The Indian Buddhist Iconography
by Benoytosh Bhattachacharyya | 1958 | 51,392 words | ISBN-10: 8173053138 | ISBN-13: 9788173053139
This page contains an iconography image of Goddesses of Direction (3): Vajrasphota and represents figure 194 of the book Indian Buddhist Iconography, based on extracts of the Sadhanamala English translation. These plates and illustrations represent either photographs of sculptures or line-drawing reproductions of paintings or other representations of Buddhist artwork.
Figure 194 - Goddesses of Direction (3): Vajrasphoṭā
Fig. 194: Vajrasphoṭā
(Peiping)
Introduction: Just as there are ten gods of the quarters for all the Maṇḍalas of principal gods, even so there are six goddesses presiding over the six quarters [viz., Vajrasphoṭā], with different names and different weapons in their hands. An account of these goddesses is not only interesting but also very important for the purpose of identifying deities of the Buddhist pantheon. Their names and weapons are recorded in the Maṇḍala of Vajratārā in the Niṣpannayogāvalī (p. 38) as also in the Vajratārāsādhana (p. 185) in the Sādhanamālā.
3. Vajrasphoṭā:
Colour: red;
Face: one;
Arms: two;
Direction: west;
Symbol: chain.
The third goddess in the series is Vajrasphoṭā as the presiding deity of the Western direction.
Her form is given as under:
“In the West, there is Vajrasphoṭā, red in colour, holding in her right hand the Chain marked with a Vajra”.
The left hand as usual displays the raised index finger. There are statuettes of this deity in China. One of the Chinese statuettes is illustrated in Fig. 194.