About Āṭavaka

Āṭavaka is a popular figure in Buddhism. He is a yakṣa and regarded as a Wisdom King in esoteric tradition.

Wisdom Kings – Mystic power of the sacred utterances

A is a type of wrathful deity in East Asian Buddhism alsp called Vidyārājas. Whereas the Sanskrit name is translated literally as "wisdom / knowledge king(s)," the term vidyā in Vajrayana Buddhism is also specifically used to denote mantras; the term may thus also be translated "mantra king(s)." Vidyā is translated in Chinese with the character 明 (lit. "bright, radiant", figuratively "knowledge(able), wisdom, wise"), leading to a wide array of alternative translations such as .
Tibetan (Citipati mask depicting Mahākāla

Dharmapalas – Defenders of the Justice

A dharmapāla is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "dharma protector" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapālas are also known as the Defenders of the Justice (Dharma), or the Guardians of the Law. There are two kinds of , Worldly Guardians () and Wisdom Protectors (jnanapala). Only Wisdom Protectors are enlightened beings. In Vajrayana iconography and thangka depictions, dharmapala are fearsome beings, often with many heads, many hands, or many feet. Dharmapala .