The Buddhist deity Kurukulla

Trampling a symbolic representation of the human ego and carrying flower arrows, Kurukulla dances at the center of this painting. She is the fierce red form of the savior goddess Tara. She holds a bow and arrow of sugar cane, an elephant prod, and a blue lotus. Her bow and arrows vanquish random thoughts; the elimination of such thoughts transforms passion into wisdom.

Below Kurukulla are two gods of wealth, whose auspicious presence often appears at the bottom of Himalayan paintings. The yellow Jambhala (left) carries a large gem and a gem-spouting mongoose. In contrast, black Jambhala (right) stands on a yellow sun disk; he carries a skull cup and another mongoose that spouts gems. The table is piled with treasures offered to the goddess to generate merit. The offering, whether actual or made in visualization, leads to positive rebirths and eventually enlightenment for the practitioner.