The document discusses the concept of prajñāpāramitā, or the perfection of wisdom, which is a key idea in Mahayana Buddhism, particularly associated with the teachings of Nagarjuna and the principle of emptiness. It outlines the origins, historical significance, and various iconographic representations of prajñāpāramitā, detailing her evolution from abstract wisdom to a personified female deity. Additionally, the text covers early sutras, translations, and the prevalence of her worship across different regions and time periods.

1. Prajñāpāramitā
Perfection of Wisdom-the "Great Mother"
Sachin Kr. Tiwary

3. Introduction
• From the first production of the mind of Bodhi, the Bodhisattvas seek the
knowledge of all the aspects (sarvākārajñāna), in the course of which they
understand the true nature of dharmas: this wisdom is
the prajñāpāramitā”.
• Prajñāpāramitā is a central concept in Mahayana Buddhism and is
generally associated with the doctrine of emptiness (Shunyata) or 'lack
of Svabhava' (essence) and the works of Nagarjuna.
• The earliest Sutra in the Prajñāpāramitā class to be the Astasaahasrikaa
Prajñāpāramitā Sutra or “Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 lines”, which was
probably put in writing in the 100 BCE according to Edward Conze.
• The text survives in the Sanskrit original and in translations: into Chinese
(six translations and two comment; extant), Tibetan, Mongol, and
Khotanese.
• The first translation of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā into Chinese
occurred in the 2nd century CE.
• Prajnaparamita shown in many forms :Praying mudra gesture and instead
of the Vajra she holds a mala or rosary.

4. The oldest surviving printed version of the Prajnaparamita text.

5. Philosophy
• She is believed to be the personification of ‘transcendental knowledge embodied in the
Prajñāpāramitā -Sutra. a famous Mahayana Buddhist scripture.
• It is said to have been restored to mankind by Nigarjuna from the Nagas, to whom, it is
believed, the sutra was entrusted by the Buddha himself to guard until mankind was
sufficiently enlightened to receive and understand its ’transcendent wisdom’.
• This, no doubt, is a very logical analysis of how the metaphysical concept of the
’transcendental wisdom could have possibly been transformed into an iconic concept.
• But the origin of the goddess-concept of Prajnaparamita can also be traced from
another point of view.
Region Northern India
Date
Range
1100 - 1199
Lineages Buddhist
Collection Guimet Musee
National

6. Philosophy
• We know that in the Hinayana, the three Buddhist jewels (ratna or sarena),viz., Buddha,
Prajñā, and Sangha, were represented by uniconic symbols.
• In Mahayana, the trinity or the three jewels became prajñā. Upaya. Bodhisattva, i.e, the
spiritualised forms of Dhaima, Buddha and Sangha respectively transferred to stone or
canvas, Prajñā becomes a female deity, Upava and Bodhisattva become male deities.
• In (The manuscripts of the Astasahasrika- prajñāpāramitā, there is a miniature painting
with the accompanying inscription : 'pundravardhane trisaranah,i.e., Irisarana (Buddhist
Trinity or three jewels) in Pundravardhana (roughly north Bengal).
• Tara vs Prajñāpāramitā- In an eleventh century Canarese inscription, it is stated that
Tara ’sprang from the ocean of gnosis, she is known as Prajñā, and that she is the
supreme incarnation of enlightenment.
• According to Dasabhumikasutra forms of Prajñāpāramitā are total 10.
Tibet, Date-1200 - 1299

7. Origin
• Antiquity of Prajñāpāramitā- 100 CE.
• The discovery of several images , in sculpture and painting, of the goddess
Prajnaparamita from different places of Bengal and Bihar also testifies to the
popularity of the goddess in these centres of eastern India.
• The prevalence of the worship of the goddess Prajnaparamita in Mathura
region in the fourth century CE, is no doubt referred to by the Chinese pilgrim
Fa-Hien; but this particular reference cannot be taken as any pointer to the
land of origin of the image-concept of the goddess Prajnaparamita.
Book Cover, Tibet, Date-1100 - 1199

8. Iconography
 Description are in the
Sadhanamala and the
Nispannavogavali literature.
Others Ekallavira-Canda-
Maharosana-Tantra and the
Dharmakosa-Samgraha of
Amrtananda are also important.
 The four-handed form of
Prajnaparamita contained in the
Ekallavira-Canda-Maharosana-
Tantra.
 The four-handed form of
Prajnaparamita contained in the
Nispannayogavali.
 It is not very difficult to recognize
some multi-handed images as
those of Prajnaparamita because
of the presence in them of some
typical iconographic
characteristics of Prajnaparamita.
National Museum, New Delhi

9. Iconography
 In respect of colour the two-handed images of Prajnaparamita may be divided into
three basic types:
(i) the white (sukla or sita),
(ii) the yellow (pita, kanaka, or suvarna),
(iii) the blue (nila).
This type is recognized only in the Ekallavira-Canda-Maharosana-Tantra.
 She has one face.
 She has curly black hair.
 She has all sorts of ornaments
and half-curly hair.
 She sits on a white lotus in the
vairaparyanka attitude.
 She carries in the right hand
the red lotus, and in the left
hand the Prajnaparamita-
Book.
 She is stamped with (the
image of) Aksobhya (on the
crown).
 She originates from the
syllable ‘om’ and bring forth
the absolute bliss.

10. Iconography
 She holds in her right hand a red lotus having a stalk and in the other hand (the left
band) she holds the book placed near the breast.
Sometime
 She wears a crown of jewels.
 Her two hands which are disposed in the vyakhyana' mudra (the gesture of the
exposition of Law: Dharmacakrapravartanaj also hold two lotuses decked with the
Prajñāpāramitā-Book rising from her right and left sides.
 She sits on a white lotus in the vaprapapyyanka attitude and she is full of vigour
with the freshness of youth.
 She is adorned with artistic dress and ornaments.’
Sometime
 She has the five tathagatas (the Dhyani Buddhas) on her crown.
 She sits in the candrasana (i.e., padmasana or paryahkasan) on a double-petalled
lotus and possesses all ornaments and clothes.
 Her hands show the vyakhyana-mudra (the gesture of exposition) and on her right
and left sides there are two lotuses, each containing the Prajñāpāramitā -Book on it.
’
Sometime
 Prajnaparamita is yellow in colour, bears the image of Aksobhya on her crown of
matted hair (jatamukuta), wears celestial ornaments and dress which include a
silken veil.

11. Iconography
Four-handed:
 This form is described only in the Dharmakosa
Samgraha on folio 28a and 37a The relevant
description on folio 28a of the Dharmakosa-
Samgraha is as follows: Prajnaparamiti ekasya
caturbhu.fi sveta dhamacakra-mudra dakse
japamala yarns pustakam.
 ’Prajnaparamita has four hands and one face.
 She is white in colour. She exhibits the dhamacakra-
mudra, i.e, the gesture of exposition (evidently with
two of her hands) and holds the rosary and the book
in the (remaining) right and left hands respectively.
 The goddess 1bs one face and golden colour.
 She possesses the ornaments like the wheel (cakra),
the earring (kumdala), the torque (kanthi), the
bracelet (rucaka), the girdle (mekhala). and the
anklet (nupura).
 She has four hands of which a pair of right and left
hands are disposed in the dharmacakra-mudra (the
gesture exposition) and the other two hands hold
the rosary and the book. Her breasts are elevated.
She sits in the vajrasana on a lotus.’

12. Iconography
Six-handed :
 A six-handed form of Prajnaparamita belonging to the Shingon sect of Japan has been
referred to and illustrated by Dr. Conze E..
 The goddess in the illustration is seated in the vajrapayankasana., and her principal right
and left hands show the vyakhyaha-mudra (the gesture of exposition) and the book
respectively., Of the four remaining hands, the upper right and left ones show a peculiar
gesture in each of the hands by joining the tips of the thumb and the ring finger. The
lower right hand is in the bhumi-sparsa-mudra (the earth-touching gesture), and the
lower left is simply placed on the lap.

13. Iconography
Ten-handed :
 Dr. Conze E. refers to a ten-handed and four or five-headed stone image from
Cambodia,
Twelve-handed :
 Dr. Conze E. also mentions a twelve-armed form of Prajnaparamita from Nalanda,
but he is equally hesitant to draw any conclusion about the identification.
Twenty-Two-handed :
 In Cambodia a form of Prajnaparamita with eleven heads and twenty-two hands is
found.
Manuscript, Kathmandu, 1000 CE., Prajñāparamitā

14. Original Place: Nalanda, Bihar
state.
Present Location: Displayed
in Asian Art Museum Chong-
Moon Lee Center for Asian Art
and Culture.

15. Metal- Bronze
Period- ca 10th Century CE
Original Place: Nalanda
ACCN 9430-A24285
Present Location: Indian Museum

16. Dated:-12th Century.
Description: The sculpture was
purchased in Orissa and brought from
India around 1930 by Frieda
Hauswirth-Das (1886–1974), author
of Marriage to India, a record of the
years she was married to Indian
agriculturalist and revolutionary
Sarangadhar Das (1887–1957).
It was then loaned to the Philadelphia
Museum of Art until 1941, and later
obtained by New York art collector Earl
Morse (1907–1988).
Present Location: National Gallery of
Australia, Canberra.

17. 12th century CE when
Cambodia was ruled by a
Buddhist king, Jayavarman
VII.

18. Sanskrit-manuscript of Prajñāpāramitā,
Nepal, Bodleian Library, Oxford University.

19. From the ancient Singosari
Temple in Java dating from the
14th (or late 13th) century CE.

20. Prajnaparamita statue
Indonesia
Lavastone, 12th Cen. CE

21. Thank you
Sources & Acknowledgment:
Dr. Shubho Majumadar
 https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/157235/5/05_chapter%202.pdf
 https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/euraseaa15/paper/25592
 http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Prajnaparamita_in_Buddhist_Ic
onography
 https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/the-iconography-of-nagas-part-five-the-burden-of-
wisdom-
 https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=365
 Buddhist Goddesses of India By Miranda Eberle Shaw