The Eight Great Yakṣa Generals (), 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.
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).
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.
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.
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:
Sanskrit Hanzi Pinyin Rōmaji Vietnamese Korean Tagalog 寶賢 Bǎoxián Hōken Bảo Hiền 보현 Manibhadla 滿賢 Mǎnxián Manken Mãn Hiền 만현 Pulnabhadla 散脂 Sànzhī Sanshi Mật ChủMật Thân 산지 Pankika 眾德 Zhòngdé Shūtoku Uy ThầnChúng Đức 중덕 Satagili 應念 Yīngniàn Ōnen Chủ Tuyết Sơn GiảỨng Niệm 응념 Haimabata 大滿 Dàmǎn Daiman Đại MãnTrì Pháp 대만 Bisakha 無比力 Wúbǐlì Muhiriki Vô Tỉ LựcVô Tỉ Thân 무비력 Atabaka 密嚴 Mìyán Mitsugon Mật Nghiêm 밀엄 Pankala
See also Twelve Heavenly Generals
References