Padmasambhav as Rdo-rje-gro-lod (Vajradamodara) (The Manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava)

Padmasambhava or the "the Lotus-born one" whom Tibetans usually called Guru Rinpoche, founder of Lamaism in Tibet, was a great Indian Tantric wizard priest. He is credited with supernatural powers and receives more active worship than any other saint. He is commonly worshipped in his eight forms. The Guru's so-called history is interwoven with supernatural fantasies. The eight forms of Padmasambhava are named according to actions he performed during his lifetime.

Among the eight forms one is named Rdo-rje-gro-lod. Thurman has also named this form as Vajradamodara and compared it with Vishnu. It is said that Padmasambhava took this form at the Tiger's Lair (Tagtsang) cave in Bhutan in order to subdue demons that were troubling the people there. He flew there mounted on the back of his consort, the Mon princess Tashi Kyidren, who transformed herself into a flying tigress.

Rdo-rje-gro-lod is presented here as a stocky figure with a brown body, deep brown hair, flowing robes, and deep brown hair. He holds a vajra and a dagger. His expression is very ferocious. He rides an equally fierce tigress, which tramples a prostrate body in an ocean of blood. He wears a garland of freshly severed human heads, earrings and bracelets. The vigor of the bold flame patterns on his back serves to enliven and add force to the image.

Around the principal figure, green mountainous landscapes with natural vegetation and blue lakes have been depicted. It contains little scene, with various lamas meditating. Among them one in the uppermost of the left side, is in meditating posture just above his seat in rainbow light. A Nyingma lama, wearing a Padmasambhava hat is seated at the top center in clouds. In the middle ground, a dakini, depicted on the left, is approaching the Guru with an offering. Her expression is also ferocious and she is wearing a tiger-skin skirt. At the bottom left a siddha is seated under the trees on a cushion with bundles of scriptures and he is also writing perhaps teaching and philosophy of Padmasambhava. The bottom center is filled with the figures of rocks, flowers, leaves and charnel ground.

In the present thangka figures have been brilliantly drawn and painted. It is very much suitable for sadhana and/or a museum collection.

References: A.Getty, The Gods Of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962

B.Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Calcutta, 1968

M.M. Rhie & R.A.F. Thurman, World of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1999

This description by Dr. Shailendra Kumar Verma, Ph.D. His doctorate thesis being on the "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D)."

Click Here to View the Thangka Painting along with its Brocade

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