Vajrapāṇi (13169)

Vajrapāṇi
Entry 13169, Page 467, Col. 2

(vajrapARi, vajrapARi)
Vajrapāṇi¦ (in Skt. ep. of Indra; in Pali Vajirapāṇi is n. of a yakkha, also of Indra, the two being identified, at least sometimes; on his character see DPPN; in BHS sometimes = Indra, as in Mv i.183.10 where his form is assumed by Buddha; prob. also in Gv 250.20, where he parallels, and forms the climax of, a series of devatās; and prob. SP 445.6), n. of a yakṣa, Māy 3 (living at Rāja- gṛha); cf. Vajra-rājagṛha; usually not, as in Māy, a mere local yakṣa, but a much more imposing and even terrifying yakṣa, who e.g. in Bbh 152.1 may be conjured up by a Bodhisattva to frighten evil-doers (cf. also Caṇḍa- vajrapāṇi); often called by epithets like mahāyakṣa- senāpati Suv 85.3, guhyakādhipati 91.17 (see the word, and cf. LV 66.6), yakṣendra 158.13; similarly Mmk 548.7, and often; elsewhere he is an important Bodhisattva, at or near the head of lists of them, Kv 1.7; Mvy 649; one of eight, Dharmas 12; a special attendant on Buddha Laṅk 240.10; a Bodhisattva in the 8th bhūmi is Vajrapāṇi- satatānubaddha, Dbh 71.22; other references to V. the Bodhisattva, Śikṣ 274.3; Sādh 49.13 etc.; Mmk 11.6; 62.28; 68.20, etc.; it is clear, however, that for Mmk, at least, the Bodhisattva and the yakṣa or guhyaka prince are the same person; so Vajrapāṇir bodhisattvo 25.8 is referred to in 12 as (Ā)guhyakādhipatinā yak- ṣendreṇa; in addressing Vajrapāṇiṃ guhyakādhipatim, 36.2, he is called jinaputra (= bodhisattva) in the next line; he is called a bodhisattva in 145.2 and 13, and addressed as yakṣeśa in 14.