The Compassion Of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

It is said that Lord Avalokiteshvara was sitting blissfully in His home atop the Mount Patala, when He happened to lean over ihaloka for a glimpse. The sheer extent of klesha (affliction) and dukha (sorrow) that He witnessed made His head burst into a thousand pieces, from each of which emerged a singular divine head. This is how, overcome by compassion, Lord Avalokiteshvara became the sahsramukha (thousand-faced) Bodhisattva. It is an integral aspect of His iconography, as could be seen in the murti pictured on this page.

This one depicts the Bodhisattva of compassion with eleven faces (ekadashamukha) and a thousand arms (sahasrabhuja). The numbers in question, be they pertaining to the heads or the limbs, are symbolic of the infinite capacities of the Bodhisattva. Upon a lotus throne He is seated with His anteriormost hands holding afore the chest the mythical wish-fulfilling jewel. With the flaying arms and the crowned heads stacked progressively upwards, this composition makes for a striking silhouette. The same is poised upon a rugged, rock-like pedestal engraved with snow lions on either side.