Item: Hevajra (Buddhist Deity) - Margapala Instruction Lineage

Shri Hevajra and Vajra Nairatmya (Tibetan: pal gye pa dor je), a principal Tantric deity of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism from the tradition of the artist Sonam Gyaltsen and atelier (15th century).

Sanskrit: Hevajra Tibetan: Gye pa dor je

The name of the male figure means 'Hail to the Vajra' and the female, held in an embrace, 'The Egoless One.' Tantric deities are not real. They are not gods as found in the various Hindu religions of India. Buddhist deities are either borrowed from classical Indian religion or they are created in order to represent certain Buddhist principals and usually encapsulate a metaphor of some kind. The general metaphor for Hevajra is war and modeled after the Vedic god Indra, the Indian god of thunder, weather and war. The principal symbolic attribute of Hevajra, as well as held in the hand, is the vajra scepter. Inherited from the Indo-European gods, such as Zeus/Jupiter, the vajra is also understood to be a lightning bolt. In India there are many ways to explain the meaning of the word vajra based on various literature, but generally it is understood as a weapon. In Tantric Buddhism the vajra is both a weapon and the supreme symbol that visually represents this unique form of Indian Buddhism. An alternate name for the branch of Buddhism is Vajrayana, meaning the 'Vajra Vehicle' or the 'Path of the Vajra.' Hevajra is not however unique for holding the vajra symbol. Many other Buddhist deities such as Vajrapani and Vajradhara are associated with the ubiquitous symbol.

Popular in India from approximately the 8th century C.E., the form of Hevajra is based on a specific text called the Two Part Hevajra King of Tantras text – also called the root text in short. There are other tantras that are included under the principal text forming a cycle of tantras and creating a larger system of philosophical and meditational practices. The most common form, or appearance, of Hevajra and Nairatmya is with the male deity having eight faces, sixteen arms, and four legs. This form is called the 'Essence Hevajra'. From the root text three other forms represent body, speech and mind, which are important topics in tantric theory. The secondary tantras within and under the canopy of the Hevajra Tantra describe further forms of the deity with predominantly minor changes in appearance, colour, and the objects held in the many hands.

Orthodoxy and accuracy in appearance for meditational figures is important but not always uniform. The primary and secondary characteristics of the form have several levels of meaning which are based on general Buddhist principles and concepts along with more nuanced meanings belonging to Tantric theory. Accuracy is determined by orthodoxy first, oral explanation based on a recognized lineage of teachers second, and regional aesthetics and the passage of time third. This Sonam Gyaltsen tradition sculpture of Hevajra is identified based on all three criteria.

The form of Hevajra follows the Sanskrit textual description. An important observation is the placement of the animals and figures in the sixteen skull bowls held in the sixteen hands. The animals on the proper right side must face inward in a correct order. The figures in the bowls on the left side must face outward. If the artist is accurate with this detail of the hand attributes then they are likely well familiar with the correct iconography and the orthodox literature. However, the placement of the legs does not follow the early interpretations of the original text. The stance with this sculpture depicts the two right legs standing atop four prone figures and the two left legs drawn up in a dancing posture. The iconographic interpretation, according to the Sakya tradition, is based on the oral instructions of the Indian teacher Virupa (9th century). It does however follow accepted Tibetan practices for depictions of Hevajra from approximately the 14th century onward. Oral instructions are often not without some controversy. This dance posture with respect to Hevajra is not used by other Tibetan Buddhist traditions such as the Gelug and Kagyu. Some Sakya derived traditions prefer to use the earlier traditional posture rather than the orally explained dance posture.

The sculpture of the deity couple can be further identifed by region based on style. A sculptural style requires a sufficient number of similar objects and a relationship to a specific region or artist. Comparison with known comparable images identifies this Hevajra image as belonging to the Sonam Gyaltsen tradition of art. Sonam Gyaltsen has already been shown to work in the Shigatse area of Tsang province, Tibet, in the early to mid 15th century. This information comes by way of a Tibetan written inscription found on the base of a large Avalokiteshvara sculpture that was studied in January, 2018 (Himalayan Art Resources #61516). The inscription provides the names of two donors, the artist's name - Sonam Gyaltsen, and the person for whom the object was respectfully made and gifted to. The main characteristics of the tradition are gilt figures, turqoise insets, delicate incising on the garments, and flat broad lotus petals surrounding the base. Since the publication of the inscription, and the identification of the historical figures, more than 100 sculpture in the very same, or closely related style, have been identified as belonging to the tradition of Sonam Gyaltsen – a golden era of Tibetan sculpture.

"...Shri Hevajra with a body blue in colour, eight faces, sixteen hands and four legs. The main face is blue, right white, left red, upper face smoky; the two remaining pairs of faces are black. Each face has three eyes and four bared fangs; yellow hair flowing upwards; the top of the head is marked with a vishvavajra. The sixteen hands hold sixteen skullcups. The first right holds a white elephant, the first left holds the yellow God of Earth; these two embrace the Mother. In the second right is a blue horse; third - ass with a white patch; fourth - yellow bull; fifth - ash-coloured camel; sixth - red man; seventh - blue sharabha; eighth - cat with a white patch. In the second left hand is the white God of Water; third - red God of Fire; fourth - green God of Air; fifth - white God of the Moon; sixth - red God of the Sun; seventh - blue Yama; eighth - yellow Holder of Wealth. Each head has a crown of five dry human skulls; and a necklace of fifty fresh heads; six bone ornaments; the two right legs are extended, on the thighs the toes of the two folded left legs are pressing in the half-[vajra] posture in a dancing manner; possessing the nine sentiments of dancing: grace, strength and ugliness; laughter, ferocity and frightful; compassion, fury and peace. In the lap is the mother Vajra Nairatmya, with a body blue in colour, one face, two hands, three eyes; yellow hair flowing upwards; right a curved knife, left holding a skullcup and embracing the father; five dry human skulls as a crown; a necklace of fifty dry [skulls]; five bone ornaments; left leg extended and the right drawn up embracing the father. Both are standing in the middle of a blazing fire of pristine awareness." (Ngagwang Legpa, 1867-1941 [based on Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub]).

Jeff Watt. New York. July 6th 2020.