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Achi Chokyi Drolma is the Dharma Protecter of the Drikung Kagyu. She is the emanation of Vajra Yogini who is the embodiment of the wisdom and compassion of all the Buddhas. She is the divine mother of the Buddhas and manifested out of compassion in the form of the Dakinis of the Five Buddha families. To benefit the beings in samsara, she displays a limitless number of manifestations at different times and in different space dimensions. She is was the grandmother of Lord Jigton Sumgon, founder of the Drikung Lineage. She is depicted in 2 forms --  peaceful and semi-wrathful. At the time of her death, Achi Chokyi Drolma did not pass away in an ordinary manner but rode off into the sky on a blue horse. As a protectress, Achi is visualized on a blue wisdom horse to symbolize the swiftness of her enlightened activities, and she holds a wish – fulfilling jewel to symbolize her ability to bestow everything needed and desired when asked. Achi Chokyi Drolma vowed to protect the Drikung Kagyu lineage, and those who practice her meditation and recite her mantra are sure to be protected from obstacles and hindrances.

Amitabha, known in Tibetan as Öpamé, meaning 'Immeasurable Light' or 'Limitless Radiance' because light-rays from his body pervade every buddha-realm, illuminating them all.  He is also known as Buddha Amitayus, Aparmita Buddha, or in Tibetan Tsépamé, meaning 'Immeasurable Life', because the extent of his life cannot be calculated. His body is as red as ruby, which symbolises the warmth of his compassion extending to all beings. Amitabha has the 32 principal and 80 secondary marks of a Buddha, like Shakyamuni.  On his head, one of the main marks is the head-mound or 'ushnisha', gained whilst he was practising the spiritual path (as Chöchi Lodro and Zipji Muchee), from bowing down with reverence to the Buddhas Jikten Wangchuk Gyalpo and Rinchen Nyingpo. As a result, at the time of attaining Buddhahood, the head-mound appeared. Amitabha's 'one face' symbolises that the dharmakaya is free from all conceptual complication. His 2 arms represent means and wisdom, and his 2 hands in meditation gesture signify the unification of means and wisdom. He holds a begging-bowl filled with amrita, symbolising his kindness towards sentient beings by giving vast and deep Dharma teachings. He wears the 3 dharma-robes, denoting gradual instruction of beings through Sravaka, Pratyekabuddha and Bodhisattva Paths. As he never wavers from resting in the equality of samsara and nirvana, his legs are in vajra-posture. Amitabha sits on a throne that is supported by 8 peacocks. When the sutras and commentaries describe the 5 buddha-families, a particular aspect of wisdom and a specific direction are ascribed to each one, even though they each embrace every aspect of wisdom. Amitabha is associated with the western direction, and he embodies discriminating wisdom, which arises when thoughts of desire and craving are purified. Within the minds of ordinary beings, all the kleshas are present: anger, desire, ignorance, pride, jealousy and so on. It is believed that birds, in particular, have strong desire and craving, so, as a symbol of craving transformed into discriminating wisdom, Amitabha's throne is supported by peacocks. In other practices, Akshobya is associated with the eastern direction and his throne is supported by horses; Ratnasambhava with the south, his throne supported by elephants; Amoghasiddhi with the north, his throne supported by  creatures; Vairochana with the centre, his throne supported by lions. On Amitabha's throne is a 1000-petalled lotus, which symbolises that he remains unstained by samsara. Although he has attained liberation, he has not abandoned his body nor entered nirvana, but stays in the world, due to his compassion, in order to benefit beings. His back rests against a bodhi tree, 600,000 yojanas high, and its branches, leaves and flowers extend 800 yojanas (1 yojana is approximately 4 miles). Due to our impure vision, we only see a small bodhi tree at Bodhgaya, but once we are reborn in Déwachen, a bodhi tree resembles this one described above. It is called a bodhi tree because every Buddha has one, and when one achieves Buddhahood, it is obligatory that one must have a bodhi tree to lean against! (Rinpoché chuckles). The cause for achieving Buddhahood is to take the Bodhisattva Vow and to develop bodhicitta. In every sadhana practiced, one takes refuge and generates bodhicitta. The bodhi tree symbolises bodhicitta. To Amitabha's right is Chenrezig, with 4 arms, and to his left Vajrapani, with 2 arms. The fact that both are standing symbolises, first, that until samsara has been emptied they will work to liberate sentient beings, and, secondly, that they are disciples of Buddha Amitabha. They are surrounded by an infinite number of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats all with head-mounds, and wheel-marks on their hands and feet, wearing dharma-robes. In Karma Chagmé's long 'Déwachen Prayer', he describes Amitabha, Chenrezig and Vajrapani as 'very vivid' by using 3 synonyms. Firstly, they are physically 'vivid' (Tib. lhang ngé) because, amongst the entourage of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, they stand out as exceptional, like 3 supreme mountains. This is due to the proportions and qualities of their major and minor marks of Buddhahood. In terms of speech, they are also 'vivid' (Tib. lhan né) because first Amitabha teaches Dharma, followed by Chenrezig and Vajrapani, and at that time their speech permeates all the buddha- realms. For the mind aspect, Amitabha is again described as 'vivid' (Tib. lham mé) because of his compassion. Having taken birth in Déwachen, one does not hear any more even the mere names of the 8 unfavourable states, or of the lower existences.  In Déwachen, there are no ordinary women with anger, pride or desire. In this world, sometimes men love women, and at other times they are angry with them and quarrel, yet feel great suffering when they die. However, in Déwachen there are only goddesses, 3000 emanated to serve each individual. If someone in Déwachen wishes to visit the other pure realms of, for example, Vairochana, Ratnasambhava, Tara or the Glorious Copper-Coloured Mountain of Guru Rinpoche, one can simply go there, receive empowerments and teachings from those particular Buddhas, and return again to Déwachen. Having been born in Déwachen, one possesses unobscured clairvoyant powers, including the ability to see other beings in their particular worlds and give them protection and blessings, or, at the time of their death, to go to the bardo to meet them and bring them to Déwachen. All these qualities of Déwachen are explained in The Sutra of Amitabha, which was eventually brought to Tibet and translated by the learned lotsawas, and now exists as part of the Kangyur.

Amoghasiddhi is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism. he is associated with the accomplishment of the Buddhist path and of the destruction of the poison of envy. His name means He Whose Accomplishment Is Not In Vain, or "Almighty Conqueror" or "He Who Unerringly Achieves His Goal." Amoghasiddhi is associated with the conceptual skandha or the conceptual mind (as opposed to the non-conceptual or sensational mind). His action towards the promotion of Buddhist paths is the pacification of evils. This is symbolised by Amoghasiddhi's symbol, the sword or khaga. He gestures in the mudra of fearlessness, symoblising his and his devotees' fearlessness towards the poisons or delusions. He is described as the Dhyani Buddha of the realization of the Bodhisattva Path. A Bodhisattva is one who has forgone the bliss of nirvana with a vow to first liberate all beings.  Amoghasiddhi is the Dhyani Buddha of the north. His colour is green, signifying the sun at midnight. He rules over the element of air and embodies the skandha of volition, also called the skandha of mental phenomena or tendencies of mind.
In Hinduism, Ardhanari (Devanāgarī अर्धनारी, IAST Ardhanārī) or Ardhanarishvara (अर्धनारीश्वर, Ardhanārīśvara), is an androgynous deity composed of Shiva and his consort Shakti, representing the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies. The Ardhanari form also illustrates how the female principle of God, Shakti, is inseparable from the male principle of God, Shiva. Ardhanari in iconography is depicted as half-male and half-female, split down the middle. The hermaphrodite form of the Ardhanarishvara, above all else, represents this concept of Oneness or wholeness, which goes far beyond all perceptions of duality and from whose womb all existence emerged. The Ardha-Nari, which literally means, "half-woman", is considered in Indian mythology, to be the Soul of the World. All creation starts from Him. Life is created from Him and death is considered as a return back to His Kingdom, only to emerge yet again clothed in another body. Hence, there is no perishing of any creature - it is all only a part of a much larger process of the cycle of life itself. 

Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana (Bengali: অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান Ôtish Dipôngkor Srigên) (980-1054 CE) was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma (Glang Darma). An interpretation of Atisha's first public appearance, found in Buddhist texts and historical accounts, strongly reinforces a couple of critical components of Buddhist philosophy. The story clearly gives an impression of Atisha as a spiritually advanced and relatively enlightened individual at only eighteen months old. As such, the prince is seen to have acquired enough merit through virtuous actions in previous lives such that it carried over to dictate both his favorable experience as a venerated prince and enlightened personality as a compassionate individual. Moreover, Atisha's spiritual proficiency at this point is demonstrated through both kindness towards his subjects and non-attachment towards his familial, social, and overall life situation. Buddhist sources assert that, while feigning a hunting trip, an adolescent Atisha made the acquaintance of the brahmin Jetari, a Buddhist recluse and renowned teacher. Jetari taught the young man three things: 1) taking refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddha, 2) Dharma and Sangha and 3) bodhichitta, described as the mind-oriented aspiration towards enlightenment with the intent of benefiting all sentient beings. Upon educating the young Atisha in the basic principles of Mahayana Buddhism, Jetari advised that he go to Nalanda, a Buddhist center for learning in northeastern India. In Nalanda, Atashi received once again brief instruction regarding the Bodhisattva vows under the spiritual guide Bodhibhadra, who in turn advised him to seek out a teacher renowned for his perfect meditation of perceiving emptiness, Vidyakokila. Atisha's undertaking in Tibet was never in doubt. Prophecies of the impending departure begin with Dharmarakshita in Sumatra and follow Atisha's story up until his vision of Tara. During his travels across the perilous Himalayas, the Tibetan scholar Nagtso "vaguely realized that […] miraculous manifestations assisted me in an uninterrupted flow." Nagtso was referring, whether he knew it or not, to the numerous assistances provided by Avalokitesvara throughout his trip to Vikramasila. As such, it seems as though Atisha's two-year journey to Tibet is interpreted within the Buddhist tradition as a fulfillment of destiny. Once he arrived, Atisha grasped very quickly the Tibetan peoples’ enthusiasm for the Dharma, but relative lack of comprehension. At Ngari, he was very impressed with the king's request for "a teaching of the people […] had [Atisha] been asked for advanced empowerments into tantric deity systems […] he would have been far less pleased" . It was during the three years Atisha spent in this town that he compiled his teachings into his most influential scholarly work, A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, and encountered the disciple forecast by Tara, Dromtonpa.According to Jamgon Kongtrul, when Atisha discovered the store of Sanskrit texts at Pekar Kordzoling, the library of Samye, "he said that the degree to which the Vajrayana had spread in Tibet was unparalleled, even in India. After saying this, he reverently folded his hands and praised the great dharma kings, translators, and panditas of the previous centuries." After staying for thirteen years in Tibet, Atisha died in 1052 CE in a village called Lethan, near Lhasa. The site of his last rites at Lethan has turned into a shrine. His ashes were brought to Dhaka, Bangladesh on 28 June 1978 and placed in Dharmarajika Bauddha Vihara. Atisha wrote, translated and edited more than two hundred books, which helped spread Buddhism in Tibet. He discovered several Sanskrit manuscripts in Tibet and copied them himself. He translated many books from Sanskrit to Tibetan. He also wrote several books on Buddhist scriptures, medical science and technical science in Tibetan. Dipamkara wrote several books in Sanskrit, but only their Tibetan translations are extant now. Seventy-nine of his compositions have been preserved in Tibetan translation in the Tengyur (bstan-sgyur).

Avalokiteśvara also known as Chenrezig (Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर , Bengali: অবলোকিতেশ্বর, lit. "Lord who looks down", Chinese: 觀世音) or Kuan Yin is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He  is the Bodhisattva of Compassion.  A bodhisattva is an enlightened being who has decided to delay becoming a fully enlightened Buddha and who lives in a compassionate spirit life for the sake of all beings He has taken vows to save all beings. With a mantra, Om mani padme hum! (Hail the jewel in the lotus), he tirelessly attempts to deliver all beings from suffering. He appears in many different forms to assist suffering beings. Tibetans believe that Chenrezig, as a disciple of the Buddha, made a vow of compassion to free the Tibetan peoples from their violent ways: "May I be able to establish in emancipation all living beings in the barbaric Land of Snow; where the beings are so hard to discipline and none of the buddhas of the three times has stepped...May I be able to mature and emancipate them, each according to his/her own way. May that gloomy barbaric country become bright, like an island of precious jewels." (Geshe Wangyal , Door of Liberation, New York, Lotsawa, 1978, pp. 54-55). He is the patron of Tibet. The Tibetan people claim descent from Chenrezig, who in the form of a monkey sired the original inhabitants of Tibet. Chenrezig, according to Tibetan legends, has appeared in numerous forms to defend Buddhist teachings. He has been identified with the Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo (617-698 C.E.) and the successive lineage of Dalai Lamas. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the current incarnation of Chenrezig. Tibetans believe that every person whose heart is moved by love and compassion, who deeply and sincerely act for the benefit of others without concern for fame, profit, social position, or recognition expresses the activity of Chenrezig. Love and compassion are the true signs revealing the presence of Chenrezig. Compassion is the most important religious practice. For Tibetan Buddhists, compassion is sensitivity to the sufferings of others and attempt to relieve suffering. It is the realization that we (human beings, animals, and the earth itself) are all interconnected. The Buddha is an example of compassion, for he taught human beings the way to freedom. In China and its sphere of cultural influence, Avalokiteśvara is often in depicted in a female form known as Guan Yin or Kuan Yin. (However, in Taoist mythology, Guan Yin has other origination stories which are unrelated to Avalokiteśvara.) Avalokitesvara is also referred to as Padmapāni ("Holder of the Lotus") or Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World"). In Tibetan, Avalokiteśvara is known as Chenrezig, and is said to be incarnated in the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa and other high Lamas. In Mongolia, he is called Megjid Janraisig, Xongsim Bodisadv-a, or Nidüber Üjegči. According to Mahayana doctrine, Avalokiteśvara is the bodhisattva who has made a great vow to listen to the prayers of all sentient beings in times of difficulty, and to postpone his own Buddhahood until he has assisted every being on Earth in achieving nirvana. Mahayana sutras associated with Avalokiteśvara include the Heart Sutra (as disciple of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni) and the Lotus Sutra, particularly the 25th chapter, which is sometimes referred to as the Avalokiteśvara Sutra. Six forms of Avalokiteśvara in Mahayana (defined by Tian-tai, terrace): 1. great compassion, 2. great loving-kindness, 3. lion-courage, 4. universal light, 5. leader amongst gods and men, 6. the great omnipresent Brahman. Each of this bodhisattva's six qualities of pity, etc., breaks the hindrances respectively of the (6 realms) hells, pretas (hungry ghost), animals, asuras (demi god), men, and devas. In the Tibetan tradition, Avalokiteśvara is seen as arising from two sources. One is the relative source, where in a previous eon (kalpa) a devoted, compassionate Buddhist monk became a bodhisattva, transformed in the present kalpa into Avalokiteśvara. That is not in conflict, however, with the ultimate source, which is Avalokiteśvara as the universal manifestation of compassion. The bodhisattva is viewed as the anthropomorphised vehicle for the actual deity, serving to bring about a better understanding of Avalokiteśvara to humankind. Avalokiteśvara is an important deity in Tibetan Buddhism, and is regarded in the Vajrayana teachings as a Buddha. In  the Mahayana teachings he is in general regarded as a high-level Bodhisattva. The Dalai Lama is considered by the Gelugpa sect and many other Tibetan Buddhists to be the primary earthly manifestation of Chenrezig. The Karmapa is considered by the Karma Kagyu sect to be Chenrezig's primary manifestation. It is said that Padmasambhava prophesied that Avalokiteśvara will manifest himself in the Tulku lineages of the Dalai Lamas and the Karmapas.[citation needed]Another Tibetan source explains that Buddha Amithaba gave to one of his two main disciples, Avalokiteśvara, the task to take upon himself the burden of caring for Tibet. That is why he has manifested himself not only as spiritual teachers in Tibet but also in the form of kings (like Trisong Detsen) or ministers. Other manifestations popular in Tibet include Sahasra-bhuja (a form with a thousand arms) and Ekādaśamukha (a form with eleven faces). In Tibetan Buddhism, White Tara acts as the consort and energizer of Avalokiteśvara/Chenrezig. According to popular belief, Tara came into existence from a single tear shed by Chenrezig. When the tear fell to the ground it created a lake, and a lotus opening in the lake revealed Tara. In another version of this story, Tara emerges from the heart of Chenrezig. In either version, it is Chenrezig's outpouring of compassion which manifests Tara as a being.
Bhairava (Sanskrit: भैरव, "Terrible" or "Frightful"), sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya, is the fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation. He is one of the most important deities of Nepal, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. Bhairava is invoked in prayers to destroy enemies.He is depicted ornamented with a range of twisted serpents, which serve as earrings, bracelets, anklets, and sacred thread (yajnopavita). He wears a tiger skin and a ritual apron composed of human bones. Bhairava has a dog as his divine vahana (vehicle).Bhairava himself has eight manifestations, Kala Bhairava, Asitanga Bhairava, Samhara Bhairava, Ruru Bhairava, Krodha Bhairava, Kapala Bhairava, Rudra Bhirava and Unmatta Bhairava.

In Hinduism, the cow (Sanskrit: go) is revered as the source of food and symbol of life and may never be killed. Hindus do not worship the cow, however, and cows do not have especially charmed lives in India. It is more accurate to say the cow is taboo in Hinduism, rather than sacred. In ancient India, oxen and bulls were sacrificed to the gods and their meat was eaten. But even then the slaughter of milk-producing cows was prohibited. Verses of the Rigveda refer to the cow as Devi (goddess), identified with Aditi (mother of the gods) herself.  Even when meat-eating was permitted, the ancient Vedic scriptures encouraged vegetarianism. One scripture says, "There is no sin in eating meat... but abstention brings great rewards." (The Laws of Manu, V/56).  By the early centuries AD, the cow was designated as the appropriate gift to the brahmans (high-caste priests) and it was soon said that to kill a cow is equal to killing a brahman. The importance of the pastoral element in the Krishna stories, particularly from the 10th century onward, further reinforced the sanctity of the cow. The five products (pancagavya) of the cow — milk, curds, ghee butter, urine and dung — are all used in puja (worship) as well as in rites of extreme penance. The milk of the family cow nourishes children as they grow up, and cow dung (gobar) is a major source of energy for households throughout India. Cow dung is sometimes among the materials used for a tilak - a ritual mark on the forehead. Most Indians do not share the western revulsion at cow excrement, but instead consider it an earthy and useful natural product.

Durga (Sanskrit: "the inaccessible" or "the invincible") or Maa Durga (Mother Durga) "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress". Durga is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, a super heroine depicted as having 10 arms, riding a lion or a tiger, carrying weapons (including a Lotus flower), maintaining a meditative smile, and practicing mudras, or symbolic hand gestures. An embodiment of creative feminine force (Shakti), Durga exists in a state of svātantrya (dependence on the universe and nothing/nobody else, i.e., self-sufficiency) and fierce compassion. Durga is considered by Hindus to be an aspect of Kali, and the mother of Ganesha, and Kartikeya. She is thus considered the fiercer, demon-fighting form of Shiva's wife, goddess Parvati. Durga manifests fearlessness and patience, and never loses her sense of humor, even during spiritual battles of epic proportion.

Dzambhala embodies the Wealth aspect of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of past, present and future; and grants longevity and prosperity in daily life. The practice of DZAMBHALA is associated with generosity and the quality of richness and abundance, and is therefore considered the most effective in  eradicating poverty: both on a psychological and material level. He is called Dzambhala from the jambhara (lemon), which he carries in his right hand. In his left arm he holds a  mongoose that continually throws out jewels. These jewels are being deposited in a blooming lotus flower in the  waters below. He is shown as being corpulent and covered with jewels; symbolizing wealth. His right foot is  pendant and supported by a lotus flower (symbolizing purity) on which is a conch shell symbolizing the power of  the Buddha's voice and the dharma teachings; also Right Speech.

Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश; IAST: Gaṇeśa); also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India. Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. His popularity rose quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya (Sanskrit: गाणपत्य; gāṇapatya), who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity, arose during this period. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Ganesha has been represented with the head of an elephant since the early stages of his appearance in Indian art. Puranic myths provide many explanations for how he got his elephant head. One of his popular forms, Heramba-Ganapati, has five elephant heads, and other less-common variations in the number of heads are known. While some texts say that Ganesha was born with an elephant head, in most stories he acquires the head later. The most recurrent motif in these stories is that Ganesha was born with a human head and body and that Shiva beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati. Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. People mostly worship Him asking for siddhi, success in undertakings, and buddhi, intelligence. He is worshipped before any venture is started. He is also the God of education, knowledge and wisdom, literature, and the fine arts.

Garuda is daring and fearless and abides in the north. With great strength and power it soars beyond without holding back. It symbolizes freedom from hopes and fears, the vast mind without reference point. It is a powerful antidote to the negative influences of Nagas (spirits) which can cause disease and all kinds of harm. Associations: main quality is wisdom, dominance over the sky, and the fire element. One of the earliest surviving images of Garuda is carved on the inner side of the middle architrave of the eastern gateway of Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh). He has also been richly mentioned in early Indian literature. The Rigveda calls him Garutman and describes him as a bird with 'beautiful wings'. The Mahabharata mentions Garuda as Amritaharanata who had stolen the heavenly nectar or amrita. Indeed, Garuda is widely represented in art, thought and literature.
Gayatri (Sanskrit: गायत्री, gāyatrī) is the feminine form of gāyatra, a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn. Originally the personification of the Gayatri mantra, revered by both Buddhists and Hindus worldwide, the goddess Gāyatrī is considered the veda mata, the mother of all Vedas and also the personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman, the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena. Gayatri Veda Mata is seen by many Hindus to be not just a Goddess, but a portrayal of Brahman himself, in the feminine form. Spme believe Gayatri is not a goddess per se, but is the mother of the Vedas (Gayatri Chandhasam matha) Gayatri, however, has three names: Gayatri, Savitri, and Saraswathi. These three are present in everyone. Gayatri represents the senses; it is the master of the senses. Savithri is the master of Prana (Life Force). Many Indians are familiar with the story of Savitri, who brought back to life her dead husband, Sathyavan. Savithri signifies truth. Saraswathi is the presiding deity of speech (vaak). The three represent purity in thought, word, and deed (thrikarana shuddhi). Although Gayatri has three names, all three are in each of us as the senses (Gayatri), the power of speech (Saraswathi), and the life force (Savitri).
Hanuman, also called Mahaveera (the great hero ) or Pavan-suta (son of air) or Bajarangbali, the mighty ape that aided Lord Rama in his expedition against evil forces, is one of the most popular idols in the Hindu pantheon. Believed to be an avatar of Lord Shiva, Hanuman is worshiped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion. Hanuman's tale in the epic Ramayana - where he is assigned the responsibility to locate Rama's wife Sita abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka — is known for its astounding ability to inspire and equip a reader with all the ingredients needed to face ordeals and conquer obstructions in the way of the world.

Hayagriva is a wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. There are believed to be 108 forms of Hayagriva. His special ability is to cure diseases, especially skin diseases even as serious as leprosy, which is said to be caused by the Nagas (malignant water spirits with serpent bodies). Hayagriva is worshipped in Tibet principally by horse-dealers because he is believed to frighten away demons by neighing like a horse. When invoked, he is said to announce his coming by neighing. The horse’s head neighs loudly, and the sound is said to pierce all false appearances of substantiality, revealing the shining reality of freedom. His mantra contains the following verse: "I request that you protect all horses. Increase the number of mares. For from the mother of the horse many supreme horses will be born. Please disperse the obstacles on the Path and reveal the right direction."
Hotei, often referred to as the Laughing Buddha, is one of the Shichi Fukujin, the seven Japanese Shinto-gods of luck. He is the god of happiness, laughter and the wisdom of contentment, and is the patron of the weak and children, fortunetellers and bartenders. Hotei is distinguished by his body of generous proportions and round stomach exposed beneath loose robes. His big belly is a symbol of happiness, luck and generosity.  It is said to be the centre of compassion – the bigger the belly – the more compassion. On his back he carries a huge linen bag containing precious things and gifts of good fortune, including children. He also holds an uchiwa, a flat fan of Chinese origin used by ancient chieftains as an emblem of authority and wish granting. He may sit in an old cart drawn by boys, as the Wagon Priest, and can be compared with the Buddhistic Mi-lo-Fo.  In Chinese Buddhism he is known as Budai, the Loving or Friendly One. He was a wandering Chan Buddhist monk who lived in the ninth century. At his death between 901 and 903, he recited a poem that revealed to the world that he was in fact the Bodhisattva Maitreya in disguise. Maitreya, Chinese Buddhists believe, is the future Buddha, who will return to the world and bring innumerable individuals to salvation. This concept of hope for the suffering, combined with Budai's pleasing, human features, made him a most popular Buddhist deity. It was not until the sixteenth century that he was canonised as the sixteenth and last Chinese bodhisattva. According to Chinese legend he carried a sack of candy to give to children. He is sometimes worshipped as a god of good luck and prosperity. He is always represented as very stout, with the breast and upper abdomen exposed to view. His face has a widely grinning or laughing expression, and he is also known as the Laughing Buddha. He stands in the first hall of the Buddhist monastery. Because of his constant good nature, he has become the symbol of philosophical contentment.

Indra (Sanskrit: इन्द्र or इंद्र Indra,Sinhala: Sakra, Tamil: இந்திரன், Thai: พระอินทร์ Phra In, Japanese: 帝釈天 Taishakuten) is the King of the gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Vedic Hinduism, and also he is the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall. Mentioned first as a god of war and warriors (Kshatriya) in the sacred Hindu text of Rig Veda, he subsequently became the chief deity. Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character. He has always remained significant in Indian mythology, from Vedic to Puranic times, even as his reputation and role diminished in later Hinduism with the rise of the Trimurti.

Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, kṛṣṇa in IAST, pronounced [ˈkr̩ʂɳə] in classical Sanskrit) is a deity worshiped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives. The Sanskrit word kṛṣṇa has the literal meaning of "black", "dark" or "dark-blue” and is used as a name to describe someone with dark skin. Krishna is often depicted in murtis (images) as black, and is generally shown in paintings with a blue skin. The name Krishna is also the 57th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama and means the Existence of Bliss, according to Adi Sankara's interpretation. Krishna is also known by various other names, epithets and titles, which reflect his many associations and attributes. Among the most common names are Govinda, "finder of cows", or Gopala, "protector of cows", which refer to Krishna's childhood in Vraja. Traditional belief based on scriptural details and astrological calculations gives the date of Krishna's birth, known as Janmashtami, as either 18 or 21 July 3228 BC  While many Vaishnava groups recognize him as an avatar of Vishnu, other traditions within Krishnaism consider Krishna to be svayam bhagavan, or the Supreme Being. Krishna is often depicted as an infant, as a young boy playing a flute as in the Bhagavata Purana, or as a youthful prince giving direction and guidance as in the Bhagavad Gita. The stories of Krishna appear across a broad spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions. The various traditions dedicated to different manifestations of Krishna, such as Vasudeva, Bala Krishna and Gopala, existed as early as 4th century BC. The Krishna-bhakti Movement spread to southern India by the 9th century AD, while in northern India Krishnaism schools were well established by 11th century AD. From the 10th century AD, with the growing Bhakti movement, Krishna became a favorite subject in performing arts and regional traditions of devotion developed for forms of Krishna such as Jagannatha in Orissa, Vithoba in Maharashtra and Shrinathji in Rajasthan. According to legend Krishna was not only divine, but heroic as well. He is alleged to have defeated numerous dragons and monsters, and eventually as predicted, killed his half-uncle the tyrannical king Kamsa.

Kubera (Sanskrit: कुबेर;Sinhala: කුවේර) (also Kuvera or Kuber) is the king of the Yakshas and the lord of wealth in mythology. He is also known as Dhanapati, the lord of riches. He is one of the Guardians of the directions, representing the Uttara-disha, meaning north of 4 directions in Sanskrit.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (地藏菩薩), often known in its Japanese name Jizō (地蔵) or Chinese name Dizang (地藏 Dìzàng), is a popular Mahayana Buddhist Bodhisattva, usually depicted as a monk. The name Jizō or Dizang may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb."
Lakshmi (pronunciation: [ləkʂ.miː]; Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi (or Shri) are found also in Jain monuments. She is believed to protect her devotees from all kinds of misery and money-related sorrows. Hindus worship Lakshmi the most on Diwali, the festival of lights. According to tradition people would put small oil lamps outside their homes on Diwali and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them. Goddess Lakshmi means Good Luck to Hindus. The word 'Lakshmi' is derived from the Sanskrit word "Laksya", meaning 'aim' or 'goal', and she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual. Lakshmi is the household goddess of most Hindu families, and a favorite of women. Although she is worshipped daily, the festive month of October is Lakshmi's special month. Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the full moon night of Kojagari Purnima.
Longevity Shou represents 'long life'. According to Chinese folklore, Longevity is described as wise, knowledgeable and capable of ruling the world. During festivals, a Chinese family normally worships the symbols or pictures of Longevity to express gratitude for granting the elders in the family a long life. When old people celebrate their birthdays, families and friends love to use the drawings of Shou as gifts. Pictures of Shou were often drawn on birthday cakes. Such a gesture would embody the filial wish that family elders or birthday person might live as long as the legendary mountains of the south, with health and good fortune to match. The God of Longevity is the 3rd god of the Gods of Good Fortune. The God of Longevity was originally a stellar God, Shou Xing or the Star of Longevity or the Star of the South Pole. Shou Xing occupied a very important position in star worshipping. The worshipping of stars in royal ceremonies continue throughout the ages even though dynasties rose and fell. People strongly believe that the stellar deity could control the fate of the country. In addition, he was thought to possess the power to decide the life span of mortals. At a period of time, he was endowed with human qualities and Shou Xing eventually become known as Nan-ji-Xian-weng - "the Old Man of the South Pole" or the God of the South Pole. This is one of the most recognisable deities in Chinese literature. The God of Longevity has a long wisped beard and an enormous high bald head. He always carries a long knotted staff and pumpkin gourd, in which it holds the water of life. In the other hand, he holds the peach of immortality and sometimes there is a crane on top. Both items are symbols of immortality. Symbolically he is represented as a mushroom or a turtle.
Mahakala, “Lord of the Tent”, is one of the most revered Tibetan protector deities.  He is worshipped as a protector of the entire realm as well as a personal tutelary deity.  Well represented and revered in all orders of Tantric Tibetan Buddhism, Mahakala is especially popular with the Sakya order.  In his most common form he is believed to be the fierce manifestationof the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who plays a prominent role in Tibetan Buddhism, and was the tutelary deity of the Mongolian ruler Kublai Khan.  Mahakala is a  Dharmapala, a protector of religious law.  He is always depicted as an extremely fierce and terrifying deity.  His purpose is to help in overcoming negative obstacles on the path to enlightenment.  A compassionate wrathful deity, he appears evil, like a demon, but functions more like a guard dog, or guardian angel.  His aggression is necessary, for it allows him to demolish obstacles and negativities one faces on the path to enlightenment.  Mahakala is depicted in a variety of different ways, sometimes with six arms, other times with two.  He is often brown skinned. Mahakala’s role as “Lord of the Tent” explains his popularity in Tibetan religion. Tibetans are historically a nomadic people and tents have always been an important form of protection and shelter, providing the basis for their way of life.  Tents being essential for survival resulted in Mahakala, the “Lord of the Tent”, becoming one of the most important protector deities.
Maharaja Agrasena (also Agrasen) (Devanagari: अग्रसेन) was a legendary Indian king of Agroha, a city of traders, from whom the Agrawal and Agrahari clan traces its origin. He is credited with the establishment of a kingdom of traders in North India, and is known for his compassion in refusing to slaughter animals in yajnas.

Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pāli) is a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva. Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Śākyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The name Maitreya or Metteyya is derived from the word maitrī (Sanskrit) or mettā (Pāli) meaning "loving-kindness", which is in turn derived from the noun mitra (Pāli: mitta) in the sense of "friend".The earliest mention of Metteyya is in the Cakavatti (Sihanada) Sutta in the Digha Nikaya 26 of the Pali Canon Maitreya currently resides in the Tusita Heaven (Pāli: Tusita), said to be reachable through meditation. Śākyamuni Buddha also lived here before he was born into the world as all bodhisattvas live in the Tuṣita Heaven before they descend to the human realm to become Buddhas. Although all bodhisattvas are destined to become Buddhas, the concept of a bodhisattva differs slightly in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. In Theravada Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who is only destined to one day become a Buddha, whereas in Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who has already reached a very advanced state of grace or enlightenment but holds back from entering nirvana so that he may help others..
Manjusri (Ch: 文殊 Wénshū or 文殊師利菩薩 Wénshūshili Púsà; Jp: Monju; Tib: Jampelyang; Nepalese: मंजुश्री Manjushree) is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism, and is considered a yidam, or titular deity in Tibetan specifically. Manjusri is the bodhisattva associated with wisdom, doctrine and awareness. Historically, Manjusri was a disciple of the Buddha, according to Mahayana scriptures (but he was not mentioned in Hinayana scriptures). The Sanskrit term Mañjuśrī can be translated as "Gentle Glory". Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller Sanskrit name of Mañjuśrī-kumāra-bhūta. Manjushri is a bodhisattva associated with Vairochana (Tibetan: nangpar nangdze,) the Buddha Resplendent, who is like the sun in glory at its zenith. Manjushri is viewed both as a historical bodhisattva, and as an emanation of Vairochana, ("Berotsana," Tibetan: nangpar nangdze, Jap.: Dainichi Nyorai) the primordial white Buddha that is compared to the sun -- his nature is "everywhere-pervading."  He manifests as a bodhisattva to provoke investigation into such topics as Emptiness (or, void-ness,) free will, and the nature of the self. When the primordial buddha Vairochana vowed to emanate throughout the universe as the princely and ever-youthful, bodhisattva of Wisdom, his purpose was to lead beings in an inquiry whereby they could discover the true nature of reality.  For that reason, he is usually depicted displaying the two tools essential to that investigation: in his right hand he wields the double-edged sword of logic or analytic discrimination and in his left, the Prajnaparamita Sutra, the text of the teaching on Emptiness.  This teaching is fundamental to all forms of Buddhism and for that reason it is often called "Mother of All Buddhas."   It is cushioned on the lotus of Compassion. Manjushri's sword of discriminating wisdom is tipped with flames to show that it severs all notions of duality.  It can cut away delusion, aversion and longing, to reveal understanding, equanimity and compassion. Sometimes he is depicted with his hands making the gesture of teaching at the level of his heart.  Often we see him with a double set of arms, which combines internal and external qualities.   Mañjushrî is either seated on a lion throne or on an elephant . Both animals are associated a fully enlightened buddha.  However, as a bodhisattva, he is depicted as a sixteen-year old youth.  This is a confirmation of the fact that wisdom is not merely associated with maturity and age; it but is a direct consequence of anyone's logical inquiry into the true nature of reality. In the sutras, Mañjushrî is described as inhabiting a Pure Land (or, "heaven") in another universe, where he dwells as the Buddha he actually is.  Since the 7th century, he has been inextricably linked to the 5 Sacred Peaks (Wu-tai Shan -- "Five-mountain Paradise," Tib: Riwo Tsenga) of China.  There, as Wen-Shu Shi-Li, Manjushri is depicted as a boy with his hair in 5 bunches ("5 peaks")   The northeastern Chinese location is still an important place of pilgrimage for Tibetans, Mongolians, Chinese and other Buddhists.

Goddess Māri (Tamil: மாரி) is known as Mariamman, "Mother Mari" (Tamil: மாரியம்மன்), spelt also Maariamma (Tamil: மாரியம்மா), or simply Amman (Tamil: அம்மன்), meaning "mother". She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Goddess Māri is also closely associated with the Hindu goddesses Parvati and Durga. Māri originated as an ancient village goddess related to fertility and rain. In Tamil, māri means rain. This goddess was a local deity, connected to a specific location, close to a specific tree, a rock or a special spot, mostly in rural areas. Another theory regarding origin of the name arises from the fact that mari in Tamil also means change. Mariamman was the smallpox goddess before this disease was eradicated. Now she cures all so-called heat-based diseases like pox and rashes. During the summer months in South India (March to June), people walk miles carrying pots of water mixed with turmeric and neem leaves to ward off illnesses like the measles and chicken pox.

Marpa (1012–97). A celebrated Tibetan yogin, Marpa initially trained as a translator. He visited India on three occasions and Nepal on four occasions where he attended upon such spiritual masters as Nāropa and Maitripa, who introduced him to doctrines and practices of tantric Buddhism, especially those connected with Hevajra, Guhyasamāja, and mahāmudrā. An important account of his encounters with Nāropa survives. Following his return to Tibet, he resided in the Lhodrak area and taught many students, including the great Milarepa. He introduced the set of six special tantric practices known as the Six Yogas of Nāropa and established the teaching tradition of the Kagyü school.

 
Maya Devi ,Queen Māyā of Sakya was the birth mother of the historical Gautama Buddha, Siddhārtha of the Gautama gotra, and sister of Mahapajapati Gotami the first woman ordained by the Buddha. "Māyā" means "illusion" or "enchantment" in Sanskrit and Pāli. Māyā is also called Mahāmāyā ("great Māyā") or Māyādevī ("Queen, literally 'goddess,' Māyā"). In Tibetan she is called Gyutrulma. Queen Mayadevi was born in Devadaha kingdom of ancient Nepal.
Queen Māyā and King Suddhodhana did not have children for twenty years into their marriage. One day however, according to legend, Queen Māyā dreamt of a divine Bodhisattva on white elephant touching her side, and became pregnant. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha-to-be was residing as a Bodhisattva, in the Tuṣita heaven, and decided to take the shape of a white elephant to be reborn, for the last time, on Earth. Māyā gave birth to Siddharta c. 563 BCE. The pregnancy lasted ten lunar months. Following custom, the Queen returned to her own home for the birth. On the way, she stepped down from her palanquin to have a walk in the beautiful flower garden of Lumbini Park, Lumbini Zone, Nepal. She was delighted by the park and she reached for a branch to take a rest. Again according to legend, at this time Prince Siddhārtha emerged from her right side and was born. It was the eighth day of April. She gave him his first bath in the Puskarini pond in Lumbini Zone. Siddhārtha means "He who has accomplished his goals" or "The accomplished goal".
Queen Māyā died seven days after the birth of the Buddha-to-be, and went to the Tuṣita Heaven. Her sister Prajāpatī (Pāli: Pajāpatī or Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī) became the child's foster mother.
After Prince Siddhartha had gained perfection and became the Buddha, he visited his mother in heaven for three months to pay respects and to teach the Dharma.

Medicine Buddha, also known as Bhaishajyaguru is a fully enlightened being. To understand who he is, what his nature is, what his function is, and so on, we first need to understand what an enlightened being is. Generally, 'being' means any being who experiences feelings – pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Thus we are beings, and animals are beings; but houses and plants are not beings because they do not experience any feelings. There are two types of being: sentient beings and enlightened beings. A sentient being, or living being, is a being whose mind is afflicted by the darkness of ignorance. An enlightened being is a being who is completely free from the darkness of ignorance.  Just as sentient beings have many different aspects, so do enlightened beings. Enlightened beings emanate countless different forms for the benefit of living beings. Sometimes they appear as Deities, sometimes as humans, sometimes as non-humans. Sometimes they appear as Buddhist Teachers, sometimes non-Buddhist Teachers, sometimes as crazy people or evil people, and sometimes even as inanimate objects. Emanations of enlightened beings pervade the whole world, but because our mind is covered by ignorance we do not recognize them. We cannot say who or what is an emanation of a Buddha.  Medicine Buddha is an enlightened being who has unbiased compassion for all living beings. He protects living beings from physical and mental sickness and other dangers and obstacles, and helps them to eradicate the three poisons – attachment, hatred, and ignorance – which are the source of all sickness and danger. He is a Buddha Doctor.  At one time Buddha Shakyamuni was staying at a place called Vaishali with thirty-six thousand Bodhisattva disciples. At that time, Manjushri was appearing as a Bodhisattva disciple. Through his compassion, Manjushri realized that in the future the Buddhadharma would degenerate, and the beings of this world would find it very difficult to practise pure Dharma and gain pure realizations. He understood that it would be very difficult for those beings to control their minds, and so they would naturally engage in negative actions such as killing, stealing, and holding wrong views. As a result they would experience horrific illnesses and unbearable mental pain. The world would be full of problems, dangers, and adversity. Finding the thought of all this suffering impossible to bear, Manjushri asked Buddha: In the future when your Dharma and general spiritual practice are in decline, when the human beings in this world are spiritually impoverished, when their attachment, anger, and ignorance are so strong and difficult to control that they experience continual physical suffering, mental pain, fears, and dangers, and especially many incurable diseases, who will release them from this suffering and protect them from danger? Who will help them to overcome the three mental poisons? In response to Bodhisattva Manjushri's question, Buddha expounded the Sutra of Eight Thousand Verses Principally Revealing the Instructions on Medicine Buddha. Many beings heard this teaching. In addition to the thirty-six thousand human Bodhisattva disciples, millions of other Bodhisattva disciples came from many Pure Lands, together with beings from other realms such as nagas and givers-of-harm, or yakshas. To this vast assembly of disciples Buddha explained all about Medicine Buddha - his special qualities, his Pure Land, and how in the future by relying upon this Buddha and just hearing his name, living beings could be cured of heavy mental and physical sickness, especially the sickness of delusions. He also explained how to make a connection with this Buddha, the benefits of relying upon him, and how to practise the Medicine Buddha instructions.  While Buddha was giving this teaching, Manjushri realized with his clairvoyance of knowing others' minds that some of the humans and gods in the audience were developing doubts, finding it difficult to believe the Buddha's explanation about the existence of Medicine Buddha. Therefore, again he rose from his seat, respectfully circumambulated Buddha three times, made three prostrations, and then with his left knee on the ground according to tradition, requested Buddha: To remove doubts from the minds of disciples, please show clearly how this Buddha exists, where he exists, and what his good qualities are. Buddha immediately entered into an absorption of concentration, and from his heart emanated light rays inviting the seven Medicine Buddhas to Vaishali so that everyone could see them. Medicine Buddha came with his two main disciples, Radiance of the Sun and Radiance of the Moon, as well as a vast retinue of thousands of other disciples. The other six Medicine Buddhas also came with their retinues. Everyone could see the seven Medicine Buddhas with their retinues directly, and their doubts were immediately dispelled. Buddha introduced each of the Buddhas, saying for example "This Buddha is Medicine Buddha. He comes from the eastern Pure Land called Lapis Jewel Land. This Buddha Land is the nature of wisdom with the aspect of lapis lazuli. The entire ground of that Pure Land is illuminated by this Buddha's light," and so on.  Buddha then gave instructions on how to recite the mantra for oneself and for others, for sick and dying people, and so forth, and how to perform many different healing rituals. Everyone rejoiced and developed deep, unchangeable faith. It is said that through hearing these instructions seven million non-human givers of harm gained a direct realization of ultimate truth and promised to help future followers who sincerely relied upon the practice of Medicine Buddha. Twelve chief givers-of-harm who were present later attained enlightenment, and are included within the fifty-one Deities of Medicine Buddha’s mandala.  The practice of Medicine Buddha is a very powerful method for healing ourself and others, and for overcoming the inner sickness of attachment, hatred, and ignorance. If we rely upon Medicine Buddha with pure faith we shall definitely receive the blessings of these attainments.

Milarepa is one of the most widely known Tibetan Saints. In a superhuman effort, he rose above the miseries of his younger life and with the help of his Guru, Marpa the Translator, took to a solitary life of meditation until he had achieved the pinnacle of the enlightened state, never to be born again into the Samsara (whirlpool of life and death) of worldly existence. Out of compassion for humanity, he undertook the most rigid asceticism to reach the Buddhic state of enlightenment and to pass his accomplishments on to the rest of humanity. His spiritual lineage was passed along to his chief disciples, Gambopa and Rechung. It was Rechung who recorded in detail the incidents of Milarepa's life for posterity. The narrative of his life has thus been passed down through almost a millennium of time and has become an integral part of Tibetan culture. In addition to Rechung's narrative of his life, summarized below, Milarepa extemporaneously composed innumerable songs throughout his life relevant to the dramatic turns of events of himself and his disciples in accordance with an art form that was in practice at the time. These songs have been widely sung and studied in Tibet ever since and have been recorded as the Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa. His faithful devotion, boundless religious zeal, monumental forbearance, superhuman perseverance, and ultimate final attainment are a great inspiration today for all. His auspicious life illumined the Buddhist faith and brought the light of wisdom to sentient beings everywhere.
The worship of a mother goddess as the source of life and fertility has prehistoric roots, but the transformation of that deity into a Great goddess of cosmic powers was achieved with the composition of the Devi Mahatmya (Glory of the goddess), a text of the fifth to sixth century, when worship of the female principle took on dramatic new dimensions. The goddess is not only the mysterious source of life, she is the very soil, all-creating and all consuming. Kali makes her 'official' debut in the Devi-Mahatmya, where she is said to have emanated from the brow of Goddess Durga (slayer of demons) during one of the battles between the divine and anti-divine forces. Etymologically Durga's name means "Beyond Reach". She is thus an echo of the woman warrior's fierce virginal autonomy. In this context Kali is considered the 'forceful' form of the great goddess Durga.Kali is represented as a Black woman with four arms; in one hand she has a sword, in another the head of the demon she has slain, with the other two she is encouraging her worshippers. For earrings she has two dead bodies and wears a necklace of skulls ; her only clothing is a girdle made of dead men's hands, and her tongue protrudes from her mouth. Her eyes are red, and her face and breasts are besmeared with blood. She stands with one foot on the thigh, and another on the breast of her husband. Kali's fierce appearances have been the subject of extensive descriptions in several earlier and modern works. Though her fierce form is filled with awe- inspiring symbols, their real meaning is not what it first appears- they have equivocal significance: Kali's blackness symbolizes her all-embracing, comprehensive nature, because black is the color in which all other colors merge; black absorbs and dissolves them. 'Just as all colors disappear in black, so all names and forms disappear in her' (Mahanirvana Tantra). Or black is said to represent the total absence of color, again signifying the nature of Kali as ultimate reality. This in Sanskrit is named as nirguna (beyond all quality and form). Either way, Kali's black color symbolizes her transcendence of all form.

The Naga Kanya or Cobra Women are typically viewed as a race of fairy-like demi-goddesses born of Vishnu's vehicle, & they may have the forms of beautiful maidens, but are usually maidens only from the waist up, serpents from the waist down. Naga Kanya is a bringer of treasures (akin to Lakshmi) but not merely of material wealth. She brings the ultimate treasure, wisdom, represented by the gem or diamond-pattern on the back of a cobra's hood or the jewel imbedded in Kanya's forehead.

Nandi (Sanskrit: नंदी), is the bull which Siva rides and the gate keeper of Siva and Parvati in Hindu mythology. Temples venerating Siva and Parvati display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. A primary god: Nandi as a separate god can be traced back to Indus Valley Civilization, where dairy farming was the most important occupation, thus explaining the appearance of various artifacts, such as the 'Pasupati Seal,' indicating a deity much like Shiva. This deity- also known as Pasupati is believed to have been worshipped as the keeper of herds. Some purans describe Nandi or Nandikeshvara as bull faced with a human body that resembles that of Shiva- in proportion and aspect, although with four hands, two hands holding the Parasu (the axe) and Mruga (the antelope) and the other two hands joined together in the Anjali(obeisance).

Nataraja (literally. The Lord (or King) of Dance, Sanskrit: नटराज, Tamil: கூத்தன் Kooththan, /nɐ.tɐ.rɑ.dʒɐ/) is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic dancer who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for god Brahma to start the process of creation. Nataraja is most often depicted through a statue. The dance of Shiva in Tillai, the traditional name for Chidambaram, forms the motif for all the depictions of Shiva as Nataraja. He is also known as "Sabesan" which splits as "Sabayil aadum eesan" in Tamil which means "The Lord who dances on the dias". The significance of the Nataraja (Nataraj) sculpture is said to be that Shiva is shown as the source of all movement within the cosmos, represented by the arch of flames. The purpose of the dance is to release men from illusion of the idea of the ''self'' and of the physical world. The cosmic dance was performed in Chidambaram in South India, called the center of the universe by some Hindus. The gestures of the dance represent Shiva's five activities, creation (symbolized by the drum), protection (by the ''fear not'' hand gesture), destruction (by the fire), embodiment (by the foot planted on the ground), and release (by the foot held aloft). As Nataraja, Shiva represents apocalypse and creation as he dances away the illusory world of Maya transforming it into power and enlightenment.

Padmasambhava, the Tantric Buddha, also known as Padmakara (pad ma 'byung gnas), 'Lotus-born,' or Guru Rinpoche, 'Precious Master'. Padmakara and Padmasambhava are interchangeable in Tibetan literature, sometimes you find the Tibetan translation Pema Jungney, sometimes the Sanskrit Padmakara. He was the brilliant MahaSiddha who brought Tantric Buddhism to the Himalayas and to Tibet. His charisma, his capacity to transform obstacles and deal with adversity, his vision and his teachings reach through time into our lives through his teachings and the living energy of lineage. followers of the Nyingma school regard him as the founder of their lineage, and some Buddhists view Padmasambhava as an incarnation of Amitābha Buddha. There are many legends associated with the life of Padmasambhava, and stories about his alleged mystical powers abound, reflecting a more escoteric side of Buddhism. The flavor of Tibetan Buddhism owes much to the life of Padmasambhava. Many details about the life of Padmasambhava are debated including his origins. The main source of his biographical information is found in a mystically "recovered" text called the Padma bka'i thang (allegedly recovered in 1346), attributed to his Tibetan consort, Yeshe Tsogyal. (However, this text may not be the most reliable or trustworthy work for factual dates.) Though traditionally thought to have been a native of northwestern India (modern day Pakistan), speculation that Padmasambhava came from what is now the Middle East (a region called Urgyan) has grown (Guenther 1996). There is also some debate concerning whether there may have been two figures calling themselves Padmasambhava—an original and a copycat—employing the name of the famous teacher. Stories surrounding the life of Padmasambhava parallel the life of Gautama Buddha. According to legend, Padmasambhava was born in a miraculous way as an eight year old child appearing in a lotus flower floating on top of Lake Dhanakosha, near the present day India-Pakistan border. It is said that his special nature was recognized by the local king, Indrabodhi, who married Padmasambhava to one of his daughters (Mandarava) who developed into realized practitioner of tantric Buddhism. Many Tibetan thangkas and paintings show Padmasambhava engaged in tantric practices with Mandarava and his other consort, Yeshe Tsogyal of Tibet. While in Tibet, it is claimed that he founded the first monastery in the country, Samye Gompa, initiated the first monks, and introduced the people to the practice of Tantric Buddhism. However, documents relating the life of Padmasambhava are not in consensus concerning the length of time he spent in Tibet. Accounts range between six months and fifty years. Eventually he decided to leave, and it is recorded that he spent time in many other regions of Asia. In Bhutan he is associated with the famous Taktshang or "Tiger's Nest" monastery built on a sheer cliff wall about 500 meters above the floor of Paro Valley. It is also said that he flew there from Tibet on the back of his favorite consort, Yeshe Tsogyal, who he transformed into a flying tigress for the purpose of the trip. Later he traveled to Bumthang district (in modern day Bhutan) to subdue a powerful deity offended by a local king. According to local legend, Padmasambhava's body imprint can be found in the wall of a cave at nearby Kurje Lhakhang temple, Bhutan. Padmasambhava was not content to pass on Buddhist teachings as he knew them: that is, in their institutionalized form. He was critical of his contemporaries and saw the Buddhist movements of his time as imperfect. Padmasambhava focused on his own experiences, and in his works he cites his own deepest insights into the nature of reality. His teachings were somewhat unique as he blended the idea of reincarnation with an understanding of the cosmos divided into three realms—a realm of the divine, a realm of the humans, and a realm of the demonic. His understanding of the demonic realm of the cosmos corresponded to the base level of the human psyche, progressing to more developed heights in the human and divine realm. Though the idea of a tripartite cosmos was not new in Buddhism (and thus Padmasambhava's teachings did not contradict popular Buddhist thought), his unique application of the cosmos in Buddhist psychology was a novel approach to understanding and explaining the mind. Padmasambhava is also recognized as an important tantric teacher, significant because tantra is so vital to Tibetan Buddhism. Through written works and oral transmission, Padmasambhava is said to have offered the fundamental instructions to Mahayoga and Atiyoga as found in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Atiyoga, also known as Dzog Chen, is the highest level of Nyingma tantra. Mahayoga is also a high "inner tantra," based on the visualization of mandalas and deities. Padmasambhava's teachings were practice-oriented and emphasized the role of tantra in uncovering truth.

Parvati (Sanskrit: Pārvatī, पार्वती, Malayalam: പാര്‍വതി Parvathy; Malay: Parwati, Thai: Nang Uma-Devi) is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is also regarded as a representation of Shakti, albeit the gentle aspect of that goddess because she is a mother goddess. Parvati is considered as the supreme Divine Mother or Lordess and all other goddesses are referred to as her incarnations or manifestations. Shaktas consider her as the ultimate Divine Shakti —the embodiment of the total energy in the universe. Parvati is nominally the second consort of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and rejuvenation. However, she is not different from Satī, being the reincarnation of that former consort of Shiva. Parvati is the mother of the gods Ganesha and Skanda (Kartikeya). Some communities also believe her to be the sister of god Vishnu. She also is regarded the daughter of the Himalayas. Parvati when depicted alongside Shiva appears with two arms, but when alone, she is shown having four arms, and astride a tiger or lion. Generally considered a benign goddess, Parvati also has fearful aspects like Durga, Kali, Chandi, and the Mahavidyas as well as benevolent forms like Mahagauri, Shailputri, and Lalita.

Often called the father of yoga, Patanjali was the guy who codified his thoughts and knowledge of yoga in The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. In this work, Patanjali compiled 195 sutras or concise aphorisms that are essentially an ethical blueprint for living a moral life and incorporating the science of yoga into your life. Although no one is sure of the exact time when Patanjali lived and wrote down his sutras, it is estimated this humble physician who became one of the world’s greatest sages roamed India somewhere between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D.

Rama (IAST: rāma, Devanāgarī: राम, Khmer: ព្រះរាម, Thai: พระราม, Lao: ພຣະຣາມ, Burmese: Yama, Tagalog: Rajah Bantugan) or Ramachandra, also called Shri Rama, was a legendary king of Ayodhya in ancient India. In Hinduism, he is the seventh avatar of Vishnu. A significant section of Hindus do not doubt his historicity, and consider him an actual king who ruled over a large part of what is now India from his capital Ayodhya. Rama is one of the many popular figures and deities in Hinduism, specifically Vaishnavism and Vaishnava religious scriptures in South and Southeast Asia.  Most of the details of Rama's life come from the Ramayana, one of the two great epics of India. Rama's life and journey is one of perfect adherence to dharma despite harsh tests of life and time. He is pictured as the ideal man and the perfect human. For the sake of his father's honour, Rama abandons his claim to Kosaulya's throne to serve an exile of fourteen years in the forestHis wife, Sita and brother, Lakshmana being unable to live without Rama decide to join him, and all three spend the fourteen years in exile together. This leads to the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana, the Rakshasa (Asura) monarch of Lanka. After a long and arduous search that tests his personal strength and virtue, Rama fights a colossal war against Ravana's armies. In a war of powerful and magical beings, greatly destructive weaponry and battles, Rama slays Ravana in battle and liberates his wife. Having completed his exile, Rama returns to be crowned King in Ayodhya (the capital of his Kingdom) and eventually becomes Emperor of the World, after which he reigns for eleven thousand years – an era of perfect happiness, peace, prosperity and justice known as Rama Rajya. Rama's day and time of birth, as well as marriage to Sita are celebrated by Hindus across the world as Rama Navami. It falls on the ninth day of a Hindu lunar year, or Chaitra Masa Suklapaksha Navami. This day is observed as the marriage day of Rama and Sita as well as the birthday of Rama. People normally perform Kalyanotsavam (marriage celebration) for small statues of Rama and Sita in their houses and at the end of the day the idols are taken in a procession on the streets. This day also marks the end of nine day utsavam called Vasanthothsavam (Festival of Spring), that starts with Ugadi.

Sai Baba of Shirdi (1838 - October 15, 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian guru and yogi who is regarded by his followers as an incarnation of God. Some of his Hindu devotees believe that he was an incarnation of Shiva or Dattatreya. Some Hindus believe that he was a Sadguru. There are many stories and eyewitness accounts of miracles he performed. He is a well-known figure in many parts of the world, but especially in India, where he is much revered. The name 'Sai Baba' is a combination of Persian and Indian origin; Sāī (Sa'ih) is the Persian term for "holy one" or "saint", usually attributed to Islamic ascetics, whereas Baba (honorific) is a word meaning "father; grandfather; old man; sir" used in Indo-Aryan languages. The appellative thus refers to Sai Baba as being a "holy father" or "saintly father". Sai Baba taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, devotion to God and guru. His teachings combined elements of Hinduism and Islam and tried to achieve communal harmony between these religions.

Samurai (侍?) is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean "those who serve in close attendance to the nobility," the pronunciation in Japanese changing to saburai. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became synonymous with bushi (武士) almost entirely and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class. The samurai followed a set of written rules called the Bushidō . Samurai teachings can still be found today in modern day society with the martial art Kendo, meaning the way of the sword. During the Tokugawa era, samurai increasingly became courtiers, bureaucrats, and administrators rather than warriors. With no warfare since the early 17th century, samurai gradually lost their military function during the Tokugawa era (also called the Edo period). By the end of the Tokugawa era, samurai were aristocratic bureaucrats for the daimyo, with their daisho, the paired long and short swords of the samurai (cf. katana and wakizashi) becoming more of a symbolic emblem of power rather than a weapon used in daily life. style, conscripted army in 1873. Samurai became Shizoku (士族) who retained some of their salaries, but the right to wear a katana in public was eventually abolished along with the right to execute commoners who paid them disrespect. As de facto aristocrats for centuries, samurai developed their own cultures that influenced Japanese culture as a whole. The culture associated with the samurai such as the tea ceremony, monochrome ink painting, rock gardens and poetry were adopted by warrior patrons throughout the centuries 1200-1600. These practices were adapted from the Chinese arts. Zen monks introduced them to Japan and they were allowed to flourish due to the interest of powerful warrior elites. Muso Soseki (1275-1351) was a Zen monk who was advisor to both Emperor Go-Daigo and General Ashikaga Takauji (1304-58). Muso as well as other monks acted as political and cultural diplomats between Japan and China. Muso was particularly well known for his garden design.Another Ashikaga patron of the arts was Yoshimasa. His cultural advisor, the Zen monk Zeami, introduced tea ceremony to him. Previously, tea had been used primarily for Buddhist monks to stay awake during meditation.  As in china, the Japanese government became fearful of the power Buddhist Temples had over the people.  Eventually they ordered the samurai to destroy many of the temples.  Ironically, this made Buddhism more powerful.  The samurai were warriors in dangerous times.  They were duty bound to hold their lives cheap, risking death constantly.  This was as hard for them emotionally as for anyone else.   They had assumed the Zen monks would run screaming at the sight of violence, but instead, many of them were unintimidated.  some of them meditated inside their temple even as the fires consumed them.  This impressed the samurai greatly and they began to study Zen.The philosophies of Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto, influenced the samurai culture. Zen meditation became an important teaching due to it offering a process to calm one's mind. The Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth led samurai to abandon torture and needless killing, while some samurai even gave up violence altogether and became Buddhist monks after realizing how fruitless their killings were. Zen also helped that samurai sharpen their skills be making their technique more spontaneous.It later even split the major martial arts schools into those with a philosophical element (eg. Judo  , Kendo  , Karate-do  ),all have names ending in "do"  which means path, ie. the Buddhist Path.

Santoshi Mata (Devnagari: संतोषी माता), meaning the mother of contentment, is a relatively recent Hindu female divinity. She is particularly worshipped by women of North India. Maa Santoshi is an emblem of love, contentment, forgiveness, happiness and hope. It is so believed that fasting and praying for her for 16 consecutive Fridays brings peace and prosperity in ones family. Santoshi Maa inspires an individual to cherish family values and to come out of the crisis with one's determination. Santoshi Maa is widely worshipped throughout India and Nepal and by Indians residing outside India. She emerged as a deity in 1975, following the airing of the religious film Jai Santoshi Maa. As depicted in that film, she is the daughter of Ganesha.
 Saraswati is the Goddess of leaming, knowledge, and wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" and swa means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence of the self." Saraswati is represented in Hindu mythology as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Brahma. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped by all persons interested in knowledge, especially students, teachers, scholars, and scientists.

Shiva (pronounced /ˈʃiːvə/; Sanskrit: शिव, Śiva, IPA: [ˈɕivə]; Hindi: [ʃɪʋə], lit. "Auspicious one") is a major Hindu god and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of the five primary forms of God. Shiva is usually worshipped in the form of Shiva linga. In images, he is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandava upon Maya, the demon of ignorance in his manifestation of Nataraja, the lord of the dance.  Somaskanda is a particular form of representation of Shiva with his consort Uma, and Skanda as a child. This family group depiction of Shiva originated during the 6th-8th centuries during the period of the Pallava in South India. The common thread of thought in the religious beliefs of the Indian subcontinent upholds a single Reality (as in absolute monoism) and holds in reverence each of the several manifestation of the Ultimate Reality in the forms of Gods. Bhrama, Vishnu and Shiva are revered as the Supreme Trinity of multitude of manifestations of Divinity. It is said that all that is true, all that is good and all that is beautiful is God (Satyam Shivam Sundaram). Shiva is referred to as 'the good one' or the 'auspicious one'. Shiva - Rudra is considered to be the destroyer of evil and sorrow. Shiva - Shankara is the doer of good. Shiva is 'tri netra' or three eyed, and is 'neela kantha' -  blue necked (having consumed poison to save the world from destruction. Shiva - Nataraja is the Divine Cosmic Dancer. Shiva - Ardhanareeswara is both man and woman. He is both static and dynamic and is both creator and destroyer. He is the oldest and the youngest, he is the eternal youth as well as the infant. He is the source of fertility in all living beings. He has gentle as well as fierce forms. Shiva is the greatest of renouncers as well as the ideal lover. He destroyes evil and protects good. He bestows prosperity on worshipers although he is austere. He is omnipresent and resides in everyone as pure consciousness. Shiva is inseparable from Shakti - Parvati the daughter of Himavaan - Haimavati. There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva, the two are one - or the absolute state of being - consciousness and bliss.

SiddhÄrtha Gautama, in Sanskrit, or Siddhattha Gotama, in Pali, was a spiritual teacher from ancient India and the founder of Buddhism. More commonly referred to as the Buddha or Shakyamuni Buddha. He is generally recognized by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha (SammÄsambuddha) of our age. The precise nature of such a supreme Buddha - whether "merely" human or a transcendental, immortal, god-transcending being - is differently construed in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada tends to view him as a super-human personage of supreme teaching skill and wisdom (uncontactable after his physical death), whereas Mahayana Buddhism goes further and tends to see him as a projection of an eternal, ultimate principle of Buddhahood present in all phenomena, immortal and transcendent. The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians date his lifetime from circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE; more recently, however, at a specialist symposium on this question, the majority of those scholars who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCEfor the Buddha's death, with others supporting earlier or later dates. Gautama, also known as Shakyamuni (Skt.; Pali: Sakyamuni; English: sage of the Shakyas) is the key figure in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules were said to have been summarized after his death and memorized by the sangha. Passed down by oral tradition, the Tipitaka, the collection of teachings attributed to Gautama by the Theravada, was committed to writing some centuries later. "Scholars are increasingly reluctant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha's life and teachings. About one hundred and fifty years after the Buddha's death and contrary to his wishes, statues depicting him began to appear in Asian countries. The Buddha had always encouraged his disciples to "be a lamp unto themselves" and not look outside for figures to worship. But, perhaps due to the influence of Greek statuary and, later, the devotional tenor of Mahayana Buddhism, Indian Buddhists began to create representations, not only of Shakyamuni Buddha, but also of a host of other Buddha's and bodhisattvas, each with his or her own virtues or powers. In Buddhist iconography each Buddha is depicted with a characteristic mudra. The Sanskrit "mudra" literally means "seal" or "sign" and it identifies specific gestures associated with different aspects of the Buddhist teachings. In the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) schools of Buddhism, mudras accompany the performance of liturgy and the recitation of mantras. They also help to establish or bring into being certain inner states by anticipating their physical expression. In this way, the dhyani or cosmic mudra used in zazen brings about the focus and inner stillness needed to sit in long periods of meditation. Other mudras include the Anjali mudra or gassho, to express "suchness" or the nonduality inherent in the realm of differences, and the vitarka mudra. About one hundred and fifty years after the Buddha's death and contrary to his wishes, statues depicting him began to appear in Asian countries. The Buddha had always encouraged his disciples to ''be a lamp unto themselves'' and not look outside for figures to worship. But, perhaps due to the influence of Greek statuary and, later, the devotional tenor of Mahayana Buddhism, Indian Buddhists began to create representations, not only of Shakyamuni Buddha, but also of a host of other buddhas and bodhisattvas, each with his or her own virtues or powers. In Buddhist iconography each Buddha is depicted with a characteristic mudra. The Sanskrit ''mudra'' literally means ''seal'' or ''sign'' and it identifies specific gestures associated with different aspects of the Buddhist teachings. In the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) schools of Buddhism, mudras accompany the performance of liturgy and the recitation of mantras. They also help to establish or bring into being certain inner states by anticipating their physical expression. In this way, the dhyani or cosmic mudra used in zazen brings about the focus and inner stillness needed to sit in long periods of meditation. Other mudras include the Anjali mudra or gassho, to express ''suchness'' or the nonduality inherent in the realm of differences, and the vitarka mudra, a teaching mudra most commonly used in statues of Amitabha Buddha. It's important to note that in Zen, Buddhist statues are not used for worship, but are instead intended to remind us of our inherent perfection or ''buddha nature.'' Just as mudras help to actualize certain states of consciousness (like a smile that creates a feeling of happiness), Buddhist icons direct our awareness to particular qualities already present in us, acting as inspiration for our practice. For example, having a statue of Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, may act as a reminder of the vow we make as practitioners to save all sentient beings before ourselves. Manjushri, with his sword of wisdom, kills the ego and brings to life our inherent enlightened nature.

Sita is the consort of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. Sita is the one of the most popular goddesses of Hindu religion. Devi Sita is regarded as the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the divine consort of Lord Vishnu. Sita is considered as the ideal daughter, ideal wife, and ideal mother, since ages. Goddess Sita is remembered for her virtues and attributes. Devi Sita symbolizes all that is noble in womanhood.

 
 
Sitātapatrā, one of the most complex Vajrayana goddesses. According to Miranda Shaw in the "Buddhist Goddesses of India", Sitatapatra emerged from the crown of Shakyamuni Buddha's head when he was in Trayastrimsa heaven. The Buddha announced her role to "cut asunder completely all malignant demons, to cut asunder all the spells of others...to turn aside all enemies and dangers and hatred." Her benign and beautiful form belies her ferocity as she is a "fierce, terrifying goddess, garlanded by flames, a pulverizer of enemies and demons."
In the Mahayana "Sitatapatra Sutra", she is called "Aparajita" or "undefeatable" and is also identified as a form of goddess Tara from the "Vairochana" Buddha family and is also called "Mahamaya", which is also the name of Sakyamuni's mother before he becomes the Buddha.
In other sutras, she is regarded as a female counterpart to Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Like him, Sitātapatrā manifests in many elaborate forms: having a thousand faces, arms and legs, or simply as a feminine deity of great beauty. Known foremost for her "white parasol" she is most frequently attributed with the "golden wheel". The auspiciousness of the turning of the precious wheel is symbolic of the Buddha's doctrine, both in its teachings and realizations.

In Hinduism, Surya (Devanagari: सूर्य, sūrya, lit "the Supreme Light" Tamil: Suriya;) is the chief solar deity, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar (depending by the version). The term "Surya" also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold. Surya drives through the heaven in his triumphal chariot harnessed by seven horses or one horse with seven heads, which represent the seven colours of the rainbow or the seven chakras. He presides over "Surya-waar" or Sunday. In Hindu religious literature, Surya is notably mentioned as the visible form of God that one can see every day. Furthermore, Shaivites and Vaishnavas often regard Surya as an aspect of Shiva and Vishnu, respectively. For example, the sun is called Surya Narayana by Vaishnavas. In Shaivite theology, Surya is said to be one of eight forms of Shiva, named the Astamurti.

Tārā (Sanskrit: तारा, tārā) or Ārya Tārā, also known as Jetsun Dolma (rje btsun sgrol ma) in Tibetan, is a female Buddha typically associated with Buddhist tantra practice as preserved in Tibetan Buddhism. She is the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements. Tārā is a tantric deity whose practice is used by practitioners of the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism to develop certain inner qualities and understand outer, inner and secret teachings about compassion and emptiness. In Japan she is known as Tarani Bosatsu but virtually unknown in China. Tārā is actually the generic name for a set of Buddhas or bodhisattvas of similar aspect. These may more properly be understood as different aspects of the same quality, as bodhisattvas are often considered metaphoric for Buddhist virtues.
The most widely known forms of Tārā are:
Green Tārā, known as the Buddha of enlightened activity
White Tārā, also known for compassion, long life, healing and serenity; also known as The Wish-fulfilling Wheel, or Cintachakra
Red Tārā, of fierce aspect associated with magnetizing all good things
Black Tārā, associated with power
Yellow Tārā, associated with wealth and prosperity
Blue Tārā, associated with transmutation of anger
Cittamani Tārā, a form of Tārā widely practiced at the level of highest yoga in the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism, portrayed as green and often conflated with Green Tārā
Khadiravani Tārā (Tārā of the teak forest), who appeared to Nagarjuna in the Khadiravani forest of South India and who is sometimes referred to as the "22nd Tārā."
There is also recognition in some schools of Buddhism of twenty-one Tārās. A practice text entitled "In Praise of the 21 Tārās", is recited during the morning in all four sects of Tibetan Buddhism. The main Tārā mantra is oṃ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā (pronounced by Tibetans and Buddhists who follow the Tibetan traditions as oṃ tāre tu tāre ture soha).
Uma is a name for Shakti said to derive from the exclamation addressed to Parvati by her mother in the Siva Purana, beseeching her to not practice austerities.

Vajrapāṇi (from Sanskrit vajra, "thunderbolt" or "diamond" and pāṇi, lit. "in the hand") is one of the earliest bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of the Buddha, and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapani was used extensively in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha. Each of them symbolizes one of the Buddha's virtues: Manjusri (the manifestation of all the Buddhas' wisdom), Avalokitesvara (the manifestation of all the Buddhas' compassion) and Vajrapani (the manifestation of all the Buddhas' power). In Sanskrit, Vajrapani is known as Vajrapāṇinā bodhisattvena mahāsattvena, vajra-sattva and, in Tibetan, as Phyag na rdo rje (Channa Dorje). In Mongolian Ochirvaani (Очирваань) or Bazarvaani (Базарваань). In East Asia, Vajrapani is known by several names including Jīngāng shǒu púsà (金剛手菩薩) in Mandarin Chinese, pronounced in Japanese as Kongō shu bosatsu; in Korean as Geumgang su bosal (금강수보살); and in Vietnamese as Kim cương thủ bồ tát; Héyíluóhuányuèchā (和夷羅洹閱叉) in Mandarin Chinese, pronounced in Japanese as Wairaoneisa, in Korean as Hwairawonyeolcha (화이라원열차), and in Vietnamese as Hoà di la hoàn duyệt xoa; or Báshéluóbōnì (跋闍羅波膩) in Mandarin Chinese, pronounced in Japanese as Bajarahaji; in Korean as Balsarapani (발사라파니), and in Vietnamese as Bạt xà la ba nị. On the popular level, Vajrapani, Holder of the Thunderbolt Scepter (symbolizing the power of compassion), is the Bodhisattva who represents the power of all the Buddhas, just as Avalokitesvara represents their great compassion, Manjushri their wisdom, and Tara their miraculous deeds. For the yogi, Vajrapani is a means of accomplishing fierce determination and symbolizes unrelenting effectiveness in the conquest of negativity. His taut posture is the active warrior pose (pratayalidha), based on an archer's stance but resembling the en garde position in Western fencing. His outstretched right hand brandishes a vajra and his left hand deftly holds a lasso - with which he binds demons. He wears a skull crown with his hair standing on end. His expression is wrathful and he has a third eye. Around his neck is a serpent necklace and his loin cloth is made up of the skin of a tiger, whose head can be seen on his right knee.

Vajrasattva (Tibetan: Dorje Sempa, Japanese: Kongōsatta, Chinese: 金剛薩埵 Jīn gāng sà duǒ), (Vajra Hero, Tib. dorje sempa) "Dorsem" is the buddha of purification.  Though Vajrasattva can be translated as ‘Diamind Mind.’ As the  "action" or karma protector, he also manifests the energies of all Buddhas.  Kagyu tantric practitioners focus upon Vajrasattva, in the above form as 'Solitary Universal Ruler.'  According to Ven. Bardor Tulku, Mahapandita Naropa was an embodiment of Vajrasattva.The whole radiates as a rainbow. In Tibetan Buddhism the Vajrasattva root tantra is Dorje Gyan, or 'Vajra Ornament'. Vajrasattva practices are common to all of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and are used both to purify obscurations so that the Vajrayana student can progress beyond Ngondro practices to the various yoga practices of tantra and also to purify any broken samaya vows after initiation. As such, Vajrasattva practice is an essential element of Tibetan Buddhist practice. In the Shingon Buddhist lineage, Vajrasattva is traditionally viewed as the second patriarch, the first being Vairocana Buddha himself. Elsewhere, Vajrasattva is an important figure in two esoteric Buddhist sutras, the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra. In the first chapter of the Mahavairocana Sutra, Vajrasattva leads a host of beings who visit Vairocana Buddha to learn the Dharma. Vajrasattva inquires about the cause, goal and foundation of all-embracing wisdom, which leads to a philosophical discourse by the Buddha. The audience cannot comprehend the teaching, so the Buddha demonstrates through the use mandala. Vajrasattva then questions why rituals and objects are needed if the truth is beyond form. Vairocana Buddha replies to Vajrasattva that these are expedient means to bring practitioners to experience awakening more readily, and so on. In Shingon Buddhist rituals for initiation, the kechien kanjō, the initiate re-enacts the role of Vajrasattva and recites mantra and dialogue from the sutras above. The teacher enacts the role of Mahavairocana Buddha bestowing wisdom upon the student. The practice of meditation and recitation of Buddha Vajrasattva is an extremely powerful method for purifying our impure mind and actions.

 Vajrayogini or Vajravarahi as a tantric Buddhist meditational deity (Tibetan: yidam or Sanskrit: ishtadeva) comes to us in many forms and from various lineages. She embodies principally: (1) the fully enlightened female, wild, fiery, and energetic (shakti/kundalini) aspect of a Buddha; (2) the wisdom (= experiential) aspect leading to Buddhahood; and (3) as a principal dakini (Tibetan: mKha' gro; "sky-goer") the (com) passionate guiding and inspirational aspect leading the practitioner to enlightenment. Vajrayogini/Vajravarahi ranks first and most important among the dakinis. She is the "Sarva-buddha-dakini" the Dakini Who is the Essence of all Buddhas. Although there are a number of visual representations of Vajrayogini, certain attributes are common to all: She is mostly shown as young, naked, and standing in a desirous or dancing posture. She holds a blood-filled skull cup in one hand and a curved knife (kartr or dri-gug) in the other. Often she wears a garland of human skulls or severed heads; has a khatvanga staff leaning against her shoulder; her usually wild hair flowing down her neck and back; her face in a semi-wrathful expression.

Sri Venkateshwara (Telugu వెంకటేశ్వరుడు , వెంకన్న, Tamil ஸ்ரீ வெங்கடேஸ்வரா Sanskrit: वेंकटेश्वर), also known as, Ventakteswara, Venkatachalapathy, Srinivasa and Balaji, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu in India. Venkateshwara means the Lord who destroys the sins of the people. According the Hindu scriptures, Vishnu, out of love towards his devotees, incarnated as Venkateshwara and appeared for the salvation and upliftment of humanity in this Kali Yuga and is considered the supreme form of Vishnu in this age.

According to Hindu mythology, Virabhadra or Veerabhadra (Sanskrit: वीरभद्र, Kannada: ವೀರಭದ್ರ, Telugu: వీరభద్ర, IAST: Vīrabhadra) was a super being created by the wrath of Rudra (Shiva), when he stepped in to destroy the Yagna (fire sacrifice) of Daksha, after his daughter Dakshayani (Sati) - consort of Shiva, self-immolated in yagna fire. Along with him was created, his consort Bhadrakali, from the wrath of Devi.
Vishnu (IAST viṣṇu, Devanagari विष्णु), (honorific: Bhagavan Vishnu), is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita. The traditional Sanskrit explanation of the name Viṣṇu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle, to enter", or also (in the Rigveda) "to pervade", and a suffix nu, translating to approximately "the All-Pervading One". An early commentator on the Vedas, Yaska, in his Nirukta, defines Vishnu as 'vishnu vishateh; one who enters everywhere', and 'yad vishito bhavati tad vishnurbhavati; that which is free from fetters and bondages is Vishnu.' In the Rigveda, Vishnu is mentioned 93 times. He is frequently invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra, who he helps in killing Vritra, and with who He drinks Soma. His companionship with Indra is reflected by his later titles Indrānuja and "Upendra", both referring to Vishnu as being the brother of Indra. Lord Vishnu is called Upendra because He appeared in the family of Aditi (Indra's mother) in one of His incarnations, Vamana. His distinguishing characteristic in the Vedas is his association with Light. This association is found because the lord is indifferent from the Divine Bhramjyoti, which is the cause of material as well as spiritual effulgence. One celebrated act of Vishnu in the Rigveda is the 'three steps' by which he strode over this (universe) and in three places planted his step. The 'Vishnu Sukta' of the Rig Veda (1.154) says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) are visible to men and the third is in the heights of heaven (sky). Vishnu is regarded as a major god in Hinduism and Indian mythology. He is thought as the preserver of the universe while two other major Hindu gods Brahma and Shiva, are regarded respectively, as the creator and destroyer of the universe. The original worship of Vishnu, by the Aryan conquerors of India or the original Dravidian inhabitants is not definitely known. In the ancient Vedas, the body of literature known as the Veda, and sacred literature of the Aryan conquerors, Vishnu is ranked among the lesser gods and is usually associated with the major Vedic god Indra who in the epics and Puranas fights against dragons and demonic forces. These latter writings emerge during the later development of Hinduism. The concept of Vishnu being the preserver of the world came relatively late in Hinduism. Presumedly it sprang from two other beliefs: that men attain salvation by faithfully following predetermined paths of duty, and that powers of good and evil (gods and demons) are in contention for domination over the world. When these powers are upset Vishnu, it is further believed, descends to earth, or his avatar, to equalized the powers. Further it is thought that ten such incarnations or reincarnations of Vishnu will occur. Nine descents are said to have already occurred, the tenth is yet to come. Rama and Krishna were the seventh and eighth.