The Sanskrit terms Śvānāsyā and Śvānāsya can be transliterated into English as Svanasya or Shvanasya, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

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Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: archive.org: The Indian Buddhist Iconography

Śvānāsyā (श्वानास्या) refers to one of the four “Animal-faced Goddess”, as commonly depicted in Buddhist Iconography, and mentioned in the 11th-century Niṣpannayogāvalī of Mahāpaṇḍita Abhayākara.—Her Colour is reddish-blue; her Symbol is the dog-face; she has two arms.—The third goddess in the series of four goddesses with animal faces is called Śvānāsyā (“dog-faced”).

Śvānāsyā is described in the Niṣpannayogāvalī (nairātma-maṇḍala) as follows:—

“On the West there is Śvānāsyā of reddish-blue colour”.

[In the hevajra-maṇḍala she is described as four-faced and four-armed and as similar in appearance to Vajrasphoṭā.

This set of four deities are given each a different direction in the maṇḍala. In the kālacakra-maṇḍala, four more deities with birds faces are added for the intermediate corners. [...] They carry in their hands the kartri (chopper) and the kapāla (skull-cup). A khatvāṅga (magic stick) hangs from their shoulders. They are some-times two-armed and at others four-armed.]

Source: Wisdomlib Libary: Vajrayogini

Śvānāsyā (श्वानास्या, “dog-faced”) is the presiding deity of the western outern gate of the vārāhyabhyudaya-maṇḍala, according to the Vārāhyabhyudayatantra (largerly extracted from the 10th century Abhidhānottaratantra). It is composed of the Sanskrit words śvāna (dog) and āsya (face). The central deity of the vārāhyabhyudaya-maṇḍala is the twelve-armed Vajravarāhī, which is modeled upon the twelve-armed Cakrasaṃvara, thus inhibiting many similar iconographical features.

Śvānāsyā is associated with the colors yellow and grey. She is to be visualised as dwarfish in shape and squint-eyed. They wield in their left hands a skull bowl and the head of Brahmā, and in their right hands a chopper and ḍamaru.

Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka Maṇḍala

Śvānāsyā (श्वानास्या) refers to the Ḍākinī of the western gate situated in the Guṇacakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the guṇacakra refers to one of the four divisions of the sahaja-puṭa (‘innate layer’), situated within the padma (lotus) in the middle of the Herukamaṇḍala. The four gate Ḍākinīs [viz., Śvānāsyā] each has the same physical feature as the four Ḍākinīs starting with Lāmā.

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Svānāśyā (स्वानाश्या) is the Western Ḍākinī representing one of the four “guardians of the gates” of the Cakrasaṃvara-maṇḍala or Saṃvaramaṇḍala of Abhayākaragupta’s Niṣpannayogāvalī, p. 45 and n. 145; (Cf. Cakrasaṃvaratantra, Gray, David B., 2007).—The Cakrasaṃvara mandala has a total of sixty-two deities. [...] Eight outer Ḍākinīs who make up the guardians of the directional gates and quarters of the cardinal directions.

Svānāśyā is associated with the color “red” and the Bodhipakṣa (wings of enlightenment) is samyagvyāyāma (right practice).

context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Shvana, Asya.

Full-text: Pita, Krishna, Vajrabandha, Purvadi, Rakta, Shyama, Vajrodbava.

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Search found 1 books and stories containing Shvanasya, Shvana-asya, Śvāna-asyā, Śvāna-asya, Svana-asya, Śvānāsyā, Śvānāsya, Svanasya; (plurals include: Shvanasyas, asyas, asyās, Śvānāsyās, Śvānāsyas, Svanasyas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

The Indian Buddhist Iconography (by Benoytosh Bhattachacharyya)

Figure 215-216 - Four Animal-Faced Goddesses: Siṃhāsyā

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