Dhumavas Shri-Devi - (the "Smoke-Clad-Lady")
See it in the Museum
Emporium
Orientation 2
Wall object 5
ABP 009
Code: ABP 009
Country: Tibet
Style:
Date: 1300 - 1400
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 51 x 72
Materials: Glue distemper on cotton
Shridevi Dhumangari
Riding a donkey[SH1] amidst a wavy ocean of blood is the terrifying goddess Shri Devi under her aspect Dhumangari (Tib. dPal ldan lha mo Dud sol ma). Of dark colour, her brow is frowned, and her grin unveils pointy fangs. The long locks of her hair are spread behind her back, reaching down to her waist. Almost naked, wearing bone ornaments and the flayed skin of an elephant, she has four arms holding a kapala and a lance and brandishing a sword and a trident.
In the upper register sit the masters and deities of the transmission lineage identified by inscriptions in dbu med script. From left to right are sMar pa shes rab ye shes (1135-1203), founder of the sMar pa bka’ brgyud; Brahman Vararuchi (Tib. Bram ze mchog sras); Naropa (1016-1100); Catushpitha (Tib. gdan bzhi); Mar pa the Translator (1012 ?-1097); rNgog zhe sdang rdo rje, also known as mDo sde (1078-1154); the yidam Hevajra, and finally an unknown monastic master identified as ‘Gro mgon Sangs rgyas ye shes, possibly a disciple of sMar pa Shes rab ye shes.
Four smaller riding goddesses surround the main deity and eighteen more are arranged in two lines in the lower register. A large torma offering resting in a kapala is placed before her. A long inscription in the shape of a stupa marks the reverse of the painting. A consecration prayer praises the goddess Dud sol ma as “the lord[SH2] of the 24 victorious mothers”. This particular form of dPal ldan lha mo is specifically associated with the rNgog lineage of the bKa’ brgyud school, a link reinforced by the presence of Catushpitha as the lord of the family directly above the goddess.
This painting can be related to the Yogambara mandala ABP 002 through its connection to the Catushpitha tantric cycle and relation with the rNgog lineage of transmission.
Names of the lineage masters in Tibetan dbu med script:
smar pa shes rab ye shes / bram ze chog sregs [mchog sras] / na ro pa / gdan bzhi (Catushpitha) / mar pa / rngog zhe sdang rdo rje / kya’i [kye] rdo rje / ‘gro mgon sangs rgyas ye shes
Riding a donkey[SH1] amidst a wavy ocean of blood is the terrifying goddess Shri Devi under her aspect Dhumangari (Tib. dPal ldan lha mo Dud sol ma). Of dark colour, her brow is frowned, and her grin unveils pointy fangs. The long locks of her hair are spread behind her back, reaching down to her waist. Almost naked, wearing bone ornaments and the flayed skin of an elephant, she has four arms holding a kapala and a lance and brandishing a sword and a trident.
In the upper register sit the masters and deities of the transmission lineage identified by inscriptions in dbu med script. From left to right are sMar pa shes rab ye shes (1135-1203), founder of the sMar pa bka’ brgyud; Brahman Vararuchi (Tib. Bram ze mchog sras); Naropa (1016-1100); Catushpitha (Tib. gdan bzhi); Mar pa the Translator (1012 ?-1097); rNgog zhe sdang rdo rje, also known as mDo sde (1078-1154); the yidam Hevajra, and finally an unknown monastic master identified as ‘Gro mgon Sangs rgyas ye shes, possibly a disciple of sMar pa Shes rab ye shes.
Four smaller riding goddesses surround the main deity and eighteen more are arranged in two lines in the lower register. A large torma offering resting in a kapala is placed before her. A long inscription in the shape of a stupa marks the reverse of the painting. A consecration prayer praises the goddess Dud sol ma as “the lord[SH2] of the 24 victorious mothers”. This particular form of dPal ldan lha mo is specifically associated with the rNgog lineage of the bKa’ brgyud school, a link reinforced by the presence of Catushpitha as the lord of the family directly above the goddess.
This painting can be related to the Yogambara mandala ABP 002 through its connection to the Catushpitha tantric cycle and relation with the rNgog lineage of transmission.
Names of the lineage masters in Tibetan dbu med script:
smar pa shes rab ye shes / bram ze chog sregs [mchog sras] / na ro pa / gdan bzhi (Catushpitha) / mar pa / rngog zhe sdang rdo rje / kya’i [kye] rdo rje / ‘gro mgon sangs rgyas ye shes