Suryahasta, Sūryahastā, Sūryahasta: 1 definition

Introduction:

Suryahasta means something in Buddhism, Pali. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

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In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: archive.org: The Indian Buddhist Iconography

Sūryahastā (सूर्यहस्ता) refers to one of the four “Light Goddesses”, as commonly depicted in Buddhist Iconography, and mentioned in the 11th-century Niṣpannayogāvalī of Mahāpaṇḍita Abhayākara.—Her Colour is white; her Symbol is the sun; she has two arms.—Sūryahastā is the first deity in the series of four goddesses of Light. [...] One statuette of the goddess is found in the Chinese collection under the tide of Sūryadharā. The two are identical.

Sūryahastā is described in the Niṣpannayogāvalī (pañcaḍāka-maṇḍala ) as follows:—

“Sūryahastā is yellow in colour and holds the Keys in her two hands”.

[Collectively, they are conceived as nude, and as violent in appearance with garland of skulls and severed heads. They dance on a corpse in the pratyālīḍha attitude and hold their special marks of recognition in their hands.]

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
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.

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