Khenpo Yonten Gonpo

Mountain or Sylvain Spirit (gnod sbyin)

• A class of spirits of Indian origin who assume both male (Skt. yakṣa) and female (Skt. yakṣinī) forms. Frequently depicted as holding choppers, cleavers, and swords, they are said to inhabit mountainous areas and sylvain groves, and if propitiated in the context of a means for attainment (Skt. sādhana), they may confer the common accomplishment of swift-footedness. The Tibetan equivalent snod sbyin literally means "granting harm". GD (from the Glossary to Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings)