2-757-822 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Shadakshari Lokesvara: Folio from a manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), early 12th century. Shadakshari Lokesvara, a four-armed form of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara sits with his primary hands pressed together in the gesture of veneration (anjali mudra); his right hand holds a mala and his left hand holds a lotus and a book. He sits in a yogic posture, legs crossed, drawing legitimacy from ascetic practice as a means to harness the power of meditation. This deity is a manifestation of Avalokitesvara, a bodhisattva of our era who embodies compassion and protection and helps clear a path to enlightenment for the devotee.