THE GROUP OF THE MGON PO
Tibetan iconographic texts claim that there are, according to various classifications, seventy-two or seventy-five forms of mGon po (Nag po chen po, Skt. Mahakala). The group of the mGon po is believed to occupy the tenth rank among the deities of the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, and many of its members are R^liisv^d to belong to the branch of the Jig rten las ’das pa’i srung ma as well as to the group of the yi dam. We shall base our enumeration of the more important forms of the mGon po on the iconographic works Rin ’byung and Zur kha brgya rtsaf Except for a few divinities, which occupy a more prominent place in the pantheon of the rNying ma pa sect, or which were mainly worshiped by the bKa’ gdams pa sect, the greater part of the descriptions contained in these two works deals with those forms of mGon po whose cult was established by the Sa skya sect, but who are now important dharmapalas of the dGe lugs pa order. Though most of these figures have been created in India, there is nevertheless a number of forms which have originated in Tibet, as is obvious e.g. in the case of the so-called mGon po tra k$ad ’brong zhal can, who, as indicated already by his name, has the head of a wild yak.
Myur mdzad ye shes kyi mgon po phyag drug pa (R, Vol. II, fol. 191 b) A six-handed mGon po and one of the main protective deities of Tibetan Buddhism. His importance is already recognizable from the fact that he traditionally occupies on religious paintings, depicting the “assembly- tree (of deities and saints)” (tshogs shing), a central position in the row of the protectors of the religious law.
According to the rules of Tibetan iconography, he is depicted in the following way: the colour of his body is dark-blue or black, he has one face, is three-eyed and six-handed. In the first right hand he holds a chopper with a thunderbolt-shaped hilt, in the middle one a rosary of human skulls - with this hand he lifts simultaneously the elephant hide, which covers his back - and with his lowest right hand he whirls a damaru. The main left hand holds a blood-filled kapala in front of his breast, his middle left hand, which holds also another corner of the elephant-hide, wields a trident, and the lowest one clutches a snare with two thunderbolts attached to its ends. The face of the deity is set in a most fierce manner, with a gaping mouth, the fangs bared and the tongue rolled backward; a blue snake winds itself around his hair and on his forehead is visible the ritual minium-mark. He treads on a white Ganesa or on a defeated obstacle-creating demon. A tiger-skin, fastened by a green silk-scarf, serves him as a loin-cloth. The body of mGoh po phyag drugpa is covered with numerous ornaments: bangles of bells are on his hands and feet, he wears a green necklace, red earrings, ornaments of human bone, a crown of five human skulls, and a garland of fifty freshly severed human heads; the whole figure is surrounded by fiercely blazing flames.
There are several important deities who appear in the retinue of the blue six-handed mGon po: his yum, the dPal Idan lha mo 'dod khams kyi dbang phyug ma - depicted as a black-coloured goddess, riding a threelegged mule, and brandishing the “black magic notched stick of the bdud” (bdud kyi khram shing nag po) in her right hand and a sack full of diseases in her left - and further a group of four gods, who are the “ministers” (blonpo) of the chief divinity. Their names and appearance are as follows;: Jinamitra - is of a dark-red hue; his attributes are a damaru, which he whirls with his right hand, and a skull-cup full of blood,held in his left.
Takkiraja - also of a dark-red colour; with his right hand he throws a snare, while his left hand rests in the tarjam-mudra. Tra k?ad - “the great lord of the bdud” (bdud mgon chen po) - as the iconographic texts name him - is black; his right hand brandishes a lance with a trident-shaped point, and his left hand holds a skull-cup filled with blood. He bares his fangs, which are pressed against the lower lip. Tra k?ad is depicted wearing a garment of black silk and high bools. He rides on a “horse of the bdud with white heels”. K$etrapala - whose corresponding Tibetan name is Zhing skyong,4 “pro* Some Tibetan works mention a group of twenty-one k$etrap8las, the Zhing skyong nyi shu rtsa gcig:.
tector of the (cemetery-)field”, and who belongs to the class of the yaksas, is described as a fierce dark-blue god riding a bear and brandishing a chopper and a skull-cup. He is the foremost minister of mGon po phyag drug pa, about whom there is more material available than in the case of the three first-mentioned members of this particular group.
Before discussing the texts which refer to K$etrapala it may be added that according to the Rin ’byungyVol. II, fol. 207 a), K$etrapala, Jinamitra, and Takkiraja - Tra k?adis not named in this context - appear also in the retinue of another form of Mahakala, known as the mGon dmar dbang gi rgyal po. These three figures are in this case depicted in forms different from those described above: K$etrapala is red, his right hand holds a damaru, and his left hand rests in the tarjani-mudra. JinamitraM colour is black, his attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup; and finally Takkiraja, who is yellow in this case, his right hand brandishing a trident and his left hand making the tarjani-mudra.
More frequently, however, Kyetrapala is depicted on religious paintings in his dark-blue form, in accordance with the following description: “On top of a sunmorirZ/a comes forth - from the syllable kse - Kyetrapala of a dark-blue colour, with one face and two hands. Lifting with his right hand a chopper skyward, he cuts with it the life-roots of enemies and obstacle-creating demons; his left hand holds a skull-cup, filled with the heart-blood of enemies and vighnas. His mouth is widely open and he bares his four sharp teeth, causing the enemies to wail aloud.
Rolling his three bloodshot eyes, he stares full of hatred at the enemies and obstacle-creating demons. His eyebrows and the hair of his face are of a flaming yellow-red hue, the hair of his head is yellow-brown and it stands on end. He wears a dry human skull as head-ornament, a human skin covers the upper portion of his body, and a tiger-skin serves him as a loin-cloth. He has an ugly and extremely terrifying body. Riding on a black wild bear, he resides in the centre of a vehemently blazing fire.
At his left appears the mahasakti IHa mo nag mo, with one face and two hands; she wears a long garment of black silk. In her right hand she holds a mirror, together with a snare for catching demons: having blinded the enemies with the mirror, she catches them with the noose. With her left hand she holds in front of her breast a skull-cup filled with the blood of enemies and vighnas. Her yellow-brown hair stands on end, and her eyebrows and the hair of her face are of a flaming yellow-red. She rolls her three eyes with the speed of lightning. Terrifying, wildly laughing, she hastens towards the ten points of the world, reducing the enemies and obstacle-creating demons to dust. She resides on a sun-lotus, in the middle of vehemently burning flames. In the retinue of the “father and mother”, these two, appear countless yakyas andyakyis, ma mo, dakirns, and pisacis; they (both) reside surrounded by the multitude of these beings.”
The residence of Ksetrapala is claimed to be the cemetery bSil ba' tshal (Skt. Sitavarna), which is supposed to lie close to Bodhgaya in India.. In accordance with Ksetrapala’s wrathful nature, his legendary abode is believed to be a most terrifying place, its horrors being vividly described in the invocation here translated. “To the south of Bodhgaya is situated the great cemetery bSil ba’i tshal. At this supreme place, one can hear the mighty voices of the gshin rje, the magically-powerful howling of the ma mo, the splashing of the sea of blood, the sputtering of the lamps fed with human fat, there is visible the coiling smoke rising from the evil burnt offering, there sounds the thudding of the male bdud who are dancing a drum-dance, and the whirling of the female bdud, who turn in a ring-dance, the blaring of the thigh bone trumpets, the roar of wild animals; there is visible the quick flaring up of the great scorching lightnings, is audible the fierce rolling of thunder and the crashing of great yellow meteors; the horrible laughter of the multitude of bdud and yakyas causes the earth-foundations to quake.
At such a supreme place resides he, who has one face and two hands and possesses a terrifying body. His mouth is open and he clicks his tongue. His three eyes blaze like the fire at the end of a kalpa. He is of a violently desirous nature, his body radiates and his limbs are strong. He roars like a dragon the horrible syllable hum. The colour of his body is a brilliant sky-blue, like the hue of the world-mountain Sumeru. In his right hand he holds the chopper - with which he cuts out the hearts of enemies - and he drinks blood from a skull-cup, which he holds with his left hand. The trampling of his feet causes the three realms to quake and in the countless worlds he reduces all kinds of evil powers to dust. - Ksetrapala and you, the excellent sakti, mistress of all ma mo, you, yakyas ~ cutting the lifethread of enemies guardians of the ten world-quarters, war-hordes of the ocean-like multitude of those, who were bound by an oath: come here, all of you, and partake of the offerings!”
Another invocation of Ksetrapala may be rendered here as well, mentioning several of the titles by which he is sometimes addressed. The text gives also some additional information about the retinue of this god.
Yak?a K?etrapala, dGra lha of the yogis,
You, the protector who obeys the commands of the lamas, Guardian of the Buddhist creed, you Who reign over good and evil,
Who possess a terrifying body,
Who have a desirous face,
Who possess an eye of wisdom,
Lord of the pisacas,
King of the blood-drinkers,
Who cuts the life-thread of those, who act contrary to the commandments of their guru,
Executioner of oath-breakers,
You, who are surrounded by a retinue of one hundred thousand “black ones”,
You, who are surrounded by a retinue of ten million pisacas, You, who are accompanied on the right by a train of one thousand heroes,
You, who are accompanied on the left by a retinue of one thousand valiant women,
You, who possess a retinue of black goddesses, obeying your command, and a train of serving yak?as and yak?is,
You, who are accompanied by a multitude of ten million ma mo, dakinis and pisacis.
Though K?etrapala’s name, his classification, as a yak?a and the location of his legendary abode seem to indicate that he is an originally Indian deity, which had been accepted into the pantheon of Tibetan Buddhism, there is nevertheless ample evidence that he is often brought into connection with early Tibetan religious practices, as will be shown later when discussing the ceremony called K?etrapala,i gtor rgyab, “casting the gtor ma of K^?etrapala". Lastly we may mention that according to Klong rdol bla ma9 the names and appearance of the saktis accompanying the four ministers of mGon po phyag drug pa are as follows:
Sakta S^<attii Attributes K?etrapala Dusmthhan raa right hand: mda' dar left hand: human heart Jinamitra dBcmgphyug khaag 'ttumg ma skull-cup ful .ofblood Takkiraja Ro longsma skull-cup fullof blood Tra ksad dmar po RemaH axe
70, fol. 2a. mGon po yid bzhin noir bu (R, Vol. II, fol. 200 b)
The place to the right of mGon po phyag drug pa in the dharmapala tow of the tshogs shing paintings is usually occupied by another form of the same deity, named after the wish-granting jewel (yidbzhin nor bu), the chief of its attributes. According to the Tibetan iconographic texts, the body of this god is of a brilliant white colour, and his face, which has three eyes, is contorted to a ferocious smile. His eyebrows, the hair of the face and the hair on his head are of a brilliant yellow-brown colour and his forehead bears the traditional Indian caste-mark made with minium.
The deity's main first hand lifts a chopper skyward, the middle one holds the wish-granting jewel in front of the breast, and the lowest hand shakes a damaru made of catechu wood. His first left hand holds a skull-cup full of amrta into which a vessel filled with jewels is immersed; the middle hand brandishes a trident and the last one a snare. mGon po yid bzhin nor bu wears a flowing garment of varicoloured silks, a loin-cloth made of tiger- skin and an elephant-hide covers his back.
mGon ser nor srung bio ’phel zhal gsum phyag drug pa (R, Vol. II, fol. 204 b) The colour of his body is yellow, with a slight admixture of red. This mGon po has three faces. The central one is yellow, the face on the right is white, the one on the left is red. The main pair of hands, which holds a chopper and a skull-cup, embraces simultaneously the sakti, who is shown in sexual union with her consort. The other two right hands hold a “banner of victory” and a blue lotus, while those on the left clutch a mongoose and a snake. The yellow mGon po, who is adorned with ornaments of bone, is depicted standing, with one leg bent and the other one stretched out:. His sakti is called IHa mo drag mo; her body is smoke-coloured and her attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup.
mGon dmar dbanggi rgyalpo (R, Vol. II, fol. 207 a)
A red form of mGon po which we had already mentioned before when speaking about the forms of Ksetrapala, Takkiraja, and Jinamitra, appear- ring in the pariv5ra. The red mGon po is one-faced, but has six arms, the main pair of hands holding a chopper, a skull-cup and embracing the sakti at the same time. His other attributes are a te’w - apparently the cang te’u, a small drum, is meant a trident, an iron hook, and a snare. He wears the usual attire of the fierce guardians of the religious law: bone and snake ornaments, a crown of skulls, a garland of fifty freshly severed heads, etc.
The corresponding sakti is the Padmamkha' 'gro ma (Skt. Padmadakini) who is depicted as a red, naked figure. While embracing her mate, she holds a karttrika and a blood-filled kapala. As regards the retinue we may add here that the place in front of mGon dmar dbang gi rgyai po is occupied by a black mGon po holding a chopper and a skull-cup, who stands here instead of the blon po Tra k$ad.
mGon Ijang tshe bdag (R, Vol II, fol. 211 b) “The green mGon po, the master of life”, is one-faced and six-handed, and his attributes are identical with those of mGon dmar dbang gi rgyai po, only that he holds a rosary of skulls instead of the hook. Also the ornaments and the attire are the same as in the case of the before mentioned deity. His sakti is called the rDo rje damkima; she is blue and her attributes are a chopper and a kapala.
Four minor goddesses form the retinue of the green mGon po; they are all adorned with bone-ornaments, human heads and hold a skull-cup in the left hand: East - Buddha ddki(m) - red, she lifts a wheel with her right hand South- Ratna ddki - yellow, her right hand holds a jewel West - Padma ddki - red, the right l^^r^d clutchesa lotus North- Karma ddki - greent brandidees a sword
The various colours of the five forms of mGon po which we just enumerated indicate that these five figures stand in a relation to an important group of Buddhas, the pancatathagatah,9 according to the arrangement given below:
mGon po phyag drug pa - blue - Ak$obhya
mGon po yid bzhin nor bu - white - Vairocana
mGon ser nor srung bio 'phel - yellow - Ratnasambhava
mGon dmar dbang gi rgyai po - red - Amitabha
mGon Ijang tshe bdag - green - Amoghasiddhi
Ye shes mgon po phyag bzhi pa. grub chen Zhi ba sbaspa' lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 216 a)
“The four-handed wise mGon po, according to the style of the mahd- siddha Zhi ba sbas pa”. The colour of this four-handed mGon po is a brilliant black; his bodv is “like that of a raksasa” and he has one head with three eyes. His yellow-red hair stands on end and cre four hands hold the following objects: a chopper, a flaming sword, a skull-cup and a trident, adorned with a thunderbolt. A freshly drawn trger-ekia is wrapped around Cie loins and on Cre head rests a crown of five human skulls. He wears * See Tucci, lndo-Tibetica, IH^l, p. 78 sq., especially p. 153.
also the adornments of the wrathful deities, viz. a garland of fifty blooddripping heads, snakes and bone-ornaments, etc. The sakti of this form of mGon po is the MahakaU Dam tshig gi dbang mo, who is shown embracing her consort;. She is black, naked, of a proud and ferocious bearing. Her hair is yellow-red and she whirls a damaru with her right hand, while her left hand, which is laid round the body of her mate, holds a skull-cup. The various beings, which this divine couple dispatches as its messengers, are raven and other birds, further dogs, jackals, lions and “a multitude of black women of the lowest classes” (bud med gdol pa nag po'i tshogs).
In the retinue of the two main deities appear: in front the black goddess Tsamunti,™ holding a trident and a skull-cup. On the right the red- coloured goddess Umd, whose attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup. Lastly, on the left, the pale-blue goddess Varahi (Phag mo), who wields a khafvdhga (?) and a human head. We find in this mandala also the following minor divinities: in front the black gShin rje, carrying a sword and a skull-cup; his vahanais a buffalo. In the right corner appears a dark-brown rak?asa, whose attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup filled with human flesh (Tib. sha chen, Skt. mahamdmsa)', he rides on a black dog. In the left corner comes forth the Mahdvlra (dBang phyug chen po) of an ash-gray hue. He holds a damaru and a trident; his mount is a tiger. The text enumerates then the following eight deities, four gods standing in the main and four goddesses residing in the intermediary quarters:
Direction Name Appearance
East Tho ba ’jigs byed white; attributes: hammer, with a thunderbolt as handle, and a snare
South dByug pa 'jigs byed yellow; club with a thunderbolt as handle, and a snare
West Padma ’jigs byed red; a stalk of red lotus and a snare
North Rai gri 'jigs byed black; sword and snare
Southeast Kule yellow; hook and snare
Southwest Kurukulle red; arrow and bow Northwest Phur ’debs ma blue; hammer and phur bu
Northeast ’Phrog 'chang ma green; a shagti and a skull-cup
10 The goddess Tsamunti seems to be known also under the name rGan byed ma; in the latter case she is represented as a fear-inspiring woman eating the corpse of a child.
bsTan srung chen po ye shes mgon po phyagbzhi pa Klu sgrub lugs(R, Vol. II, fol. 228 b)
“The great guardian of the doctrine, the wise, fourhanded mGon po, according to the style of Nagarjuna’, 11 is black, has four arms and one face, which has three eyes. His two right hands hold a sword and a chopper, the two left ones carry a trident and a skull-cup. He has a crown of five skulls and all the other fearful ornaments worn by the fierce dharmapalas.
Ye shes mgon po phyag bzhi pa rGva lo'i lugs (R, Vol. II, fol. 231 a) “The four-handed wise mGon po, according to the style of rGva lotsa- vd”1 His colour is a dark azure-blue, his three eyes stare full of haired, his mouth is open, the teeth are bared, and the tongue is rolled backward. The attributes of this mGon po are a chopper, a skull-cup full of blood, a flaming sword, and a khatvanga with streamers of silk. The ornaments and the dress are the same as those of the before-mentioned form of Mahakala.
To his retinue belongs the fierce, raven headed Las kyi mgon po of a dark-blue colour described on p. 48; he appears in front of the chief deity. On the right side stands the Legs Idan nag po, whose attributes are a club of sandal-wood and an iron bowl full of amrta. He is dressed in a garment of black silk with a golden girdle, and he wears brown boots with long legs. On the left side resides the goddess Tsandika of a red colour, with one face and holding the following objects in her four hands; a sword, a skull-cup, a human head, and a bow together with an arrow. She is naked and appears in a most fierce aspect. Next to the raven-headed Las kyi mgon po, in front of the chief deity, stands the Sha za nag po, “the black flesh-eater”. He has the head of a lion and with his right hand he brandishes a sword while his left hand clutches a skull-cup. He is dressed in a garment of black silk and stands with one leg bent and the other one stretched out.
To the parivara belong further eight naked, red, animal-headed dakinis surrounded by flames, each standing on a corpse. They all hold a chopper and a skull-cup. The main quarters of the world, to which four of them are assigned, are enumerated contrary to the orthodox Buddhist manner, and this circumstance as well as the fact that they have the heads of animals seem to indicate, that they are Bon deities who have been assigned a minor position in the pantheon of Tibetan Buddhism.
About 100 A.D. 1203-1282 A.D.
Direction Name Head
East Bya rgod kyi gdong pa can vulture
North Khyung gi gdong pa can khyung
West .. Khva ta'i gdong pa can crow
South ’ Ug pa’t gdong pa can owl
Southeast Phag gi gdong pa can pig
Southwest Khyi'i gdong pa can dog
Northwest sPyang ki’i gdong pa can wolf
Northeast sTag gi gdong pa can tiger
'Tshal 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 khafvdhga. 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 parivara of the Ye shes mgon po phyag bzhi pa (rGva lo’i lugs), appear also in the retinue of this form of Mahakala, .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 gcigtubsgrilba’i ye sites 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 Mahakala - addressed as the dPal ye shes mgon po mahakala dpa' bo chen po-'ts 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 mGonpo 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 Ekajaiti - she holds a trident, a freshly torn-out heart, and rides an ass - and further by four ravenheaded gods; each of them is brought into connection with one particular classof demons. Their distribution in the fourmaindirectionsis 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 pophyag bzhi pad "khor lha mo tsandika (R, Vol. II, fol. 253 b) This paragraph of the Rin ’byung gives a detailed description of the goddess Tsandika, the sakti 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 light 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 tight 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 mGonpo of karma, who has the face of a raven”; he is occasion
ally included among the more prominent dharmapalas, 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- khyung (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 other 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 pisacas, 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.18 Gur mgon learn dral (R, Vol. II, fol. 260 b)
"The lord of the tent, brother and sister”. This Gur mgon is believed to dwell in the centre of a>geat 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 gyigardij 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 his 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 amrta 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 kun 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. SO. 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 ehen 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 oftiger-skinaswell as acloak 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 khyung, whom the black Gur mgon dispatches as his messenger.
Theparivara 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 amrta 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 ’dod khams 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 yak$i, on the right side the Nag po gnod sbyin, brandishing a chopper in his right hand. On the palm of his left hand rests the disk of the sun. He is dressed in a human skin and has earrings of gold. On the left side comes forth Nag mo gnod sbyin, who holds a golden razor with her right hand, while the moon rests on the palm of her left hand. She wears a dress of black silk; she has red-coloured plaits.
Out of the latter two deities take their origin the three dark-blue (black) Putra, two brothers and their sister (Putra ming sring gsum). The- Rin 'byung names first the Putra nag po, who is identical with Tucci’s gShin rje ma rungs pa mon bu putra, he is described in our source as brandishing with his right hand a long sabre, and his left hand leads a skull-cup, full of warm brain and blood, towards his mouth; he wears a breast-band (ga zha) of mon tri fur and a dress of black silk. Next comes Bhadra nag po - corresponding to the bDud ma rungs pa mon bu bhata of the work quoted by Tucci - who has a breast-band of black silk and wears a tigerskin. His light hand holds a dam shing,,
the left lifts a heart to the mouth. Lastly, the text mentions the goddess Srin mo ral gcig ma - corresponding to Tucci's Mon mo gser gyi spu gri ma and to the Sring mo khrag mig ma of Klong rdol bla ma15 ~ who holds a golden razor in her right hand and bowels in her left one. These three deities wear the dress of the Mon country. They are said to appear in a fierce aspect, with blood oozing from their eyes and flames issuing from the mouth. The bodies of all three are adorned with human heads and they dwell in the middle of a fire storm.
The Putra ming sringgsum have their own companions: hundred armed men march on the right, on the left proceeds a procession of one hundred fully-ordained priests (Tib. dge slong, Skt. bhik$u), 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 gdongma.w Gur mgonphur zhabs khyung gshog can (R, Vol. II, fol. 276 a)
‘The lord of the tent, possessing phur bu-fe& and ZrAyng-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 drab Two peculiarities, from which the name of this deity is
