Eight Great Yakṣa Generals

The Eight Great Yakṣa Generals (八大夜叉大将), or simply the Eight Yakṣa Generals are guardian deities in Buddhism. They are retainers of Vaiśravaṇa, guardian of the north and king of the yakṣas.

Sōryū Tamura's "Bishamonten Mandala"
Vaiśravaṇa flanked by the Eight Yakṣa Generals and Nāga Kings.

In East Asia, they are also variously known as the Eight Great Yakṣas (八大藥叉), the Eight Great Heavenly Kings (八大天王), and the Eight Brothers of Vaiśravaṇa (毘沙門八兄弟).[1][2]

Relationship to Vaiśravaṇa

The term yakṣarākṣasa has been used as a general term to denote the many classes of spirits in Indian mythology, combining the words yakṣa and rākṣasa.[3]

According to Buddhist mythology, Vaiśravaṇa is the chief of these beings, and long ago dwelt together with them in the realm of darkness. When Vaiśravaṇa converted to Buddhism, the many demonic spirits under his jurisdiction likewise assumed the role of devotees to the Buddha. Originally malevolent beings, their conversion led to their deification as benevolent guardian deities.

Among the many yakṣas under Vaiśravaṇa's rule, the Eight Great Yakṣa Generals are ranked at the top of the hierarchy. Always at Vaiśravaṇa's command, these deities command 36,000 yakṣas that serve their king and are said to protect those who venerate them. A similar list may be found among the Twenty-Eight Great Yakṣa Generals.[4]

Yakṣa Generals

Their names are given in the Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra (大毘盧遮那成佛經疏) as follows:

SanskritKanjiRōmajiPinyinVietnameseKorean
Maṇibhadra宝賢HōkenBǎoxián Bảo Hiền보현
Pūrṇabhadra満賢MankenMǎnxiánMãn Hiền만현
Pañcika散支SanshiSànzhīMật Chủ
Mật Thân		산지
Śatagiri衆徳ShūtokuZhòngdéUy Thần
Chúng Đức		중덕
Haimavata応念ŌnenYīngniànChủ Tuyết Sơn Giả
Ứng Niệm		응념
Viśākhā大満DaimanDàmǎnĐại Mãn
Trì Pháp		대만
Āṭavaka無比力MuhirikiWúbǐlìVô Tỉ Lực
Vô Tỉ Thân		무비력
Pañcala密厳MitsugonMìyánMật Nghiêm밀엄

See also

References
  1. "八大夜叉". 佛光大辭典 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  2. Chaudhuri, Saroj Kumar (2003). Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Japan. Vedams eBooks Ltd. p. 31. ISBN 9788179360095.
  3. Hidas, Gergely (2017). "Mahā-Daṇḍadhāraṇī-Śītavatī: A Buddhist Apotropaic Scripture". Indic Manuscript Cultures through the Ages. De Gruyter. pp. 449–486. JSTOR j.ctvbkjzkh.17.
  4. 武藤一機. "八大夜叉大将". 神魔精霊妖名辞典 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-07-18.
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