1. Panydzsara Mahákála és kísérete, Kelet-Tibet, XVIII. század
2. Panydzsara Mahákála
Kámadhátvísvara, a jaksa és jaksí és a három „Mon-gyermek'
4. Vadzsradhara és a Szakja tanítók láncolata
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5. A kép hátoldala a lança írásos magszótagokkal, a szöveggel és a kézlenyomattal
BÉLA KELÉNYI
P A N J A R A MAHÄKÄLA
A T I B E T A N PAINTED S C R O L L F R O M T H E DELMÁR C O L L E C T I O N
An interesting piece in the Tibetan collection of the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern
Asiatic Arts, Budapest, is an eighteenth-century thangka, or painted scroll, depicting one
of the forms of appearance taken by a protective deity known in Tibetan as mGon po
chen po (Skt.: Mahäkäla).
This thangka
passed into the possession of the Ferenc Hopp
Museum in 1949, from among the items
assembled by the Budapest art collector Emil
Delmár ( 1876-1959). Delmár, who as a
young man had travelled in India and China,
based his collection on works of art from the
East. Later on he disposed of a large part of
his Oriental collection and began to collect
works of art from Europe. In 1939 he left
Hungary for Switzerland, moving on from
there to the United States. Before his departure, however, he handed over a part of his
collection to the Museum of Fine Arts and to
the Museum of Applied Arts, both in Budapest.
Delmár 's Oriental items featured in a
number of large-scale exhibitions in Hungary, including an amateur exhibition in 1907,
the Oriental Arts Exhibition organized in
1929, and in the exhibition put on to commemorate Ferenc Hopp in 1933. The present
scroll picture can be identified beyond any
shadow of doubt on the basis of one of the
object descriptions in the list of the items
submitted for the 1907 exhibition (in which
items loaned by Delmár were exceeded in
number only by those lent by Ferenc Hopp,
the subsequent founder of the Museum).
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However, on the basis of the other documents available to us, it is probable that abovementioned thangka was not actually exhibited on this occasion, despite its very high
quality. But since the thangka was already in
the Delmár Collection in 1907, we may assume that it was acquired not through mediators, but by Delmár himself in the course of
his travels in China.
This rare type of thangka, painted in gold
contours on a black background and with the
use of an unusual artistic technique, is an
example of a so-called „blackthangka" (Tib.:
nag thang), which mostly depict the protective deities, the dharmapäla-s. The entire
composition and some of the details (clothing, tongues of fire, scenery, etc.) are painted
with especial fineness and great skill. The
contours-swirling and at first sight almost
chaotic-enhance the mobility of the picture.
The main figure in the picture is Panjara
Mahäkäla (Tib.: Gur gyi mGon po), one of
the forms of appearance of Mahäkäla, one of
the protective deities of the Sakya sect who
appears surrounded by attendants in the socalled „eight-figurc group" (Tib.: Gur gyi
mGon po lha brgyad). The origin of the deity
is difficult to establish, since the name can be
interpreted in many different ways. The T i betan word gur means „tent" but in Sanskrit
the deity's name is pahjara, which means
„cage, aviary, skeleton". In Tucci's interpretation it means „cage of bones" - in other
words, a skeleton. According to Tucci, this
form of Mahäkäla was originally an archaic.
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khtonic deity, a funereal deity which helped
break open the prison of the body wherein
unconsciousness is preserved.
One of the earliest known depictions of
Pan j ara Mahäkäla is a statue fashioned at
the end of the thirteenth century. In accordance with the Sakya tradition, this depicts
him together with four attendants: to the right
of him are two male deities, Bhütadämara
Vajrapäni (Tib.: Phyag rdor 'byung po 'did
byed) and Bhagavat Mahäkäla (Tib.: mGon
po legs Idan), and to the left two female ones,
Ekajad (Tib.: Rai gcig ma) and Kämadhätvisvara (Tib.: dPal Idan lha mo 'dod khams
dbang phyug ma). This five-figure group also
appears in later, fifteenth-century to seventeenth-century depictions, which reflect mainly Nepalese influence. "
In later pictures depicting the Panjara Mahäkäla, Bhagavat Mahäkäla is generally replaced by Brahmanarupa Mahäkäla (Tib.: mGon
po bram ze'i gzugs can), as in the picture
currently under discussion. The system of
figures depicted in the eighteenth-century
thangka from the Delmár Collection is as
follows:
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1
11
mKha'spyod ma) (11). Above is the Vajradhara (Tib.: rDo rje 'chang) (12) proclaiming the tantric tradition of the Panjara
Mahäkäla; below is the figure of a yogi receiving mystic instruction from him (13) and
a row of Sakya lamas (14-17). Below and to
the right can be seen Citipati, „Lord of the
Cemetery, Brother and Sister" (Tib.: Dur
khrod bdag po learn drat) (18), often accompanying Mahäkälas; underneath them is the
Sridevi (Tib.: dPal Idan lha mo) (19): on the
left-hand side is another dharmapäla, one
form of appearance of Vaisravana (Tib.: rNam
thos sras) (20)
This group-of-eight form of appearance
for Panjara Mahäkäla was described by Tucci in connection with the depiction at the
Dregun monastery in the village of Samada
(Gyantse),' and later, on the basis of a T i betan text, by Nebesky Wojkowitz. This
form of the Mahäkäla is known as bsTan
srung kun gyi sde dpon rdo rje gur, or as rDo
rje nag po chen po. The Mahäkäla, above
his defeated enemies and surrounded by the
fire tongues of Wisdom, lives actually in the
middle of a great cemetery. Following the
order in the Tibetan text, the colour of the
deity introducing leading in the eight-figure
grouping is dark blue (in the text it is said to
be black), in his hands are the Mahäkäla's
usual symbols: in his right hand there is a
hatchet and in his left hand a skull cup filled
with blood. In his crossed arms is his characteristic attribute, the magic staff, or gandi
(Tib.: 'phrul gyi gandi), which was originally used to indicate the time in the monasteries and in which the Mahäkäla's secret army
(Tib.: ru 'dren sde bzhi) is concealed.' The
yellow hair of the Panjara Mahäkäla stands
on end and his fangs gleam; his three eyes
refer to knowledge of the past, the present
and the future. His attire is a tiger-skin loincloth and a black silk cloak, and he is ornamented with the characteristic embellishments
of fierce deities: a crown of five skulls, a
garland of fifty blood-dripping heads, six
kinds of bone ornaments, and a snake necklace. Above his head, on his right side, flies
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16
12
14
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15
13
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I
10
3
6
20
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19
The eight-figure group already mentioned
is put together with the main figure, Panjara
Mahäkäla (1) and the seven attendants surrounding him (2-8). In addition to them, on
his right are two deities, Bhütadämara Vajrapäni (9) and Brähmanarüpa Mahäkäla (10);
on his left are the already-mentioned Ekajati
(2) and Sarvabuddhadäkinf (Tib.: Na ro
one of his messengers (a further three are
mentioned in the text): a garuda bird (Tib.:
khyung) holding a snake in its mouth.
The first member of his entourage {parivara) is Ekajati („With one strand of hair")
(2); stemming from the seed syllable T A K .
she sits on his left side, beside his leg. In her
hand there is a vase (kalasa) full of nectar
(amrta). Her blue body is covered on top by
a white silk cloak; she has a tiger-skin loincloth. From the goddess's vagina, from the
seed syllable T R A G , there flows a sea of
blood, across which Kämadhätvisvara (3),
one of the forms of appearance of Sridevi, is
riding on a mule. The body of the four-armed
goddess, who stems from the seed syllable
B H Y O M , is blue. In her right upper hand she
waves a flaming sword and holds a string of
prayer beads; in her lower right hand there
is a skull-cup filled with blood. In her left
upper hand she holds a trisüla, a trident; and
in her lower left hand there is a lance. She
wears a crown with five skulls, and a garland
consisting of fifty bloody heads. She has three
eyes, from her mouth there hangs a human
corpse, and she is bearing her fangs. On her
two sides are the „black"yaksa (Tib.: Nag po
gnod sbyin) (4) andyaksi (Tib.: Nag mo gnod
sbyin) (5). On her right side, the yaksa, originating in the seed syllable Y A , which derives from Mahäkäla, is dressed in a human
skin; in his raised right hand there is a hatchet, and in the palm of his left-hand he holds
the Orb of the Sun. The attire of his companion on the left hand side (who derives from
the seed syllable M A M stemming from
Sridevi) is of black silk; with his right hand
he waves a gold blade, and in his left hand
he holds the Moon. From them there derive
the three ,jvIon children" (Tib.: Mon bu putra)
(6-8). The dark-blue ,,brothers and sisters"
(Tib.: Putra ming sring gsum) similarly denote an ancient form of Panjara Mahäkäla. In
the middle is Putra nag po (6), stemming
from the seed syllable TRI; his attire is of
black silk and in his right hand he holds up
a long sabre (Tib.: shang lang); in his left
hand he holds a skull-cup, filled with hot
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brains and blood. On his right is Bhadra nag
po (7), also stemming from the seed syllable
TRI; he is dressed in a tiger skin, black silk
and breast-plate. With his right hand he raises a staff above wrongdoers; with his left he
lifts up the heart, dripping with blood, of a
man who has broken his word. On the left
side is their sister Sri« mo ral gcig ma (8),
stemming from the seed syllable B H Y O , who
holds a golden blade in her right hang; from
her left hand and from her mouth hand the
entrails of sinful people. From the eyes of the
three figures blood flows; their mouths vomit flame, and their bodies are ornamented
with human heads. In the bottom left-hand
edge of the picture, among other things, dogs
and an eagle pecking a corpse-probably
details of a cemetery-can be seen.
On the right side of Panjara Mahäkäla is
located Bhütadämara Vajrapäni (9), one of
the tantric forms of appearance of Vajrapäni.
He stands on a lotus throne, his body is blue,
and there is a vajra in his hair, which is
standing upright. With his right leg he treads
on a man with four arms, his hands in the
middle are in a ,,fear-arousing" pose (Skt.:
bhütadämaramudrä), in his raised right hand
there is a vajra, his left hand is in threatening" pose (Skt.: tarjanîmudra), in it is a lasso
(Skt.: päsa). His loin-cloth is a tiger skin, and
on his neck there is a garland of snakes.
Beneath him is Bráhmanarúpa, the Brähmana-shaped Mahäkäla (10), who is depicted in
the form of an aged ascetic with white hair
and white beard. In his right hand he holds
a skull-cup filled with blood; on his right
shoulder there rests a trident, or trisüla. In his
raised left hand there is a shin-bone (Tib.:
rkang gling), in front of him is a gold vase,
which belongs among the symbols of the
deity. Beneath him the four däkini, his attendees, can be seen. Their colours are green,
red, blue and yellow; in their hands are hatchets and skull-cups.
On the left side of Panjara Mahäkäla one
of the protective goddesses of the Sakya sect,
Sarvabuddhadákiní (11) can be seen, standing among tongues of fire. The colour of the
goddess's body, who is on a lotus throne in
an attitude of stepping leftwards, is red; she
is treading on two four-armed men, one of
whom is red and the other white. In her left
hand there is a hatchet, with her left hand she
raises to her mouth a skull-cup filled with
blood; on her shoulder is a ceremonial staff
(Skt.: khan'ähga). Beneath Ekajati (2) there
are two skeletons dancing on corpses, in the
form of „Lord of the Cemetery, Brother and
Sister" (18). Their loin-cloths are silk, in their
raised right hands there are skull-topped staffs
(Tib.: thod s kam gyi dbyug pa); in their left
hands they hold skull-cups filled with blood.
At the lower right-hand edge of the picture is depicted another form of appearance
of dharmapäla Sridevi (Tib.: dPal Idan dmag
zor rgyal mo) (19); at the bottom left-hand
edge, however, can be seen a rare form of
depiction of the dharmapäla Vaisravana:
probably „The Vaisravana possessing a red
lance and a blue horse" (Tib.: rNam sras
mdung dmar rta sngon can) (20). The lance
is in his raised right hand, in his left hand is
his attribute, a mongoose spewing treasure
(Tib.: ne'u le).
In the picture can also be found those black
animals which are depicted in the so-called
sacrificial pictures (Tib.: hskang rdzas). They
take the different human organs for sacrifice
to the angry gods. Such is the vulture flying
on the left side of Panjara Mahäkäla, beside
his head with a human heart in its beak; in
the lower right-hand part, in front of Sridevi
there is a dog wearing a red collar.
One of the important issues of the picture
is the identity of the monks depicted in it. It
is clear that they are those Sakya lamas (Skt.:
guruparamparä) who have been initiated into
the teachings of Panjara Mahäkäla, and who
played a crucial role in the passing on of
these teachings. Identification of the figures
depicted is made especially difficult by the
fact that they have no inscriptions beneath
them; consequently, their identities can only
be deduced by establishing the order in which
the teachers appear. In one of the volumes
of the Sa sky a hkd 'bum series which sum19
marizes the Sakya tradition, one of the texts
dealing with the Panjara Mahäkäla gives
essentially the same order of pupils as the
Ngor chen series published by Jackson, with
the difference that earlier it also gives a „nonordinary" series (Tib.: thun mong mayin pa' i
brgyud pa). The ,,ordinary" series is the
following:
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1. rDo rje 'chang (Skt.: Vajradhara)
2. mkhd gro ma rDo rje gur (Skt.: Vajrapanjara däkini)
3. bram ze mChog sred (Skt.: Vararüci
brähmana)
4. bDe bai rdo rje (Skt.: Sukhavajra)
5. Sraddha kara va rma (Skt.: Samkaravarman)
6. jo bo Rin chen bzang po
7. Brag steng pa Yon tan tshul khrims
8. Mai lo (Mai gyo lo tsa ba)
9. Sa chen (Sa chen Kun dgd snying po)
10. rTse mo (bSod nams rtse mo)
11. Grags pa ( G rags pa rgyal mtshan )
12. Chos rje pa
13. Phags pa
14. zhang dKon mchog dpal
15. Na bzd pa
16. rje bSod nams rgyal mtshan
l
From among the figures depicted on the
picture, only the Vajradhara surrounded by
the Sun and Moon (12) can be identified. In
the pictures depicting Panjara Mahäkäla, the
yogi initiated into the teachings is generally
shown as VirDpa, one of the eighty-four
mahäsiddhas. The mahäsiddha, or yogi, ( 13)
with matted hair beneath the Vajradhara
cannot be identified on the basis of his attributes, but it is possible that he is a depiction of bram ze mChog sred. In his right hand
is a string of prayer beads, and next to his
right shoulder is a staff ending in a strange
vase shaped like a bird's head. In his left
hand a mongoose spewing treasure can be
seen. The upper right-hand figure is a monk
holding a flower between his hands (15); this
is probably Sa chen ( 1092-1158), the famous abbot of the Sakya order. The upper
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left-hand figure, a monk holding a skull-cup
in his left hand (14), is perhaps Mai lo, or
bSod nams rtse we;; the other two (16-17)
however, are either two other members of
the series, or are Sakya monks who cannot
be identified.
A special feature of the reverse side of the
picture are two imprints of the right hand of
a high-ranking lama performing sanctification. In the appropriate centers (cakra-s) (fore24
heads, throats and hearts) on the bodies of
individual deities, the Body, Speech and Mind
of the enlightened personality are indicated
by lantsa written syllables (OM ÄH H U M ) ,
which facilitate the summoning of the individual deities. The text itself contains the
Sanskrit mantras of various deites, followed
by a brief Tibetan prayer. The transcription
of the Sanskrit text is as follows:
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O M HÜM T R A M HRÏH ÄH / (mantras of the five-strong „Buddha family")
O M D E V A PICU V A R J A HÜM HÜM HÜM P H A T SVÄHÄ / (mantra of Hevajra)
H A M K S A M A L A V A R A Y A / (mantra of the ..Powerful Ten")
O M YAMÄNTAKA HÜM P H A T / (mantra of Yamäntaka)
O M VAJRAKÏLlKlLAYA S A R V A VIGHNÄN B A M HÜM P H A T / (mantra of Vajrakïla)
O M O M O M SARVABUDDHADÄKINTYE / V A J R A V A R N A N I Y E /
VÁJRÁVAIROCANIYE H U M H U M H U M P H A T P H A T P H A T S V A H A /
(mantra of Vajrayogini)
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O M BHÜTADÄMARA BHÜTAADHIPATI A K S O B H Y A KIRITRINA S A R V A BHÜTA
PRETA P I S A C A N A S A D H A Y A H U M P H A T / H U M V A J R A PHAT /
(mantra of Bhütadämara Vajrapäni)
O M MAHÄKÄLA HÜM P H A T / (mantra of Mahäkäla)
O M SRÏ MAHÄKÄLAYA HÜM PHAT / O M R O R U RORU VITISTHA / VATOSI
KÁMALARAKSASI H U M B H Y O H U M / (mantra of Panjara Mahäkäla)
O M MAHÄKÄLA K A L A VIKÄLARATRITA /DOMBINI/ CANDALT / RAKSASI /
SINGALI / DEVI H U M B H Y O H U M (mantra of another form of appearance of Mahäkäla)
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TADHYATHÄ / Otyl R O R U VITISTHA / VATOSI / M A M A R A K M O CITTA K H A R A M O
B H Y O B H Y O S V A H A (one form of appearance of Rematï has a similar mantra) *
2
O M V A I S R A V A N A Y E SVÄHÄ / (mantra of Vaisravana)
Y E DHARMÄ HETUPRABHAVÄ H E T U M T E S A M TATHÄGATO H Y A V A D A T T E S A M
C A Y O NIRODHA E V A M V A D I M A H A S R A M A N A H (/) "
2
O M SUPRATISTHA V A J R A Y E SVÄHÄ /
The Tibetan text is as follows:
sngon che rgyal ha'i spyan sugar zhal bzhes Itar I
sangs rgyas bstan bsrung bstan 'dzin dbu 'phang bstod I
dge('d)un sde skyong 'gro la bde skyid spei I
mal by or bcol ba'i phrin las bsgrub par mdzod I
sarba manggaiam II
A translation of this is as follows:
„As was earlier revealed to the Victorious
ones,
Glorify the Buddha, the protector and keeper
of the Law, and his authority;
Watch over the community of monks, increase the well-being of living creatures,
And perform the deeds entrusted to you by
the yogi!"
Sarva mangalam (Happiness to all!)
The picture itself is surrounded by a double
red-and-yellow border, a ,,rainbow" (Tib.:
'dza) evoking the emanation of the deity.
The lower part of the dark blue damask silk
is finely shot with gold and silk thread. On
it can be seen a flaming pearl, around which
are chasing two dragons, representing the
eternal struggle of duality. Beneath them,
beside a picture of a mountain emerging from
the waves, are symbols of good fortune
offered up to the deities and expressing
well-being: a sprig of coral, precious stones,
and precious metals.
NOTES
1. Inv. No.: L . 63, size: 126x75 cm (outer), 64x45
cm (inner).
2. In 1944, among a number of items from Emil
Delmár's collection, seven Oriental pictures were transferred to Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts (Document
No.: 159/1944, Museum of Fine Arts). Later, in March
1949, these Oriental pictures were given over to the
Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest (Acta ad 38/1949,
Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiastic Arts).
3. Szmodisné Eszlári, Eva: Európai szobrászat, szerzemények Delmár Emil gyűjteményéből. (European
sculpture, acquisitions from the Emil Delmár Collection). Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, 1986. Catalogue.
4. A budapesti amateur gyűjtemények kiállításának
lajstroma (List for the exhibition of items in Budapest
amateur collections). Budapest, 1907;
Csányi, Káwly-Felvinczi
Takács. Zoltán (eds.):
Keleti Művészeti Kiállítás (Exhibition of Oriental Art).
Budapest, 1929;
Felvinczi Takács, Zoltán: Hopp Ferenc Emlékkiállítás (Ferenc Hopp Commemorative Exhibition). Budapest, 1933.
5. Kiállítások, kiállítók, 1908-1913 (Exhibition
list for the 1907 exhibition). Museum of Applied Arts,
Budapest, p. L V . , inv. no. of the item: 234.
6. For the legend of its origin, see Snellgrove, D.
L. Skorupski, T.: The Cultural Heritage of Ladakh,
vol. 2, Warminster, 1980, pp. 99-100.
7. Monier-Williams, M . : A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Oxford, 1964, p. 575.
8. Tucci, G.: Indo-Tibetica, vol. IV/1. New Delhi,
1989, pp. 124-125
9. Stoddard, H.: A Stone Sculpture of mGur mGonpo, Mahakala of the Tent, Dated 1292. In: Oriental Art,
vol. X X X I , no 3. (autumn 1985), pp. 278-282.
10. Pal, P.: The Lord of the Tent in Tibetan Paintings. In: Pantheon, vol. X X X V , April/May/June 1977,
pp. 97-102.
11. Essen, G-W.-Thingo. T. T.: Die Götter des
Himalaya. München. 1989. vol 2. 180-181.
12. Tucci, op. cit., pp. 122-132.
13. Sädhana-mälä of the Panchen Lama, Yi dam
rgya mtsho '/' sgruh thabs rin chen 'byung gnas kyi lhan
thabs rin 'byung don gsal. Part 2. reproduced by Lokesh
Chandra, Sata-Pitaka Series, vol. 211. New Deihi, 1974,
pp. 535-551.
14. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, R. de: Oracles and Demons
of Tibet. S-Gravenhage, 1956, pp. 49-51, Tibetan source
work no. 157, p. 598.
15. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, R. de: Ibid. pp. 49-50.
16. Sädhana-mälä of the Panchen Lama, Part 2,
Ibid. 535.4-538.2.
17. Essen-Thingo, op. cit., vol. I. p. 209.
18. For the origin of their name, see Tucci, op. cit.,
pp. 123-124.
19. Concerning this, see Jackson. D. P.: The Identification of Individual Teachers in Paintings of Saskya-pa Lineaga. In: Indo-Tibetan Studies, Buddhica
Britannica, Series Continua II, ed. by Skorupski, T.,
The Institute of Buddhist Studies, Tring, U . K., 1990,
pp. 129-144.
20. Gur mgon lha brgyad kyi rje s gnang ngag 'don.
In: Sa skya pa'i bka" 'bum, vol. 9, Tokyo, 1968,
p. 330.4.6.
21. Jackson, op. cit., p. 136.
22. Essen-Thingo, op. cit., vol. II, p. 180-181.
23. A similar iconographical depiction can be found
in the Cakrasamvara series. In: L . Chandra: Buddhist
Iconography. New Delhi, 1991, p. 476. Illustration 1384.
24. The present writer saw an identified picture
supplied with a similar attribute in Dharamsala, during
a study tour in India in 1993, in the collection of Pema
Jungney, representative of the Sakya order in the T i betan parliament.
25. The mantra of Panjara Mahakala can be seen in
a similar arrangement on the back of a picture depicting
a Sakya lama. In: Cat. Sotheby's Indian Himalayan and
South-East Asian Art, London, Thursday, 11 October
1990, pp. 30-33.
26. For a detailed exposition of its meaning, see
Gyatso, G . K . : Guide to Dakini Land. London, 1991.
pp. 159-160.
27. Chandra, op. cit., p. 333. Illustration 890.
28. Chandra, L . : Ibid. p. 338, Illustration 905.
29. „Whatever events arise from a cause, the Tathagata has told the cause thereof, and the great ascetic
also has taught their cessation as well."
This formula, which is the so-called Verse of Dependent Origination, is used as a mantra in consecration to hold deities in position. In: Beyer. S.: Magic and
Ritual in Tibet. The Cult of Tara. Delhi, 1988, p. 146.
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Panjara Mahakala and his entourage, Eastern Tibet,
18th century
2. Panjara Mahakala
3. Kämadhätvis'vara, the yaksa and yaksi and the three
,,Mon children"
4. Vajradhara and the lineage of Sakya lamas
5. The reverse side of the picture, with lantsa written
seed syllables and text and the hand printing