Item: Worldly Protector (Buddhist) - Drogdze Wangmo

Drog Dze Wangmo (English: the Powerful Friend): Nyingma protector of the Terma Tradition.

"...One Mother, Mistress of the Three Realms, with a body maroon in colour, ferocious and frightful in appearance, having one face and two hands. In the right, eating the heart of an enemy, blood dripping and warm. Reflecting the Three Realms - the left holds a mirror. Wearing an upper garment of white silk, a tiger skin lower garment and a fresh human skin cloak. Dark brown hair hanging downward, earrings, a crown of five dry skulls and a necklace of fifty fresh, a garland of bones and a long necklace; standing haughtily with the left leg extended..." (Min-ling Lochen Dharmashri, 1654-1718. Tibetan source text part II, pp.261-262).

Fearsome and wrathful, maroon in colour, she has one face and two hands, three glaring round eyes and a gaping mouth with bared fangs. The right hand holds up to the mouth a fresh heart and the left upraised a mirror reflecting the universe. Adorned with a tiara of five dry skulls, bone earrings, necklace, bracelets, anklets and a long necklace of freshly severed heads she wears an upper robe of human skin and a lower skirt of tiger. She stands with the right leg bent, balanced on the heel, and the left straight, above a twisted corpse and golden sun disc atop a lotus flower. Surrounded by the wild orange flames of pristine awareness she dwells in front of an ornate skull palace. Placed before her as an offering a red triangle torma (stylized food) is arranged in a large white skullcup with two smaller skull bowls to the sides.

"Owner of all charnel ground places, baneful Mistress of local protectors and dakas, with unsurpassed power of prescience and magical emanation; homage to the yogini Drog Dze Wangmo." (Nyingma liturgical verse).

Encircled by four attendants; at the left is a yellow Dakini holding a heart and mirror attired the same as the Lord Mistress, dancing on a corpse surrounded by flame. To the right is a red Dakini, lower left white and lower right green; all have the same basic appearance.

Above, seated in a sphere, Padmasambhava performs a wrathful gesture while holding a vajra with the right hand and in the left held to the side is a nectar filled skullcup; supporting a katvanga staff against the shoulder. Attired in the usual robes he wears a lotus hat. At the left is a wrathful protector, dark blue, holding a kila (peg) in the upraised right hand and a skullcup and katvanga on the left; standing above a corpse and surrounded by flame. At the right is another protector, dark blue, holding a spear in the right and a heart in the left; standing above a corpse surrounded by the flames of pristine awareness.

Jeff Watt 10-98

Publications
Publication: Dojo Bumzang - Images

Thematic Sets
Buddhist Deity: Drogdze Wangmo Masterworks
Subject: Three Eyed Deities
Buddhist Worldly Protector: Drogdze Wangmo Main Page
Subject: Protector Deities Main Page (All Traditions)
Buddhist Protectors, Worldly Deities (Lokapala)
Buddhist Worldly Protector: Drogdze Wangmo Masterworks
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Painting Gallery 2
Subject: Deity Colours - Other (Misc. Activities)
Buddhist Protectors: Worldly (Nyingma)
Buddhist Protectors: Worldly (Female)