Candra
In Indian Buddhism, the moon is personified as Candra, a deva (god) associated with coolness, calm, and purity. Candra is often depicted as having fair skin and very black hair riding a chariot across the night sky, paralleling his role in Hinduism. He appears in the Sutta Nipāta of the Pali Canon, where he praises the Buddha after being freed from a demon’s grasp.
↻ synthesized from 2 sources
When
- First attested
- 0 CE
- Attested period
- 0 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Mentioned in the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra (4th–5th century CE).
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Candimā Devaputta, Candraprabha Bodhisattva, Harihara, Dharaṇī, Devi Sarasvatī, Nīlakaṇṭha, Rahu, Sūryaprabha, Varuna, Adityas, Vishnu, Maheśvara, Śiva, Brahma, Vayu, Narayana, Saraswati
- allied with
- Sūrya
- child of
- Avalokiteshvara
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“In Indian Buddhism, the moon is personified as Candra, a deva (god) associated with coolness, calm, and purity. Candra is often depicted as having fair skin and very black hair riding a chariot across the night sky, paralleling his role in Hinduism.”
#18317 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Āditya and Candra came from his eyes, Maheśvara came from his forehead, Brahmā came from his shoulders, Nārāyaṇa came from his heart, Devi Sarasvatī came from his canines, Vāyu came from his mouth, Dharaṇī came from his feet, and Varuṇa came from his stomach.”
#36519 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001