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Among the many dharma protectors in Buddhism, Mahakala and Palden Lhamo are the most renowned. Mahakala, whom we often encounter in Buddhist scriptures, is also known as Mahakala.
Mahakala is the manifestation of the Three Roots of Buddhism and the foremost male protector. Practicing his methods is equivalent to practicing the methods of all male protectors simultaneously. He appears in wrathful form to subdue stubborn beings. Besides protecting the dharma, he and his retinue manifest in dozens of forms, including six-armed black body, six-armed white body, four-armed, and two-armed forms. Today, we will discuss only the most common manifestations.
Black Six-Armed Mahakala
The Six-Armed Black Mahakala is the wrathful manifestation of the compassionate heart of Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara. He harbors profound compassion within while displaying unmatched ferocity without. In Tibetan Buddhism, practicing and making offerings to this protector can dispel various obstacles, increase favorable conditions and wealth. He also protects beings from the suffering of the bardo state, alleviates life's hardships and poverty, and fulfills all positive wishes.
The Six-Armed Mahakala has one face and six arms, with three wrathful eyes. His body is blue-black; his forehead and eyebrows are furrowed, with fiery red angry brows above each eye. His hair stands upright, crowned with a skull diadem, wearing a necklace made of human heads. His upper body is draped with elephant skin, lower body with tiger skin, and he has a large belly.
On his chest, his left hand holds a kapala bowl symbolizing wisdom, while his right hand holds a curved knife representing method. His upper left hand carries a trident that severs the three poisons of desire, anger, and ignorance that afflict people. His upper right hand holds a rosary made of human bone to prevent laziness. His lower left hand holds a vajra rope that binds all evil spirits, and his lower right hand grips a kapala drum that drives away demons. He stands majestically atop the White Elephant King of Wealth.
White Six-Armed Mahakala
The Six-Armed White Mahakala is the compassionate manifestation of Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara. The White Brave Protector, or White Mahakala, is a variation of Mahakala and one of the wisdom wealth protectors in Tibetan Buddhism. Residing in the charnel grounds, he can attract accomplishments from all three realms, summon wealth, merit, and longevity, increase the three wisdoms of learning, contemplation, and meditation, and follows practitioners who strictly maintain their tantric vows, assisting them in pacifying, increasing, controlling, and wrathful activities.
The Six-Armed White Mahakala has one face, six arms, and three eyes, with a snow-white body, protruding fangs, and curled tongue. He wears a jewel-studded crown, adorned with ornaments, small bells, celestial scarves, and colorful skirts, with a short, stout figure. Each foot stands on a White Elephant King of Wealth holding a precious rat. His six arms represent the perfection of the six paramitas. The six arms counter six afflictions: greed, anger, ignorance, and stinginess, manifesting as six arms to cut through these afflictions.
Four-Armed Mahakala
The Four-Armed Mahakala is a manifestation of Chakrasamvara, embodying all buddhas' body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities. In Vajrayana, protectors are seen as Chakrasamvara's manifestation to subdue one's own mental demons, representing fearless and unhesitating liberation benefiting all beings—essentially a display of loving compassion. It is said that making offerings to this protector can eliminate karmic and demonic obstacles, especially hindrances to work and life caused by anger.
Four-Armed Mahakala has one face and four arms, representing the four tantric activities (pacifying, increasing, controlling, and wrathful). His three eyes are wide open and red, with eyebrows like flames, and blue-black skin with hair standing upright. He wears a crown of skulls, adorned with snakes and white bones, a necklace of blood-covered human heads, and a tiger-skin skirt. He sits in the wishfulfilling posture on a lotus, sun disc, and corpse seat, surrounded by blazing wisdom fire.
Two-Armed Mahakala
The Two-Armed Mahakala is the wrathful manifestation of Samantabhadra and Vajradhara Buddha, also known as the Two-Armed Great Black Robe Protector or Vajra Black Robe. He is an activity protector and one of the three roots: guru, deity, and protector.
He is also the special protector of successive Karmapas (the Gyalwa Karmapa), having vowed to protect the Karmapa's dharma propagation, thus becoming the supreme protector of the Karma Kagyu lineage. Tibetan Buddhism believes that the Two-Armed Mahakala can bless practitioners' activities, bringing success and smoothness to those who make offerings to him.
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