One of the eight guardians of the directions, Agni guards the southeast quarter.

Name of a nāga king.

Name of a yakṣa general.

As one of the three primary deities of the Hindu pantheon, in the Purāṇic cosmogony Brahmā is said to issue the four Vedas (Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma, and Athārva) from his four mouths, from which the entirety of creation unfolds. In Buddhist traditions, Brahmā is said to be a worldly deity who exists at the zenith of cyclic existence. He is thus added to the list of the eight guardians of the directions as the guardian of the zenith. In most narratives of the life of the Buddha, Brahmā is said to appear together with Śakra to request that the Buddha Śākyamuni teach the Dharma.

Name of a nāga king; also a name for Rāvaṇa, the primary adversary of Rāma in the Rāmāyaṇa.

One of the great kings of the four cardinal directions, Dhṛtarāṣṭra guards the eastern quarter of the heavens.

A goddess; another name for Pārvatī, the wife of Śiva.

A goddess.

The eight elephants corresponding to the eight cardinal and ordinal directions and the eight world protectors.

Name of a nāga king. Also known as Gaganasvara.

Gaṇapati, or Ganeśa, is the lord of the gaṇas, a class of demigods usually associated with the god Śiva. In the Purāṇic traditions Gaṇapati is portrayed as the elephant-headed son of Śiva and Pārvatī.

A river goddess.

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

A goddess; a rākṣasī in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559).

The name of a worldly deity who is identified variously as an attendant of Skanda, an attendant of Śiva, a piśāca attendant of Kubera, and a rākṣasa.

Deities associated with the planets.

A goddess.

Name of a yakṣa general in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559).

Name of a nāga king; a monkey god; Rāma’s companion and devotee in the Rāmāyaṇa.

A yakṣiṇī; a rākṣasī in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559).

The translation of this term remains tentative but is read here as a potential translation of the Sanskrit compound *grahaprācurya in which the Tibetan has employed an incorrect grammatical particle. An alternate translation that favors the meaning that the term ’jebs pa bears in Tibetan and the Tibetan reading of the compound indicates that this could be either a collective noun or a proper name that translates as “Pleasing to the Grahas.”

One of the eight guardians of the directions, Indra guards the eastern quarter.

One of the eight guardians of the directions, Īśāna guards the northeast quarter.

A yakṣa king associated with wealth and often identified with Kubera/Vaiśravaṇa.

Name of a yakṣa general; a son of Kubera.

A goddess; a rākṣasī in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559); one of Durgā’s attendants.

Kārttikeya (alt. Skanda) is the son of Śiva and Pārvatī. Like Gaṇapati, Kārttikeya is said to lead the gaṇas in battle against demonic beings and is considered a god of war.

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

One of the great kings of the four directions, Kubera guards the northern quarter of the heavens. Also known as Vaiśravaṇa.

Name of a yakṣa general.

A class of dwarf beings subordinate to Virūḍhaka, one of the Four Great Kings, associated with the southern direction. The name uses a play on the word aṇḍa, which means “egg” but is also a euphemism for a testicle. Thus, they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from kumbha, or “pot”).

‍—

Listed as the great yakṣa general of Rājagṛha in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559).

Mahākāla (“the great black one”) is both a name for one of the god Śiva’s wrathful manifestations and an important Buddhist protector deity. The Mahābhārata and Harivaṁśa list Mahākāla as one of Śiva’s attendants.

A goddess; one of Durgā’s attendants.

Name of a yakṣa general.

“The great lotus.” One of the four great treasures and the being who presides over it.

“The great conch shell.” One of the four great treasures and the being who presides over it.

Name of a nāga king.

Name of a yakṣa general; brother of Pūrṇabhadra in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559).

A goddess; a rākṣasī in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559).

Name of a nāga king; name of Rāvaṇa’s son in the Rāmāyaṇa.

A martial metaphor for the territory that falls under the rule of a particular king.

See also n.13.

One of the eight guardians of the directions, Nairṛta guards the southwest quarter. Also known as Nirṛti.

Deities associated with the stars.

Name of a nāga king.

Nandi is the bull attendant of Śiva and the guardian of Śiva’s realm in Kailāsa. He is commonly depicted at Śaiva temples as a bull positioned outside of the main gate of the temple gazing in upon Śiva’s liṅga with utter devotion.

“The lotus.” One of the four great treasures and the being who presides over it.

Name of a yakṣa general in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559).

Name of a nāga king.

Name of a yakṣa general in the Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī (Toh 559).