Vaishravana

From Rigpa Wiki
Revision as of 17:26, 19 January 2020 by RyanConlon (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Vaishravana

Vaishravana (Skt. Vaiśravaṇa; Tib. རྣམ་ཐོས་སྲས་, Namtösé; Wyl. rnam thos sras; Eng. 'Son of Viśravas') — one of the Four Great Kings, also known as Kubera. He is Guardian King of the North, in a realm called Aḍakavatī (Tib. ལྕང་ལོ་ཅན Canglocan; Wyl. lcang lo can), and leader of the yakshas (who are also called guhyakas).

Wearing golden armour, Vaishravana protected the gods from the asuras (demi-gods).

Vaishravana now occupies the highest position among the Four Guardian Kings and specifically protects Shakyamuni’s Vinaya teachings, protecting those who practise shila (self-discipline).

Because his breath is harmful he keeps his mouth tightly closed. He confers spiritual and material wealth on practitioners of the Dharma, symbolized by the jewel-producing mongoose in his left hand.

Further Reading

  • Crystal Mirror, volume VI, Dharma Publishing 1984