ICONOGRAPHY
The five skulls on Yama’s diadem represent the Five Negative Affliction Or poisonous Buddhsit_Art_Yamaobstacles [Skt. Kleshas] to spiritual development which are greed, hatred, delusion, jealousy & pride & the transmutation of the five afflictions into the five wisdoms. His special power to change the five troubles is indicated by the tongues of crimson flame that arise from the cranium of each skull. He is painted with a bull’s head, and he straddles a blue boar which crushes a human form. In his left hand in the threatening hand position [Skt. Tarjani Mudra] Yama brandishes a skull club [Skt. Kapala Danda] also carried by Kali [Shiva] & Bhairav that symbolises “smashing the veil of ignorance” and the ultimate emptiness of all phenomena which we need to realise the highest Buddhist ideal of Great Bliss [Skt. Mahasukha], pure consciousness and love. The energy is so powerful that it is sealed with a half vajra at the top. The white silk ribbons represents his ability adapt his energy to destroy ignorance in all its forms. In his right hand he holds a rope noose [Skt. Pasha] . One end has a hook and the other a ring which representing the catching & binding of the ego, the possibility of strangulation.
His sister Yami holds a skullcap [Skt. Kapala] held at his heart in his right hand hold red rejuvenating blood of Great Bliss called Raktavarna[skt.] representing ‘wisdom’. The white breast ornament represents the wheel of life [Skt. Jivan Chakra] Jivan is a Sanskrit word meaning soul. Chakra means wheel. The wheel of Life is often called the Bhavacakra. Bhava means container or receptacle in the sense of body or form. The degree of wrath & and tantric power a deity has is often measured by the quantity of flame in the aureole of flame surrounding body. Yama is surrounded by a Fire Wheel [Tib. Me-Khor] which represents his ability to annihilate anything or anyone that crosses his path, but especially the obscuration to pure conscious enlightenment of which ignorance is considered the chief poison. The fire wheel radiate as pure psychic energy whose potency is alluded to in Yama’s erect penis. Nothing can withstand Yama’s fire wheel. In the foreground there are the Three Skull Offerings which represent the items necessary for rebirth. The left & right skulls are traditionally mounted on three smaller skulls. The left blue blood represents semen & the right red blood fertile uterine blood with the central skull contains the offering of the five senses representing the consciousness. The five senses are 1. the heart representing touch, 2. the eyes – sight, 3. tongue – taste, 4. nose – smell & 5. ears – sound. The attached hair indicates its freshness. The offering of the five senses is key to Yama’s purpose; the offering is about rebirth the beginning of something new life.
GONG:
A gong is an East and Southeast Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat, circular metal disc which is hit with a mallet. The gong traces its roots back to the Bronze Age around 3500 BC. The term gong originated in Java. Scientific and archaeological research has established that Burma, China, Java and Annam were the four main gong manufacturing centres of the ancient world. The gong later found its way into the Western World in the 18th century when it was also used in the percussion section of a Western-style symphony orchestra. A form of bronze cauldron gong known as a resting bell was widely used in ancient Greece and Rome, for instance in the famous Oracle of Dodona, where disc gongs were also used.
Gongs broadly fall into one of three types: Suspended gongs are more or less flat, circular discs of metal suspended vertically by means of a cord passed through holes near to the top rim. Bossed or nipple gongs have a raised center boss and are often suspended and played horizontally. Bowl gongs are bowl-shaped and rest on cushions. They may be considered a member of the bell category. Gongs are made mainly from bronze or brass but there are many other alloys in use.
Gongs produce two distinct types of sound. A gong with a substantially flat surface vibrates in multiple modes, giving a “crash” rather than a tuned note. This category of gong is sometimes called a tam-tam to distinguish it from the bossed gongs that give a tuned note. In Indonesian gamelan ensembles, some bossed gongs are deliberately made to generate in addition a beat note in the range from about 1 to 5 Hz. The use of the term “gong” for both these types of instrument is common.
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