Description
Hayvajra Newari Thangka is hand-painted and is painted on Cotton Canvas in Kathmandu Nepal. The size of this thangka is 65 x 45cm and its weight is 0.1 kg.
Hevajra is presented at the center of the thangka. Shakyamuni Buddha is presented at the top of the thangka. Vajrasattva is presented at the bottom of the thangka. Two Deities are presented at the bottom right and left corner of the thangka. In Tantric, or Vajrayana Buddhism, Hevajra is one of the most important yidams. Nairtmy is Hevajra’s consort.
This beautiful Hevajra Thankga helps to eliminate greed. He is one of the fierce protective tantra deities in Buddhism.
Hevajra’s art is considered especially valuable in kindling the central nervous system inner fury fire that melts the inner drops from the brain to the groin and generates the subtle subjectivity of great bliss so essential in Tantric practices in the perfection stage.
Nairatmya Hevajra’s consort is also a deity of subtle wisdom in her own right, a Tantric form a Prajnaparamita, Mother of all Buddhas.
Hevajra has sixteen – arms, eight faces, and four legs. The eight faces indicate the purification of the eight releases. His four legs crush four maras, who symbolize the fourfold obstacle to enlightenment – the obstacle of the aggregated constituent elements of existence (Skandha-mara), the obstacle of egoistic entanglements (Kleshmara), the obstacle of (Mrityumara), and the obstacle of rebirth in the form of gods (Devaputramara). According to a commentary on the Hevajra Tantra, four Hindu gods, Brahma, Yaksha, Yama, and Indra, respectively personify the four Maras.
The sixteen arms of Hevajra signify the purification of the sixteen voidnesses. In each of his hands, he holds a skull cup. Each of the cups in his right hands contains, starting with his principal hand and moving to the lower, an elephant, horse, ass, man, camel, ox, lion, and cat. That is the left holds Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Moon, Sun, Yama, and Vaishravana. The elements in the skulls held in the left hands are usually visually represented in human form.
Carrying skull cup in all of the hands is one of the most distinctive features of Hevajra. The skull cup represents the mental aspect of the body, speech, and mind notion. It also represents death and impermanence, the illusory nature of all the phenomena.
The animals and gods in Hevajra’s skull cup may symbolize a universal range of all matter and beings, alive, on earth, in the heavens. Thus, the sixteen skull cups collectively symbolize the sixteen voidness or Shunyata.
Nairatmya, the consort of Hevajra has two hands and two legs. Nairatmya is embracing Hevajra by her left hand, while the right hand holds a vajra–marked chopper.
Her left leg is along with his, while her right leg is wrapped around his waist. Her expression is also wrathful. Both of them are adorned with bone ornaments and wear a long garland of skulls. Nairatmya is wearing a skirt of tiger skin.
Iconograpy of Shakyamuni
Shakyamuni Buddha is presented at the top of the thangka. His left hand is in the lap holding a begging bowl while the right arm is extended across the leg with the fingers touching the earth.
His skin is golden in color, the eyes partially closed and the hair piled with a gold ornament adorning the top of the head.
A dot (bindi or “urna”) between the eyebrows and the earlobes is elongated and pierced. The shoulders are covered with an orange and red robe wrapped around the torso and legs and tied at the waist with a green sash.
Mantra of Shakyamuni
The mantra of Shakyamuni is Om Muni Muni Maha Muniye Soha.
Iconography of Vajrasattva
Vajrasattva is presented at the bottom of the thangka. Vajrasattva is pure white in color and is sometimes known as the Prince of Purity. His name means “Adamantine Being”, or more poetically “Embodying Reality”.
He is a member of the Vajra family of Aksobhya which also includes Vajrapani. He is depicted as a young man in the prime of life, with all the silks and jewels of a wealthy prince.
In his right hand, he delicately balances a vajra at his heart. In his left hand, he holds a bell at his waist. The vajra represents Reality, and Compassion; while the bell represents Wisdom.
Vajrasattva is said to have been originated from the seed syllable Hum and is generally invoked for removal of obscuration of Kleshavarana and Jneya Avarana.
His hundred syllable mantra is very efficacious in purifying our defilements through confession practice. It is said if confession is done with the four opponent powers, then non-virtuous actions or obscurations will be purified.
The first opponent power is the force of reliance. This means looking upon the visualized image of Vajrasattva as the embodiment of one refuge. The second opponent power is the sincere regret for the non-virtuous action done by oneself.
The third opponent power is desisting from evil deeds. The fourth opponent power is to apply the power of good deeds; and especially regarding this case, practicing the meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva without parting from Bodhicitta while remaining in the state of emptiness.
Vajrasattva is a very popular tutelary deity for Nepalese Vajracharya. He is worshipped very often by Nepalese Buddhists through the Guru Mandala ritual.
In some mandalas Vajrasattva represents the Adi Buddha or the Primordial Principle of Buddhahood in others, he changes places with Aksobhya in the East.
In Shingon Buddhism it is Vajrasattva that passes on the initiation of the Dharmakāya Buddha Mahāvairocana to Nagarjuna, thereby creating the Vajrayana lineage.
Mantra of Vajrasattva
The mantra of Vajrasattva is Om Vajrasattva Hum.
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