ModestoMolino5 at 13:38, 6 November 2025

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{{Short description|Mahasiddha in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
[[File:Dombi Heruka.jpg|thumb|18th century image of Dombi Heruka]]
'''Dombi Heruka''' (8th-9th century CE, [[Sanskrit]]: {{IAST|Ḍombi Heruka}}, {{bo|t=ཌོམ་བི་ཧེ་རུ་ཀ|w=Dom bi he ru ka}}), also known as '''Dombipa''' (Sanskrit: {{IAST|Ḍombipa}}, {{bo|t=ཌོམྦི་པ།|w=Dom bhi pa}}) and by his epithet '''Tiger-Rider''',{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=53|pp=}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dombipa Heruka: The "Tiger Rider" - Abhayadatta Sri |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/dombipa-heruka-the-tiger-rider-abhayadatta-sri/zAH5JZCJRGNVkg |access-date=28 May 2025 |website=Google Arts & Culture |language=en}}</ref> is one of the eighty-four [[mahasiddha]]s ('great adept') venerated in [[Vajrayana Buddhism]]. In paintings and sculptures, he is depicted seated on a tiger, with a snake in his hand, sometimes in union with his consort.

Dombi Heruka is described as king of [[Magadha]] or [[Tripura]]; or at least a [[Brahmin]] son of a local chieftain. His legends and name emphasize his relationship with an [[Dalit|outcaste]] spiritual consort, which was taboo. He is associated with Tantric rituals related to the deity [[Hevajra]]. A few works including ''[[Sahaja#Sahaja-siddhi|Shri-sahaja-siddhi]]'' are attributed to Dombi Heruka.

Various [[lama]] lineages like the [[Gelug|Gelugpa]] [[Longdol]] Lama, [[Trungpa tülkus|Trungpa tulkus]] and [[Tai Situpa]] lamas claim to be incarnations of Dombi Heruka.

== Names and dating ==
Dombi Heruka is an amalgamation of two terms - ''dombi'' and ''heruka''. ''[[Doma (caste)|Dombi]]'' refers to an [[Dalit|"untouchable"]] nomadic artist [[Varna (Hinduism)|caste]], to which the mahasiddha's spiritual consort belonged. ''Heruka'' refers to the deity [[Cakrasaṃvara Tantra#Deity, myth and mandala|Samvara]] or the mahasiddha's chosen deity [[Hevajra]]. It also refers to [[siddha]]s, who embody the god's attributes. His legend says that Dombi Heruka becomes Hevajra, which may also explain his name.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=59|pp=}}

His other name, Dombipa, means "he who relates with the lower caste"<ref name=":0" /> or "Lord of the Dombi".{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=59|pp=}}

Dombi Heruka possibly was born in the late eighth century CE and lived through the early ninth century.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=59|pp=}}

== Legends ==
According to the legend in [[Abhayadatta Sri]]'s 12th century work on the mahasiddhas, Dombi Heruka was a king of [[Magadha]]. He was a student of another mahasiddha [[Virūpa|Virupa]]. Virupa taught him the [[Tibetan tantric practice|mediational methods]] to realize the deity Hevajra. He was a benevolent ruler. He hung a bell in the city, which could be rung by the subjects in need. The well-governed kingdom prospered.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=53}}

Once, a group of wandering minstrels (Dombis){{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=57|pp=}} visited to entertain the king. The enlightened king observed amongst them a virgin twelve-year old girl, whom he found suitable as a spiritual consort. Though she was an [[Dalit|outcaste]], the king practised [[Karmamudrā|tantric rites with her]] in secrecy for twelve years. When her low-caste status was revealed to the subjects, the king was forced to abdicate due to the scandal, handing over the kingdom to his son. Dombi Heruka retired to the forest with his mystical consort. In a hermitage, he practised tantric rites with his consort for twelve years.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=|pp=54-5}}

The kingdom fell into decline. A delegation went to the forest to request the king to return. There they observed the consort miraculously walking on lotus leaves to the middle of the lake and fetching elixir deep from the lake. The representatives were bewildered and announced the incident to the subjects. Another group visited back and invited the king back to rule, to which he acceded.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=54|pp=}}

[[File:Dombi Heruka Tibet.jpg|thumb|19th century painting of Dombi Heruka returning to the capital with his consort, as citizens bow to him.]]
The king returned riding a pregnant tigress, in copulation with his consort and with a snake in his hand as the whip. Since he had lived with an outcaste woman, he declared that he become impure and requested the people to burn him and his consort on a pyre from which he would be reborn. After the sandalwood pyre burnt for a week, the mahasiddha and his consort appeared from the embers as a divine couple in union, like the deity Hevajra. The people bowed to the mahasiddha, calling him Dombipa, "the Lord of the Dombi". He told his subjects to emulate him or he would leave them. While the people refused, the mahasiddha denounced political power in a sermon and flew to the Dakini's Paradise.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=|pp=54-6}}

The account by Taranatha (1575–1634) mirrors Abhayadatta Sri's account, with some variation. Dombi is described as king of [[Tripura]] here. Instead of his fire ritual, Dombi wandered with his consort. In [[Rarh region|Radha]], he flew on his tiger, with snakes leading the king and his subjects to convert to Buddhism. In [[Karnataka]], he taught almost 500 yogic disciples, who earned ''[[siddhi]]''. In another place in [[South India]], he persuaded people to shun animal sacrifice.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=|pp=58-9}}

As per Trungpa legend, Dombi Heruka was a [[Brahmin]] born to a local chieftain, living in India. He studied the [[mahamudra]] philosophy of Buddhism. He took an outcaste girl as his tantric consort, to the displeasure of his parents. Dombi Heruka became an "accomplished siddha", spending his time having coitus with the consort and drinking seven gallons of ''[[chhaang]]'' alcohol on his house's rooftop. When his parents decided to end Dombi Heruka's lifestyle by arresting him, the mahasiddha flew into the air with consort, kicking the alcohol jar. An endless alcohol stream flowed from the jar, flooding the entire village. While the villagers were about to perish by drowning, the terrified parents pleaded to Dombi Heruka to forgive them. The mahasiddha sang a Tibetan song starting with "He who knows the nature of the mind, does not know the nature of confusion" and converted his parents and the village to Buddhism. Then, he left his palace with his consort, riding a tiger. In the jungle, people are said to see him riding a tiger in an inebriated state.<ref name=":0" />

== Teachers and disciples ==
While most sources agree that Virupa is his guru, some suggest that [[Luipada|Luipa]] may have also taught him.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=59|pp=}}

Taranatha states that Dombi Heruka had ten disciples, chief among them Alalavajra, Garbaripa, Jayashri, and Rahulavajra. G(h)arbaripa (identified with the mahasiddha [[Dharmapa]]) and [[Kanhapa|Krishnacharya]] (sometimes described his guru) are also described his disciples.{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=59|pp=}}

== Works ==
Though Dombi Heruka wrote few works, they are considered important. The ''[[Sahaja#Sahaja-siddhi|Shri-sahaja-siddhi]]'' is a condensed version of the ''[[Hevajra Tantra]].'' He also wrote the Kurukulla-kalpa and ''Ekavira-sadhana.''{{Sfn|Dowman|1985|p=59|pp=}}

== Legacy ==
[[File:Dombi Heruka and Marpa Chokyi Lodro.jpg|thumb|Dombi Heruka (left) and Marpa Chokyi Lodro are both considered pre-incarnations of the Longol lamas.]]
The [[lama]] lineage of [[Trungpa tülkus|Trungpa tulkus]] are believed to be reincarnations of Dombi Heruka.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Trungpa |first=Chogyam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yD7aTmse_XAC&q=dombipa&pg=PA106 |title=The Mishap Lineage: Transforming Confusion into Wisdom |date=14 July 2009 |publisher=Shambhala Publications |isbn=978-0-8348-2124-8 |pages=36–38, 122 |language=en}}</ref> As per Trungpa legend, Dombi Heruka once threw his skull cap in the air from India and decreed that he would reincarnate when the cup fell. It fell at [[Surmang]] in Tibet, where the Surmang monastery – the seat of the Trungpa tulkas –- was founded.<ref name=":0" />

Another lama lineage claiming Dombi Heruka are the [[Gelug|Gelugpa]] [[Longdol]] Lamas, most prominent of them is [[Marpa Lotsawa|Marpa Chokyi Lodro]].<ref name=":1" /> The [[Tai Situpa]] lamas from the [[Karma Kagyu|Karma Kagyu school]] are also incarnations of Dombi Heruka, besides of the deity [[Maitreya]].<ref name=":1" />

== Iconography ==
Dombi Heruka is depicted in art as single works or series works, pertaining to the eighty-four mahasiddhas or the lama lineages he is associated with.<ref name=":1" />

Dombi Heruka is easily identifiable among the eighty-four mahasiddhas due to his unique iconography. He is depicted riding a tiger.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Indian Adept: Dombi Heruka Confusions |url=https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=6403 |access-date=24 May 2025 |website=www.himalayanart.org}}</ref> The mahasiddhas are depicted iconographically in three types: a layman, a monk and a siddha (''heruka''). Dombi Heruka's iconography mirrors that of a ''heruka,'' who are depicted wearing bone ornaments and in unique "contrived and contorted postures".<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition: Mahasiddha (Three Types of Appearance) |url=https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=6400 |access-date=25 May 2025 |website=www.himalayanart.org}}</ref>

In paintings, Dombi Heruka is depicted riding a tiger, embracing his consort. Both of them may be depicted naked. Sometimes, Dombi Heruka may wear a loincloth. Both of them wear a crown adorned with skulls, bone or gold ornaments and jewelled earrings. In his raised right hand, he holds poisonous snake as a whip. The hood of the snake is visible. His left arm may hold the consort; he may hold a [[Kapala|skull cup]] filled with [[Amrita|elixir]]. Alternately, his hand may a fierce ''[[mudra]]'' (gesture)''.'' The consort holds a filled skull cup in her left hand. A corpse may be depicted on her thigh. The couple astride the tiger may be depicted in the forest or leaving the forest and triumphantly entering the capital. In the latter scene, Dombi Heruka's subjects may be seen bowing before him and making offering of food.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jr |first=Donald S. Lopez |title=Seeing the Sacred in Samsara: An Illustrated Guide to the Eighty-Four Mahasiddhas |date=28 May 2019 |publisher=Shambhala Publications |isbn=978-1-61180-404-1 |pages=51 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Adept (siddha) - Dombi Heruka (Himalayan Art) |url=https://www.himalayanart.org/items/228 |access-date=24 May 2025 |website=www.himalayanart.org}}</ref> In sculpture and paintings, the mahasiddha may be depicted alone on the tiger, without a consort.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Adept (siddha) - Dombi Heruka (Himalayan Art) |url=https://www.himalayanart.org/items/7569 |access-date=24 May 2025 |website=www.himalayanart.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Adept (siddha) - Dombi Heruka (Himalayan Art) |url=https://www.himalayanart.org/items/59830 |access-date=24 May 2025 |website=www.himalayanart.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Adept (siddha) - Dombi Heruka (Himalayan Art) |url=https://www.himalayanart.org/items/3314786 |access-date=24 May 2025 |website=www.himalayanart.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Adept (siddha) - Dombi Heruka (Himalayan Art) |url=https://www.himalayanart.org/items/69817 |access-date=24 May 2025 |website=www.himalayanart.org}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{Cite book |last=Dowman |first = Keith|title=Masters of Mahamudra: Songs and Histories of the Eighty-Four Buddhist Siddhas |date=1985|publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=0-88706-158-3 |language=en}}

== External links ==

* [https://www.termatree.com/blogs/termatree/the-eighty-four-mahasiddhas-masters-of-the-tantric-path?srsltid=AfmBOoq9lYJqzuwrrLFA3HN4d0b1zlS3M8HwDOz3ceFrPfH4DGe-VjdY The Eighty-Four Mahasiddhas: Masters of the Tantric Path]

[[Category:Mahasiddhas]]
[[Category:Poets of Charyapada]]

Dombi Heruka - Revision history

ModestoMolino5 at 13:38, 6 November 2025