Item: Ushnishavijaya (Buddhist Deity) - (Nine Deity Configuration)

Ushnishavijaya (Tibetan: tsug tor nam par gyal ma): goddess of long-life, white in colour, with three faces and eight hands. The blessing verses along the bottom were written by the 4th Amdo Shamar Gendun Tendzin Gyatso (1852-1912) [P196]. He was a teacher of the young 13th Dalai Lama. The painting was commissioned by a Mongolian named Lobzang Samdrub.

"Ushnishavijaya, the colour of an autumn moon, with three faces, white, yellow and blue and eight hands. Each face has three very large eyes. The first right hand holds a visvavajra, second a white lotus with Amitabha residing, third an arrow and fourth, in supreme generosity. The first left holds a vajra lasso, second a bow, third bestowing protection and fourth in meditative equipoise holding an auspicious nectar vase; complete with silks and jewel ornaments, seated in [vajra] posture."

"On the right, above a moon is Avalokiteshvara with a body white in colour, the left hand holds a lotus. On the left, above a sun is Vajrapani, blue, the left hand holds an utpala with vajra. Both, for the right wave fly whisks, stand in a peaceful manner, adorned with silks and jewels. To the east is blue Acala brandishing a sword, south blue Takkiraja with a hook, west blue Niladanda with a stick and north, blue Mahabala with a trident. Also, with the left all perform the wrathful gesture at the heart, wearing jewel and snake ornaments, a lower garment of tiger skin, on a lotus and sun seat with the left [leg] extended in a wrathful manner. Above the main [deity] in the two directions are Devaputras holding nectar vases for cleansing the body." (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, 1820-1892).

Jeff Watt 8-2012