Vajrapani

A bodhisattva from Mahayana Buddhism and the protector and guide of the Gautama Buddha as well as a manifestation of his power. He is considered one of the earliest of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha and one of the major dharmapalas (protectors of dharma) in Mahayana Buddhism. The deity is manifested in two distinct ways — his human form, which is depicted with a vajra (weapon) in his right hand, and his dharmapala form, Acarya-Vajrapani, depicted with four heads, arms, legs and a third eye, and shown holding a bell and a lasso. He is depicted as a yidam (a manifested deity representing Buddhahood) in Vajrayana Buddhism, with multiple limbs, treading on demons or lying on snakes. He is also depicted in the yab-yum (primordial union) position with his consort. From the Sanskrit words vajra, meaning “thunderbolt” and pani, meaning “in hand.”