Hārītī (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
), also known as , ja, text=鬼子母神, translit=Kishimojin, is both a revered
goddess and
demon, depending on the Buddhist tradition. She is one of the
Twenty-Four Protective Deities of Mahayana Buddhism.
In her positive aspects, she is regarded for the protection of children, easy delivery and happy child rearing, while her negative aspects include the belief of her terror towards irresponsible parents and unruly children.
In both Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, she is venerated as a
protector deity, but in many folk traditions is often recognized as a female
demon of misery and unhappiness towards children and parents.
Iconography
The iconography of Hārītī shows similarities to the Greek goddess
Tyche and may have been transmitted to east Asia through the influence of
Greco-Buddhism. In
Greek art, Tyche was depicted in the presence of children, carrying a
cornucopia
In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...
(horn of plenty), an
emblematic
gubernaculum (ship's rudder), and the
wheel of fortune; she may stand on the wheel, presiding over the entire circle of fate.
In Chinese Buddhism, Hārītī is also known as Hēlìdì (訶利帝) or Hēlìdìmǔ (訶梨帝母). In Chinese tradition, she is one of the
Twenty-Four Protective Devas (二十四諸天 Èrshísì zhūtiān), a group of
Dharmapalas
A ''dharmapāla'' (, , ja, 達磨波羅, 護法善神, 護法神, 諸天善神, 諸天鬼神, 諸天善神諸大眷屬) is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "''dharma'' protector" in Sanskrit, and the ''dharmapālas'' are als ...
who are venerated as protectors of Buddhists and the Dharma. Statues of this group (and Hārītī) are often enshrined within the
Mahavira Hall in Chinese temples and monasteries.
Hārītī is a figure of the 26th chapter of the ''
Lotus Sutra'', and is especially important to
Nichiren Buddhism. In
Shingon Buddhism
Shingon monks at Mount Koya
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.
Kn ...
, she is named or . Her iconography is based mostly on the .
[.]
In Japanese tradition, Kishimojin is an aspect of
Kannon
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...
, the goddess of mercy, and she bears the epithets and .
In the
Kathmandu Valley of
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, she is known as Hārītī Mā "Mother Hārītī", and her main temple is part of Kathmandu's
Swayambhunath
Swayambhu (Devanagari: स्वयम्भू स्तूप; new, स्वयंभू; sometimes Swayambu or Swoyambhu) is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the ...
stupa complex. She is perceived as the consort of
Pañcika and as protector of children, and is a patron of the
Newar people of
Kathmandu,
Bhaktapur and
Lalitpur District. The
Newars call her ''Ajima'', meaning "grandmother" in the
Newar language.
Narrative
According to a
Thervadin oral story in southeast Asia, Hariti was a
yakka woman who lived in
Rajgir. She was steadfast in
ethics,
mindfulness, and
wisdom
Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowle ...
. Her husband was the counselor of the
kubera of Gandhara or sometimes king of
yakkas. She had no children. In search of experience of motherhood, she started kidnapping new born babies from
Rajgir where the
Buddha Shakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
was staying. Thus, victim mothers from Rajgir pleaded to the Buddha. Buddha went to the cave of Hariti during his alms round and hid one of her kidnapped new born babies in his begging bowl. Hariti was devastated when she found out. After futilely searching for that infant, she finally appealed to the Buddha. The Buddha revealed how she was suffering from the loss of one child whereas hundreds of other mothers and families were still suffering from the loss of their beloved children. Hariti acknowledged that their suffering was greater than her. She returned all the kidnapped babies to their mothers and again became steadfast in the Dhamma. The Buddha taught her Dhamma rituals associated with the upbringing of a child. Hariti started experiencing universal
friendship and
compassion to all beings. Hariti declared that she is no longer a woman with no children, she is now the mother of all beings. Hariti promised the Buddha that she would protect and love children of all
realms of existence. She practiced and taught the four
Brahma viharas to all worldly beings. The Buddha called her the
Jagatmata or mother of all realms, the mother of all humans who eliminate or destroy (hari)(-ti) obstacles from their life.
According to another
Mahayanist Sthavirvadin myth, Hārītī was originally a
rākṣasī of
Rajgir at the same time that
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
also lived there. She had hundreds of children of her own, whom she loved and doted upon, but to feed them, she abducted and killed the children of others. The bereaved mothers of her victims pleaded to the Buddha to save them. So, the Buddha stole the youngest of her sons, Piṅgala (in a variant version, the youngest daughter), and hid him under his rice bowl. After having desperately searched for her missing son throughout the universe, Hārītī finally appealed to the Buddha for help.
The Buddha pointed out that she was suffering because she lost one of hundreds of children, and asked if she could imagine the suffering of parents whose only child had been devoured. She replied contritely that their suffering must be many times greater than hers. She then vowed to protect all children, and in lieu of children's flesh, she would henceforth only eat pomegranates. Henceforth Hārītī became the protector of children and women in childbirth. In exchange, the Buddha gave her
bodhi, which enabled her to withstand black magic and evil powers, and gave her the facility to cure the sick.
[.]
In the Japanese version of the tale, Kishimojin enlisted the aid of the to abduct and murder the children of other families. In some variants of the myth, the Ten Rākṣasī Women are themselves daughters (or daughters' daughters) of Kishimojin.
[.] When Kishimojin accepted the Buddha's teachings, the Ten Demon Daughters did likewise.
References
Bibliography
* Langenberg, Amy Paris (2013)
Pregnant Words: South Asian Buddhist Tales of Fertility and Child protection History of Religions 52 (4), 340-369
* Lesbre, E. (2000)
La conversion de Hārītī au Buddha: origine du thème iconographique et interprétations picturales chinoises Arts asiatiques 55 (1), 98-119
External links
*
{{Authority control
Buddhist goddesses
Yakshas
Fertility goddesses
Childhood goddesses
Chinese goddesses
Japanese goddesses
Buddhism and children
Twenty-Four Protective Deities
Rakshasa