Wrathful "Mahakala" with Phurba and Kapala?

[conebeckham]

Is anyone familiar with a form of Mahakala, or other wrathful deity (Guru Rinpoche emanation, perhaps?) with two arms, one face, two legs, and holding a kapala in left hand, and brandishing a Phurba aloft in the right?

Need to identify a Thangka for an auction, and haven't come across such iconography before.....thanks.

[Blue Garuda]

Well, if you don't know I'm damn sure I won't! LOL

Maybe a form of Hayagriva if not Mahakala, but both have so many forms.

If it were female I'd say Yeshe Tsogyal .

[florin]

Is anyone familiar with a form of Mahakala, or other wrathful deity (Guru Rinpoche emanation, perhaps?) with two arms, one face, two legs, and holding a kapala in left hand, and brandishing a Phurba aloft in the right?

Need to identify a Thangka for an auction, and haven't come across such iconography before.....thanks.

The wikipedia description of two arms mahakala http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C4%81k ... festations

[mindyourmind]

Did HH Karmapa XVII not paint one some years ago?

I will go and have a look in my files.

[ratna]

Something like this? http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/90552.html

Is anyone familiar with a form of Mahakala, or other wrathful deity (Guru Rinpoche emanation, perhaps?) with two arms, one face, two legs, and holding a kapala in left hand, and brandishing a Phurba aloft in the right?

Need to identify a Thangka for an auction, and haven't come across such iconography before.....thanks.

[conebeckham]

Yo, Ratna, thanks! Nailed it...though I wish there were some more specific info, at least I can gather that it's a form of Mahakala, indeed, from the Nyingma traditions. That's a great start, and may be enough......

[conebeckham]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26493078@N05/6939234714/

Here it is...

[Karinos]

robes and clothes could indicate specific form of Mahakala Maning

[ngodrup]

Might be Maning. How about Guru Drakpo?

[heart]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26493078@N05/6939234714/

Here it is...

One of the deities in the Tukdrup Barche Kunsel looks like that, but he got phurbas in booth hands. So it could be a form of Guru Rinpoche.

/magnus

[Kunga]

He is Tsogdag Mahakala. The wang lineage comes originally from Vairotsana, but there is also a terma lineage.

[Dorje Nyingpo]

He is Tsogdag Mahakala. The wang lineage comes originally from Vairotsana, but there is also a terma lineage.

„Tertön Namkha Rinchen's Terma revelation, known as Gonpo Tsogdag (Protector Mahakala) is an Anu Yoga protector in the Kham tradition. This lineage was transmitted to the Vidyadhara Kunzang Sherab, who constructed a new protector shrine for this practice. In addition, he instituted this aspect of Mahakala to be a general protector of the Nyingmapa school.“

(From “A Garland of Immortal Wish-fulfilling Trees. The Palyul Tradition of Nyingmapa“ by Ven. Tsering Lama Jampal Zangpo, Snow Lion, 1988, p. 30-31)

[Dorje Nyingpo]

One of the deities in the Tukdrup Barche Kunsel looks like that, but he got phurbas in both hands. So it could be a form of Guru Rinpoche.

/magnus

According to the tsaklis on Himalayan Art Resources there are two emanations of Guru Rinpoche in the Tukdrub Barche Kunsel with phurbas in both hands (http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=744). According to a German book ("Padmasambhava. Leben und Wundertaten des grossen tantrischen Meisters im Spiegel der tibetischen Bildkunst", p. 123, http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/3770127 ... oks&sr=1-4) one is Dudul Drakpo Tsal:



...or also called Dorje Drakpo Tsal, the secret form of Guru Rinpoche for dispelling all obstacles, like mentioned here:

“Then, while imagining your root guru above the crown of your head, chant Buddha of the Three Times, an incredibly blessed supplication especially suited for these times. Most people in Tibet did not have to learn this supplication to the guru, because the Dharma was so widespread that even small children could chant it without deliberate study. When we chant,

Düsum sangye guru rinpoche
Buddha of the three times, Guru Rinpoche,

we are supplicating Guru Rinpoche who carries out all the activities of all the buddhas in order to tame beings. When we chant,

Ngödrub kündag dewa chenpö shab
Lord of all accomplishments, great blissful one,

we recognize his attainment as the Guru of Great Bliss - Guru Dewa Chenpo. We know that he can conquer all when we chant,

Barchey künsel düdül drakpo tsal
Dispeller of all obstacles, wrathful tamer of Maras.

This is the external practice. The treasures of Chokgyur Lingpa include the external practice, called Barchey Künsel, "Clearing Away the Obstacles," the inner practice, Sampa Lhundrub, and the secret practice, Dorje Draktsal. These lines contain all three. The first line, "Buddha of the three times, Guru Rinpoche" is the outer practice, Barchey Künsel. The next line is the Sampa Lhundrub, the inner practice, and the third line is the secret practice:, Dorje Drakpo Tsal. One supplicates all three.

Solwa debso jingyi lobtu sol
I supplicate you, please grant your blessings.

Chinang sangwey barchey shiwa dang
Please pacify the outer, inner and secret obstacles.

The outer obstacles are the obstacles of the outer elements. The inner obstacles are those of the channels and winds. The secret obstacles are those of grasping and fixation. So the essence of the Barchey Künsel, the external practice, is to pacify or dispel these three kinds of obstacles.

Sampa lhüngyi drubpar jingyi lob
Bless me with the spontaneous fulfillment of my wishes.

Through this blessing, whatever you wish for, such as the supreme and common siddhis, may be spontaneously accomplished. In fact, when obstacles are cleared away, the siddhis will be spontaneously accomplished.
The Barchey Künsel sadhana is contained in the Essence Manual of Oral Instructions. However the essence of this instruction is condensed into the supplication, "Buddha of the three times, Guru Rinpoche.“ One wishes to accomplish the common and supreme siddhis. One supplicates wholeheartedly, with a single-pointed frame of mind, without any doubt. One resolves there is no hope or refuge elsewhere than in the Guru." (From "Vajra Heart" by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, p. 62-64)

Now, who please can tell me the name of the other emanation looking like a form of Mahakala also with a phurba in each hand? Is it like Dorje Drakpo Tsal also one of the following names of the 12 emanations of Guru Rinpoche?

"The twelve emanations (Wyl. rnam 'phrul bcu gnyis) of Guru Rinpoche are found in the Tukdrup Barché Künsel for example, from which the prayer called Barche Lamsel is extracted. They are:

1. Gyalwé Dungdzin (rgyal ba'i gdung 'dzin)
2. Mawé Sengé (Wyl. smra ba'i seng ge; Skt. Vādisiṃha)
3. Kyechok Tsulzang (skyes mchog tshul bzang)
4. Dükyi Shechen (bdud kyi gshed chen)
5. Dzamling Gyenchok ('dzam gling rgyan mchog)
6. Pemajungné (Wyl. padma 'byung gnas; Skt. Padmākara)
7. Kyepar Phakpé Rigdzin (khyad par 'phags pa'i rig 'dzin)
8. Dzütrul Tuchen (rdzu 'phrul mthu chen)
9. Dorjé Drakpo Tsal (rdo rje drag po rtsal)
10. Kalden Drendzé (skal ldan 'dren mdzad)
11. Raksha Tötreng (raksha thod phreng)
12. Dechen Gyalpo (bde chen rgyal po)

Further Reading
Shechen Gyaltsap IV and Rinchen Dargye, A Practice of Padmasambhava: Essential Instructions on the Path to Awakening (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2011)." (From http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?titl ... u_Rinpoche)

[lelopa]

This Mahakala is a Chod-Dharmapala and is called Aghora Mahakala. You could find him on Chod-Refuge thangkas.....

[Orgyen Tara]

As per the comments, does anyone have an image of Palyul protector Tsog Dag that is for sure accurately that protector without question, and/or any further info about Tsog Dag

Thanks

[tingdzin]

though I wish there were some more specific info, at least I can gather that it's a form of Mahakala, indeed, from the Nyingma traditions. That's a great start, and may be enough......

If you have access to a sufficient selection of Palyul thangkas, you could compare the lineage figures above the figure and see if they match. This is sometimes helpful to establish affiliations.

[Karma Dorje]

As per the comments, does anyone have an image of Palyul protector Tsog Dag that is for sure accurately that protector without question, and/or any further info about Tsog Dag

Thanks

Tsogdag is the Tibetan translation of “Ganapati”.

[Orgyen Tara]

That is true, but there is also a Mahakala with the same name/ same spelling. If you go back through the comments you’ll see reference to that

[Orgyen Tara]

Also just mentioning that I have offering prayers for both Tsog Dags, one has the usual Ganapati appearance the other is a Mahakala with Mahakala mantra at the end, but yes you usually think of Ganapati when you hear ‘Tsog Dag’

[PeterC]

Is anyone familiar with a form of Mahakala, or other wrathful deity (Guru Rinpoche emanation, perhaps?) with two arms, one face, two legs, and holding a kapala in left hand, and brandishing a Phurba aloft in the right?

Need to identify a Thangka for an auction, and haven't come across such iconography before.....thanks.

Any other clues - color, seat, peripheral figures in the thangka? Snakes on the wrists? Wearing which animal skins? Presumably it has the standard five skulls and fifty severed heads?

Phurba and Kapala obviously suggests GR