84 mahasiddhas

Illustration from a Tibetan Blockprint

Rmad byung byin rlabs gter chen rdo rje chang /
Rmad byung grub thob brgyad cu rtsa bzhi’I /
Ngo mtsar sku brnyan rtogs snying gsol smon bcas /
Ngo mtsar ltad mo’I zhal bzang zhes bya bzhugs //

The distinctive and informal iconography of the group of mahāsiddhas (literally ‘highly accomplished ones’) sets it apart in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist art and makes it difficult to apply our systems of description, as has already been noted. Since the mahāsiddhas are a favorite subject of Tibetan and Mongolian artists, found in a wide variety of thangkas, the problem of identifying these figures cannot be avoided. But eighty-four representations on twenty-eight sheets is not a great number, and a figure may be found as needed simply by leafing through them.

The Mahāsiddhas are among the most venerated teachers in Vajrayāna Buddhism. All schools of Tibetan Buddhism count a number of them among their spiritual precursors. These siddhas include Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, Shantideva, Chandrakirti, Dharmakirti and Atisha. Some four hundred works in the Tibetan canon are attributed to siddhas in the group of eight-four. Their life stories were compiled by such renowned Buddhist scholars as Phagpa Lama, Londol Lama, and Taranatha.

The mahāsiddhas are usually depicted in free-style poses, in the likeness of yogis with the corresponding attributes. The somewhat grotesque treatment of these figures contrasts with the rigorously canonic poses of official representatives of the clergy, thereby emphasizing the independence of Tantric asceticism from the monastic form of Buddhism. Nonetheless, such well-known figures as Nāgārjuna (see fol. 6, 16), Shantideva Bhikṣu (see fol.14,41), and others are depicted in the likeness of monks. Lay siddhas are shown at their usual work: Gorura (see fol.20, 55) is catching birds, and Medhina (see fol.18, 50) is plowing. Certain mahāsiddhas – Goroksha and Matsyendra Natha, for example, - are venerated not only by Buddhists but by Hindu Shivaites and Sufis as well.

Out drawings make up a set of illustrations to the cycle of life stories compiled by Abhayadatta, a famed Buddhist author of the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. A distinctive feature of the tradition of Abhayadatta is the inclusion of four women in the ranks of the mahāsiddhas – Manibhadra (see fol. 24, 65), Mekhala (see fol.24, 66), Kanakhala (see fol.24, 67), and Lakshminkara (see fol.30, 82) – which further serves to emphasize the ‘democratic’ nature of Vajrayāna Buddhism.

The blockprint published here, containing images of all eighty-four mahāsiddhas, was first brought to the attention of scholars in 1981. This copy was given to me by the Venerable Jimba-Jamtso Tsybenov, who told me that he had brought it from Tuva at the end of the 1960s. In the opinion of Jimba-Jamtso, the illustrations most likely go back to an Indian original. In any event, they are a more reliable source than the drawing of modern American artists published by J.B.Robinson or Tarthang Tulku.

As distinct from conventional albums of Buddhist iconography, in which the central image is regarded as the first of three figures depicted on a single sheet, the siddhas in our blockprint are ordered from left to right (from the reader’s point of view), with the exception of the first sheet, which shows Vajradhara, the head of the Vajrayāna pantheon, in the central position. The cycle of eight-four drawings concludes with an image of the protectors Blue Achala and Four-Armed Mahākala.

Each figure is accompanied by a brief eleven-syllable caption in Tibetan indicating the siddha’s number, name, and titles, some of which are determined by metrical requirements. The captions contain many errors, the most glaring of which we have marked with the tag sic. In the 1981 publication, in cases in which the text was illegible, the name was reconstructed based on the Tibetan translation of Abhayadatta’s treatise published by J.B.Robinson. Subsequently, in the Tuvan ‘sixty Heroes’ Museum of Regional Studies in Kyzyl, I came across a second copy, printed from the same blocks, making it possible to check the captions. The Tuvan copy included a title sheet, colophons, and texts on the reverse side of the illustrations. There is no need to go into further detail, since in 1984 a similar blockprint held in Budapest was described in considerable detail by Alice Egyed.

 The captions to the drawings include a transliteration of the figure’s name as it is written in Tibetan, followed by the standard Sanskrit name according to J.B.Robinson, as well as variations that may be encountered in Buddhist icons and texts. The list of variant forms of the mahāsiddhas’ names was compiled by Alexander Breslavets, based on the sources listed in notes 1 and 2. More versions of names were added by Olga Gorovaya.

The blockprint is printed on one side of sheets of slightly yellowed Russian paper with the Sumkin factory mark and is reproduced here in the same size as the original.

The images of the mahāsiddhas were prepared for publication in 1981 in collaboration with Alexander Breslavets. Minimal computer retouching was done by Ruslan Kuznetsov.

Fol. 1 1. Lu I pa ̶ LŪYIPA, Lūipa, lūhipa, Lohipa, Nya Ito ba, Nya’I rgui lto gsol ba, Nya’I rgyu lto gsol ba, Nya’I rgyu ma za ba, Matsyendra, Matsyantrāda; O ̶ Rdo rje ‘chang ̶ VAJRADHARA; 2. Li la ba ̶ LĪLAPA, Līlāpāda, sGeg pa.	Fol. 2 3. ̶ Bi ra ba ̶ VIRŪPA, Birūba, Birūpa, Birvapa, Bhirbapa; 4. ̶ mbhi he ru ka [six] ̶ ḌOMBIPA, Dombhipa, Dombhi Heruka, g.Yung mo can; 5. ̶ Sha wa ri  ̶ ŚAVARIPA, Śabarapā, Śābari, Śabāripa, Mahāśabara, Ri khrod pa, Ri khrod dbang phyug, Ri khrod mgon po.
Fol.3 6. ̶ Sa ra ha ̶ SARAHA, Sarahapā, Srīsaraha, mDa’ snun, Rāhula, Rāhulabhadra, sGra gcan ‘dzin; 7. Ka ngka la ba ̶ KAṄKĀRIPA, Kikaripa, Kampalipā, Kaṅpalipā, Kaṅkali, Kankali, Keng rus zhabs; 8. ̶ Mī nab a ̶ MĪNAPA, Nya bo pa, Nya pa, rDo rje zhabs, Vajrapāda.	Fol. 4 9.̶  Shri Gau kshi [sic] ̶ A tsa rya ̶ Gorakṣa, Gorakṣhapa, Gorakha, Ba glang bsrung, Ba glang rdzi; 10. ̶ Co ra ngga pa ̶ CAURAṄGI, COrangipāda, Tsau  rang gi pa, Chom rkun gyi yan lag; 11. ̶ Win a pa ̶ VĪṆĀPA, Vināpā, Binapa, Bhinapa, Pi vang pa, Pi vang brdung, Pi wang pa, Pi wang brdung.
Fol. 5 12. ̶ Ra tna a ka ra sha nti pa ̶ ŚANTIPA, Ratnākāraśānti, Akarchinta, Vajrāsana; 13. ̶ Ta nti pa ̶ TANTIPA, Tantapa, Thags mkhan; 14. ̶ Tsa ma ri pa ̶ CĀMĀRIPA, Tsamarapa, Cāmāra, Lham mkhan	Fol. 6 15. ̶ Kha dga ̶ KHAḌGAPA, Pargapa, Ṣaḍgana, Ral gri pa; 16. ̶ Klu slub [sic] ̶ NĀGĀRJUNA, Nāgardzuna, Klu sgrub, dPal Idan bzang po; 17. ̶ Shrī Ka nhi pa chen po ̶ KĀNHAPA, Kanapa, kānha, Kāhnapa, Kānipa, Kānupa, Kriṣnācāri, Kriṣnācarya, Nag po, Nag po na, Nag po spyod pa, brTul zhugs spyod pa chen po