Ushnishavijaya

*watercolor & watercolor pencils*

Usnisha-vijaya (Nepali, Bijaya) (Tib. Tsug.tor Nam.par Gyel.ma) This is shortened to Namgyal or Namgyelma. She is an 8-armed longevity deity, who also stands for the Mother of All Buddhas. Like all Buddhist deities, she is essentially a manifestation of Emptiness acting as a bodhisattva. She is able to bestow longevity on beings not for selfish reasons, but for the purpose of helping all others towards enlightenment. She is a purification deity as well, invoked in the presence of the dead, and she is also invoked as a means of settling disputes.

Her upper right hand holds a Buddha on a lotus throne. In front of her chest the goddess carries a double vajra (dorjee) and an arrow (sara). With her ower right hand she displays the gesture of gift bestowing (varada mudra). Three of her left hands hold the water bottle (kalasa), the noose (pasa), and the bow (capa). The fourth hand is raised in the gesture of protection and reassurance (abhaya mudra).