Bīngjiēluótiān tóngzǐ jīng 氷揭羅天童子經
Sūtra of the Divine Youth Piṅgala by 不空 (Bùkōng, Amoghavajra, 譯)
About the work
A one-fascicle Esoteric scripture on Piṅgala 氷揭羅 (also 賓伽羅, Skt. Piṅgala) — the divine youth who is, in one strand of the tradition, the favourite youngest son of Hārītī 鬼子母 (and hence the “lost child” hidden under the Buddha’s alms-bowl in the conversion-narrative of KR6j0492); in another strand, an independent child-deity associated with protection of children. Translated by Amoghavajra (不空).
Abstract
The text develops the cult of Piṅgala / Bīngjiēluó as an independent deity, supplying his iconography (a divine youth, often depicted seated or standing with a lotus and a bowl), his mantra, and the rite for his invocation. The cult sits in a close cluster with that of his mother Hārītī (KR6j0490–KR6j0492) and is concerned with the protection of children, the cure of pediatric disease, and the bestowal of santāna. Date: Amoghavajra’s Chángān activity, 746–774.
Translations and research
- See KR6j0490.