Vasudhara

Buddhist bodhisattva of prosperity

Vasudhārā whose name means "stream of gems" in Sanskrit is as known call as "Gold Tara" , is the Buddhist goddess of wealth, prosperity, and abundance. Her popularity peaks in Nepal where she has a strong following among the Buddhist Newars of the Kathmandu Valley and is thus a central figure in Newar Buddhism. She is one of the most popular goddesses worshipped in many Buddhist countries and is a subject of Buddhist legends and art. Her short mantra is Oṃ Vasudhārāyai Svāhā.

Vasudhara is often compared to the Hindu goddess Bhūmidevī. As goddesses of wealth, both deities have a similar iconography and are worshipped for their role in an abundant harvest. Both assume a golden hue in artistic representations, perform the same mudra, and hold similar objects. For example, Vasudhara and Prithvi are often depicted holding gems or having pots of treasure under their feet. It is believed that the convention of depicting Vasudhara standing on vases originated from earlier representations of Bhūmi .

Her mantra is "Om Śri Vasudhara Ratna Nidhana Kashetri Svāhā", when one takes up Vasudhara practice, 800 mantras (8 rounds of a mala) should be recited on the first day, then 300 mantras (3 rounds of a mala) on every day afterwards, one mala's worth of mantras in the morning, when time permits before work, another mala's worth of mantras when time permits in the late afternoon/evening, perhaps after work, the final mala's worth of mantras before sleeping, or 3 malas all at once any time of the day. It is said that devotees will accumulate 7 kinds of prosperity wealth, quality, offspring, long life, happiness, praise and wisdom, enabling her devotees to be better equipped to practise generosity, in itself a cause for wealth, as well as having enough resources to be able to engage in spiritual practices. It also believed her practise leads to Enlightenment.

The origin of Vasudhārā in Buddhism appears in the Buddhist text The Vasudhara Dharani. According to a legend in the text known as “The Inquiry of the Layman Sucandra,” an impoverished layman named Sucandra approaches the Buddha Shakyamuni requesting a way to obtain large amounts of gold, grain, silver, and gems in order to feed his large family and engage in acts of charity with the surplus fortune. Shakyamuni, aware of a mantra about the bodhisattva Vasudhara that would suit his purposes, bestows Sucandra with an incantation and religious ritual that when followed would result in good fortune and prosperity brought on by Vasudhara herself. Upon commencing the rituals and teaching them to others, Sucandra begins to prosper. Noticing his success, the monk Ananda asked Shakyamuni how he had obtained this fortune so quickly. Shakyamuni instructs Ananda to also practice the Vasudhara Dharani and “impart it to others ‘for the good of many’.”. Her skin has a golden hue in bronze and painted images. This color is associated with precious metals and symbolizes opulence, fertility, and generosity in Buddhist iconography. Vasudhara is typically seated on a lotus flower base in the lalitasana, or royal pose, with one foot tucked in towards her and the other hanging of the flower base but resting on a small treasure. She can, however, also be represented in a standing position. When standing, Vasudhara has a full vase representing abundance underneath each foot. Although the six armed image originates in India, they are rare and only few examples have been found. Vasudhara, the 'treasure holder', is a popular Newar goddess of fertility and prosperity, and a consort of the wealth god Jambhala. She sits in the posture of 'royal ease' on a moon disc and a pink lotus, with her left leg drawn up and her extended right foot resting (similar posture to Green Tara showing her willingness to "come down from her lotus throne" to help those who call upon her) upon a white conch shell (symbolising having conquered/having perfect control of speech) and a golden treasure vase (wealth/prosperity). She is beautiful and attractive, as youthful as a sixteen year old, and her golden body scintillates with radiant light. Her three beautiful and smiling faces are coloured red (right red being the colour of controlling), golden (centre, golden being the colour of increasing), and red (left), representing perfect compassion, wisdom understanding, awareness and insight into the past, present and future, she is adorned with the five divine silks and the eight jewelled ornaments. Her first right hand makes the gesture of generosity, while her other two right hands hold the 'Three Jewels' of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, symbolising the necessity of maintaining the commitments of refuge to the three jewels, and a golden rosary, symbolising continuous practise and self examination, vital to enlightenment. With her three left hands she holds a small treasure vase, for long life and initiation, an ear of grain, for abundant harvests and earthly benefits, and a sacred text to grant wisdom. In her hands, Vasudhara holds a variety of objects attributed to her. Most representations show her holding a sheaf of corn in her left hand, symbolizing an abundant harvest. She may also be holding a gem or small treasure, a symbol of wealth. Representations with more arms, such as the six armed Nepali representation, also depict her holding a full vase and the Book of Wisdom. With her free hands, Vasudhara performs mudras. A commonly seen mudra in paintings and figurines featuring Vasudhara is the varada mudra, also known as the charity mudra, which symbolizes the “pouring forth of divine blessings.” Because of their small size it is known that these images were primarily for private use, namely household veneration of the goddess. Additionally, there is a cult dedicated to her worship followed by the Buddhist Newars. Followers of this cult believe that her worship brings wealth and stability. Despite the strong following of this cult by the Buddhist Newars, unfortunately, it is now in decline. As the Bodhisattva of abundance and prosperity, her popularity in this region is due to the predominance of agriculture and trade essential to the economy of the Kathmandu Valley. The Newars believe that her veneration will generally result in good fortune.

One of the earliest Nepalese representations of Vasudhara is a paubha (textile art depicting Hindu and Buddhist images on course cotton), dating back to 1015 C. E. This pauhba is known as the Mandala of Vasudhara. The goddess is the central image of this mandala, which depicts scenes of dedication, ritual initiation, festive music, and dance associated with her worship. Its purpose is didactic (to teach). The mandala teaches the importance of worshipping Vasudhara primarily through the narrative of a non believer whom she converted to belief.

In addition to her popularity in Nepal, Vasudhara is also an important “wealth deity” in Tibetan Buddhism. Although popular in Tibet, Vasudhara does not assume as important a role as she does in Newar Buddhism. In Tibet, the worship of Vasudhara is limited to mostly lay people as opposed to worship by both lay and monastic life. This is because Tibetan monastic life regards Vasudhara as a “benefactor of the laity” and instead primarily engages in the worship of the goddess Tara for all their needs. Despite these slight differences, most of her iconography remains unchanged and Vasudhara can be easily recognized by her attributes in most Buddhist art.

In Burmese Buddhism, the water ceremony, called yay zet cha, which involves the ceremonial pouring of water from a glass into a vase, drop by drop, concludes most Buddhist ceremonies including donation celebrations and feasts. This ceremonial libation is done to share the accrued merit with all other living beings in all 31 planes of existence. While the water is poured, a confession of faith, called the hsu taung imaya dhammanu, is recited and led by the monks. Then, the merit is distributed by the donors, called ahmya wei by saying Ahmya ahmya ahmya yu daw mu gya ba gon law three times, with the audience responding thadu, Pali for "well done." The earth goddess Vasudhara is invoked to witness these meritorious deeds. Afterward, the libated water is poured on soil outside, to return the water to Vasudhara.