Hārītī
Hārītī is a female rākṣasī or yakṣinī (nature spirit) in Buddhism. She appears as a character in all Buddhist traditions and she is revered as a fierce Dharma Protector and a fertility goddess in Mahayana Buddhism. In the Mahayana tradition, she is associated with fertility, the protection of children, easy delivery and happy child rearing.
↻ synthesized from 4 sources
When
- First attested
- 100 CE
- Attested period
- 100 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Oral tradition in Southeast Asia.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Abhiriti, Ten Rākṣasī Women, Guizimu, Helidi, Helidimu, Baijie shengfei, Samantabhadra, Dharanendra, Pūrṇabhadra, Harikeśa, Padmāvatī, Manibhadra, Pārśvanātha Tirthankara, Pāyila, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, Vaiśravaṇa, Nalakuvara
- parent of
- Piṅgala
- allied with
- Ten Rākṣasīs
- child of
- Mother Dhamma
- student of
- Buddha Shakyamuni
- manifested by
- Jagatmata
- has aspect
- Kannon
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“In Chinese Buddhism, Hārītī, known as Guizimu, has been respected as a Buddhist protector deity since her introduction to China with the translation of Buddhist scriptures from the Western Jin Dynasty (266-420) to the Tang dynasty (618-907).”
#11055 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Along with the yakshi mother Hārītī, they are said to be votaries of those who uphold the Lotus Sutra.”
#29345 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Pañcika – Commander-in-chief of Vaiśravaṇa's army and others. Consort of Hārītī ☸”
#36175 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Pañcika (Chinese: 般闍迦/散脂大將/音譯散脂迦/半支迦/般闍迦) is a yaksha and consort of Hārītī, with whom he is said to have fathered 500 children. The two figures "were very popular in Gandhara in the latter part of the second century, and their statues are many."”
#36344 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001