Shvanasya, aka: Śvānāsyā; 1 Definition(s)



The Sanskrit term Śvānāsyā can be transliterated into English as Svanasya or Shvanasya, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Buddhism

(Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Śvānāsyā (श्वानास्या, “dog-faced”) is the presiding deity of the western outern gate of the vārāhyabhyudaya-maṇḍala, according to the Vārāhyabhyudayatantra. It is composed of the Sanskrit words śvāna (dog) and āsya (face). The central deity of the vārāhyabhyudaya-maṇḍala is the twelve-armed Vajravarāhī, which is modeled upon the twelve-armed Cakrasaṃvara, thus inhibiting many similar iconographical features.

Śvānāsyā is associated with the colors yellow and grey. She is to be visualised as dwarfish in shape and squint-eyed. They wield in their left hands a skull bowl and the head of Brahmā, and in their right hands a chopper and ḍamaru.

The Vārāhyabhyudayatantra is an explanatory tantra on the Laghuśaṃvara, but its verses are largerly extracted from the 10th century Abhidhānottaratantra, a scriputre describing various sādhanas (path towards spiritual realization).

Source: Wisdomlib Libary: Vajrayogini
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