to be blowing from the nostrils of the flat nose. The protruding, bloodshot eyes have an angry and staring expression and usually a third eye is visible in the middle of the forehead.

The hair is sometimes loose and clotted with grease, but more fre­quently bound together into a tuft and a snake is often used as a ribbon. Occasionally, the sadhanas mention that a certain dharmapala has a single lock, mostly hanging towards the left side, or nine locks of iron or, more frequently, the hair is plaited and built up into a toupet adorned variously with pearls, turquoise, gems, golden flaming thunder­bolts, tortoise-shells, but also with pieces of iron and even with black rocks. Some deities have up to eight such toupets. Thus e.g. the Bon work gTsang ma klu ‘bum mentions on fol. 58 a-Ь eight kings of the water-spirits (klu) possessing characteristic toupets:

A characteristic hairdo, which only very few dharmapdlas possess, is a toupet from which a conch-shell is protruding. Finally we may mention that a few minor gods and goddesses are supposed to have snakes instead of hair. .

Several protective deities are pictured completely naked, but the majority appear dressed, though their garments vary from a simple loin-cloth or «rags, such as are worn by low-class people» to voluminous garments of heavy cloth and silk. Mostly the skin of a tiger serves as a loin-cloth, but in other cases the sadhanas mention that the loin-cloth of a particular dharmapala has been made of a rough material called re sde, from the skin of an ox or from a freshly-drawn yak skin. A peculiar loin-cloth worn by deities of Bon origin consists of one thousand khyung wings or of human hearts. Some of the dharmapalas wear sacerdotal garments (chos gos) and a few are dressed in the traditional costume of the Tibetan aristocracy. Many wear dresses with a train Cjol ber), made of heavy silk and in various colours, and cloaks {ber). A few are dressed in kneelong trousers {ang ring). The cloaks are mostly of silk, but others consist of hides drawn from horses of an excellent breed (gyi ling), vulture feathers and even of tortoise-shells, human heads and lightning. A par­ticular coat frequently mentioned is the za ‘oggi ber chen, made of heavy silk. Another special dress is the black garment with long sleeves as worn by the «black hat» (zhva nag) magicians. The various dresses are held together by a girdle either of silk, or of jewels, gold and turquoise, or by a silken sash. Several ancient protective deities have a belt consisting of bowels or of snakes and Sri-Devi and Mahakala have even the «king of the nagas» wound around the body as a girdle.

The Tibetan texts sometimes expressly state that the cloak of a deity has been folded in front either three, four, or nine times. The fur-coats {slog pa, slag pa, thul pa), which many protective deities wear, are made from the skin of a «blue lion», a bear, a cross-breed between the broad- headed tiger (gung) and a leopard, or even of fire and air (me rlung gi thul pa), etc. A peculiar fur-coat is the bdud kyi slog pa, the «fur-coat of the bdud». But on the other hand the skins of a particular class of bdud seem to serve, according to Tibetan belief, as the dress of certain Bon deities, judging from the expression gnam gyi bdud Ipags.

Mahakala and several other prominent dharmapalas have the skin of an elephant as a cover on their backs; others wear a human skin as an upper garment and one is even dressed in the dried carcass of an animal. A peculiar type of garment seems to be the go zu, a term not registered in the dictionaries. The go zu, according to Tibetan texts, can consist of yak or sheep skins, but also of gold, ти men stone, glacier ice, and white clouds. Also the shape of the dress called go chog, which in some cases is supposed to consist of clouds, as well as the forms of the dresses called ral ka and ka sha still remain to be explained.

Various male protective deities, especially the mountain-gods and the dharmapalas of the dpa’ bo or «heroic» type, wear an armour said to have been made of various kinds of material: gold, silver, copper, coral, jewels, crystal, cornelian, rhino-leather or the shells of a scorpion and of conch-shells. The joints which hold together the laminae of the armour are supposed to have been made from the neckfeathers of a peacock. Also the helmet, in some cases decorated with triangular flags, is usually made of the same material as the harness. A peculiar kind of armour, sometimes mentioned in Tibetan works, is the «harness and helmet in the style of the dmu demons».

The dharmapalas of the dpa’ bo type wear high boots (lham), mostiy of the Mongolian fashion (Hor lham, Sog lham). These are usually said to have been made of brown or red-coloured leather, while in the case of the dharmapala mGon po am gho ra they are supposed to consist of copper. To the outfit of the «heroic» gods belong further a quiver of tiger-skin, called stag gdong, a bow-case made from the skin of a leopard and known as the gzig shubs and a shield of rhino-leather (bse phub), usually carried on the back, while on the breast hangs a breast-plate or «mirror» (me long) with the «seed syllable» (sa bon) of the particular deity written on its centre.

Several minor protective deities and their acolytes are described as wearing the attire of men or women of the Mon (Mon) region. The rather vague term Mon is applied to many of the tribes living on the southern slopes of the Himalaya, between the borders of the Snowy Land² and the northern brim of the Indian plains, and who are regarded ¹ Kha ba сап gyi yul, poetical шипе for Tibet.

by the Tibetans as more civilized than the «savages», the Kla klo or Klo pa, inhabiting the same area.

Sometimes, the name Mon is also used in a more accurate sense as the appellation of the district, known by its full name as Mon Tawang (Mon rta wang), which lies between the eastern border of Bhutan (‘Brug yul) and the Dafla country of northern Assam. The Monpas of this area speak a dialect, related to the Bhutaflese idiom and they stand in trade relations with the marts of Assam as well as with those of Central Tibet.

The name Mon is also given to a group of tribal people living on the eastern bank of the Tsangpo (gTsang po, Brahmaputra) in the southern region of the PemakO (.Padma bkod) district, further to the Lepchas,³ the aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim (‘Bras Ijongsf — known otherwise as Rongpa (Rang pa) — and to some of the tribes inhabiting Nepal (Bal yul). The Tibetan geographical work ‘Dzarn gling rgyas bshad⁵ lists in its chapter on Nepal the Mon tribes as a separate group, besides the Nepalis (Bal po), Indians (rGya gar pa) — among which the Gurkha (Gorkha) are included -, the Tibetans (Bodpa), and lastly the savages (Що pa).

Most of the Monpas profess their own tribal creeds which were some­times rather sweepingly identified as «Bon practices». Such inaccurate statements are not only to be found in occidental publications, but also in Tibetan works. Thus the ‘Dzctm gling rgyas bshad, in its description of Nepal, mentions that a group of the Mon people of this country, known by the name Gyu rin, are to their greater part adherents of the Bon or that they believe in the teachings of the «old secret mantras» (gsang sngags snga ²gyur). Another section of Nepal’s Mon population, called Ma kra and also the Kla klo, living close to the Ma kra and known as the Kha si, are said to believe — according to the Tibetan work here quoted — neither in the teachings of Hinduism nor in those of the Buddhists. .

The dress of the various tribes, whom the Tibetans call collectively Monpas, is of course far from being uniform. We may give here, however, at least a few examples. As regards the people of Mon Tawang,® the men dress in garments of dyed or undyed woollen cloth, reaching to the knees. This dress, which is cut in a little to the height of the thighs, is held together by a woollen girdle. A man will usually carry a straight knife and sometimes also a long pipe made of wood and bamboo, both objects being stuck into the girdle. Very characteristic is a round flat cushion with a diameter measuring some thirteen inches, made of black goat or yak hair and worn in the back, suspended from the belt. This ‘ cushion reminds one strongly of the peculiar, horn-shaped «tails» made of goat hair and worn by the Dallas and by some of the tribes inhabiting Eastern Bhutan.® Another characteristic part of the Mon Tawang costume is a black skull-cap, manufactured out of the same material as the before-mentioned cushions, with a few stiff fringes.

As regards the Lepchas, the women dress in a gown of homespun linen held together in the middle by a girdle or sash and on the shoulders by two huge silver pins connected with a small chain. Unmarried women wear atop of this garment a short jacket, mostly red in colour, while married women dress in a long black coat with a red or green hem. The dress, worn by Lepcha men, is kneelong. Its cut, colour and pattern are somewhat similar to the traditional costume of the Bhutanese. The men carry, suspended from the girdle, a knife (ban) or sword in a scabard, which is open on one side. The typical headdress of the Lepcha men, scarcely used anymore, is a hat made of reed, creepers and bamboo.

Hats of the same type are also worn by other sub-Himalayan tribes, e.g. by the tribal people living to the east of Diran, on the Assam-Tibetan border, whom the Tibetans classify as Lopas {Klo pa).³ — In this context we may mention already here that the hat worn by some of the protective deities which belong to the so-called sKu Inga group is also described in several iconographic texts as being a hat, made either of reed, cane, or bamboo. Thus in a work of the rDzogs chen pa sect the headdress of Pe har, the chief ‘jig rten pa’i srung ma, is described either as a cane-hat with fringes all around and having the form of a parasol (tshar zhu gdugs thabs can), as a reed-hat with a border of black silk (snyug zhva dar nag thib), or as a sag zhu. The latter term would refer, however, either to a hat of a brownish colour or to a fur-hat. My Tibetan informants, when explaining to me the meaning of the two terms mentioned in the first place, stated expressly that in this case the headdress of A? har is «similar to the bamboo or reed-hats worn by some of the Monpas». So far, I have seen only once a Tibetan painting on which Pe har was shown — in a two-handed form — wearing to all appearances a hat made of bamboo. By far more frequently this dharmapala is portrayed wearing a broad-brimmed red hat with a green border, or sometimes a dark green hat and bearing on top a human skull, very similar therefore to the headdress of the zhva nag or «black-hat» magicians and dancers.

The Tibetan texts utilized in this publication give only scanty infor­mation on the appearance of the Monpas: they merely mention that the Monpas are dressed in tiger or bear skins and that they wear huge earrings. Some of the deities represented as men from Mon are armed with the «black sword of Mon» (Mon gri nag po) or they carry sickles.

We mentioned already that some of the dharmapalas wear helmets and also that others, e.g. Pe har, have a hat called sag zhu. Perhaps identical with the sag zhu is the theb zhu, made of black silk, which is being regarded as the typical hat worn by the divinities of the rgyal po class. A few protectors of religion are supposed to wear hats of felt, similar to those used by the nomads of the northeastern border regions of the Snowy Land. Other types of hat worn by the protective deities and their companions are the blue-coloured ‘o bas zhva or ‘ob zhu, the srog zhu which has a crest of five lobes — in the case of gShen rab(s) mi bo,* the legendary chief propagator of the Bon creed, the srog zhu is supposed to consist of jewels a «conch-shell hat» or dung zhu, and the srid pdi zhm mo, a broad-brimmed hat with three superimposed knobs on top and the symbols of the sun and the moon in front. Many protective deities, especially those of Tibetan origin, wear a kind of turban {thod), made of silks of various colours, wound in some cases around a helmet. The colour of the turban corresponds often to the characteristic hue of the particular deity; thus e.g. the btsan demons wear a red turban, the bdud have mostly a black thod, the lha a white one, etc. Peculiar turbans are the grib thod nag po, the «black turban of pollution», and the thod consisting of bowels and snakes. One type of turban is decorated with the symbols of the eight planets. The headdress most frequently worn by the higher-ranking wrathful dharmapalas of both sexes is a crown decorated with five human skulls {rigs Inga khro bo), while some protective deities occupying a lower position wear a diadem with three skulls or with a single skull in front. Other dharmapalas wear diadems of gold, silver, and jewels, which are sometimes decorated with the symbols of the sun and the moon or with thunderbolts, and further ribbons to which the blossoms of the udumbara tree have been fastened. Occasionally, a helmet or turban is also decorated with an aigrette of peacock or vulture feathers or with triangular flags.

The protective deities of the ferocious type are adorned with orna-

The Tibetan Се sar singei Byams pa gsang bdag.

ments made of human bone and garlands consisting of fifty — occasio­nally of fifty-one — freshly severed human heads. To the adornments of such gods and goddesses belong green necklaces, garlands formed by a thousand suns and moons and wreathes consisting of turquoise, gold, and flowers. Some wear the meditation-rope (sgom thag) across the breast. The bangles, which many of the dharmapalas are supposed to carry, are said to consist of gems, turquoise, gold and silver. Some have their limbs decorated with fetters of iron and a few wear bracelets with bells. Their earrings are of conch-shell or of precious stones and metals; in some cases the texts give a few more details, e.g. that the earrings are red-coloured or that they are swastika-shaped. A set of peculiar earrings is supposed to be worn by the goddesses dPal Idan lha mo and gSer gyi spu gri ma: in one ear they carry a snake and in the other a lion.

A considerable number of dharmapalas are depicted in a standing or dancing attitude, their feet resting on an open lotus, on a prostrate corpse, or on defeated inimical gods and goddesses. Other protective deities, however, are pictured riding. The variety of animals, which the dharmapalas are supposed to ride, is considerable. The colour of their mounts is being compared to that of a conch-shell, of gold, turquoise, crystal, coral, etc., some texts even alleging that the animals actually consist of these materials. Many dharmapalas are supposed to ride on birds, as crows, ravens, the garuda and the khyung, parrots, vultures, etc. The horses, which serve as their mounts, vary in colour. Very frequently mentioned is the «black horse of the bdud which has white heels» (bdud rta nag po rting dkar, perhaps identical with the bra nag rting dkar). According to Tibetan custom a black horse with white heels should never be ridden by a priest, while on the other hand it is supposed to be the best mount a warrior can choose. The btsan are believed to ride a red horse with a white spot (gva pa) on the forehead. Tibetans also pay attention to it whether a horse has a gva pa like the mount of the btsan: if the gva pa is situated high up on the front of the head it is regarded as an auspicious sign. On the other hand a horse ^hich has the gva pa close to the muzzle will certainly bring bad luck. The horse of the klu is the klu rta, also called the «blue water-horse adorned with snakes» (chu rta sngon po sbrul gyis rgyan) and the dmu ride the dmu rta. Other types of horses, mentioned in Tibetan texts, are e.g. a golden horse, a horse of crystal, a yellow horse with a mane of turquoise, a red horse with white heels, the «black horse of pollution» (grib rta nag po), a black horse with a red muzzle, a cherry-brown horse with a black back, a red horse with felt-coloured spots, a brownish horse with white heels, etc. The mount of the srin po demons, who are nowadays identified with the rakfasas of India, is the srin po’i bong bu, mostly described as a red ass which has a white belly. Simitar mounts are a black mule with a yellow muzzle, the three-legged mule ridden by dPal Idem lha mo, a kyang with a white muzzle and a cross-breed between a mule and a kyang.

A typical Tibetan animal frequently used as a mount by deities of truly Tibetan origin is the yak. Tibetan texts describe this vahana as «a young yak bull», «the great black wild yak», «the white yak of the lha, from whose muzzle and nostrils a snow-storm is blowing», «the wild yak with nine horns», «the white female hybrid yak», «the hybrid yak of crystal», «the yak of the dmu», «the black yak with red eyes», etc.

The elephant which some of the dharmapalas ride is variously described as having a long trunk or possessing six tusks, and its size is compared to that of a huge broken-off piece of a snowy mountain. Other, frequently pictured vahanas, are bear (described as the «leathern female dred bear (bse dred mo)», «the man-eating bear», «the bear with white paws», «the bear with a white spot», «the black bear cub», «the black bear with a yellow head», etc.), stags («the stag of conch-shell», «the golden stag», «the stag with ten-forked antlers», «the stag of the bdud»), hinds («the golden-coloured hind», «the hind with coral-red hair», «the hind of the sman goddesses»), a lion or lioness, especially the well-known and frequently depicted seng ge dkar mo g.yu ral can, the white lioness with turquoise-locks, tigers («a tiger with golden hair», «a tiger with vari­coloured stripes»), buffaloes, water-bulls («the red bull of the klu» (iklu giang dmar po), «the wild bull with curved horns», «the young bullock striped like a tiger»), the turquoise-coloured dragon, the legendary makara (Tib. chu srin), «the great spotted leopard», a brown billy goat, a camel, wolves, black dogs, black sheep with a white spot on the top of the head, a black wild boar, a «pig of iron», a monkey, a rat, etc. Mounts which are only rarely depicted are the «blue hare», a «vixen of iron», a scorpion, a poisonous snake, the «fish which is white like a conch-shell», «the golden fish», a khyung of crystal, «the black khyung with golden eyes» (identical with the mkha’ Iding nag po gser mig of the Bon), a marmot of conch-shell, a dog of turquoise, a rat of cornelian, etc. Typical animals belonging to the sphere of Bon mythology are e.g. the red tiger with nine heads, the three-legged vixen of copper, the wild dog possessing nine tongues, the iron bitch with cornelian eyes, the nine- headed wild dog of copper, the golden wild dog with a hundred tongues, the nine-headed makara, the nine-headed tortoise, the fish with golden eyes, «the varicoloured planet-birds» (gza‘ bya khra bo), «the blue water- spirit birds» (klu bya sngon po), vultures of iron, black snakes of blood, black snakes with yellow eyes, dragons of iron, scorpions with yellow horns, black frogs with golden eyes, frogs of blood, yellow-eyed tadpoles, etc. To the same category belongs the yak with nine horns, mentioned already above. Some Bon deities ride even on a naked man with nine heads.

The majority of the attributes which the protective deities carry are arms destined to destroy the enemies of the Buddhist creed, the priests who break their religious vows and renegades. Their swords (ral gri) are claimed to have been made of iron, copper, crystal, gold or to consist even of the tongues of revived corpses. Some swords have a hiit in the shape of a scorpion and the blades of some are pictured aflame, e.g. in the case of the so-called «sword of wisdom» (ye shes ral gri). Special types of swords are the «black sword of Mon» and the flaming rakjasa sword. The sabte (shang long), mostly said to consist of gold, is used less often. The knife (gri), occasionally supposed to be poisoned, is in some cases described as «the red knife of a butcher» (bshangri dmar po). A special kind of knife is the chu gri, which has a blade in the form of a wave. Important weapons are further the chopper (Tib. grig gug, Skt. karttrika) with a hilt in the shape of a thunderbolt, alleged to be used «to cut the life-roots of enemies and obstacle-creating demons», and the razor (spu gri), sometimes claimed to have been made of gold or from a conch-shell.

The lances (tndung), which the dharmapalas carry, are believed to consist mostly of iron, copper, silver, gold, crystal, turquoise, or coral. Special kinds of lances mentioned in Tibetan books are the long lance made from the thighbone of a rakfasi (srin тоЧ rkang gi mdung ring), the btsan mdung which is one of the most important weapons the btsan demons carry: a red lance with red, bloodmoistened pendants; further the «red lance consisting of gems», «the endlessly long banner of the dmu demons», «the lance with five points» and «the white lance of the dbal» (dbal mdung dkar po), a lance used by Bon deities of the dbal class. The so-called bse mdung, verbatim «(rhino-)skm lance» or bse yi mdung dmar, «the red (rhino-)skin lance», is described by the Tibetans as a lance with a shaft protected by a covering of rhino-skin. The expression bse mdung, however, might also mean a special kind of lance attributed to the bsve (sometimes written bse) demons; to the latter possibility seems to point the term bsve mdung, applied in Bon works. The banners (ru dar, ru mtshon) are in some cases described as the «banner adorned with the wish-granting jewel», «the khymg banner» (khyunggi ru mtshon) — this is a banner with the figure of a khyung on the point of its shaft and very similar therefore to the various kinds of rgyal mtshan which we shall mention later on — and a «spotted banner». A weapon not exactly defined is the shagti, which term can mean either «spear, lance, pike» or «sword».¹⁰

An important Buddhist emblem is the so-calted «banner of victory» or rgyal mtshan, Skt. dhvaja, occasionally named as the attribute of one or another protector of religion. The term rgyal mtshan is also used for particular kinds of banners, carried by Bon deities. Most of the latter rgyal mtshan are supposed to consist of silk, but a few are said to have been made of human skins. The points of these banners carry the head or the whole figure of one of the following animals: makara, tiger, wolf, otter, goose — which is sometimes called the «bird of the gnyan demons» (gnyan bya) -, cat, peacock, frog, snake, scorpion, and tortoise. Accordingly, these kinds of rgyal mtshan are known as the chu srin gyi rgyal mtshan, stag gi rgyal mtshan, spyang ki’i rgyal mtshan, sram kyi rgyal mtshan, ngang pa’i rgyal mtshan or gnyan bya ngang pa’i rgyal mtshan, byi bla’t rgyal mtshan, rma bya’i rgyal mtshan, etc. The lha, which have been identified with the Indian devas, carry a white «banner of victory» called the lha’і rgyal mtshan. Another special kind of «victory-banner» is the «great blood -rgyal mtshan» (khrag gi rgyal mtshan chen po).

Also the trident (rtse gsum) is a frequently used attribute of the dharmapalas. Sometimes the trident is adorned with thunderbolts and with colourful streamers of silk. A kind of trident or fork is also the zangs kyi sha zung, carried by Bon deities. Other weapons are a hatchet {dgra sta) or battle-axe — special types are the hatchet of the dbalⁿ (dbal gyi dgra sta) and the rgya sta hab chen — and the sickie (dgra zor or only zor) made of iron or gold; the than zor on the other hand, which some deities carry, is a special magic weapon. The hook (Tib. Icags kyu, Skt. ankusa), said to be used by the protectors of religion «to bring into their power the three worlds» or «to tear out the hearts of infidels», is claimed to consist of iron, as indicated already by the component Icags in the term Icags kyu, but occasionally a hook of gold is mentioned.

Bow and arrow are important weapons of the protective deities and the Tibetan works speak e.g. of a «black iron bow and an iron arrow», «a bow of gold», «a small arrow of gold and a bow of silver», «the poisoned arrow with a black notch» {dug mda’ Hong nag) — apparently

» Sarat Chandra Das, A Tibetan-English dictionary, Calcutta 1902, p. 1229. ^u On the dbal see p. 312 sq.

identical with the «arrow of the bdud with a black notch» (bdud mda‘ hong nag) «the arrow and bow of the btsan» (btsan mda‘ dang btsan gzhu), «the arrow and bow of the dbal» (dbal gyi mda* gzhu), and the «arrow of blue lotus» (utpala’i mda‘). The so-called «divination-arrow»¹² (mda’ dar) held by some cf the ancient Tibetan gods and goddesses is an impor­tant magic object, which we shall discuss in detail later on. A few dharmapalas, e.g. the god Tho ba jigs byed, the goddess Phur ‘debs ma, and the god rDo rje legs pa wield a hammer, said to be of bronze. The dharmapalas also carry a great variety of clubs (dbyug to). Many of these are supposed to be of sandal-wood. Several clubs have a thunder­bolt as the end of the handle, or they are studded with jewels. Special kinds of clubs are the beng, the emblem of the form of Mahakala known as mGon po beng, the ‘phrul gyi gandi carried across the forearms by the members of the Gur mgon group, a mummified corpse in the form of a club (zhing dbyug), the emblem of gShin rje (Skt. Yama). The latter attribute is sometimes simplified to an ordinary club bearing a skull on top. Among the sticks, said to have been made of various kinds of wood, but also of coral, turquoise, etc., we may mention the stick carried by Pe har called bseg shing, supposed to have been made of a heavy kind of wood called sha ra; it is said to resemble the so-called «rattling-staff» (mkhar gsil) carried by those dharmapalas who are depicted in the shape of Buddhist priests. More rarely mentioned attributes of this type are further a stick bearing an iron wheel with eight spikes, a pestle, a sceptre of crystal, a three-forked stick (srid pa’i Idem shing), a horse-whip of cane or gold, a stake for empaling criminals and a pillar made of conch- shells.

A peculiar magic weapon is the so-called khram shing, a magic notched stick, its main flat part being decorated with drawings or with a few cross-like notches. A few details about the khram shing and several similar attributes will be given later on.

The so-called ba dan (Skt. pataka), a circular banner with pendants of silk, is an attribute carried by numerous dharmapalas. The sadhanas differentiate various kinds of ba dan, mostly named after the colour of the silk-pendants. Several ba dan are even supposed to consist of air, fire, or water, and they are called accordingly the rlung gi ba dan, me’і ba dan, and chu’i ba dan. The emblem of the Iha is the lha’i ba dan dkar po, while three forms of ba dan, carried by Bon deities, are the nam mkha‘ ba dan, sra brtan ba dan, and the sha ‘bat kha srid pa’i ba dan. It is difficult to say what these expressions mean. » On the «divination-arrow» see p. 365 sq.

Snares (zhags pa) are used by the protective deities to bind the infidels and the harmful demons, or to catch their «life-breath» and «life-power». The snares have mostly a thunderbolt attached to each end. The red snare, which is an important weapon of the btsan, is called the btsan zhags dmar po, the black snare used by the bdud bears the name bdud zhags nag po — this snare is apparently identical with the «black snare consisting of poisonous snakes» (dug sbrul zhags pa nag po), used frequently by the bdud — and the white snare carried by some of the lha is known as the lha’і zhags pa dkar po. Of some snares the sadhanas claim that they consist of jewels (nor zhags), of lightning (glog zhags), air (rlung zhags), water (chu zhags), sun rays (пуг zer zhags pa), of hair (skra’i zhags pa), bowels (rgyu zhags-, also called the btsan gyi rgyu zhags), and the snare of leather (bse’i zhags pa ; compare, however, also with the explanation given on p. 15). A particular kind of snare is the «blue-red rope» (sngo dmar thag pa), carried by Bon deities. The goddesses of the ma mo type are in some cases armed with a magic ball of thread (gru gu), while several gods and goddesses, who are believed to send illnesses, wield a leash causing diseases (nad zhags). More frequently the illness- bringing deities, especially the ma mo, carry the nad rkyal, a sack filled with the seeds of diseases, e.g. a sack full of the germs of leprosy (mdze nad kyi rkyal pa). Other goddesses hold a sack full of blood, a «water- sack» (chu’і rkyal pa), or a sack full of lightning and hail.

An important instrument used by the Tibetan exorcists and encountered also as an attribute of many dharmapalas is the magic dagger (Tib. phur bu, phur pa, Skt kilo). The sadhanas mention a phur bu made of iron, or of copper, gold, turquoise, conch-shell, of sandal-wood and even of leather (bse’i phur bu). Two peculiar kinds of phur bu about which no details are yet available are the mchog phur and the bya rgod kyi phur bu.

Among the various vessels which the dharmapalas carry we may men­tion in the first place the skull cup (Tib. thodpa, Skt. kapala). The skull cups serve mostly as vessels for offering food and drink to the ferocious deities. They are supposed to contain human blood or «the blood of the four kinds of bdud», warm human brain and blood, «the ampta of immortality», also jewels, a gtor ma, freshly torn out human hearts, etc. Some works speak about a «huge red skull cup» and in connection with the description of the goddess dPal Idan lha mo the so-called паї thod is mentioned, a cup made from the skull of a child which had been born out of an incestuous union. Other vessels, enumerated in the iconographic texts as the attributes of the dharmapalas, are «an iron bowl full ampta», «an iron vessel filled with various liquids», «a golden vessel full of amfta», «a vessel full of chang» (Tibetan beer), «a vessel full of offerings», «a vessel full of medicines», «a vessel of crystal filled with amfta granting wisdom and life», «a fiat bowl (gshong) filled with various medicines and jewels», «a vessel containing tea», «a tshe bum filled with amfta in which the wish-granting tree is standing» — a similar object is the «skull cup full of amfta, into which a vessel with jewels has been immersed» -, further «a fiat pan filled with food possessing a hundred tastes», «a vessel filled with a fragraSit liquid», «a large iron pan as used for parching grain», and lastly the par bu or spar bum of silver, said to be a kind of begging-bowl decorated with stripes and named in the sMhanas of Pe bar as a typical attribute of this dharmap&la.

Characteristic attributes carried by those protectors of religion, who are believed to be the owners of treasures, are a jewel — mostly the «wish-granting gem» (Tib. yidbzhin nor bu, Skt. cintamani), also called the «jewel fulfilling the nine kinds of wishes» -, a sack made from the skin of an ichneumon (ne’u le’i rkyal pa) and filled with gems, or, more fre­quently, an ichneumon from whose mouth a rain of jewels is falling (gter gyi ne’u le). Other emblems of this type of deity are a flat pan containing jewels (nor gshong) and a chest (sgrom bu), mostly made of turquoise and full of precious stones.

A few words should also be said about the musical instruments which some of the dharmapalas carry. We may mention the drum known as damaru — made of two human craniums, in which case the drum is called thod rnga, or of catechu-wood -, the so-caUed «small drum» or rnga’u chung; other drums (rnga) are said to be made of crystal, coral, turquoise, gold, copper, iron, or leather, a trumpet manufactured from a human thighbone (rkang gling), a bell (dril bu), a conch-shell (dung dkar), a flageolet, and a trumpet. An ancient instrument carried by Bon deities is the gshang, a kind of bell of a low, broad shape. According to Tibetan texts the various gshang used by members of the Bon pantheon are made of conch-shell or copper.

The thunderbolt (Tib. rdo rje, Skt. vajra), one of the most important ritual objects used by the Buddhist priesthood, is also the attribute of many a dkarmapala. The iconographic texts mention that the rdo rje is either five or nine-pointed and made of gold or meteoric iron. Some deities wield two crossed thunderbolts (rdo rje rgya gram).

Finally we may enumerate various attributes of the dharmapalas which we did not yet list above: a rosary of human skulls, torn out and blood-dripping hearts, bowels, the legs and arms of a man, the corpse of a child, a vermilion-coloured corpse, the severed head of an enemy, the head of a tiger, the image of a Buddha, the symbols of the sun and the moon, dice, a cocoa-nut, the citron (Tib. and Skt. bljapitra), various flowers — especially the blue and red lotus a twig, ah ear of rice, a bushle of grass, a twig of the tree called klu shing, a mirror of silver (sometimes called the «mirror of karma» or «the mirror showing all happenings in the three worlds»), chains of various size, a flaming tooth, a torch, a wheel (of fire or air: те’і ‘khor lo, rlung gi‘khor lo), a fire­brand of juniper wood, a flaming lump of iron, bellows, the horn of an antelope, a basket full of relics, a ladle of silver full of food, various kinds of brooms as e.g. a broom of silver or the «black broom of pollu­tion» (grib phyag nag po), silk scarfs — one of them being called the «black silk of pollution» (grib dar nag po) -, a fan, the kinds of gtor ma called mchod gtor and dug gtor,^ls a censer and a butter-lamp, a swastika of turquoise (g.yu’i g.yung drung), a saw, etc. Some deities are even sup­posed to hold in their hands a whole mountain, especially the legendary world-mountain Sumeru, or edifices, e.g. a palace, a black stupa. The attributes which some Bon divinities carry often remain unexplained due to the lack of precise information; such objects are e.g. the stag sgro, gcu sta, the’u, gze ma, chags shing (also: phyags shing of turquoise or copper), kha tse, khol ma sgra snyan, and bsve khab zang gder. — Some­times the hand of the dharmapala rests in a ritual posture (Skt. mudra), most frequently in the tantric tarjam-mudra (Tib. sdig ‘dzub phyag rgya).

As a short introduction to the iconographic descriptions which follow we may mention, that the residence of a fierce dharmapala is usually described as a palace or castle built out of skulls or bone and standing on a rock surrounded by a wild sea of blood. Especially in the case of ancient Tibetan deities this castle is supposed to have nine turrets. Some Tibetan texts, e.g. one of the s&dhanas of rDo rje shugs Idan, give a vivid and detailed picture of the way in which the palace of a wrathful dharmapala is furnished and of the manifold horrors which one would encounter there. On the oilier hand most of the peaceful deities are believed to dwell in a beautiful landscape, on an alpine meadow full of flowers and surrounded by magnificent trees.

A priest, when meditating upon a particular dharmapala, has first to imagine his residence and in it an open lotus, on which the vahana — if any — of the dharmapala is resting, and finally he has to imagine the dharmapala himself, whom he creates out of the corresponding «seed syllable», in the shape described in the sadhana, together with a’l his

¹⁵ Thus the black god ITa tog thar pa nag po carries a mchod gtor in the left hand and a dug gtor in the right. He is dressed in a human skin and rides on a bear. 6, fol. 37a.

chief and minor acolytes. Many of the gods belonging to the class of protective deities are supposed to have a female consort (Tib. yum, Skt. sakti, sometimes called «secret consort», Tib. gsang yum, Skt. guhya- sakti), with whom they are often shown in sexual union (Tib. yab yum, Skt. yuganaddha-attitude) to express the tantric idea of achieving deliverance by uniting «wisdom» ( = the female principle) with the «method» (= the male principle). Some of the guardian gods and goddesses are supposed to form groups called «brotherhoods» and «sisterhoods».

Many dharmapalas have their own «court», which includes the so- called zhang Won,¹⁴ a «minister of interior» {nang blon), and a «minister of external affairs» {phyi blon), a commander-in-chief {dmag dpori), officers {las mkhan), messengers (pho nya) — these are frequently animals, called collectively the spyan gzigs — and groups of various companions {ru‘dren pa), as: fully-ordained priests, black-hat magicians, armed men, black women, and youthful dancers. To the initiated, however, the various «brothers» and «sisters», and even the officers, messengers, etc., are nothing else than the manifold reproductions or «emanations» {sprul pa) and the «emanations of the emanations» {sprul pa’i sprul pa) of the particular dharmapdla on whom the priest meditates. They were produced at the own free will of this deity in order to be able to cope with the various tasks which a dharmapdla has to carry out. The deity can therefore reabsorb them into its body at any time.

The *Jig rten las ‘das раЧ srung ma

CHAPTER II

DPAL LDAN LHA MO

We mentioned before that some of the deities belonging to this class of the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon are well-known iconographic figures, which have already been dealt with in a number of publications on Tibetan iconography.¹ As far as the better-known deities are concerned, the present discussion will therefore be limited to more general observa­tions, reference being made, however, to the sources which are already available, while in the case of less known divinities some additional evidence will be supplied.

In this context it has also to be mentioned that not only the chief deities (gtso bo) are traditionally listed under the above heading — in­cluding the various aspects and emanations they possess — but also the minor gods and goddesses belonging to their retinue (Tib. ‘khor, Skt. parivara), who are often regarded by Tibetan priests as standing outside the spheres of wordly life, in the full sense of the expression jig rten las ‘das pa’і srung ma. This claim, however, does not always prove to be correct, as upon closer examination we often find that many minor deities, who according to Tibetan iconographic texts would have to be included among the ‘jig rten las ‘das pa’і srung ma, in reality belong to the class of those protectors of the Buddhist creed who are still subject to the karmic law.

Several of the most important dharmapalas belong to a group of Tibe­tan deities known as the Drag gshed brgyad, comprising the following members:

dPal Idan lha mo (Skt. Sri-Deri) mGon po (Nag po chen po, Skt. Mahakala)

rNam thos sras (Skt. Vaisravana) and his forms Jambhala and

Kubera gShin rje (Skt. Yamd) ICam sring or Beg tse Tshangs pa dkar po (Skt. Sita-Brahma) rTa mgrin (Skt. Hayagriva) gShin rje gshed (Skt. Yamantaka)

The first five deities belong to the class of the jig rten las ‘das pa’і srung ma, while Tshangs pa dkar po is classified among the jig rten pa’і srrng ma. rTa mgrin, who is believed to be a god keeping many of the dharmapalas under control, and gShin rje gshed are deities of the yi dam type, and they will therefore be omitted from our discussion.²

The position and aspects of dPal Idan lha mo, the chief guardian-goddess of the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, as well as those of some of the deities of her retinue have been only recently the subject of a comprehensive study published by Tucci.³ The present discussion may therefore be limited to short descriptions of the goddess’s most important forms — the explanations being based to the greatest part upon material which had not yet been used in other studies — and to additional remarks concerning those of her companions, about whom so far only little had been known. dPal Idan lha mo is supposed to be a goddess of the tenth rank. She is the chief protectress of the dGe lugs pa sect and her «emanation» Ma gcig dpal Idan lha mo is the principal guardian goddess of the Tibetan capital

^s For further details regarding these two deities see R, H. van Gulik, Hayagriva, Internationales Archiv fiir Ethnographie, supplement to vol. XXXIII, Leiden 1935; Tucci, Painted Scrolls, П, p. 587sq. and the sources quoted there. — A Bon form of rTa mgrin. is the Gar dbang rta mgrin, also called the Khro rgyal gar dbang bdud spung ‘dut ba, a dark-red fierce figure with one head from which a small horse head protrudes. He is shown standing; the upper part of his body is covered by a human skin, the lower by the skin of a tiger; his right hand brandishes a flaming sword and the left one throws a magic noose, (Work no. 202).

‘ Tucci, Painted Scrolls, П, pp. 590-594; see also Tucct, Indo-Tibetlca, П/2, p. 96sq.

(Ша sa’i bka’ srung ma gcig dpal Idan lha mo)* She is also believed to be the chief ma mo.

According to the iconographic compendium known shortly as the Rin ‘byung (R),^s the more important forms of dPal Idan lha mo are as follows:

dPal Idan lha mo dud gsol mar grags pa ‘dod khams dbang phyug ma (R, Vol. II, fol. 406 b),

also addressed as the gTso mo rematl. There are numerous titles which are given to this goddess. Especially remarkable among them are the appellations srog bdag chen mo, «great life-mistress», dgra lha chen mo, «peat dgra lha», and dgra lha’i rgyal mo,»queen of the dgra lha». She is of a black colour and her body is lean as a skeleton. The goddess has one face, four hands and two feet. In her upper right hand she holds a chopper, her second right hand is bent, lifting a huge red skull-cup. With her upper left hand she brandishes the weapon called shagti, and with her second left hand she wields a trident to which streamers of silk are attached. A human corpse lies in her mouth and she bares her teeth. She has three eyes, her hair is yellow-red and its plaits fall towards the left side. Her body is adorned with snakes and wreathes of human skulls as well as with a garland consisting of the severed heads of asuras. She wears a snake with a necklace of bells in her left ear and a lion in the right one, A diadem made of Sowers and black silk rests on her head. An elephant-hide covers the upper portion of her body, and the skin of an ox serves her as a loin-cloth. The king of the nagas is drawn around her waist as a girdle and her feet are decorated with iron fetters. She dwells in the centre of cemeteries, where her shrieks can be heard. Her companions are ma mo, dakinis and pisacas.

dPal Idan dmag zor rgyal mo (R, Vol II, fol. 410 a)

This form of dPal Idan lha mo derives her name from the main attribute, a sickle (zor), which is, however, not mentioned in the description contained in the Rin ‘byung. According to this source the goddess is of a dark-blue hue, has one face, two hands, and rides on a mule. With her right hand she brandishes a huge sandal-wood club adorned with a thunderbolt and with her left hand she holds in front of her breast the blood-ffiled skull of a child, born out of an incestuous union (паї thod). She wears a flowing garment of black silk and a loin-cloth made of a rough material. Her ornaments are a diadem of skulls, a garland of freshly-cut heads, a girdle of snakes, and bone ornaments, and her whole body is covered with the ashes of cremated corpses. She has three eyes, bares her fangs, and the hair on her head stands on end. A khram shing is stuck into her girdle and she carries a sack full of diseases (nad rkyal) and a pair of dice (sho rde’u). Above her head is a panoply of peacock- feathers, In her retinue appear countless bdud, black birds, black dogs and black sheep.

A more detailed description of dPal Idan dmag zor rgyal mo and her train is contained in the Tibetan work mentioned under no. 109 of the list of Tibetan sources. The essential part of this description has already been published recently by Tucci,® but we may nevertheless give a ver­batim translation of this chapter, in order to have here some additional iconographic material for comparison. The single figures or groups of deities forming the train of the dMag zor gyi rgyal mo rematl — as she is called in the source here under discussion — are the ‘Phrin las bzhi’i lha mo (Zhi ba’i lha mo, rGyas раЧ lha mo, dBang gi lha mo, and Drag роЧ lha mo), the lHa mo rematl gsang sgrub, the ‘Khor ma mo bzhi or bKa’ nyan ma mo bzhi (Srog bdud ma, sNying bzan ma, Thog ‘phen ma, and Nad gtong ma), the (las mdzad) Dregs pa bzhi (Khyab ‘jug chen po, bTsan rgod, bDud mgon, and Li byin ha ra), the (‘jigs rung) gDong can gnyis (Chu srin gdong can and Seng ge4 gdong can), the (srog ‘phrog) Bran g.yog mched bzhi (bDud mo rematl, Nad kyi bdag mo, sKye mthing ma, and Khri sman sa le ma), the Dus bzhi lha mo or Dus kyi bdag mo, also known as the Dus kyi rgyal mo, «queens of the four seasons» (dPyid kyi rgyal mo, dByar gyi rgyal mo, sTon gyi rgyal mo, and dGun gyi rgyal mo), the Tshe ring mched Inga and the bsTan ma bcu gnyis; the members of the latter two groups will be discussed in detail in a separate chapter.

The appearance of these various divinities is as follows: «In the middle of a vast wild sea of blood and fat, in the centre of a black storm rides on a kyang with a white spot on the forehead, which has a belt of rakpasa heads and a raksasa skin as cover, with a crupper, bridle, and reins consist­ing of poisonous snakes, the dPal Idan dmag zor gyi rgyal mo rematl, who comes forth from the syllable bhyo. She is of a dark-blue colour, has one face and two hands. Her right hand wields a club adorned with a thunder­bolt, which she lifts above the heads of oath-breakers, the left hand holds in ⁸ Tibetan Painted Scrolls, II, pp. 590-594; Indo-Tibetica, Ш/2, p. 100.

front of her breast the skull of a child born out of an incestuous union (паї thod) full of substances possessing magic virtues, and blood. Her mouth gapes widely open and she bares her four sharp teeth; she chews a corpse and laughs thunderously. Her three red and globular eyes move like lightning and her forehead is very angrily wrinkled. Her yellowish- brown hair stands on end, her eyebrows and the hair of her face burn fiercely like the fire ending a kalpa. Her right ear is decorated with a lion, the left one with a snake. Her brow is adorned with five human skulls, and she wears a garland of fifty freshly severed, blood-dripping heads. Her body is covered with splashes of blood, specks of fat, and is smeared with the ashes of cremated corpses. On the crown of her head shines the disc of the moon and on the navel the disc of the sun. She wears a scarf made of black silk and a human skin serves her as a cover­ing; her upper garment is made of rough black cloth and her loin-cloth is the freshly-drawn skin of a tiger, fastened by a girdle consisting of two entwined snakes. From the saddle-straps in front is suspended a sack full of diseases, from the straps in the back a magic ball of thread. A khram shing is stuck into her waist-belt. A load of red tablets and a pair of dice, white and black, hang from the straps. On her head she wears an umbrella of peacock-feathers.

In the back of the chief goddess comes forth from the white syllable bhyo, on top of a white mule adorned with a precious saddle and bridle, the Zhi ba’i lha mo, of a white colour, with one face and two hands, peaceful and smiling — though in a slightly angry mood — and possessing three eyes. Her azure-blue hair hangs down and its locks are bound together with a golden thread into a single tuft. Her right hand holds a white mirror of silver showing clearly the happenings in the visible world, her left hand holds a white vessel of silver with a six-pointed handle filled with various medicines. She carries a diadem, earrings, a necklace, the se mo do ornament, a garland, and a girdle, and her hands and feet are adorned with bracelets, all these objects having been made of jewels. She wears a flowing dress consisting of white silk, blue ‘jag and yellow sha dar, bound together by a sash of blue silk. She sits with her legs half crossed. A yellow ray emanates from her body (out of which originates) the train which surrounds her, carrying out (the kind of work called) zhi ba’i las.

To the right side of the chief goddess comes forth from the yellow syllable bhyo, on top of a yellow mule adorned with a precious saddle and bridle, the yellow rGyas pa’і lha mo with one face and two hands, bearing the expression of passion. She has three eyes, her azure-blue hair is bound by means of a golden thread into a tuft slanting to the left. Her right hand holds a golden vessel full of amrta and her left hand holds a golden pan full of wish-granting jewels. She carries a diadem, earrings, a necklace, the se mo do ornament, a garland, and a girdle, and her hands ahd feet are adorned with bracelets, all these objects having been made of jewels. She wears a dress made of yellow silk, blue ‘jag and sha dar rgya khas,⁷ bound together by a sash of blue silk. She sits with her legs half crossed. A yellow ray emanates from her body (out of which originates) the train which surrounds her, carrying out the (work called) rgyas pa’i las.

To the left of the chief goddess comes forth from the red syllable bhyo, on top of a red mule adorned with a precious saddle and bridle, the red dBang gi lha mo with one face, two hands, assuming within a moment’s time a fierce and passionate expression; she has three eyes. Her azure-blue hair is bound by means of a golden string into a tuft slanting towards the left. Her right hand thrusts a hook and the left one a snare. She carries a diadem, earrings, a necklace, the se mo do ornament, a garland, and a girdle, and her hands and feet are adorned with bracelets, all these objects having been made of jewels. She wears a flowing dress made of red silk, green ‘jag and blue sha dar, bound together by a sash of green silk. She sits with her legs half crossed. From her body emanates a ray of red light (out of which originates) the train which surrounds her, carrying out the (work called) dbang gi las.

In front of the chief goddess comes forth from the dark blue syllable bhyo, on top of a black mule covered by a skin which had been drawn from a corpse, the black Drag po’i lha mo, with one face and two hands, staring with three widely opened eyes, wrathful and ferocious, with a gaping mouth and baring her long teeth; the eyebrows and the hair of her face blaze like fire and her dark-brown hair is similar (to the colour of) the dusk. She has flapping breasts, her right hand holds a khram shing and the left hand (carries) a stick consisting of a mummified corpse, together with a snare. Atop of a garment made of coarse black cloth she wears a fluttering cover made of a human skin and (she also carries) a loin-cloth made from the skin of a tiger. She is adorned with five kinds of bone ornaments. She has the attitude of a rider. A black ray emanates from her body (out of which originates) the train which sur­rounds her, carrying out the (work called) drag po’i las.

In front of the Drag po’i lha mo comes forth from the dark-blue syllable bhyo — when all has been completely changed on top of a ⁷ It was not possible to identify these two expressions.

huge corpse lying on its back, the Ша mo rematigsang sgrub; she has one face, two hands, and is very angry and ferocious. Her three red eyes are globular, her eyebrows and the hair of her face are ablaze, and her dark- brown hair hangs in streaks down to her heels. Her brow is adorned with a diadem bearing one skull. She is naked (except for) a pair of trousers made of coarse cloth. Her right hand lifts skyward a sharp strong sword, her left hand holds by the hair, towards her left breast, a blood-dripping human head. She dwells in the centre of a fire, in the manner of rising hesitantly.

In front appears from the syllable ma the black Srogbdud ma, with two hands, crushing the sun and the moon, riding on a black bird. On the left comes forth from the syllable ma the black sNying bzan ma. She eats the human heart which her right hand is holding, her left hand (clutches) a hook; she is dressed in trousers of blue silk and (dwelling) on top of a corpse she assumes a running posture. In the back comes forth from the syllable ma the fierce red-brown Thog ‘phen ma, with two hands, holding a sack full of lightning and hail, which she pours out on the enemies. Standing on the sun with her right foot and on the moon with the left one, she hastens on the sky. Each of these three has the mouth widely open and bares the teeth. Their three eyes move like lightning, the eyebrows and the hair of the face are blazing. Their hair hangs down reaching to the thighs, and their brow is adorned with three dry skulls. On the left comes forth from the syllable ma the black scorpion-headed Nad gtong ma. Her right hand is open, the left one holds a sack full of diseases. She rides on a camel. — Each of these four has flapping breasts and a garland of poisonous snakes. In addition to it Nad gtong ma opens widely her genitals.

In the southeastern direction comes forth from the syllable ra the dark-brown Khyab ‘jug chen po with nine heads, the three on the right being white, the three on the left being red, and the three middle-ones being dark-brown. Atop of these faces he has the head of a raven; his yellow-red hair stands rin end, his eyes are widely open, and he bares his teeth. His first pair of hands holds an arrow and a bow in the attitude of shooting, the lower pair holds a victory-banner with the head of a makara as its point (chu srin gyi rgyal mtshan) and a snake forming a noose. The lower part of his body is the green coiled tail of a snake, his body is covered with a thousand eyes and he has a face on his belly. He is adorned with a diadem of skulls, a human skin (which serves him) as an upper cover and with jewels, bone ornaments, and snakes.

In the southwest comes forth from the syllable tsa the red three-eyed bTsan rgod. His upper teeth, gnawing the lower lip, gnash in anger. His right hand thrusts a lance and the left one a snare. He wears a cuirass and a helmet (both made) of leather and on his feet he wears high red boots. He rushes away on the «red horse of the btsan» adorned with a saddle and crupper.

In the northwest appears from the syllable du the lion-faced black bDud mgon whose locks of turquoise stand on end. His right hand lifts a lance and the left hand throws a dmar gtor at the enemies. He wears a garment with a train, of red ‘jag and black silk, and he is decorated with the six kinds of bone-ornaments. He rides on a black horse bearing a saddle and a crupper.

In the northeast comes forth from the syllable tsa the rgyal po Li byin ha ra, of a pink lustrous hue, in a peaceful, not angry disposition, with three eyes. His yellow-red hair is turned upward and he wears the (hat called) sag zhu. His right hand lifts a thunderbolt and the left one holds a skull-cup in front of the breast. He carries atop of a patched-up cloak a red robe with a train, having a blue mtha’ ‘jag. He wears Mongolian boots (Hor lham) with three soles atop of each other, and he rides in the raja-paryahka on an elephant with a long trunk.

From the syllable bhyo comes forth in front of the mule (of the chief goddess) the dark-blue Chu srin gdong can, holding a snare in the right hand and the reins (of the mule) in the left one. She wears a human skin as her dress. Behind (the mule) is the dark-red Seng ge’i gdong can holding a chopper and a skull-cup full of blood. In the four directions (as seen from the chief goddess) appear: in front the dark blue bDud mo rematt holding a sword in her right hand and a skull-cup full of blood in the left one. She is dressed in a human skin and a garment of black silk and rides on an ass with a white patch on its forehead. On the right side is the dark-blue Nad kyi bdag mo holding a pair of dice in her right hand and a red tablet in the left one. She is dressed in a garment made of black silk and a rough cloth; she rides on a mule. In the back is the black sKye mthing ma, holding a human heart in her right hand and making with the left hand the tarjani-mudra. She is dressed in a human skin and in the skin of a tiger, and she rides on a stag. On the left is the white Khri sman sa le ma, lifting skyward with both her hands the skin of a makara. She wears a dress and a turban of white silk, and rides on a black bird.

In front, in the right corner originates from the syllable bhyo the dark- blue dPyid kyi rgyal mo, «the queen of spring», holding a chopper in her right hand and a skull-cup full of blood in the left. She is dressed in a human skin and rides on a mule. In the back, in the right corner, origi­nates from the syllable bhyo the dark-red dByargyi rgyal mo, «the queen of summer», holding a hook in her right hand and a skull-cup full of blood in the left one. She is dressed in (silks of the kind called) chu dar and she rides on a water-buffalo. In the back, in the left corner, comes forth from the syllable bhyo the yellow sTon gyi rgyal mo, «the queen of autumn», holding a sickle in the right hand and a skull-cup full of blood in the left one. She wears a cloak of peacock feathers and rides on a stag. In front, in the left corner, appears from the syllable bhyo the dark-blue dGun gyi rgyal mo, «the queen of winter», holding a magic notched stick in her right hand and a skull-cup full of blood in the left one. She rides on a camel which has a white spot on the forehead.

In front appears from the syllable mam the white bKra shis tshe ring ma, holding a thunderbolt and a bum pa and riding on a lion. From the syllable mam originates the azure-blue mThing gi zhal bzang ma, holding a ba dan and a mirror and riding on a kyang. From the syllable mam comes forth the yellow Mi g.yo bio bzang ma, holding a pan with food and an ichneumon. She rides on a tiger. From the syllable mam comes forth the red Cod pan mgrin bzang ma, holding a jewel and a treasure box. She rides on a stag. From the syllable mam comes forth the green gTad dkar *gro bzang ma, holding a bushle of durva pass and a snare. She rides on a dragon. Each of these five bears an anpy, passionate, haughty expression. They are adorned with dresses of silk and ornaments of precious stones.

On the left originates from the syllable ma the blue rDo rje кип grags ma, wearing a cloak of a thousand black snakes and having the freshly drawn skin of a yak as her loin-cloth. She holds a phur bu (of the kind called bya rgod phur bu). She rides on a turquoise (coloured) dragon. From the syllable ma comes forth the blue rDo rje g.yd ma skyong, wearing a freshly drawn yak-skin as her dress and a loin-cloth of a thou­sand khyung-mngs. She holds a phur bu of copper (and) rides on a three-legged mule. From the syllable me originates the white rDo rje km bzang ma, wearing a lion skin as covering. She lifts a five-pointed thunderbolt and rides on a lion. From the syllable me originates the blue rDo rje bgegs kyi gtso, wearing a dress made from a thousand black bulls and a loin-doth consisting of a thousand khyung wings. She holds an iron phur bu and rides a golden-coloured hind.

In the back comes forth from the syllable la the white rDo rje spyan gcig ma, wearing a dress spun of conch-shells, tied together by a girdle of turquoise. She holds a «blood-sack» (khrag gi rkyal pa) and rides on a white «conch-shell stag». From the syllable la comes forth the yellow rDo rje dpal gyi yum, dressed in a human skin, with a loin-cloth of human hearts, holding a poisoned arrow with a black notch and riding on a khyung. From the syllable le originates the white rDo rje klu mo, wearing a cloak of piled-up human heads and holding a club consisting of a corpse. She rides a black wild boar. From the syllable le comes forth the green rDo rje drag mo rgyal, (wearing) a rlog pa consisting of a thousand yak-skins and a loin-cloth made of a thousand khyung wings. She holds a phur bu (of the kind called mchog phur) and she rides On a wild yak with nine horns.

On the left comes forth from the syllable ta the black rDo rje dpal mo che, with a klog pa of a thousand lion-skins and a loin-cloth full of black snakes. She holds a bum pa with blood in it and rides a white horse. From the syllable ta comes forth the red rDo rje sman gcig ma, with a covering of a thousand (skins drawn from) white horses of the best breed and a loin-cloth consisting of a thousand tiger-skins; she holds a phur bu (of the kind called bse’i phur) and rides on a black mule with a yellow muzzle. From the syllable te comes forth the dark-red tDo rje g.ya’ mo sil, wearing a covering full of black snakes. She holds a phur bu made of sandal-wood and rides on a hind. From the syllable te comes forth the blue rDo rje dril bu gzugs legs ma, having a covering of a wolf (skin) and a loin-cloth of human ribs (and) fibres. She holds a small drum and a thighbone trumpet and she rides on a lion of turquoise.

In the main train of these appear towards the outside the ma mo, bdud, gshin rje, srin po, zhing skyong, etc., in an unimaginable multitude, and moreover the lha, klu, gnod sbyin, dri za, grul bum, mi ‘am ci, Ito ‘phye chen po, etc., in an unimaginable multitude, brandishing in their right hands various weapons as thunderbolts, choppers, swords, hatchets, lances, hooks, iron poles to empale criminals, fiercely blazing fire, etc., while all of them hold in the left hand a skull-cup full of poisonous blood.»⁸

IHa mo srog sgrub Icags phur ma rang ‘byung rgyal mo (R, Vol. II, fol. 415b),

also called «Remati of the gnyan» (gNyan gyi remati). Her body is black, her garment is made of black silk and black snakes serve her as ornaments. She has four hands: in the upper right hand she holds a magic mirror (‘phrul gyi me long) and a snake snare (sbrul zhags) in her second right hand. In her upper left hand she carries a trident and ‘ Text no. 109, fol. 8a sq.; see Tibetan Texts, text A.

in the lower one a phur bu of iron. She wears a lower garment made of a rough cjoth, a crown of dry skulls, a garland of freshly severed heads, a girdle of snakes, and she is covered with bone ornaments as well as with the ashes of cremated corpses.

In her retinue appear the following ma mo: Ye shes kyi ma mo, Las kyi ma mo, ‘Jig rten gyi ma mo; further, she is accompanied by nagis {klu mo), yakfas {gnod sbyiri), raksasis {srin mo) and kumbhandas (grul bum).

IHa mo dung skyong ma (R, Vol. II, fol. 420 b),

the «protectress of conch-shells»; her body is white-coloured and her facial expression is slightly wrathful. With her right hand she brandishes towards heaven a flaming sword of crystal, and wiih her left hand she holds a treasure-producing ichneumon (gter gyi ne’u le). Her hair is black, she wears a garment made of black and white silk and a loin-cloth cut from a rough material. A diadem of skulls adorns her head. Her ornaments are a garland of freshly severed heads, a girdle of snakes, carvings of human bone, and her whole body is smeared with the ashes of cremated corpses.

bDudmo remati (R, Vol. II, fol. 423 a)

The description of the Rin ‘byung is identical with that which was given already above, except that in this case no mount is mentioned.

Klu mo remati phyag bzhi ma (R, Vol. II, fol. 425 b)

The goddess Remati in her form as a mistress of the water-spirits is black-coloured and is shown riding an «ass of the rak?asas» (srin po’i bong bu) which has a red spot on its head and possesses the swiftness of wind. It carries a saddle made of human skin. Klu mo remati has four hands; the right ones hold a sword and a rosary of skulls, the left ones clutch a skull-cup full of blood and a trident. Her companions are a red им/сдга-headed goddess, eight great black nagas carrying choppers and snake-snares, and millions of minor nagas.

gNod sbyin remati (R, Vol. II, fol. 427 b)

Her colour is black, she holds a sword in her right hand and a treasure- producing ichneumon in her left. gNod sbyin remati is accompanied by sixteen black yakfis {gnod sbyin mo), eight of them holding clubs and skull-cups filled with blood, while the other eight brandish swords and carry ichneumons.

Rematl rdo rje gshog rgodma (R, Vol. II, fol. 429 b)

This form of dPal Idan lha mo has a body of a dark-brown colour, one face, two hands and a pair of flaming wings. She holds a sword and a skull-cup, while an ichneumon rests in the crook of her left arm. A human skin serves her as an upper garment. Her other main attributes are the sack full of diseases, a pair of dice, and an umbrella of peacock- feathers.

The works of the rNying ma pa sect speak frequently about a sisterhood of three or four Rematis. The group called the Rematl mched gsum comprises the black dPal Idan lha mo rematl, riding on a three-legged mule and brandishing a hook, further the black dPal Idan rema rdza, whose mount is a hind — her attributes are a phur bu of seng Ideng wood and a khram shing -, and lastly the black dPal Idan rema dzu, riding on a blue water bull. She carries an iron phur bu and a hook.⁹ The group of the four Rematis, shortly called the Rema mched bzhi, comprises the following members: the deities Rematl, Rema dza, Rema dzu, and Reman ti. The last-named figure seems to be, however, a god and not a goddess. Other appellations of Rematl, to be found in rNying ma pa works, which refer perhaps to other aspects of this goddess than those already described, are Magcig dpal Idan lha mo rematl,‘Phags ma rematl, Sems ma rematl, dBang phyug rematl, and Dam can rematl.

IHa mo ekajati (R, Vol. II, fol. 432 a)

Several forms of this goddess are described in the retinues of Gur mgon learn dral, mGon dmar rkang gling can and mGon po bzhi sbrags. According to the description of the Rin ‘byung the IHa mo ekajati comes forth from the centre of the «sea of blood» (rakta’i rgya mtsho), which is surrounded by dark-red mountains. She rests on a sun-lotus; her colour is dark-brown and the plaits of her hair hang towards the left side. She has one face and two hands. Her right hand wields a trident and with her left hand she clutches a heart and a snare. A tiger-skin serves her as a loin-cloth, and she wears a human skin as an upper garment. Her ornaments are snakes and human heads, and her whole body is enveloped ш a fiercely blazing fire-cloud. She dispatches numerous female wolves j messengers.

Here we may add two descriptions of Ekajati, based on a work of the — ». mg ma pa sect, which speaks about a form of Ekajati, bearing the «guardian of mantras» (sngags srung); she is also called the bKa’ &rmg chen mo rdo rje khro gdong ma. The goddess is described as having

120, foi. 2a.

a dark-brown human body. Her attributes are a trident and a skulj-cup. She stands on a sun and moon-lotus, on top of defeated enemies and vighnas. A typical rNying ma pa representation of Ekajati — known in this case on account of her appearance as the Ral gcig ma — is the second aspect of this goddess described in the same work: the goddess dwells upon a dark-brown, flaming тапфхіа of a triangular shape, her hair is bound into a single tuft, she has only one eye, set in the middle of her forehead, and her mouth has only one tooth. Her body has one emaciated breast and only one foot.⁴ In rNying ma pa works Ekajati is often called the dgra lha’і rgyal mo, «queen of the dgra lha».

According to a description of this goddess, contained on fol. 5a of Text no. 3, she surveys with her single eye the past, present, and future; with the single tooth she destroys the life of her enemies; she is dark-blue and has a lock of turquoise. Her right hand clutches the freshly torn out heart of an enemy, with her left hand she dispatches a clever falcon of turquoise and her two feet stand on a pedestal of earth. The «emanations of her body» (sku’i sprul pa) are a hundred thousand Nepalese women (Bal mo), as «emanations of speech» (gsung gi sprul pa) she dispatches dakints; black women of the Mon country (Mon mo nag mo) are the «emanations of mind» (thugs kyi sprul pa), and her «karma and virtue- emanations» (‘phrin las yon tan sprul pa) are numberless.

On the right side she is accompanied by the «great glng», the black IHa chen dpal‘bar ma ning. He has the countenance of a most ferocious rdkpasa, he is three-eyed and his brow is decorated with a diadem of skulls. Live black snakes are his hair and his attributes are a banner, a heart and a snare. His «body-emanation» is the «mGon po who rides on a tiger» (mGon po stag zhon), the «emanation of speech» is the red mGon po beng, the «emanation of mind» is the «mGon po with a chopper» (mGon po gri gug can), the «emanation of virtue» is the black mGon po legs Idan, and the «kwma-emanation» is the mGon po tra k$ad. The goddess Ral gcig ma is accompanied on the left side by the «great sgrol ging» rDo rje legs pa, here addressed by an alternative name as sKyes mchog vajra thig le rtsal. His body has the colour of fire, and he is dressed in white silks and a tiger-skin. A thunderbolt and a heart are his attri­butes, his mount is a white lion. He is surrounded by his three hundred sixty brothers as well as by hordes of the’u rang demons and Monpas.

To the train of Ekajati belongs also her «maidservant» (lasmkhan ma)

Ma mo gnod sbyin mdzes Idan ma, who is a «guardian of the traditions of secret mantras» (gsang sngags bka‘ yi srtatg ma) and also a «guardian of riches» (dkor srung). She is said to have sprung from the union of ‘Od de ‘od po che with the goddess IHa bzang a mo learn. Her attributes are a hook and a mirror.¹¹

IHa mo nam mkha‘ gos can (R, Vol. II, fol. 434 a)

Her colour is either azure-dark or bluish-white. She has one three- eyed face, two hands, and she appears in a fierce aspect. Her ornaments are a human skin, jewels, a garland of human heads, and her body is smeared with sesame-oil. She bares her fangs, her tongue moves with the speed of lightning and her blood-shot eyes view the enemies of religion with a hateful stare. In her right hand she holds a chopper and with her left hand she clutches a skull-cup filled with blood. She stands on a corpse, with her left foot set forward.

Another form of dPal Idan lha mo, not mentioned in the Rin ‘byung, is the Ma gcig rdo rje rab brtan ma, also called the Ma gcig ‘dod khams dbang phyug rab brtan ma. She is pictured as a dark-brown or blood- coloured goddess with one head, riding on a cross-breed between a mule and a kyang. Her right hand brandishes a flaming rakyasa-sword, the left one holds a skull-cup filled with the blood of enemies and obstacle- creating demons, and in the crook of her left arm rests a sack full of diseases. She bares her teeth angrily and her three eyes stare full of hatred; her body is covered with blood-spots, grease-stains, and shining specks of human fat. The skin of a man covers her back, around her loins is wound the skin of a tiger, on her head she carries a diadem of five skulls and an aigrette of peacock feathers, her body is adorned with jewels and ornaments made from human bone. A snake serves her as a girdle, into which on the right side a divination-arrow and on the left side a mirror are stuck.

Her companion is the Pho klu bdud thod dkar, shortly called Klu gcig thod dkar, a blue-coloured deity riding the «blue horse of the water- spirits». His right hand holds a frog and a black snake, the left one an open sack full of diseases. From his girdle are suspended a sword, a quiver, and a bow-case.¹²

A variety of rDo rje rab brtan ma is the goddess Nor ‘dzin rgyal mo rab brtan ma, who is blue-coloured and has the appearance of a fierce

¹¹ 3; for other forms of Hal gcig ma see Tucci, Indo-Tibetica, IV/1, p. 186.

56, fol. 3a.

rak$asi. She is one-faced, adorned with bone-ornaments, and her two hands hold a sword, a skull-cup, and an ichneumon.¹³

The dPal Idan lha mo rdo rje nam gru ma, another form of dPal Idan lha mo, is addressed as a «guardian of the teachings of the bKa’ gdams pa sect» (bKa’ gdams bstan pa’i bsrung ma). She is described as a one-faced, two-handed goddess, who holds a battle-lance and a skull-cup full of blood. Her dress is a brown cloak and she leads a lion at her side.¹* There exists also a dark-yellow form of dPal Idan lha mo with nine heads and eighteen hands, who rides on a wolf. The veneration of this aspect of the goddess seems to be limited to the rNying ma pa sect.

Finally we may mention the goddess bKa’ srung lha mo rdo rje chen mo, who is apparently a form or at least an «emanation» of dPal Idan lha mo. She is believed to have been the special, personal protectress of the famous lotsava Rin chen bzang po (958-1055 A.D.).¹⁶ She is described in the following way: the goddess has one face, and her colour is «like that of rain-clouds». Her appearance is slightly fierce, and usually her face bears the expression of a ferocious smile. With her right hand she bran­dishes a thunderbolt towards the sky and her left hand holds a vessel full of amfta in front of her breast. She is dressed in a loose garment, adorned with wreathes of jewels and flowers, and she rides on a lion. She is accompanied on the right side by the IHa mo remati, riding on a mule and carrying a magic notched stick and a sack with diseases. Her companion on the left is the goddess Gar mdzad ma who rides on a stag. pakas and dakinis follow in the train of these goddesses.¹⁸

Besides the deities enumerated above there are numerous others who, too, belong to the retinue of various forms of dPal Idan lha mo. Thus works of the rNying ma pa sect assign the group of the eight ‘Bar ma goddesses and that of the «four sisters» (Sring mo bzhi) to the train of this goddess. The names and the appearance of the eight ‘Bar ma goddesses, who are all depicted holding a skull-cup full of blood in the left hand, are as follows:

Name Colour Attribute held in

right hand

‘Bar ma nyi zhags thogs ma white snare of sun-rays

‘Bar ma khyer glog ‘phreng ma yellow-red torch

» 123, ft>I. 2a. » 47, fol. 4lb.

¹⁸ On this personality see G. Tuccj, Indo-Tibenca, II; Rin e’en bzait poela rinamta delBuddhismo nei Tibet Intorno al mille, Roma 1933. » 47, fol. 69b.

The Sring mo bzhi, who are depicted in the shape of beautiful women of a proud bearing and holding a skull-cup in the left hand, have the following names:

Direction Name Colour Attribute held in

the right hand

East IHa’isringmobyispa’idurbyedma white hook

South gShin rje’i sring mo mtshan byed yellow snare West Klu’і sring mo rnam byed red chain

North gNod sbyin sring mo rlung byin green bell

Other companions of dPal Idan lha mo, mentioned in the works of the rNying ma pa and bKa’ rgyudpa sects, are the Srin mo za byed ma, Ma mo sgam pa ma, bDud mo kha ‘bar ma, Mon mo lag dmar ma, and sGrol ging mthu chen ma, further the four dMag gi rgyal mo chen mo and the group of the twenty-eight dBang phyug ma.

‘Tshai lugs kyi ye shes mgon po phyag bzhipa (R, Vol. 11, fol. 238 a)

«The four-handed wise mGon po, according to the style of ‘Tshal» — said to be of a dark azure-blue hue — has one ferocious, three-eyed head, and with his four hands he holds a cocoa-nut, a skull-cup, a flaming sword, and a khajvanga. He wears a crown of five skulls, a loin-cloth of tiger-skin, and the various fearsome ornaments previously enumerated.

The same deities, mentioned in the pari vara of the Ye shes mgon po phyag bzhi pa (rGva lo’i lugs), appear also in the retinue of this form of Mahakdla, and in addition to it also the goddess Remati — in a two-handed form, holding a sword and a mongoose — and the four-handed, dark-red Ekajati.

Lugs gnyis gcig tubsgrilba’iyeshes mgon po phyag bzhi pa (R, Vol. II, fol. 245 a).

«The four-handed wise mGon po, the two (before-mentioned) styles having been united into one». This form of Mahakdla — addressed as the dPal ye shes mgon po mahdkala dpa‘ bo chen po — is identical in its appear­ance to the previously described aspect of the same deity, except for the attributes, as in the present case the divinity holds a chopper, a skull-cup, a flaming sword, and a trident. The retinue consists of the raven-headed mGon po and the eight animal-headed goddesses enumerated already in the before-last description.

mGon dmar rkang gling can (R, Vol. II, fol. 250 a)

«The red mGon po possessing a thighbone trumpet». A red mGon po named after the rkang gling which he holds in his right hand. His left hand clutches a skull-cup, filled with the blood of the four kinds of bdud. The deity wears a loin-cloth of tiger-skin, and the usual adornments as: snakes, jewels, etc. The sakti brandishes a sickle (dgra zor) with her right hand, with the left one she holds a kapala. The red mGon po is also accompanied by the red form of the goddess Ekajati — she holds a trident,

a freshly torn-out heart, and rides an ass — and further by four raven- headed gods; each of them is brought into connection with one particular class of demons. Theirdistributioninthefourmaindirectionsis as follows:

East — bDud mgon bya rog gdong can — holds a sword and a skull-cup South — bTsan mgon bya rog gdong can — his attributes are a dgra zor and

a human heart

West — gNod sbyin bya rog gdong can — blows a rkang gling and bran­dishes an iron hook North — Gying mgon bya rog gdong can — lifts a corpse above his head

and holds a skull-cup filled with blood

The four last-named deities are red, possess wings of steel-blades and kneel on one knee.

Ye shes mgon po phyag bzhipa’i *khor lha mo tsandika (R, Vol. II, fo!. 253 b) This paragraph of the Rin ‘byung gives a detailed description of the goddess Tsandika, the saktt of the four-handed mGon po. Her body is slightly lean and of a black colour. Her two right hands hold a chopper and a trident, her two left hands clutch a bow with an arrow and the severed head of an enemy, from which blood is dripping. She has three eyes, her hair is loose, she wears a crown of skulls, a garland of heads which had been cut off, and a necklace made of hearts; black snakes are her ornaments. The goddess stands on a corpse, with her right leg bent and the left one stretched out. She is accompanied by a pair of black revived corpses: both are naked and their genitals are in the state of erection. Each holds a club in his right hand and gnaws the legs and arms of an enemy, which his left hand is lifting to the mouth.

Las mgon bya rog gdong can (R, Vol. II, fol, 257 b)

«The mGon po of karma, who has the face of a raven»; he is occasion­ally included among the more prominent dharmapdlas, depicted on the tshogs shing and his worship is supposed to have been introduced by the Sa skya sect. The sadhana describes him as possessing a fierce, terrifying body of a dark-blue colour, with one face and two hands, his limbs being short and thick. He has the face of a raven, three-eyed and with a beak of meteoric iron. His right hand lifts a sacrificial knife with a thunderbolt- hilt, and with his left hand he leads towards his mouth a skull-cup filled with blood. His eyebrows and the hair of his face and head are radiant and stand on end. His sharp, blood-dripping beak is widely open and horrible shrieks as well as a fire-storm issue from it; a thunderbolt- kkyung (rdo rje bya khyung) comes forth amidst the hair on his head. The ornaments worn by the Las mgon bya rog gdong can are the same as those mentioned already when discussing the otter forms of mGon po: a diadem of five human skulls, a garland of fifty human heads, etc. He is surrounded by flames.

Among the numerous spirits of his retinue, the text mentions one thousand black, raven-headed beings, one hundred thousand pisdcas, a host of ferocious animals, and a multitude of evil klu of a black or azure- blue colour, who brandish choppers and snake-snares.

The Rin‘byung then describes the group of the Gur mgon, the «lords of the tent», who are worshiped especially by the Tibetan nomads.¹³

Gur mgon learn dral (R, Vol. П, fol. 260 b)

«The lord of the tent, brother and sister». This Gur mgon is believed to dwell in the centre of a^great cemetery, and he is depicted standing on top of defeated obstacle-creating demons. His body is of a brilliant black colour; he has one face and two hands, the right hand brandishing a chopper and the left one holding in front of his breast a skull-cup filled with blood. Across his bent arms lies a magic stick (‘phrul gyi gandt). Gur mgon Icam dral has three eyes, he bares his fangs, and his yellow hair stands on end. He wears a diadem of five human skulls, a garland of fifty blood-dripping heads, bone and snake-ornaments, etc. A tiger-skin is his loin-cloth and he is dressed in a flowing garment of silk.

At his right side appears a black bird, at the left side a black dog, in the back a black wolf, and in front a black man. Further belongs to bis parivara the goddess Ekajati of a blue colour, who stands on the right side. She is one-faced and two-handed, holding a vessel full of amfta in front of her breast; her dress covering the upper portion of her body is made of white silk, and a tiger-skin is her loin-cloth. Her hair is bound into a single lock, hanging down towards the left; she,appears in a ferocious mood. Also the dPal Idan lha mo ‘dad pa khams gyi dbang phyug ma appears in the train of the Gur mgon Icam dral.

Gur gyi mgon po lha brgyad (R, Vol. II, fol, 268 a),

also known as the bsTan srung кип gyi sde dpon rdo rje gur. This form of Gur gyi mgon po and his retinue have already been described by Tucci in his Indo-Tibetica, Vol. Ill,¹⁴ In the present study some remarks, based

M. Hermanns, Die Nomaden von Tibet, Wien 1949, p. 50. ¹⁴ p. 122 sq.

upon the corresponding chapter of the Rin ‘byung, should be added to his descriptions.

Our text calls this form of the «lord of the tent» also the rDo rje nag po chen po and claims that the god resides on top of defeated enemies and vighnas, in the centre of a great cemetery. The colour of the Gur mgon is black; he has one face and two hands, the right one lifting a chopper and the left one holding in front of the breast a skull-cup full of blood. A magic club rests across his bent arms. The black «lord of the tent» has three eyes, he bares his teeth, and his yellow hair stands on end. His ornaments are: a diadem of five skulls, a garland of fifty blood-dripping heads, the «six kinds of bone-ornaments», and snakes. He wears a loin­cloth of tiger-skin as well asacloak ofsilk,and his whole body is enveloped in flames. The god is accompanied on the right side by a black bird, on the left by a black dog, in the back runs a black jackal, and the place in front is occupied by a black man. Overhead soars a khyrng, whom the black Gur mgon dispatches as his messenger.

The parivara consists of the following figures: on the left side is the blue Ekajati, in a human shape but in a fierce mood. She holds a vessel full of amfta in front of her breast. The garment covering the upper part of her body is made of white silk, and a tiger-skin is her loin-cloth. Her hair is bound to a single lock. An ocean of blood issues from her vagina, and out of the blood emerges the dPal Idan lha mo ‘dodkhams dbang phyug ma in the usual, four-handed and dark-blue form, riding a mule and bran­dishing a sword, a skull-cup, a lance, and a trident.

From her emanate two other deities, a yaksa and a yaksi; on the right side the Nag po gnod sbyin, brandishing a chopper in his right hand. On the palm of his left hand rests the disk of the sun. He is dressed in a human skin and has earrings of gold. On the left side comes forth Nag mo gnod sbyin, who holds a golden razor with her right hand, while the moon rests on the palm of her left hand. She wears a dress of black silk; she has red-coloured plaits.

Out of the latter two deities take their origin the three dark-blue (black) Putra, two brothers and their sister {Putra ming sring gsum). The Rin ‘byung names first the Putra nag po, who is identical with Tucci’s gShin rje ma rungs pa mon bu putra\ he is described in our source as brandishing with his right hand a long sabre, and his left hand leads a skull-cup, full of warm brain and blood, towards his mouth; he wears a breast-band (ga zha) of mon tri fur and a dress of black silk. Next comes Bhadra nag po — corresponding to the bDud ma rungs pa mon bu bhata of the work quoted by Tucci — who has a breast-band of black silk and wears a tiger- skin. His right hand holds a dam shing, the left lifts a heart to the mouth. Lastly, the text mentions the goddess Srin mo ral gcig ma — corresponding to Tucci’s Mon mo gser gyi spu gri ma and to the Sring mo khrag mig ma of Klong rdol bla ma^u — who holds a golden razor in her right hand and bowels in her left one. These three deities wear the dress of the Mon country. They are said to appear in a fierce aspect, with blood oozing from their eyes and flames issuing from the mouth. The bodies of all three are adorned with human heads and they dwell in the middle of a fire storm.

The Putra ming sring gsum have their own companions: hundred armed men march on the right, on the left proceeds a procession of one hundred fully-ordained priests (Tib. dge slong, Skt. bhiksu), in the back walk hundred magicians, lifting their demon-daggers (phur bu), and in front they are accompanied by hundred black women. Then follow again various animals: black birds, black dogs, etc.

We may add here that Klong rdol bla ma mentions, apart from the above group, also a group of twelve deities called the Gur lha bcu gnyis, which consists of the eight figures just described and further of four animal-faced goddesses known as the Seng gdong ma, gZig gdong ma, Dred gdong ma, and Dom gdong ma.^u

Gur mgon phur zhabs khyung gshog can (R, Vol. II, fol. 276 a)

«‘The lord of the tent, possessing phur bu-feet and khyung-wings». The colour of this deity is dark blue, and the attributes and ornaments are the same as those described in the case of mGon po learn dral. Two peculiar­ities, from which the name of this deity is derived, are its flaming thunder­bolt-wings (rdo rje’i gshog pa‘bar ba) and the phur Ьи-Ше feet which the deity «thrusts into the hearts of enemies».

According to the statement of one of my informants, this form of mGon po is supposed to have been worshiped especially among the Bud­dhists of Khotan (Li yul).

Gur yum can Klu sgrub lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 279 a)

«The lord of the tent possessing a sakti, according to the style of Nagdrjuna». The worship of this mGon po is said to have originated at the famous Nalanda monastery in India. Attributes and ornaments of this figure are the same as described in the previous cases, except that a trident rests in his left arm. The god is shown in sexual union with his sakti.

¹⁶ 70, fol. 2b. » 70, fol. 2b.

Gur rkyang rngog lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 283 a)

A form of mGon po whose worship had been introduced by rNgog lotsava. In this case the Mahakala is represented as having a human body of a dark-blue colour. His angry face has three eyes. Blood drips from his open mouth, in which the bared fangs are visible. His attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup. He stands on a corpse and wears the usual adornments of the wrathful dharmapalas.

The five forms of mGon po which follow occupy an important place in the pantheon of the Sa skya sect.

mGon po stag zhon (R, Vol. II, fol, 286 b)

«The lord who rides a tiger’‘ is described as being big and strong-bodied, of a black colour, «like that of the cloud which appears at the end of time». With his right hand he brandishes a club of sandal-wood, with his left he leads towards his mouth a vessel, filled with human blood. He has three eyes and bares his four fangs of copper; the hair of his face, his eyebrows and the hair on his head glow like fire. mGon po stag zhon wears a cloak of black silk with nine folds, fastened by a girdle of gold.

mGon po beng dka‘ ma (R, Vol. II, fol. 290 b),

also called in iconographic texts the Legs Idan nag po srid med kyi bu, is dark blue. He has a three-eyed ferocious face and two hands; his right hand holds a huge club of sandal-wood adorned with jewels. — Other Tibetan works mention that «from the top of the club fire comes forth and from its lower part water gushes out; inside the club, the war-hordes of the gods and asuras are engaged in a battle».

With his left hand the mGon po holds an iron vessel — filled with various liquids — towards the side of his body. He wears a cloak of the kind called za ‘oggi ber chen, a girdle of gold, and his feet are protected by high boots. mGon po beng dka* ma is adorned with the usual ornaments, worn by the high-ranking fierce deities as: a diadem of five human skulls, a garland of fifty human heads, etc.¹⁷

mGon po beng gter ma (R, Vol. H, fol. 293 b)

The deity is of a dark-blue colour, one-faced and two-handed, bran­dishing a huge club of sandal-wood in the right hand and holding in the left one a long lance said to have been made from the thighbone of a rdkfasi (srin mo’i rkang gi mdung ring). The dress and ornaments are the

» On mGon po beng see also Indo-Tibetica, IV/1, p. 96.

same as in the case of mGon po beng dfca’ ma. The mGon po beng gter ma is believed to be accompanied by seven ma mo.

mGon po legs Idan mche gsum (R, Vol. II, fol. 296 b)

«The virtuous lord with the three teeth» is said to dwell in the middle of a cemetery. He is of a dark-blue colour and has a ferocious face with three fangs. His right hand brandishes a big club of sandal-wood, and he wears a garment of black silk with a golden girdle, high boots, snakes serving as ornaments, etc.

mGon po am gho ra (R, Vol. II, fol. 298 b)

Again a one-faced and two-handed, dark blue form of mGon po. He is dressed in a cloak of black silk with a golden girdle and is adorned with snakes and jewels. His attributes are a club of sandal-wood and a skull- cup, full of blood and intestines, which he holds towards the left side of his body. His boots are made of copper and he stands in the middle of a vehemently burning fire-cloud.

The companions of mGon po am gho ra are the Legs Idan nag po, who stands on top of a corpse; his attributes are the same as those of the chief deity. He appears on the right side. On the left appears the dark-blue dPal Idan lha mo, who rides on a red ass. She is dressed in silks, wears a human skin as her cloak, and her brow is adorned with a diadem of human skulk. Her attributes are a sword and a skull-cup. On the right side stand further the «five classes of dakinis» (mkha‘ ‘gro sde hga), on the left side the «four great kings» (rgyal po bzhi), in the eastern direction appears the drang srong (Skt. siddha) Кип tu ri ka, and in the back stands the yak$a Nor bu bzangpo. In addition to it appear the following classes of divinities in the retinue: raksasas, ma mo, red btsan, gying pho, smu bdud, bdud mo, and the gshin rje.

mGon po lha chen dpal ‘bar jo bo’і lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 301 a)

This mGon po «in the style of Atisa»¹* was an important deity of the bKa’ gdams pa sect; he is also called the Legs Idan nag po and his colour is black, with an admixture of purple. He wears high boots and a cloak of black silk with a golden girdle. His attributes are a club, which he holds in his right hand, and a lance, which he brandishes with the left.

Only two divinities are his companions: in the back the red gSang ba’i mkha* ‘gro ma who holds a karttrikd and a kapala, and in front dPal Idan lha mo rematt (or the bDe bskyed mkha’‘gro ma) of a purple colour, who holds a tiger-head in her right hand and a pair of dice in the left one, ¹⁸ Arrived in Tibet 1042, died 1054 A.D.; Tucci, Painted Scrolls, I, p. 83.

mGon po gri gug dpa’ gcig (R, Vol. H, fol. 303 a)

A black form of mGon po with one head and two arms, mainly wor­shiped by the Sa skya sect. His attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup; he wears a crown of skulls, a garland of heads, and the various other adornments previously enumerated.

IHo nub mgon po gri gug dmar po (R, Vol. II, fol. 305 a)

The worship of this form of mGon po is said to have been introduced by Atisa. He is of a dark-red colour and holds a flaming chopper in his right hand. His left hand lifts a skull-cup full of blood and hearts, and throws at the same time a black noose around the neck of an obstacle-creating demon. The god has three eyes and blood drips from his mouth, in which the sharp fangs are visible. The mGon po wears a crown of five skulls, and his brow is adorned with the sun and the moon. A tiger-skin is his loin-cloth.

Four deities appear in theparivara: on the right side stands the yak?a bShan pa, «the butcher», of a purple-dark colour, who has the head of a goat. His right hand brandishes a chopper, with his left hand he lifts the «life-roots» (srog rtsa) of oath-breakers to his mouth. On the left stands a goddess, called Mara snying za ma, «Mara the heart-eater». She is red, with her right hand she wields a poisoned knife, while her left hand clutches the torn-out heart of an enemy of Buddhism. In the back appears the dark-red gZa’ bdud, who has the appearance of a raksasa. His head and the whole body are full of eyes, and he holds a bow and an arrow. In front of the central deity dwells the dark-red, three-eyed gSang ba’i mkha* ‘gro ma, whose attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup.

mGon po bzhi sbrags (R, Vol. II, fol. 308 b)

The colour of this figure is black; he has one face with three eyes and two hands, holding a sacrificial knife and a kapala. Mahakala wears also in this case the usual ornaments of the wrathful deities, and he is depicted standing on a corpse. His retinue consists of the following divinities: on the left side resides dPal Idan lha mo of a blue colour, holding a chopper and a skull-cup. She rides a red «rakjasa-ass» (srin po’i bong bu). In front of the chief divinity dwells upon a «sun lotus», and on top of a corpse the Las kyi mgon poof a dark-purple hue. His right hand bran­dishes a club of sandal-wood — fire comes forth from its top and water drizzles from its lower end — and the left one supports an iron bowl filled with amfta. He is dressed in a robe of black silk, held together by a golden girdle. The place on the left side is occupied by the purple- coloured Ekajati, whose right hand brandishes a sword with a scorpion- shaped hilt, while her left hand holds a skull cup. She rides on a three- legged mule.

mGon pogrigug kha che pap chen lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 312 a)

There is scarcely any difference between this mGon po, depicted in the «style of Kasmlra Pandita»¹⁹ and the Mahakala described in the before- going case. This deity is black too, he carries the same attributes and wears the same ornaments and dress as the mGon po bzhi sbrags, only that — according to the text — he has a dwarfish body.

mGon po zangsgrican lha bcu bdun ma gyi Ijang lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 314 a) The Mahakala in the «style of IJang» is also called the dPal legs Idan nag po chen po, and his shape is said to be like that of a vajraraksasa (rdo rje srin po). The colour of his body is black «like the dark bung ba stone» and he possesses the brilliance of a thousand suns. In this aspect, Mahakala is depicted with one three-eyed head. Blood drips from his mouth, and his yellow-red hair stands on end. His attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup filled with the blood of evil-doers. The ornaments and the dress are the same as in the previous cases, viz. a crown of skulls, a loin-cloth made from a tiger-skin, etc.

Eight pale-blue demons of the gshin rje class form the retinue, together with their eight black-coloured female consorts, who belong to the group of the ma mo. All the sixteen deities are depicted naked, each of them holding the same attributes as the presiding deity of the mandate; their distribution in the various directions is as follows:

We note again that similarly to the parivdra of the mGon po in the style of

rGva lotsava, mentioned on p. 46, the enumeration of the intermediary

^w Sakyasri, 1063-1225; G. N. Roerich, The Blue Annals, Calcutta 1953, pp. 1062-1071.

quarters, to which the four last-named deities are assigned, runs contrary to the usual Buddhist fashion.

mGon po gri gug lha dgu manyaja na’i lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 318 a)

A group of nine deities whose leader is a black mGon po depicted in a human shape, a chopper and a skull-cup being his main attributes. A human skin covers the upper portion of his body, a tiger-skin is his loin­cloth, and he stands on a corpse which rests on a «sun lotus».

In the inner circle of his mandala, to the east of the chief god, stands the IHa mo nag mo\ her attributes are a trident and a skull-cup. In front appears the dark-red gSang bai las mgon with the face of a jackal, holding a chopper and a skull-cup. On the right side dwells the dark-green gShin rje and on the left side the mGon bdud bya rog gdong can, both of them clutching the same attributes as the two before-named deities. The four quarters of the outer circle are occupied by four fierce goddesses:

East — the black MahakaU, who rides a mule; she holds a sword and a skull-cup

South — the black Уїгакйії, riding on a raven; her attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup

West — the black Ригакйії, whose mount is a revived corpse; she bran­dishes a thunderbolt and a phur bu North — the black Kangkaka, who stands on a corpse; her attributes are a trident and a skull-cup

mGon po ber nag zangs gri can (R, Vol. II, fol. 321 b)

«The karma-lord with the copper-knife», Las kyi mgon po zangs gri can, is another name given to this deity. The colour of this mGon po is dark azure-blue and he is said to have the appearance of a raksasa. He, too, holds the two main attributes of Mahakala, the skull-cup and the chopper; he wears high boots of a brown colour, a long flowing garment of black silk with nine folds and he stands on top of the corpse of a defeated enemy.

mGon po gcer bu zangs gri can (R, Vol. II, fol. 325 a)

«The naked mGon po with the copper-knife» has again the same attri­butes as the last-described form of Mahakela. His colour is black, with a slight red tinge. He has the sun as the right eye, the moon is his left eye, and fire issues from the central «eye of wisdom».

Tshogs bdag mgon po seng ge’i gdan спи²⁰ (R, Vol. II, fol. 328 b) The name of this god, who is primarily worshiped by the Sa sky a sect,

suggests that he rests on a lion, but this fact is not mentioned in the text itself. His colour is dark-purple, and four sharp copper-teeth are visible in his open mouth. The four hands of this mGon po hold a sword, a three- pointed lance, a «banner of victory», and a snare of the bdud.

In front of this mGon po dwells his sakti, the green Vetall with loosely hanging hair. She eats bowels, which her right hand lifts to her mouth, and with the left hand she clutches a skull-cup filled with blood. On the right side appears the white Pho nya mo, whose hair is dark-brown. Her weapons are a kila and a red snare. The place in the back is occupied by the bluish-green bKa’ sdod ma, who is dressed in a human skin and brandishes a club (dbyug to) made of sandal-wood. On the left side resides the red mNgag gzhung ma, who has the face of a heron. She brandishes two corpses, a mummified body in the form of a club (zhing dbyug) and a vermilion-coloured corpse.

In the outer circle of the maridaia reside seven dark-red goddesses, who have the appearance of rdk?asis. Each of them holds a trident and a kapala filled with blood. Their names are: Tshangs ma, dBang mo, gZhon nu ma, IHa chen ma, rTog ‘dod ma, rGan byang ma, and sNa chen ma. The maridala’s four gates — constructed out of crystal, gold, copper and turquoise — are guarded by four тато, armed with thunderbolts and snares.

IHa chen mgon po learn dral traksad gnyis lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 333 b)

A rather unusual, dark-purple coloured form of mGon po, with two faces, four hands and riding the «black horse of the bdud with white heels». One of the faces is that of a dog with crystal-eyes and the other is that of a pig. The god bares his teeth and clicks his tongue. His attributes are a censer emitting poisonous smoke, a snare of the bdud, a magic notched stick, and a skull-cup full of blood. Each of the faces has three blood-shot eyes, and the dark-brown hair of the heads stands on end. The IHa chen mgon po кат dral wears a headdress consisting of black snakes and black silk, and in addition to it a crown of five skulls. His body is adorned with a garland of fifty heads. The dress consists of a cloak of black silk which had been folded thrice, with a design called the «svastika of obscurity» (mug pa’і g.yung drung) and held together by a golden girdle. The mGon po wears on top of his garment the fur of a bear and the drawn skin of a blue lion. His feet are protected by brown boots. From the ear of the deity sounds the roar of a thousand dragons, from its black, panting nose

This mGon po as well as the two forms which follow are represented on plate 5 of Peter, ‘Rin hbyung*.

issues a red wind, and fire comes forth from its eyes which stare full of hatred. In its mouths are wild oceans consisting of flesh and blood. Poisonous clouds descend from the nine apertures of the body and the crown of the head is adorned with the sun and the moon.

In front of the mGon po rests the black, one-headed and four-armed dPal Idan Urn mo in her form known as gNyan gyi rematl. Her attributes are a human corpse, a sword with a scorpion-shaped hilt, a mongoose — from whose mouth a rain of jewels is falling and a skull-cup, filled with blood. Besides these objects, she carries a bundle of arms, a load of red lables, a sack full of diseases, a pair of dice and the magic notched stick of the bdud. From her eyes drops a rain of blood, a «mist of illnesses» (nad kyi na bun) issues from her nose, in her navel rests the sun, and the moon lies on the crown of her head. She rides on a red «ass of therafc^osas» (srin po4 bong bu).

Further belong to the retinue six black «messengers» (pho nya). These are demonesses who are brought into connection with the Mon region, and they are called therefore the Mon mo shva na nag mo drug. Their names are: gSer mig ma, «she, who has golden eyes», dNgul mig ma, «she, who has silver eyes», Zangs mig ma, «she, who has copper-eyes», *Khar mig ma, «she, who has eyes of bronze», g.Yu mig ma, «she, who has turquoise-eyes», and mChong mig ma, «she, who has cornelian-eyes». All these six goddesses are dog-headed, naked, covered with bone-orna­ments and their hair reaches down to the heels. Each of them lifts with the right hand a thunderbolt towards the sky, while the left hand throws a black noose. They are accompanied by seven men and seven women from the Mon country and by numerous wild animals.

mGon po trak;tad dvagspo’i lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 341 a)

A black, one-headed and two-armed form of mGon po, in the style of the Dvagpo (Dvags po) province, dressed in a garment of black silk, wearing high boots and depicted riding a black horse. The deity’s right hand brandishes a black war-banner (ru dar) while a trident leans against the side of its neck. The mGon po lifts with the left hand a torn-out heart to his mouth.

mGon po trakfad seng zhon jo bo’і lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 343 a)

As indicated by the name, this form of the mGon po, whose worship had been introduced by AtUa, is pictured on religious paintings as riding a lion. The body of this god is dark red, and the two hands hold a club made of sandal-wood and the torn-out heart, lungs, and «life-roots» of an issues a red wind, and fire comes forth from its eyes which stare full of hatred. In its mouths are wild oceans consisting of flesh and blood. Poisonous clouds descend from the nine apertures of the body and the crown of the head is adorned with the sun and the moon.

In front of the mGon po rests the black, one-headed and four-armed dPal Idan Urn mo in her form known as gNyan gyi remati. Her attributes are a human corpse, a sword with a scorpion-shaped hilt, a mongoose — from whose mouth a rain of jewels is falling and a skull-cup, filled with blood. Besides these objects, she carries a bundle of arms, a load of red lables, a sack full of diseases, a pair of dice and the magic notched stick of the bdud. From her eyes drops a rain of blood, a «mist of illnesses» (nad kyi na bun) issues from her nose, in her navel rests the sun, and the moon lies on the crown of her head. She rides on a red «ass of the raksasas» (srin po’i bong bu).

Further belong to the retinue six black «messengers» (pho nya). These are demonesses who are brought into connection with the Mon region, and they are called therefore the Mon mo shva na nag mo drug. Their names are: gSer mig ma, «she, who has golden eyes», dNgulmig ma, «she, who has silver eyes», Zangs mig ma, «she, who has copper-eyes», ‘Khar mig ma, «she, who has eyes of bronze», g. Yu mig ma, «she, who has turquoise-eyes», and mChong mig ma, «she, who has cornelian-eyes». All these six goddesses are dog-headed, naked, covered with bone-orna­ments and their hair reaches down to the heels. Each of them lifts with the right hand a thunderbolt towards the sky, while the left hand throws a black noose. They are accompanied by seven men and seven women from the Mon country and by numerous wild animals.

mGon po traksad dvagspo’i lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 341 a)

A black, one-headed and two-armed form of mGon po, in the style of the Dvagpo (Dvags po) province, dressed in a garment of black silk, wearing high boots and depicted riding a black horse. The deity’s right hand brandishes a black war-banner (ru dar) while a trident leans against the side of its neck. The mGon po lifts with the left hand a torn-out heart to his mouth.

mGon po trakfad seng zhon jo bo’і lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 343 a)

As indicated by the name, this form of the mGon po, whose worship had been introduced by AtUa, is pictured on religious paintings as riding a lion. The body of this god is dark red, and the two hands hold a club made of sandal-wood and the torn-out heart, lungs, and «life-roots» of an evil-doer. The Traksad seng zhon wears a garment of black silk, a crown of skulls, and a garland of heads.

The companion of this mGon po is the black Las mgon, who rides a black horse. His right hand holds a trident, his left hand clutches a heart and also a black snare of the bdud. The Las mgon occupies the place on the right. The fierce, blue-coloured sakti Vet all dwells on the left side. She is dressed in the drawn skins of men and tigers, and her attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup.

To the retinue belong also seven black male dregs pa (dregs papho bdun) who carry various weapons and wear the dress of men from the Mon country; they ride on a khyung, a cat, tiger, dragon, a poisonous snake, on black wind, and on water. They are followed by seven black, female dregs pa (dregs pa mo bdun), who are dressed in the attire of Mon women. Each of them is armed with a thunderbolt and a snare.

mGon po traksad gri gug sbrag sgrub ma (R, Vol. II, fol. 347 a)

A black divinity, depicted in the human form and holding a chopper and a skull-cup. Its hair is black and supposed to be of iron. Two deities accompany this form of Mahakala: the black Las kyi mgonpo, holding a trident and a heart together with a black MM-snare, and riding a black horse; further, the black IHa mo whose attributes are a sword and a skull-cup. — This is another form of mGon po, which is said to have ori­ginated by fusing two different aspects into one.

mGon po traksad rkang thang ma (R, Vol. II, fol. 349 a)

«The mGon po traksad who goes on foot» is one-faced, two-handed, and dark red. He holds a club of sandal-wood, a heart, and wears a dress made of black silk, with a golden girdle and high boots. His feet tread upon a corpse.

The retinue consists of seven black Mon women — who wear ornaments of human bone and hold choppers and skull-cups — and of seven black bitches armed with snares and thunderbolts.

mGon po traksad ma ningtna(R, Vol. II, fol. 352 b)

The attributes of this black, one-faced and two-armed Mahakala are a trident, a heart, and a black MM-snare. His mount is a black horse. He is also armed with a black, iron bow and a big club of sandal-wood, which is stuck into his girdle. At his right side hangs a quiver of tiger-skin, and on the left a bow-case made from the skin of a leopard. The lakti is the фо rje remati, riding a black, three-legged mule; her weapons are the magi c notched stick of the bdudmi a sack full of diseases.

mGon po trakfad‘brong zhal can (R, Vol. II, fol. 355 a)

He is also called the Las mkhan ‘brong zhal nag po. As already in­dicated by the name, this black form of Mahakala is believed to have the head of a wild yakf brong). The right hand of the divinity holds a flaming club, and its left hand lifts a blood-dripping chopper. The attire of the yak-headed Mahakala consists of a robe of black silk with a golden girdle, a diadem of skulls, and high boots. A quiver of tiger-skin and a bow-case, made from the skin of a leopard, hang at his sides. His mount is a black mule with white heels.

mGon po trakfad gsang sgrub shva паЧ zhal can (R, Vol. II, fol. 356 b) A dog-faced, dark-red mGon po, with a three-eyed face and two hands holding a trident with human heads on it, and a heart. The deity, which is depicted standing, is dressed in skins of men and tigers. Its sakti is the Khyi mo gser mig ma, «the golden-eyed bitch», who is accompanied by six goddesses, four of which we already encountered before, namely: g.Yu mig ma, mChong mig ma, Zangs mig ma, and ‘Khar mig ma. There are, however, two new names to be added: Dung mig ma, «she, who has conch- shell eyes», and ICags mig ma, «she, who has eyes of iron». They are all dressed in tiger-skins, wear bone-ornaments and are armed with thunder­bolts and snares.

The Rin ‘byung then lists a group of nine mGon po, who are mentioned as a class in themselves, separately from those forms of Mahakala, which had been enumerated above. All these nine deities are depicted as four- faced beings with the exception of the one named in the last place.²¹

dPal mgon zhal bzhi pa bsnyen dus dang ‘brel ba (R, Vol. II, fol. 359 a) The body of this four-faced mGon po, his central countenance as well as the face above it are all black, while the faces on the left and right are dark-green. The deity has four arms, holding a sacrificial knife with a thunderbolt hilt, a skull-cup filled with the blood and hearts of enemies and obstacle-creating demons, a flaming sword, and a rosary of human skulls. Each of the four faces is three-eyed, with an open mouth and protruding sharp teeth. A loin-cloth of tiger-skin, jewels, snakes, and anklets with bells are the attire of this deity. On the right side dwells the mahdsakti, the black g. Yung mo; on the

On the four-headed mGon po see further Tucci, Painted Scrolls, II, pp. 589-590.

left appears the green Las mdzad gtum mo, in front the Srin mo chen mo, and in the back the dark-yellow Sinngagling ma. All these four goddesses are naked and without ornaments. They are said to have the appearance of female messenger-demonesses (pho пуа то’і cha lugs can) and they are of a most wrathful temper. They are three-eyed and each of them holds a chopper and a skull-cup. The four pho nya mo are accompanied by butchers — «who are able to slaughter the bdud with a single stroke» by an immense army which is able to subdue the hordes of the bdud, and they are also followed by the dregs pa sde brgyad.

dPal mgon zhal bzhi pa sgrub dus dang ‘brel ba (R, Vol. II, fol. 366 a) A black form of mGon po. The central, most ferocious face is black, and its mouth chews a corpse. The right countenance is white and shows a broad smile. The left face is white, and its features are contorted to a terrifying smirk; the face on top is smoke-coloured and it bares its teeth. All four faces are three-eyed. The deity’s four hands hold the following objects: a chopper, a skull-cup, a flaming sword, and a rosary made of bone, together with a trident. A golden vessel, filled with amrta, rests in the crook of one of the arms. The dress and ornaments are the same as in the last-mentioned case, and also the parivaras of both deities are identical.

Zhal bzhi pa las sbyor mgon po (R, Vol. II, fol. 372 b)

The arrangement of the deity’s four faces differs from that in the previous cases: there are two blue heads on the right side, one super­imposed on top of the other, and the two green heads on the left side are arranged in the same manner. The four hands hold a chopper, a skull-cup, a flaming sword, and a golden vessel. Dress, ornaments, and even the divinities forming the retinue are again the same as in the two previous cases.

dPal mgon zhal bzhi pa dkar po tshe ‘phel (R, Vol. II, fol. 378 a)

A white form of mGon po; the central face is white, the right one is blue, the left one is red, and the face on top is smoke-coloured. The deity’s attributes are a vessel full of amrta, a skull-cup — which is lifted towards the mouth a chopper, and a trident. Ornaments, dress, and the four goddesses of the parivara are again the same, only that in this case g.Yung mo and her companions have white-coloured bodies and are holding a vessel full of amrta and a jewel. — This mGon po and also the five forms which follow next originated within the Sa skya sect, but their cult was later on taken over also by the dGe lugs pa clergy.

dPal mgon zhal bzhi pa ser po nor ‘phel (R, Vol. II, fol. 383 a)

A gem-protecting mGon po, whose body and central face are yellow,» the face on the right side is white, the countenance on the left is red, and the face on top is smoke-coloured. His four hands hold a rosary made of human bone, a skull-cup full of jewels, a chopper, and a vessel with gems in it. He is dressed in a tiger-skin, wears anklets of bells, ornaments made of precious stones, etc.

In his retinue appear again the goddesses g-Yung mo, gTum mo, etc., only that in this case their bodies have the yellow colour of the тапфгіа’ь reigning deity and their attributes are rosaries made of human bone and skull-cups.

dPal mgon zhal bzhi pa dmar po dbang sdud (R, Vol. II, fol. 388 a)

‘ The body and the central face of this deity are red, the countenance on the right side is white, that on the left is blue, and the head, which rests on top, is smoke-coloured. One hand of the upper pair of arms tears the heart from an enemy’s body with the help of a hook, and the other hand throws a snare around the neck of an adversary of the Buddhist creed. The lower pair of hands holds a bone-rosary and a vessel full of Tibetan beer. The dress and ornaments are the same as mentioned previously. Also the before-named four goddesses appear in the parivara of the red, four-faced mGon po, only that in the present case they are all red-coloured and are armed with hooks and snares.

dPal mgon zhal bzhi pa sngon po nyams sgrol (R, Vol. II, fol. 393 b) This mGon po has a blue body and a central face of the same colour, a white one on the right side, a red one on the left, and again a smoke- coloured head on top. His four hands hold a chopper, a skull-cup, a sword and a trident. The four goddesses of the parivara are blue as well, and their attributes are swords and skull-cups full of blood.

dPal mgon zhal bzhi pa gdon gnyan can (R, Vol. II, fol. 398 b)

A very unusual form of Mahdkala. The body and also the central face, which has the normal features of the mGon po, are black. The text adds that this face has an expression fierce like that of gShin rje. On the right side is the head of a white elephant, on the left side the red head of a buffalo, and in the back is the head of a blue lion. Also the latter three heads bear a ferocious expression, the head of the elephant being «fero­cious in the way of the lha» (lha khros pa), the face of the buffalo is «angry like a rdksasa» (srin po khros pa), and the lion’s countenance has the

expression of a «wrath of a rgyal po demon» (rgyal po khros pa). The six arms of the deity hold the following objects: chopper, skull-cup, club, battle-axe, snare, and one hand clutches one corner of the elephant-hide, which covers the upper part of the body.

The distribution and the colour of the four goddesses, who appear in the retinue of this mGon po, are as follows: on the right side is the blue gTum mo, holding a skull-cup in her right hand and brandishing a banner of black silk with the other hand. On the left side dwells the red g. Yung mo, who holds a small chain (lugurgyud) and a snare. In front resides the goddess Srin mo — her colour and attributes are not mentioned — and the place in the back is occupied by the black Sinnga gling ma, bearing a chopper and a skull-cup.

Sha za ce spyang gdong can (R, Vol. II, fol. 404 a)

«The flesh-eater with \the jackal-face» is dark-red and has three flaming eyes. His attributes are a chopper and a special skull-cup called srin po’i thod pa, containing human blood. He wears a loin-cloth of tiger-skin, a tassel consisting of snakes, and a girth made of bowels. A multitude of pisacas and jackals comes forth from each hair of his body.

The Zur kha rgya rtsa mentions the following forms of Mahakdla, not listed in the Rin ‘hyung:

bKa‘ srung brag lha mgon po (fol. 203 a)

This form of mGon po is dark-red, has one face and two hands. The forehead of the god is wrinkled in anger, and his three eyes stare full of hatred into the ten quarters of the world. The red mGon po bares his four teeth, his mouth is widely open, his tongue moves with the speed of lightning, and his yellow-brown hair stands on end. His right hand holds a club, adorned with jewels, with which he crushes the heads of enemies and obstacle-creating demons. His left hand dutches the heart of an enemy. Brag lha mgon po wears a diadem of five skulls, a garland of fifty-one human heads, the lower part of his body is covered by a loin-cloth made of tiger-skin, and over it he wears a cloak of black silk. He stands with the right foot bent and the left stretched out.

In front resides the «officer» Mon pa nag po, whose colour is dark- blue. He has one face, two hands, and three eyes. His yellow-brown hair stanch on end. With the right hand Mon pa nag po brandishes a chopper, and his left hand holds a skull-cup filled with the hearts of enemies, which he lifts to the mouth of the chief deity.

Bu ston lugs dpal mgon beng dmar (fol. 203 b)

A form of Mahakala whose worship had been introduced by Bu ston.²² In this aspect mGon po is described as being dark-red and possessing the appearance of a most ferocious rak$asa. He has one face and two arms, his eyes are bloodshot, he bares his teeth, and his yellow-red hair stands on end. With the right hand the red mGon po beng lifts a club of sandal­wood adorned with jewels, and his left hand clutches an iron vessel filled with hearts of enemies, which are still warm. His dress is a cloak of black silk with four folds, held together by a golden girdle. In addition to it he wears a loin-cloth of tiger-skin, high boots and a garland of skulls and freshly severed human heads.

In front of the deity stands the «officer» Mon pa nag po, who holds a chopper with his right hand, while his left, which dutches a skull filled with the hearts of enemies, stretched towards the chief divinity. He is adorned with ornaments made of human bone.

mGon po dkar po, (fol 224 b),

«the white mGon po», whom the text also calls «the vanquisher of the death-lord» (‘Chi bdag ‘joms pa). He appears in a ferocious aspect, his forehead is wrinkled, the teeth bared, and his hair stands on end. The white mGon po has four hands; the main right lifts a vessel of crystal filled with amrta which grants wisdom and life, while the left hand holds in front of the breast a skull-cup, containing the amrta of immortality. The second right hand, which is ready to strike, holds a chopper with a thunderbolt-hilt — cutting to pieces the hordes of the gshin rje and bdud — and the second left hand brandishes a trident. The ornaments of this form of mGon po are the usual garland of fifty heads, a diadem of five skulls, etc. The sakti is the white Ye shes mkha‘ ‘gro ma, whose attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup full of blood. Her body is covered with jewels and bone-ornaments.

mGon po dmar po (fol. 227 a)

This red form of mGon po is said to have a ruby-like colour and its two right hands hold a hook and a flaming chopper, while the left ones carry a skull-cup and a trident. The divinity is surrounded by red yakfas and yakf is, each of them carrying a wish-granting jewel.

mGon po ser po (fol 229 b)

The attributes of this yellow four-handed mGon po are a jewel, a skull­« 1290-1364; Hoffmann, Quellen, p. 293 sq.

cup fu U of gems, a flaming sword and a trident. The sakti of this mGon po is the golden-coloured Ye shes dakini, who carries a vessel and a mon­goose.

mGon po Ijang khu (fol. 231 b)

A green four-handed form of mGonpo, carrying the following attributes: a sword «made out of the tongues of vetalas«, a skull-cup, a chopper «similar to the tongue of a yakya», and a trident. The green mGon po is accompanied by the raven-faced mGon po, who is called in this case the yakya Bya rog gdong pa.

In the retinue of the four-handed mGon po represented in the style of rGva lotsava we mentioned the lion-headed Sha za nag po. Another form of this god is the so-called Zhing skyong sha za nag po; the name under which he is mentioned most frequently is, however, bDud mgon seng gdong. Two other appellations of this mGon po are Zhing skyong chen po кип dgd gzhon nu and Dam can zhing skyong nag po. The bDud mgon seng gdong is worshiped mainly by the rNying ma pa and Karma pa. Though belonging to the mGon po-group — he is even given occasionally the Sanskrit name Mahakala-simhamukha -, bDud mgon seng gdong is believed to have originated from the union of a bdud and a rakyasi. The colour of this dharmapdla is said to be «black like rainclouds». He has the ferocious head of a lion, with three eyes and out of his open mouth, in which sharp red teeth and the red tongue are visible, comes the roar of thunder. In his right hand he holds a lance, in his left hand a skull-cup with a gtor ma in it. His dress is a wide cloak of black silk and a belt of jewels, from which a bow-case and a quiver are suspended. bDud mgon seng gdong is accompanied by his sakti, the bDud mo seng gdong ma, also called the mKha’ ‘gro’i gtso то кип bdag srog gcod ma. As indicated by her name, she has the face of a lioness; her body is of a fiery red colour, and her hair is ablaze. She is naked except for a loin­cloth of tiger-skin. In her right hand bDud mo seng gdong ma carries a trident, and in the left hand a human heart. Her mount is a red horse.

Eight ferocious acolytes, who stand in the main and intermediary quarters of the world, accompany bDud mgon seng gdong and his yum. Among them are several important members of the ‘jig rten pa’i srung ma class, who will be discussed in a more comprehensive way in the chapters to follow. The distribution of these eight acolytes, who are called the stobs Idan pho nya sde brgyad, is as follows:

Later on, we shall encounter the above-named eight deities several times again, but then mostly in different forms from those just mentioned. — The Rin ‘byung names further, among the host of spirits accompanying the yellow form of Vaisravapa, a group of twenty-eight «war-lords» (sde dpori) of a dark-red colour, armed with swords and carrying shields, and further thirty-two powerful, armoured fighters of a dark-green colour, brandishing lances and swords. All of them have again a mon­goose as an additional attribute, which rests on the left arm.

rNam sras mdtmg dmar rta sngon can (R, Vol. П, fol. 91b)

«The Vaiiravana possessing a red lance and a blue horse». This form of the northern Іокарйіа appears as an armoured rider of a red colour, three-eyed and with a ferocious face. His chief attributes are a red lance adorned with silken streamers, which he brandishes in his right hand,

vaiSravana, kubera, and jambhala

while his left holds the treasure-producing ichneumon. His horse — as mentioned in the title — is of a blue colour.

The following deities appear in his retinue: in the East the gZa‘ mchog chen po rahuta of a smoke-gray colour. The upper part of his body is that of a raksasa, the lower one has the form of a coiled snake-tail. On top of his nine heads rests the head of a raven. All his heads as well as the body are covered with eyes. In his right hand he holds a «makara-banner» (chu srin gyi rgyal mtshan), and in his left a snake-snare (sbrul shags). The southern point is occupied by the yaksa Dhana, the western one by the yaksa Kdla and in the North stands the yaksa Kubera.

To the retinue of the chief deity belong further the guardians of the four gates of the mandaia, depicted as fierce goddesses and named after their attributes, which are: Icags kyu (Skt. ahkuia), a hook; zhags pa (Skt. pdsa), a snare; Icags sgrog (Skt. srhkhala), an iron chain; and drilbu (Skt. ghartfa), a bell. In the East stands the white ICags kyu ma, in the South the yellow Zhags pa. ma, in the West the red ICags sgrog ma, and the northern gate is guarded by the green-coloured goddess Drit bu ma.

rNam sras Ijang ser be con can (R, Vol. II, fol. 96 b)

«The yellow-green Vaiiravana who has a club». He is depicted as a fierce deity with a human body of a yellow-green colour, who holds in his right hand a club (be con) adorned with a gem, and a treasure- producing mongoose in his left He is richly decorated with silks and jewels and resides — with his feet crossed in the meditation-posture — on top of a treasure-vessel (gter gyi bum pa). The description further men­tions, that the sun rests on his right shoulder and the moon on the left one.

The iakti corresponding to this form of Vaiiravana is the red Padma gtsug phud ma, who holds a gem in her right hand and a vessel in the left one. The lower part of her body is the coiled tail of a snake and above her head rise threateningly seven snakes.

rNam sras dmar po gar mkhan mchog (R, Vol. II, fol, 100 b)

«The red Vaiiravana, the excellent dancer», has sixteen hands, the right ones holding the following attributes: a «banner of victory», a club, sword, arrow, trident, hammer, citron, and a red lance, while the left ones brandish: a mongoose, a snake-snare, wheel, thunderbolt-snare (rdo rje’і zhags pa), bow, vessel, mountain, and a twig.

70

The red Padma gtsug phud ma is named again as the iakti of this form of Vaiiravana, and further several deities — among them also four, who appeared in the retinue of rNam sras ser chen, but this time in forms differing from those given before — are mentioned as belonging to the train of the sixteen-handed Vaisravana. They are: Srad nyi ma la dga’ ba, who is white and holds a jewel; Nor bu bzang po of a white colour, in this case described as possessing the head of a sheep and holding a «banner of victory»; Gang ba bzang po, yellow, having the head of a horse and holding a vessel; Yang dag shes, blue, has the head of a stag and a jewel is his main attribute; Sred spong, yellow-red, with the head of a goat, holding a knife (?); and lastly the «minister» rGyal ba khyu mchog of a green colour, having the head of an elephant and holding a bowl

rNam sras gsung mchog lus ngan po (R, Vol. II, fol. 105 a),

is of a red colour, has one head and two hands. He blows a white conch-shell — coiled to the right — holding it with both hands. He is richly dressed in silks and adorned with jewels. In his retinue appear eight yaksas and yaksis, all of them blowing conch-shells.

rNam sras drag byed (R, Vol. II, fol. 109 a)

«The terror-causing Vaisravana». This form of Vatfravana is sup­posed to be black-coloured, of a most terrible appearance and surrounded by flames, possessing a three-eyed face and two hands. With his right hand, Vaisravana brandishes a thunderbolt-club {rdo rje’i dbyug to), to which streamers «made of cloth from Benares» are attached. With his left hand he holds a black mchod rten (Skt. stupa) in front of his breast. Again, the sun and the moon are shown resting upon his shoulders. The upper part of his body is covered with a garment of silk, and he also wears a loin-cloth of tiger-skin.

In his retinue appear eight great klu of a dark-blue colour, with ferocious faces. They all hold a gem in their folded hands.

rNam sras nag po rta sngon can (R, Vol. II, fol. 112 b)

«The black Vaisravana having a blue horse» is being depicted in the following way:

«The great king is dark-blue, he has one face and two hands, his two red, globular eyes stare full of hatred at the enemies and obstacle- creating demons. He bares his teeth and wrinkles his face angrily. His right hand brandishes a flaming sword, the left one lays upon the shoulder a saffron-coloured divination-arrow. On his body he wears a sacerdotal cloak of black silk and a cherry-brown cuirass of leather. On the head he has a helmet of iron with spots of gold. The hair of his face and the eyebrows blaze like fire, on the feet he wears leather-boots with a pattern of turquoise. He rides a skilful horse having the colour of lapis-lazuli, carrying a saddle of gold and stirrups studded with jewels. He has the appearance of a most fright-inspiring raksasa. He dwells in the middle of a fire-storm.

In the middle of four lakes lying in the four cardinal points: in the East comes forth from the syllable traka the black bDud mo gshin rje mgo dgu ma, who holds a chopper of conch-shell in the right hand and a skull-cup full of blood in the left one. She has a diadem of five dry skulls and is adorned with jewels. She wears a white cloak and rides a wild bull with curved horns. In the South issues from the syllable rag the yellow bDud mo gshin rje lag brgya ma. Her fifty right hands brandish swords, and the fifty left hands brandish slings of the bdud. On the upper part of her body she wears a human skin, and on the lower part a tiger-skin. She rides on a buffalo. In the West comes forth from the syllable ska the dark-red bDud mo phung khrol ma. Her right hand holds a hook, and the left one the heart of an enemy. A tiger-skin serves her as a loin-cloth. She discharges a blood-zor from her mouth and rides on a black wild yak. In the North comes forth from the syllable bhyo the dark-green bDud mo gsod byed ma. Her five right hands hold magic notched sticks, the five left hands hold snares of the bdud together with hearts and lungs. On the upper part of her body she wears a human skin, and on the lower part the skin of a bear. She rides on a kyang with a white muzzle. All these are also adorned with garlands of human heads and with jewels. (Each of them) is surrounded by hundred thousand times hundred thousand women having the colour and appearance (of the particular chief goddess).

On the four spokes of the wheel: in the southeast comes forth from the syllable nghri the white Yul ‘khor bsrtmg, holding a guitar and riding an elephant. In the southwest issues from the syllable be the blue ‘Phags skyes po, holding a sword and riding a buffalo. In the northwest comes forth from the syllable bi the red Mig mi bzang, holding a snake-snare and a stiipa and riding on a makara. In the northeast comes forth from the syllable be the dark-green Ngal bsos po, holding a club and a mon­goose and riding a lion. All of them wear armour and appear in an angry mood.»⁸

rNam sras dkar po tshe ‘dzin (R, Vol. II, fol. 118 b)

«The white Vaisravana, the life-holder». This form of Vaisravana is depicted in the peaceful, but proud aspect, possessing a white human ‘ See Tibetan Texts, text B.