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| Vaiśravaṇa | |
|---|---|
 "Golden Vaiśravaṇa", uncovered atKhara-Khoto, former city of theTangut Empire; 13th century. | |
| Sanskrit | वैश्रवण Vaiśravaṇa |
| Pāli | वेस्सवण Vessavaṇa |
| Burmese | ကုဝေရ နတ်မင်း (Romanization: "Kuwera Nat Min") |
| Chinese | 多聞天 (Pinyin:Duōwén Tiānwáng) |
| Japanese | 毘沙門天 (romaji:Bishamonten) |
| Korean | 다문천 (RR:Damuncheon) |
| Mongolian | Баян Намсрай |
| Sinhala | වෙසමුණි |
| Thai | ท้าวเวสวัณ Thao Wetsuwan |
| Tibetan | ཡུལ་འཁོར་སྲུང Wylie: rnam thos sras THL: Namthöse |
| Vietnamese | Tỳ Sa Môn Thiên |
| Information | |
| Venerated by | Theravāda |
| Attributes | Guardian of the North |
.svg) Buddhism portal | |
Vaiśravaṇa (Sanskrit: वैश्रवण) orVessavaṇa (Pali;Tibetan:རྣམ་ཐོས་སྲས་,Lhasa dialect:[Namtösé],simplified Chinese:多闻天王;traditional Chinese:多聞天王;pinyin:Duōwén Tiānwáng,Japanese:毘沙門天,romanized: Bishamonten) is one of theFour Heavenly Kings, and is considered an important figure in Buddhism. He is the god of warfare and usually portrayed as a warrior-king.[1] Vaiśravana is based onKubera, theHindu deity of wealth.[2]
The nameVaiśravaṇa is avṛddhi derivative (used, e.g., for patronymics) of the Sanskrit proper nameViśravaṇa from the rootvi-śru "hear distinctly", (passive) "become famous".[3][original research?] The nameVaiśravaṇa is derived from the Sanskritviśravaṇa which means "son ofVishrava", a usual epithet of the Hindu godKubera.[3][4][5][6]Vaiśravaṇa is also known as Kubera and Jambhala in Sanskrit and Kuvera in Pāli.[7][8]
Other names include:
The character ofVaiśravaṇa is founded upon theHindu deityKubera, but although the Buddhist and Hindu deities share some characteristics and epithets, each of them has different functions and associated myths. Although brought intoEast Asia as a Buddhist deity,Vaiśravaṇa has become a character in folk religion and has acquired an identity that is partially independent of the Buddhist tradition (cf. the similar treatment ofGuanyin andYama).
Vaiśravaṇa is the guardian of the northern direction, and his home is in the northern quadrant of the topmost tier of the lower half ofSumeru. He is the leader of all theyakṣas who dwell on the Sumeru's slopes.In the Indian tradition, very often he is identified with Kubera. It seems that Vaiśravaṇa has a non-Vedic non-Aryan origin.[9] Originally he appears to be a spirit or a goblin lying concealed in the hollows and clefts of the earth. Gradually, he became comparatively a benevolent spirit. And he attained the status of the leadership of Guhyaka-s and Yakṣa-s, the lordship of treasures, and the guardianship of the Northern Direction.[10]
He is often portrayed with a yellow face. He carries an umbrella or parasol (chatra) as a symbol of his sovereignty. He is also sometimes displayed with amongoose, often shown ejecting jewels from its mouth. The mongoose is the enemy of the snake, a symbol of greed or hatred; the ejection of jewels represents generosity.
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In thePāli Canon ofTheravāda Buddhism,Vaiśravaṇa is calledVessavaṇa.Vessavaṇa is one of theCāturmahārājika deva or "Four Great Heavenly Kings", each of whom rules over a specific direction.Vessavaṇa's realm is the northern quadrant of the world, including the land ofUttarakuru. According to some suttas, he takes his name from a region there calledVisāṇa; he also has a city there called Ālakamandā which is a byword for wealth.Vessavaṇa governs theyakshas – beings with a nature between 'fairy' and 'ogre'.
Vessavaṇa's wife is named Bhuñjatī, and he has five daughters, Latā, Sajjā, Pavarā, Acchimatī, and Sutā. He has a nephew calledPuṇṇaka, a yakkha, husband of thenāga woman Irandatī. He has a chariot called Nārīvāhana. He is calledgadāvudha (Sanskrit:gadāyudha) "armed with a club", but he only used it before he became a follower of the Buddha.
Vessavaṇa has the name "Kuvera" from a name he had from a past life as a rich Brahmin mill-owner from Sri Lanka, who gave all the produce of one of his seven mills to charity, and provided alms to the needy for 20,000 years. He was reborn in the Cātummahārājikā heaven as a result of this goodkarma.
As with all the Buddhist deities,Vessavaṇa is properly the name of an office (filled for life) rather than a permanent individual. EachVessavaṇa is mortal, and when he dies, he will be replaced by a newVessavaṇa. Like other beings of the Cātummahārājika world, his lifespan is 90,000 years (other sources say nine million years).Vessavaṇa has the authority to grant the yakkhas particular areas (e.g., a lake) to protect, and these are usually assigned at the beginning of aVessavaṇa's reign.
WhenGautama Buddha was born,Vessavaṇa became his follower, and eventually attained the stage ofsotāpanna, one who has only seven more lives before enlightenment. He often brought the Buddha and his followers messages from the gods and other humans, and protected them. He presented to the Buddha theĀṭānāṭā verses, which Buddhists meditating in the forest could use to ward off the attacks of wild yakkhas or other supernatural beings who do not have faith in the Buddha. These verses are an early form ofparitta chanting.
Bimbisāra, King ofMagadha, after his death was reborn as a yakkha called Janavasabha in the retinue ofVessavaṇa.
In the early years of Buddhism,Vessavaṇa was worshipped at trees dedicated to him as shrines. Some people appealed to him to grant them children.
In China, Vaiśravaṇa, also known asPíshāméntiān (毗沙門天), is one of theFour Heavenly Kings, and is he is considered to be a warrior god and protector of the north. He is also regarded as one of theTwenty Devas (二十諸天 Èrshí Zhūtiān) or theTwenty-Four Devas (二十四諸天 Èrshísì zhūtiān), a group of Buddhist dharmapalas who manifest to protect the Dharma.[11] In Chinese Buddhist iconography, he holds a pagoda in his right hand and a trident in his left hand.[12] In Chinese temples, he is often enshrined within the Hall of the Heavenly Kings (天王殿) with the other three Heavenly Kings. His name Duōwén Tiānwáng (多聞天王 lit. "listening to many (teachings)") is a reference to the belief that he guards the place where the Buddha teaches.[12] In Taoist belief, he is conflated with the godLi Jing, whose iconography incorporates many of Vaiśravaṇa's characteristics, such as carrying a pagoda.
In Japan,Bishamonten (毘沙門天), or justBishamon (毘沙門) is thought of as an armor-clad god ofwar or warriors and a punisher of evildoers. Bishamon is portrayed holding a spear in one hand and a smallpagoda in the other hand, the latter symbolizing the divine treasure house, whose contents he both guards and gives away. InJapanese folklore, he is one of theSeven Lucky Gods.
Bishamon is also called Tamonten (多聞天 lit. "listening to many teachings") because he is seen as the guardian of the places where the Buddha preaches. He is believed to live halfway downMount Sumeru. He is also associated withHachiman. Especially in theShingon tradition that gives some place and worth to this hybrid character of Bishamon although most Mahayana temples have Bishamon and his counterpart as guardians at the entrance gate.[13]
In Tibet,Vaiśravaṇa is considered alokapāla ordharmapāla in the retinue ofRatnasambhava.[14] He is also known as the King of the North. As guardian of the north, he is often depicted on temple murals outside the main door. He is also thought of as a god of wealth. As such,Vaiśravaṇa is sometimes portrayed carrying acitron, the fruit of thejambhara tree, a pun on another name of his,Jambhala. The fruit helps distinguish him iconically from depictions ofKuvera. He is sometimes represented as corpulent and covered with jewels. When shown seated, his right foot is generally pendant and supported by alotus-flower on which is a conch shell. His mount is asnow lion. Tibetan Buddhists consider Jambhala's sentiment regarding wealth to be providing freedom by way of bestowing prosperity, so that one may focus on the path or spirituality rather than on the materiality and temporality of that wealth.
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InThailand, he resolves the dispute that arose in the legend ofNang Ai and Phadaeng.[citation needed] At Wat Chulamanee temple inSamut Songkhram Province, there is a huge statue of him that is very popular in worship, until becoming a phenomenon in the early 2022.[15]
In addition, Vaiśravaṇa also appears as the Seal ofUdon Thani Province. According to the myth, Udon Thani is on the north direction, which is the resident of guardian of the north or Vaiśravaṇa.
The 2011mangaNoragami, which revolves aroundJapanese mythology, depicts this deity's Japanese iteration Bishamonten as a lady possessing similar traits and equipped with modern weapons.[16]
In the animeRecord of Ragnarok, Bishamonten also made a depiction as a fighter of theRagnarok, representing the Gods.[citation needed]
In theTouhou Project video game series,Shou Toramaru, a tiger yōkai, serves as a physical avatar of Bishamonten. She has the ability to gather treasures and create gemstones with her jeweled pagoda, reflecting Bishamonten's status as one of theSeven Lucky Gods.[citation needed]
In the 2021 mangaWind Breaker (manga), the character Tōma Hiragi represents Bishamonten, which is pictured as someone dressed in black leather and chains, standing on a pile of skulls and holding a long metal pipe in one hand and anMP3 player in the other.[17]
Vaisravana is one of the four god-kings; he presides over the north. Vaiśravana is shown as the armored warrior holding an umbrella or parasol in one hand and a stupa in the other. For the Buddhists in the north, notably in Serindia, [he] had become a veritable god of war.
A series of Tantric sūtras translated into Chinese allegedly by Amoghavajra celebrated Vaisravana as both military and personal protector-figure. His identification with Kuvēra, the ancient Hindu god of wealth, is well known. It was this which accounted for his association with the Crystal Palace, the dwelling of nagas. As god of the northern regions, renowned for their fine horses and warriors, Vaiśravana came also to assume the role of supreme Warrior-king.
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