Vajra: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Weapon &/or symbol of pure, irresistible spiritual power in Dharmic religions}}

{{redirect|Vajrayudha|the 1992 film|Vajrayudha (film)}}

[[File:Indra_deva.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Hinduism|Hindu]] god [[Indra]] riding on [[Airavata]] carrying a vajra. This weapon is made of the bones of Maharshi Dadhichi according to Hindu mythology.{{efn|{{Myth FAQ}}}}]]

A '''vajra''' is a ritual weapon symbolizing the properties of a [[diamond]] (indestructibility) and a [[thunderbolt]] (irresistible force).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rysdyk|first=Evelyn C.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u8VWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT84|title=The Nepalese Shamanic Path: Practices for Negotiating the Spirit World|date=2019-02-19|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-62055-795-2|language=en}}</ref><ref name="about">[http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddhismglossaryv/g/vajradef.htm Vajra]</ref>

The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shaped top, or they may be separate and end in sharp points with which to stab. The vajra is the weapon of the Indian Vedic rain and thunder-deity [[Indra]], and is used symbolically by the [[dharma]] traditions of [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Hinduism]], often to represent firmness of spirit and spiritual power.

According to the Indian mythology, vajra is considered one of the most powerful weapons in the universe.<ref name="ritual">[http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/ritual/ Ritual Implements in Tibetan Buddhism: A Symbolic Appraisal]</ref> The use of the vajra as a symbolic and ritual tool spread from the Hindu religion to other religions in India and other parts of Asia.

[[File:British Museum Tibetan Bell and Vajra B.jpg|thumb|200px|A Tibetan vajra (club) and tribu (bell).]]

[[File:Mahakala, Protector of the Tent.jpg|thumb|[[Mahakala]] holding vajra weapon]]

[[File:Emblem of Bhutan.svg|thumb|200px|A ''viśvavajra'' or "double vajra" appears in the emblem of [[Bhutan]].]]

==Etymology==

According to [[Asko Parpola]], the Sanskrit ''vajra-'' and [[Avestan]] ''vazra-'' both refer to a weapon of the Godhead, and are possibly from the Proto-Indo-European root ''*weg'-'' which means "to be(come) powerful". It is related to Proto-[[Proto-Finnic language|Finno]]-[[Proto-Uralic language|Uralic]] ''*vaśara'', "hammer, axe", but both the Sanskrit and Finno-Ugric derivatives are likely Proto-Aryan or Proto-Indo-Aryan but not Proto-Iranian, state Parpola and Carpelan, because of its [[Palatalization (sound change)|palatalized]] [[sibilant]].{{sfn|Parpola|Carpelan|2005|p=118}}{{sfn|Asko Parpola|2015|pp=63-66, 114}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Douglas Q. Adams|title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzU3RIV2BWIC&pg=PA112|year=1997|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-884964-98-5|page=112}}</ref>

It is cognate to [[Ukonvasara]] from Finnish mythology, and [[Mjolnir]] from Norse mythology.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

 

==Early descriptions==

The earliest mention of the vajra is in the [[Rigveda]], part of the four [[Vedas]]. It is described as the weapon of [[Indra]], the chief among Gods. Indra is described as using the vajra to kill sinners and ignorant persons.<ref>Rigveda 2.12</ref> The Rigveda states that the weapon was made for Indra by [[Tvastar]], the maker of divine instruments. The associated story describes Indra using the vajra, which he held in his hand, to slay the asura [[Vritra]], who took the form of a serpent.<ref>Rigveda 1.32, translated by [[Ralph T. H. Griffith]]</ref>

[[File:Relief of King Rama VI's privy seal.jpg|thumb|200px|Indra's vajra as the [[privy seal]] of King [[Vajiravudh]] of [[Thailand]]]]

Many later [[puranas]] describe the vajra, with the story modified from the Rigvedic original. One major addition involves the role of the Sage [[Dadhichi]]. According to one account, [[Indra]], the king of the [[Deva (Hinduism)|deva]] was once driven out of [[devaloka]] by an [[asura]] named [[Vritra]]. The asura was the recipient of a boon whereby he could not be killed by any weapon that was known till the date of his receiving the boon and additionally that no weapon made of wood or metal could harm him.<ref name="Vritra">{{cite web| url=http://www.hindu-blog.com/2009/08/story-of-sage-dadhichi-and-vajrayudha.html| title=Story of Sage Dadhichi and the Vajrayudha| access-date=2009-09-20}}</ref>Indra, who had lost all hope of recovering his kingdom was said to have approached [[Shiva]] who could not help him. Indra along with Shiva and [[Brahma]] went to seek the aid of [[Vishnu]]. Vishnu revealed to Indra that only the weapon made from the [[bone]]s of Dadhichi would defeat Vritra.<ref name="Vritra"/> Indra and the other deva therefore approached the sage, whom Indra had once beheaded, and asked him for his aid in defeating Vritra. Dadhichi acceded to the deva's request but said that he wished that he had time to go on a pilgrimage to all the holy rivers before he gave up his life for them.<ref name="Madhuvidya">{{cite web|url=http://www.urday.com/dadichi.html |title=The Great Sage Dadhichi |access-date=2009-09-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070421195923/http://www.urday.com/dadichi.html |archive-date=April 21, 2007 }}</ref> Indra then brought together all the waters of the holy rivers to [[Naimisha Forest]],<ref name="Madhuvidya"/> thereby allowing the sage to have his wish fulfilled without a further loss of time. Dadhichi is then said to have given up his life by the art of [[yoga]] after which the gods fashioned the vajrayudha from his spine. This weapon was then used to defeat the asura, allowing Indra to reclaim his place as the king of devaloka.

Another version of the story exists where Dadhichi was asked to safeguard the weapons of the gods as they were unable to match the arcane arts being employed by the asura to obtain them. Dadhichi is said to have kept at the task for a very long time and finally tiring of the job, he is said to have dissolved the weapons in sacred water which he drank.<ref name="Dissolved_weapons">{{cite web| url=http://www.dadhich.com/dadhichi_rishi.htm| title=Dadhichi Rishi| access-date=2009-09-20}}</ref> The deva returned a long time later and asked him to return their weapons so that they might defeat the asura, headed by Vritra, once and for all. Dadhichi however told them of what he had done and informed them that their weapons were now a part of his bones. However, Dadhichi, realising that his bones were the only way by which the deva could defeat the asura willingly gave his life in a pit of mystical flames he summoned with the power of his austerities.<ref name="Dissolved_weapons"/> Brahma is then said to have fashioned a large number of weapons from Dadhichi's bones, including the vajrayudha, which was fashioned from his spine. The deva are then said to have defeated the asura using the weapons thus created.

There have also been instances where the war god Skanda ([[Kartikeya]]) is described as holding a vajra.<ref>''The many faces of Murugan – the history and meaning of a South Indian god''. Fred W. Clothey and A. K. Ramanujan. pp. 189–190</ref> Skanda is also the name of a [[bodhisattva]] in [[Mahayana|Mahayana Buddhism]] who wields a vajra.

Indra used his vajra on Lord [[Hanuman]] when he tried to eat [[Surya|Suryadev]] during his childhood. However, he was unaffected by it.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

In [[Buddhism]], the vajra is the symbol of [[Vajrayana]], one of the [[Schools of Buddhism|three major schools of Buddhism]]. Vajrayana is translated as "Thunderbolt Way"<ref>[http://www.khandro.net/TibBud%20_vajrayana.htm Vajrayana]</ref> or "[[Diamond Way Buddhism|Diamond Way]]" and can imply the thunderbolt experience of Buddhist enlightenment or ''[[bodhi]]''. It also implies indestructibility,<ref name="britannica">[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/621707/vajra Vajra] at [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]</ref> just as [[diamond]]s are harder than other [[gemstone]]s.

In Tantric Buddhism ([[Vajrayana]]) the vajra and tribu (bell)<ref name="yowangdu1">https://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-buddhism/hand-mudras.html</ref> are used in many rites by a [[lama]] or any Vajrayana practitioner of [[sadhana]]. The vajra is a male [[polysemic]] symbol that represents many things for the tantrika. The vajra is representative of [[upaya]] (skilful means) whereas its companion tool, the bell which is a female symbol, denotes [[Wisdom in Buddhism|prajna]] (wisdom). Some deities are shown holding each the vajra and bell in separate hands, symbolizing the union of the forces of compassion and wisdom, respectively.

[[File:Vajrasattva Tibet.jpg|thumb|Vajrasattva holds the vajra in his right hand and a bell in his left hand.]]

In the [[Tantra|tantric]] traditions of Buddhism, the vajra is a symbol for the nature of reality, or ''[[sunyata]]'', indicating endless creativity, potency, and skillful activity. The term is employed extensively in tantric literature: the term for the spiritual teacher is the ''vajracharya''; one of the five dhyani buddhas is ''vajrasattva'', and so on. The practice of prefixing terms, names, places, and so on by vajra represents the conscious attempt to recognize the transcendental aspect of all phenomena; it became part of the process of "sacramentalizing" the activities of the spiritual practitioner and encouraged him to engage all his psychophysical energies in the spiritual life.

An instrument symbolizing vajra is also extensively used in the rituals of the tantra. It consists of a spherical central section, with two symmetrical sets of five prongs, which arc out from [[Sacred lotus|lotus]] blooms on either side of the sphere and come to a point at two points equidistant from the centre, thus giving it the appearance of a "diamond sceptre", which is how the term is sometimes translated.

Various figures in Tantric [[iconography]] are represented holding or wielding the vajra. Three of the most famous of these are [[Vajrasattva]],<ref name="ritual"/> [[Vajrapani]], and [[Padmasambhava]]. Vajrasattva (lit. vajra-being) holds the vajra, in his right hand, to his heart. The figure of the Wrathful Vajrapani (lit. vajra in the hand) brandishes the vajra, in his right hand, above his head. Padmasambhava holds the vajra above his right knee in his right hand.

==Accompanying bell==

[[File:Itsukushima_Jinsha_Bronze_Vadjras_and_Bell_(477).jpg|thumb|Five ritual objects used in Vajrayana from the Japanese island [[Itsukushima]]: a five-pronged short club (vajra) (五鈷杵 ''gokosho''), a pestle with a single sharp blade at each end (独鈷杵 ''tokkosho''), a stand for vajra pestle and bell (金剛盤 ''kongōban''), a three-pronged pestle (三鈷杵 ''sankosho''), and a five-pronged bell (五鈷鈴 ''gokorei'')|alt=]]

The vajra is almost always paired with a ritual bell. [[Tibet]]an term for a ritual [[bell (instrument)|bell]] used in [[Tibetan Buddhism|Buddhist]] religious practices is ''tribu''.<ref name="yowangdu1"/> Priests and devotees ring bells during the rituals. Together these ritual implements represent the inseparability of wisdom and compassion in the enlightened mindstream. <ref>http://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/</ref>

 

===Usage of bell===

The bell is the most commonly used of all musical instruments in tantric Buddhist ritual. The sound made by the bells is regarded as very auspicious and is believed to drive out evil spirits from where the ritual is being performed. When the bell is being used with the vajra its use is varied depending on the ritual or the mantras being chanted. During meditation ringing the bell represents the sound of Buddha teaching the dharma and symbolizes the attainment of wisdom and the understanding of emptiness. During the chanting of the mantras the Bell and Vajra are used together in a variety of different ritualistic ways to represent the union of the male and female principles.<ref>Beer, Robert (1999). The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, Shambhala, Boston. {{ISBN|978-1570624162}}.</ref><ref>Vessantara (2001). The vajra and bell, Birmingham. {{ISBN|978-1899579419}}.</ref>

===Bell===

The hollow of the bell represents the void from which all phenomena arise, including the sound of the bell, and the clapper represents form. Together they symbolize wisdom (emptiness) and compassion (form or appearance). The sound, like all phenomena, arises, radiates forth and then dissolves back into emptiness.<ref name="Bell symbolism">[http://tibeto-logic.blogspot.com/2012/05/bell-and-sound-symbols-of-dharma.html "The Bell and the Sound Symbols of Dharma"]</ref>

 

* [[Param Vir Chakra]], India's highest war time military decoration has a motif of Vajra, the weapon of [[Indra]] created by the bones donated by sage [[Dadhichi]], as tribute to his sacrifice.<ref name=tribune>{{cite web | title = Honouring the Bravest of the Brave |author=Satyindra Singh|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99jun20/sunday/head2.htm |newspaper=The Tribune, Chandigarh |date=20 June 1999|  access-date = 2014-08-13}}</ref><ref name=sify>{{cite web | title = The first Param Vir Chakra | url = http://www.sify.com/news/the-first-param-vir-chakra-news-national-jegtl2hjjdg.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101027204532/http://sify.com/news/the-first-param-vir-chakra-news-national-jegtl2hjjdg.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = October 27, 2010 |author=Sumit Walia|publisher=Sify.com|date=Jan 23, 2009| access-date = 2014-08-13 }}</ref>

{{Vajrayana}}

==Notes==

 

==References==

===Bibliography===

*{{cite book|last1=Parpola| first1=Asko | last2= Carpelan| first2=Christian | editor1=Edwin Francis Bryant|editor2=Laurie L. Patton|title=The Indo-Aryan Controversy: Evidence and Inference in Indian History| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHYnGde4BS4C | year=2005|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7007-1463-6}}

*{{cite book|author=Asko Parpola|title=The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ld3XCQAAQBAJ |year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-022691-6}}

* [http://www.quietmountain.org/links/teachings/yogi_chen/87.htm The Essential Songs of Milarepa / VI. Songs About Vajra Love 46. Answer to Dakini Tzerima]

* [http://www.keithdowman.net/vajralove/index.htm Vajra Love]—Essays from the Sites of Keith Dowman