The Retinue of Dorje Shugden

Attending to Dorje Shugden five families are the nine mothers, eight guiding monks and ten youthful and wrathful deities. Appearing in various guises, these attendants emanate to perform specific functions in relations to the propitiation of Dorje Shugden.

Eight Fully Ordained Monks

First are the eight fully ordained monks, emanated from the ‘sources’ of the principle deity. These eight monks are dressed in saffron-coloured robes and wear various monastic hats like the domed hat, pandit’s hat, yellow hat, split meditation hat and so forth.

They each also carry various items of monastic practice such as a monk’s staff, a begging bowl, a Dharma text and the ritual implements of vajra and bell. All of these are attributes of the eight monks that empower practitioners to hold their commitments, vows and words of honour, particularly the Vinaya.

The purified nature of the sources, nerves, veins, ligaments, and joints are the eight monks who guide in virtuous activity who, with an emanated drama of whatever tames each being, protect those bound by samaya like a son, to you I praise.

Nine Mothers

The nine mothers are the next in the sequence of attendants. These are nine beautiful maidens which are emanated from the ‘elements’ of the principle deity. All of them are dressed in celestial silks garments, wear eight jewellery pieces and carry the five desirable objects.

The nine mothers hold great power to control the four elements. These are all attributes that signify their ability to assist tantric practitioners with their higher meditations.

The purified nature of the four elements and five sense objects such as form are the nine beautiful great consorts of each family who, exquisite in their youth, with the arts of love, liberate from the bindings of existence, to you I praise.

Ten Youthful and Wrathful Deities

Then, there are the ten youthful and wrathful deities that are emanated from the ‘limbs’ of the principle deity. These ten deities carry various facial expressions with some appearing to be cheerful while others look wrathful.

They wear varied costumes of Chinese, Mongolian, Nepalese, Tibetan, Kashmiri and Bengali origin while carrying various sharp weapons in their hands. These deities help practitioners to avert inner and outer obstacles, particularly the grave danger of breaking samaya with our spiritual master.

The purified limbs of the body, in a powerful, wrathful dance, in the manner of torturers ruling over the lives of those with degenerated samaya, wandering in all directions, wearing outfits of China, Mongolia, Nepal, Tibet and Kashmir, to the ten wrathful young guardians, I offer praise.