Senge Dradog

STYLE: Wrathful deities are often depicted in extremely dynamic poses. In this painting the central deity lunges forward along with his flaming mandorla, establishing a diagonal dynamic for this painting. The deity has an exalted rock and lotus stand in the middle of an open landscape that unfolds behind him. The trees to his back appear out of place and houses Padmasambhava with his ritual implements and books in the same way that clouds typically do. In the foreground blue-green rock needles form a cave setting, and there is an abundance of water. The figures are placed without relationship to each other, their relative size indicating their importance.

CONTENT: Senge Dradog, or “Lion’s Roar,” is one of the eight main manifestations of the the lotus-born teacher Padmasambhava. The wrathful deity attacks holding a vajra in his right hand and making the threatening gesture with his upraised left, the flying dragon feeling its effect. Padmasambhava is shown in the upper-left corner as a ritual specialist and scholar, holding a crossed vajra and a manuscript. The scene in the bottom-right corner shows Padmasambhava’s pupil, Yeshe Tsogyal, performing a ritual of the deity Vajrakilaya, represented on the painting behind her, to bring a spirit back to life.