Purba with black scarf assembly

Museum number:
9-21927
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21090021927
Alternate number:
BY.T-71 (previous number) and T-71 (original number)
Description:
This is a purba with a three headed wrathful deity, probably Mahakala, at the top. It has a braided tassel with long black scarfs attached. This is used for rituals such as the "Black Hat" dance in which a monastic dancer plays the role of Pelji Dorje, who invoked Mahakala and assassinated the evil king Lang Darma who was destroying Buddhism in late 9th century Tibet. Dressed in robes of opulent brocade, the dancer wears a large, fantastic black hat and swings around, wielding this purba and its long black tassel in a hypnotic pattern to the accompaniment of the deep sounds of large drums and bowl shaped cymbals. A purba, a Tantric ritual dagger, embodies the Tantric means of removing obstacles and defilements. For example, an object representing greed, anger and/or ignorance may be subdued by the yogin using a purba as part of the meditation. In general, a purba is used to dispatch unseen enemies. These may be actual living beings such as non-human demons, or, more typically, inner enemies such as greed, hatred and ignorance. Ordinary enemies may be converted to friends by means such as generosity, kindness and compassion. However unseen enemies, such as the enemies within (e.g., one's own greed, anger and ignorance) cannot be controlled by external means. The purba uses the special methods of Tantric practice to focus the power of a wrathful god, such as Hayagriva or Mahakala, on the unseen enemy. There are a variety of wrathful deities whose practice is given in the Tantras. If one is engaged in the practice of Mahakala, for example, one could use a Mahakala purba such as this in a meditation ritual to isolate and destroy a measure of ones inner enemy of anger, or to subdue an unseen outer enemy such as a demon.
Collection place:
Tibet
Verbatim coll. place:
Tibet
Collector:
Theos C. Bernard
Materials:
Bronze (metal), Cotton (textile), and Silk
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
1.0 Use not specified (Utensils, Implements, and Conveyances)
Production date:
18th-19th century
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 2 titled Purba with black scarf assembly, accession number 9-21927, described as This is a purba with a three headed wrathful deity, probably Mahakala, at the top. It has a braided tassel with long black scarfs attached. This is used for rituals such as the "Black Hat" dance in which a monastic dancer plays the role of Pelji Dorje, who invoked Mahakala and assassinated the evil king Lang Darma who was destroying Buddhism in late 9th century Tibet. Dressed in robes of opulent brocade, the dancer wears a large, fantastic black hat and swings around, wielding this purba and its long black tassel in a hypnotic pattern to the accompaniment of the deep sounds of large drums and bowl shaped cymbals. A purba, a Tantric ritual dagger, embodies the Tantric means of removing obstacles and defilements. For example, an object representing greed, anger and/or ignorance may be subdued by the yogin using a purba as part of the meditation. In general, a purba is used to dispatch unseen enemies. These may be actual living beings such as non-human demons, or, more typically, inner enemies such as greed, hatred and ignorance. Ordinary enemies may be converted to friends by means such as generosity, kindness and compassion. However unseen enemies, such as the enemies within (e.g., one's own greed, anger and ignorance) cannot be controlled by external means. The purba uses the special methods of Tantric practice to focus the power of a wrathful god, such as Hayagriva or Mahakala, on the unseen enemy. There are a variety of wrathful deities whose practice is given in the Tantras. If one is engaged in the practice of Mahakala, for example, one could use a Mahakala purba such as this in a meditation ritual to isolate and destroy a measure of ones inner enemy of anger, or to subdue an unseen outer enemy such as a demon.Hearst Museum object 2 of 2 titled Purba with black scarf assembly, accession number 9-21927, described as This is a purba with a three headed wrathful deity, probably Mahakala, at the top. It has a braided tassel with long black scarfs attached. This is used for rituals such as the "Black Hat" dance in which a monastic dancer plays the role of Pelji Dorje, who invoked Mahakala and assassinated the evil king Lang Darma who was destroying Buddhism in late 9th century Tibet. Dressed in robes of opulent brocade, the dancer wears a large, fantastic black hat and swings around, wielding this purba and its long black tassel in a hypnotic pattern to the accompaniment of the deep sounds of large drums and bowl shaped cymbals. A purba, a Tantric ritual dagger, embodies the Tantric means of removing obstacles and defilements. For example, an object representing greed, anger and/or ignorance may be subdued by the yogin using a purba as part of the meditation. In general, a purba is used to dispatch unseen enemies. These may be actual living beings such as non-human demons, or, more typically, inner enemies such as greed, hatred and ignorance. Ordinary enemies may be converted to friends by means such as generosity, kindness and compassion. However unseen enemies, such as the enemies within (e.g., one's own greed, anger and ignorance) cannot be controlled by external means. The purba uses the special methods of Tantric practice to focus the power of a wrathful god, such as Hayagriva or Mahakala, on the unseen enemy. There are a variety of wrathful deities whose practice is given in the Tantras. If one is engaged in the practice of Mahakala, for example, one could use a Mahakala purba such as this in a meditation ritual to isolate and destroy a measure of ones inner enemy of anger, or to subdue an unseen outer enemy such as a demon.

Tools