Item: Indian Adept (siddha) - Damarupa

Tibetan: རྒྱ་གར་གྱི་གྲུབ་ཆེན། Chinese: 印度大成就者

(item no. 88707)

Origin Location	Tibet
Date Range	1500 - 1599
Lineages	Sakya and Ngor (Sakya)
Material	Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection	Private

Classification: Person

Appearance: Mahasiddha

Gender: Male

TBRC: bdr:P3300

Interpretation / Description

Damarupa, Mahasiddha (Tibetan: drup thob da ma ru pa): an Indian master of tantric methods, the 5th teacher of the Margapala (Tib. Lamdre) lineage along with the Chandali Perfection Stage Lineage.

The mahasiddha Damarupa (the Drummer) was a student of Kanha (the Black One) who in turn was a student of Virupa (Ugly One). Damarupa was famous for carrying a double sided hand drum where ever he went and is said to have visited the twenty-four sacred tantric power places and the thirty-four sacred grounds. He subdued a non-Buddhist King and stopped the sacrifice of animals in the kingdom. The king took up Buddhism, renounced his kingdom and practiced a path free from extremes and became known as Avadhutipa. As the mahasiddha Avadhutipa, the former king transmitted the Margapala (Path Together with the Result) teachings to the Pandita Gayadhara.

"Seeing the excellent meaning of reality,
By releasing from worldly practice
And remaining in the conduct of accomplishment;
To Damarupa I bow." (Chogyal Pagpa).

At the upper left and right sides are two figures of the meditational deity Chakrasamvara. The mahasiddha Luipa tradition form of the deity stands on the left and the mahasiddha Krishnacharin form of the deity on the right. There are four figures of Amitayus Buddha, red in colour, and a single figure of Amitabha Buddha, also red.

Lower Register Figures from the Bari Gyatsa:
In the bottom register are eight deity figures:
14. Krishna Yamari
15. Krishna Yamari
16. Krishna Yamari
17. Shri Vajradharma (Avalokiteshvara)
18. Arya Simhanada (Avalokiteshvara)
19. Hala Hala Lokeshvara (Avalokiteshvara)
2O. Khasarpani (Avalokiteshvara)
21. Avalokiteshvara Shadakshara

Beginning on the left side are Hala Hala Avalokiteshvara, white, with three faces and six arms, a consort sits in the lap. Dharmakara Avalokiteshvara, red in colour, is seated in a meditation posture. Krishna Yamari, blue, wrathful with one face and two hands stands atop a buffalo. Krishna Yamari with six faces and six hands stands atop a buffalo. Krishna Yamari with three faces and six hands stands atop a sun disc. Simhanda Avalokiteshvara, white, peaceful, sits on the back of a white lion. Avalokiteshvara in a standing posture is white in colour with one face and two hands. Chaturbhuja Avalokiteshvara is white in colour, one face, four hands, and seated in a relaxed posture.

[14] Krishna Yamari, [six faces, six hands]. Yamari has a body black in colour, six faces and six hands. The main face and one above it are black. The right face and one above it are white. The left face and one above it are red. The first two hands hold a vajra and bell crossed at the heart. The middle two hold a skullcup and lasso. The last two hold a sword and staff. Standing with the front two legs in the vajrasana [posture], the middle two have the right bent and the left straight [and] the last two have the left bent and the right straight. The hair, eyebrows and beard are orange and flowing upwards, with a crown of five dry skulls and a necklace of fifty fresh [skulls]. Adorned with snake and jewel ornaments. Having a tiger skin as a lower garment.

[15] Krishna Yamari, [one face, two hands]. Krishna Yamari has one face and two hands. The right holds aloft a blue stick marked with a vajra and the left, a wrathful [gesture] together with a lasso held to the heart, with the same ornaments and appearance as before. Standing above a red buffalo in a manner with the left leg extended.

[16] Krishna Yamari, [three faces, six hands]. He is the same as all the other [previous Yamaris], with three faces and six hands, the body and main face are blue, the right white and the left red. With six hands, the three right hold, a wheel, sword and staff, the three left, a body impaled on a strong vetali tree, vajra and noose.

[17] Shri Vajradharma. Vajradharma has one face and two hands; the two are performing the gesture of meditative equipoise and holding above the stem of a lotus, with the same ornaments, appearance and garments as the others.

[18] Arya Simhanada. The Lord of the World Simhanada has a body white in colour, with one face, two hands, three eyes and the hair bound in a topknot. The right hand is on the knee, extended in the refuge giving gesture and the left placed firmly on the seat behind the back. Having the appearance of an ascetic and seated in the lalitaraja posture. On the right side is a white snake coiled around an upright trident. On the left side, above a lotus stalk is a skullcup filled with various fragrant flowers and adorned with a flaming sword.

[19] Hala Hala Lokeshvara. Lord of the World Hala Hala, with three faces and six hands. The body and main face are white, the right blue, the left yellow and each has three eyes. With six hands, the three right hold, [the gesture of] supreme generosity, a bead garland and an arrow; the three left, touching the breast of a goddess of [the] desire [realm] sitting upon the knee, a white lotus stem with three branches and a bow. With a skull garland and half moon as a crown. Wearing jewel ornaments and a tiger skin as a lower garment. Seated in a precious cave in the lalitasana [posture]. At the right side is a snake coiled around a trident. At the left, resting above a lotus is a flower filled skullcup.

[20] Khasarpani. Avalokiteshvara Khasarpani, with a body white in colour, one face and two hands, the right in supreme generosity [and] the left holding a lotus. With the hair adorned as a crown, the same ornaments and garments. Seated in the half [vajra] posture. At the right side is Green Tara, [with] the right in supreme generosity and the left holding an utpala [and] Yellow Manidharin holding a Dharma kapala with palms joined. At the left are Yellow Bhrikuti, [with] the right in supreme generosity and the left holding a three pointed stick [and] Red Hayagriva, in a manner of bowing with the right [hand], and the left holding a stick under the beard.

[21] Avalokiteshvara Shadakshara. The Six Letter Three [deity] Mandala. The Lord of the World with a body white in colour, one face and four hands. The first two hands are held at the heart with the palms together. The lower right holds a bead garland and the lower left a white lotus, the same ornaments and garments. Seated in the vajrasana [posture]. At the right is Manidharin and at the left is Shadakshari. Both are similar to the Lord in colour, ornaments and appearance.

Jeff Watt 12-2012

Chandali Pefection Stage Lineage (gtum mo lam rdzogs kyi brgyud pa):
1. Vajradhara (rdo rje 'chang)
2. Yogini (rRje btsun rnal 'byor ma)
3. Vajra Ghantapa (rdo rje dril bu pa)
4. Kurmapada (rus sbal zhabs)
5. Barwa Dzinpa ('bar ba 'dzin pa)
6. Kanha Shridhara (nag po shri dha ra)
7. Shridhara (dpal 'dzin)
8. Gayadhara (ga ya dha ra)
9. Mulu Lungdu Trulku Drub (mu lu lung du sprul sku 'grub)
10. Jetsun Kunrig (rje btsun kun rig)
11. Shanton Chobar (zhang ston chos 'bar)
12. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (rje sac hen)
13. Jetsun Sonam Tsemo (rje btsun bsod nams rtse mo)
14. Choje Dragpa Gyaltsen (chos rje grags pa rgyal mtshan)
15. Sakya Pandita (sa skya paN di ta)
16. Chogyal Pagpa (chos rgyal 'phags pa)
17. Shangton Konchog Pal (zhang ston dkon mchog dpal)
18. Dragpugpa Sonal Pal (brag phug pa bsod nams dpal)
19. Drogon Lama Sonam Gyaltsen ('gro mgon bla ma bsod nams rgyal mtshan)
20. Palden Tsultrim (dpal ldan tshul khrims)
21. Buddhashri (grub chen sangs rgyas dpal)
22. Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (ngor chen kun dga' bzang po)
23. Kechog Kunga Lodro (mkhas mchog kun dga' blo gros)
24. Ketsun Pal (mkhas btsun dpal ___)
25. Namkha Palzang (nam mkha' dpal bzang)
26. Root Guru (rtsa ba'i bla ma)

(Wisdom Calendar 1987 - October full catalog list)

Secondary Images