Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Transcendent Wisdom
Not on view
Manjushri and his counterpart, Prajnaparamita, the wisdom goddess, are understood as personifications of awakened knowledge. Both display the palm-leaf manuscript (pustaka) embodying wisdom as their principal identifier, here seen atop the lotus bloom. Manjushri wields a sword as his other attribute, symbolizing the cutting away of all impediments to enlightenment. Here the blade is missing, but the hilt is visible in the projecting hand. He wears a skirt-cloth decorated with registers of flowers secured with a belt from which strings of pearls hang is loops.
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