Bernagchen Mahakala – The Protector of the Karma Kagyu School
Bernagchen Mahakala Thangka Painting: This protective deity is described as figures possessing stout bodies, short but thick and strong limbs. His flaming hair, decorated with a crown of skulls, rises from his forehead, while a circle of flames dances around him. His face possesses a typical wrathful expression. The mouth is contorted to an angry smile from its corners protrude long fangs. The protruding, bloodshot eyes have an angry and staring expression and usually a third eye is visible in the middle of the forehead.
Gesture and Attributes
In his right hand, he holds a chopper, which symbolizes the cutting through of negative patterns such as aggression, hatred, and ignorance. In his left hand, he holds a skull cup, a ritual element typically filled with blood or human brain matter. He is seen standing on the corpse of two human bodies, thus symbolizing the death of negativities and the complete uprooting of negative patterns to such a point that, like a dead body, they will not come to life.
Iconography
The two-armed Mahakala called Bernagchen is a protector of the Karma Kagyu School. It is often thought to be the primary protector, but it is actually the main protector of the Karmapas specifically.
