'''Mandarava''' is one of the two principal
spiritual consorts of
Padmasambhava and is considered a female
guru-
deity. Mandarava, born a
princess in
India, renounced her royal birthright, to practice the
Dharma, and became a fully realised spiritual adept and great teacher.
Origins & spiritual calling
Mandarava (Tib. ''man da ra ba''), whose full name is Mandarava Flower (Tib. ''man da ra ba me tog'') referring to ''Erythrina Indica'', the coral tree, one of the five fabled trees that grow in paradise (or Sukhavati), was a princess of
Zahor (or
Mandi[1]) in the 8th Century CE. Mandarava was also known as the White Princess (Tib. ''lha lcam dkar mo'') though the blooms of the coral tree are a brilliant scarlet. Mandarava is also the name of one of the
Gandharvis, therefore, the name may also be considered that of an Indian
devi.
Mandarava was born of
Vihardhara, King of Zahor and Queen Mohauki. Her birth was said to be accompanied by miraculous signs and her renunciation and spiritual inclination was marked from a young age. Due to her fabled
beauty, many kings from
India and
China were said to number amongst her marriage suitors. Mandarava wishing to pursue her spiritual calling endeavoured to release herself from
regal trappings wherein she was intercepted by her father and incarcerated. There is a venerated
petrosomatoglyph of Mandarava’s footprints located near the dungeon where she was restrained.
===Mandarava & Padmasambhava in
Yab-Yum===
Mandarava and
Padmasambhava were energetically drawn to one another. Vihardhara, fearful of the contamination of the royal bloodline and what he perceived as Mandarava’s
apostasy, endeavoured to have Mandarava and Padmasambhava purified by
immolation through the flames of a
pyre. Instead of finding their corpses incensed and charred, Vihardhara finds that the
fire of the pyre has been transformed into a lake out of which arises a blooming
lotus that supports the unharmed Mandarava and Padmasambhava who through this manifestation of their realisation have achieved their secret names of
Vajravarahi and
Hayagriva, respectively. Afterwhich, Vihardhara furnishes the union with his unreserved
blessings.
Mandarava realises her calling to spread the
Dharma with Padmasambhava, thereby fulfilling the prediction of her birth that she was a
dakini. At 16 years of age, Mandarava became the first of Padmasambhava’s five historical spiritual and sexual consorts in
Maratika (known as Haleshi in the local dialect), the Cave of Bringing Death to an End. (
Maratika Cave, and later
Maratika Monastery, is located in
Khotang District of
Nepal, circa 185 kilometres south west of
Mount Everest.) Both Mandarava and Padmasambhava achieved the unified vajra body on the
vidyadhara level of mastery and realised some of the practices of long life or
longevity that were concealed in the Maratika Cave as
terma by
Dakini Sangwa, the terma constituted the teachings of
Buddha Amitabha and they were elementally encoded as terma at the behest of
Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Whilst Padmasambhava continued spreading teachings throughout the
Himalaya, Mandarava remained in
India.
Mandarava is said to have manifested her
sambhogakaya form at the great Dharma Wheel of
Tramdruk where she engaged in a dialogue of
mantra and
mudra with
Padmasambhava. Extensive details of this are rendered in the '''
Padma Kathang'''.
As Mandarava attained the
vajra rainbow body (
jalus), she is held to be present in the world now spreading and inspiring the
Dharma.
Emanations and reincarnations
Mandarava is considered a wisdom, knowledge or awareness
dakini among whose different names and manifestations are: the
yogini Mirukyi Gyenchen “Adorned with Human Bone Ornaments” at the time of
Marpa;
Risulkyi Naljorma during the time of
Nyen Lotsawa; and
Drubpey Gyalmo during the time of
Rechungpa.
Chushingi Nyemachen, the spiritual consort
Maitripa, is considered to be none other than Mandarava. The dakini
Niguma is also considered to be Mandarava.
Through practice and diligence, Mandarava realised a degree of spiritual mastery equal to that of Padmasambhava her consort, evidenced in her honorific
Machig Drupa Gyalmo (''ma gcig grub pa'i rgyal mo''), “Singular Queen Mother of Attainment”.
Mandarava was famed for her compassionate and loving nature and she saved the youthful
Kalasiddhi from an untimely death, raising her to adulthood. Kalasiddhi later became another of Padmasambhava’s consorts.
Jamgon Kongtrul relates the story of Mandarava within “In The Precious Garland of Lapis Lazuli”. Another story of Mandarava is found in the 14th century Padma Thang Yig Sheldrang Ma terma of
Orgyen Lingpa. There is a beautiful description of the inaugural meeting of
Yeshe Tsogyal with Mandarava Flower in "Sky Dancer, the secret life and songs of the Lady Yeshe Tsogyel".
Samten Lingpa (also known as Tagsham Nu Den Dorje), a
terton from the second half of the 17th century, consecrated six folios to Mandarava and Padmasambhava and their pastimes in
Maratika Cave.
Iconography
The
iconography of Mandarava in her
sambhogakaya form is often of her sporting white skin with a tinge of red, wearing regal
bodhisattva ornamentation. In her right hand she often holds the
dadar (or
arrow) a teaching
tool and
ritual implement and a powerful
polyvalent symbol of
Dzogchen, disciplic succession,
lineage and
transmission, amongst others. Mandarava is often adorned with banners and a
melong (or
mirror) which is another ritual implement, teaching tool and polyvalent symbol of Dzogchen representing the clear, reflective and
void (or empty and
etherial) nature of mind. Mandarava’s
left hand often holds a ''
bumpa'' or long-life vase or wisdom urn of the
ashtamangala. Mandarava is sometimes depicted standing in an energetic dance which denotes her enlightened activity and
dakini nature. When depicted with
Padmasambhava, Mandarava is iconographically represented to his
left.
The
terton,
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, has realized and transmitted
terma as well as oral instructions specifying
thangka depictions and iconography of Mandarava.
Scholarly critique
As
Herbert V. Günther posited, a significant segment of
Vajrayana Buddhists champion Mandarava of
Zahor (or
Mandi), through nationalistic sentiment as the locality of Mandarava’s birth is now within the political boundaries of current North Eastern
India as different to Padmasambhava who hailed from
Uddiyana and
Yeshe Tsogyal of
Tibet. This group is sympathetically disposed to teachings from their own
polity.
Notes
1. Zahor, a small kingdom of northern India, centered around the capital town of Mandi.
Bibliography
Samten Lingpa, (transl. Chonam & Sangye Khandro) (1998). ''The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava: The Indian Consort of Padmasambhava''. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0.86171.144.0 (paperback)
★ http://www.yoniversum.nl/dakini/mandarava.html (February 2, 2007)
★ http://www.thangka.ru/history/he_padmadsat_5.html (February 2, 2007)
★ http://www.rangjung.com/authors/Mandarava.htm (February 2, 2007)
★ http://www.thangka.ru/gallery/ge_mand.html (February 2, 2007)
★ http://www.yoniversum.nl/bliss/mandarava.html (February 2, 2007)
★ http://www.dharmafellowship.org/library/essays/women-buddhas.htm (February 2, 2007)
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