dakini (डाकिनी)

Sanskrit. A yogini or female divinity of low rank in Vajrayana Buddhism. There are two forms, malevolent and benevolent. There is a group of five dakinis associated with the five jinas, each holding a jewel, a lotus, or a double thunderbolt. A dakini may be distinguished from an apsarsa by the presence of a 'third eye' or urna in the middle of the forehead. In Hinduism dakinis are female imps who wait upon Kali and feed on human flesh. Her name is related to the Hindi word dakin, meaning 'witch' and is sometimes translated as 'sky dancer', as she 'carries the souls of the dead to the sky'.

Daksha (दक्ष)

Sanskrit. 'Able', 'competent' and 'intelligent'. Son of Brahma and usually associated with the idea of creative power. Through his mother's side he is a one of the Adityas. His consort is Prasuti, with whom he has thirteen daughters. After some sinful acts in which Daksha mocked and dishonored a statue of his son-in-law Shiva, Sati, his daughter and Shiva's first consort, committed suicide. This enraged Shiva, who created the ferocious Virabhadra and Rudrakali from the locks of his matted hair, called jata. Together with Bhadrakali, who arose from the wrath of Devi, they set out to wreak mayhem in which Daksha was killed. Shiva, however, later restored Daksha's life, with the head of a goat.

Dakshayani (दाक्षायनि)

Sanskrit. Another designation for Sati, as the daughter of Daksha.

Dalai Lama

Tibetan. 'Ocean of Wisdom'. High priest of the Tibetan Buddhists, and from the 17th century AD until 1959 also worldly ruler of Tibet. In Tibetan Buddhism he is considered an incarnation of the bodhisatva Avalokitesvara.

Dandadhara

Sanskrit. 'The rod-bearer'. A name given to Yama, the god of death.

darbas

Sanskrit. General name for destructive demons, such as the Rakshasas.

Daruka (दरुक)

Sanskrit. The charioteer and companion of Krishna, who attended him in his final days.

Dasharatha (दशरथ)

Sanskrit. Father of Rama, king of Kosala in the Ramayana, the Indian and original version of the epic. In the Thai version, the Ramakien, the father is called Totsarot but he is also known as Suddhodana. Also transcribed Dasaratha.

deer

In Buddhism deer often refer to Mrigadava, the deer park where the Buddha delivered his first sermon. In Thai mythology, where it is called kwahng or mareuk for a male and mareuki for a female, it is the mount of Phra Phareuhadsabodih, the god of Thursday.

deva (देव)

Sanskrit. A god of undetermined rank. They are believed to be thirty three in number, eleven for each of the three worlds of Buddhist cosmology.

Devadatta (देवदत्‍त)

Sanskrit. Name of a son of King Suppabuddha and his wife Pamita, who was an aunt of Siddhartha. Since he was also the brother of Yashodhara, he was both a cousin and brother-in-law of the Buddha. He was an evil monk who, unable to attain any stage of sainthood, became jealous and plotted to harm the Buddha. He first attempted to kill the Buddha by hiring a man to kill him. The murderer would than be killed by two other men, who in turn would be killed by four other men, who finally would be killed by eight other men. But the cunning plan failed as all the murderers, upon coming close to the Blessed One, scared out and took refuge in him. Devadatta then tried to kill the Buddha himself by hurling a huge stone at him, during a climb on Vulture's Rock, but the Buddha got only hurt on his foot. In his third attempt, Devadatta made a fierce man-killer elephant, known as Nalagiri, drunk with toddy and set it loose to charge the Buddha, who though calmed the elephant by radiating his loving kindness. Devadatta eventually died failing in his wicked plan and sincerely regretting his wrongful actions.

devaputra (देवपुत्र)

Sanskrit. Devas, male flying, heavenly creatures. In Pali called devaputta.

devaraja (देवराज)

Sanskrit. 'King of the gods'. A title often applied to both Indra and the Buddha. In Java and Cambodia, a cult of devaraja developed that claimed the king was an emanation of a god and would be reunited with that god after death.

devata (देवता)

Sanskrit. A female deity in Cambodian art.

Devi (देवी)

Sanskrit. Title given to Parvati, the shakti or consort of Shiva, and a goddess with many forms, both good and bad. Her good forms are Uma 'light', Sati 'the virtuous one', Annapurna 'the one who bestows good deeds', Haimavati 'born of the Himalayas', Jagamata 'mother of the world', and Bhavani 'the female creator'. Her terrible forms are Durga 'inaccessible', Kali, Mahakali or Shyama 'black', Chandi 'fierce', and Bhairavi 'terrible'. Her mount is the lion.

dhammapala

Pali. 'Defender of the Buddhist law'. In Vajrayana Buddhism they wage war against the demons and enemies of the faith, and have terrifying appearances. In Sanskrit dharmapala.

Dhanapala (धनपाल)

Sanskrit-Pali. 'Wealth Protector', but in Sanskrit also 'Begging Bowl Receptacle'. Another name for the elephant Nalagiri, that attacked the Buddha when he was on alms round and hence carried an alms bowl.

Dhanus (धनुस्)

Sanskrit. 'Bow'. The mighty bow that surfaced during the churning of the Ocean of Milk and was given to Vishnu's avatar, Rama. The Thai word for bow, thanu (ธนู), derives from it. Sometimes transcribed Dhanush.

dhyani (ध्यानि)

Sanskrit. 'Concentration'. According to Mahayana Buddhism there are five transcendental buddha's, four for the main directions and one for the zenith. They are usually portrayed seated in meditation, the most popular being Amitabha, the buddha of the western paradise.

dikpala

Sanskrit. One of the eight listed guardians of the main and intermediate directions of the sky, who protect the world from demons. They are often depicted on Hindu temples facing different directions. Four dikpalas are guarding the cardinal points and another four the intermediate directions.

Dipankara

Sanskrit. 'Lamp bearer'. The first of 24 buddha predecessors, who pledges to the ascetic Brahman Sumedha that he will one day become a buddha. Sumedha was an former incarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the historical Buddha.

Dona

Sanskrit. A brahmin sage who after the Buddha's cremation divided the relics of the Buddha among eight warring kings.

dragon

A mythical, usually winged, monster like a reptile, able to breathe fire. In ancient Chinese mythology the earth's natural process of procreation takes the form of a dragon, animating all things in the unending cycle of life, death and rebirth. It embodies the process of change itself, appearing only to disappear again, thus being in constant transformation. It therefore appears frequently in Chinese festivals, especially during Trut Jihn, the Chinese lunar new year. It has since long been the national symbol of the Chinese and is frequently seen in iconography as well as in architecture. The dragon is also the fifth animal of the Chinese zodiac as the fifth year of the animal cycle.

dragon tortoise

Name of an auspicious animal from Chinese mythology. It has the characteristics of two kinds of favourable animals, i.e. the tortoise and the dragon. It is depicted with the head of a dragon and the body of a tortoise. It is the symbol of longevity and power, because the tortoise is an animal with a long life, whereas the dragon is animal with an enormous strength.  It is thus a combination of the great virtues of both the dragon and the tortoise, two out of the four animals from Chinese paradise. Those four animals are the tortoise, the dragon, the hongse and the tiger. The tortoise with dragonhead embodies the intelligence and ability, that comes with courage, and the prestigious and influential power of the dragon, as well as the steadfast power, endurance, happiness and lasting physical force of the tortoise. A statue of the dragon tortoise is believed to have the power to bring about or enhance progress, strength, fortune, influence, etc., depending on how the statues is placed with regard to the points of the compass. It is sometimes depicted with the characteristics of all four animals from Chinese paradise, i.e. the tortoise, the dragon, the hongse and the tiger. A female dragon turtle is, like the Rui Shi lion, usually depicted with a young.

Durga (दुर्गा)

Sanskrit. 'Inaccessible'. A form of Devi, Shiva's consort, usually portrayed riding a tiger or lion. In Javanese and Indian art she is frequently depicted as slaying the buffalo demon Mahishasura with divine weapons.

Dusit (ดุสิต)

Sanskrit-Thai. 'Satisfied' of 'fulfilled'. The term refers to the heaven above Mt. Meru where the bodhisattvas await their last existence on earth. It is one of the highest heavens in Buddhist cosmology, and the heaven in which the bodhisattva who would later become the Buddha was reborn, after gaining sufficient merit in previous lives. It is the last place where he stayed before being born as prince Siddhartha, as well as the heaven where the future Maitreya buddha dwells. In Hinduism it is the fourth heaven. Also Tusita and Tushita.

dvarapala (द्वारपाल)

Sanskrit. 'Janitor'. A guardian of a temple entrance often holding a club or mace (gada).