Padmavajra

The most recent addition to our online library is a translation of Dolpopa's "Praise to the Eight Siddhas." A short poetical tribute to the mahasiddhas or great tantric adepts of India. This liturgical piece is of particular importance because it is one of the earliest — if not the earliest — extent praise to these siddhas in Tibetan literature. For this reason, Dolpopa's description of the iconography of the siddhas gives us a glimpse into his visionary life, as well as how this classic set of siddhas was portrayed in early Tibetan art.

An excerpt from this short piece reads,

Padmavajra in the form of a layman, white in color,
Performing the path of supreme meditation and eating only fruit,
Flying in the sky, riding an emanated tigress;
To the feet of the one who subdues evil I praise.

The translation is courtesy of Jeff Watt.

Download and read this from our Digital Library.

See it also on Himalayan Art Resources.