The Guardians of the Directions are Hindu Gods who rule certain directions, namely east, north, west and south. In Tibetan Buddhism they are considered protectors called The Four Heavenly Kings.They are all generally referred to as Lokapala in both beliefs. As four of a group of eight Gods, called Dikpala, which means guardians of eight directions, they are often displayed on a Surya Majapahit, which is a carved crest or emblem. These will include the correlating Gods of other directions such as northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest, to form basically what we would think of as a sun disk. The Hindu guardians of the four cardinal directions are Indra, who is the guardian of the east, Kubera who is the guardian of the north, Varuna, who is guardian of the west and Yama who is the guardian of the south. Kubera, Kuvera or Vaisrava is also considered the same or is shared by both the Hindu and Buddhist religions.
Indra Guardian Of The East
Indra is one of the Adityas or Chief Rigvedic deities. Rigveda is sacred collections of Vedic Sanskrit hymns text or scripture and are part of Hindu sacred scriptures, called Vedas. Indra, sometimes called Sakra The Mighty One or Vasava, is the King of the Gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka, in Hindu beliefs. He is chief of the Devas that control the heavens and control the basic elements, such as water and fire. He is also the God of storms, rain, thunder and of war. Indra is said to control the sky and the dawn. In Rigveda, Indra is a sun God and depicted with golden colored skin and golden attributes. As it is written; He who gave being to the Sun and Morning, who leads the waters, He, O men, is Indra. And also written:The King of Heaven (and) of the senses, I am the mind; and in living beings I am the living force, from the Bhagavad Gita. Indra is often seen with a weapon, which was used to kill Vritra, and is called the Vajra, In the Rigveda, the weapon was made for Indra by Tvastar, a maker of such deistic contrivances, supposedly from the bones of a sage. Sometimes he is shown having a hook, net and a bow. His bow is often considered to be associated with rainbows which are called Indra's bows. He is often painted riding his white elephant named Airavata.
Kubera Guardian Of The North
Kubera is the Lord of wealth and the King of Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the guardian of the north and a Lokapala. He is considered to be Lord of the treasures of all the world. Kubera is often shown as diminutive in stature but having a prominent belly. He is usually covered in jewels and carrying bags of money. Kubera is often shown riding a man as a means of transport, called Nara vahana. Originally Kubera is described as being the chief of evil spirits in Vedic manuscripts and text. In the Atharvaved and the Shatapatha Brahmana, Kubera is the chief of all evil spirits. Shatapatha Brahmana texts or manuscripts refer to him as the Lord of criminals and theft. Initially described as an evil asura or demon, later on In the Manusmriti, he becomes a more respectable Lokapala. Hindu Kubera is shared in common with Buddhism, where he is known as Vaisravana or Jambhala. The Buddhist Vaisravana, is one of Buddhism's Four Heavenly Kings. Kubera is the treasurer of the gods and lord of the Gandharva, Kinnara, Yaksha, who are lesser type gods or hybrids of creatures, animals and spirits. Kubera is Lord of treasure, riches and fortune.
Varuna Guardian Of The West
Varuna or Waruna is God of the sky and especially God of all the waters and oceans. Some art show Varuna as a lunar deity and as a yellowish or golden colored man wearing yellow or golden armor and holding nooses or lassos made from a snake. He is often seen riding a sea creature called: Makara. In the Vedas, Varuna is chief of the Adityas. As a sky god, Varuna has rule over the celestial ocean of night sky and stars. Varuna is considered the lord of oceans and keeper of the seas.
Yama Guardian Of The South
Yama is the Guardian Of The South, Lord of Death and ruler of those that have died. Yama is also a Lokapala and an Aditya and is thought to be one of the wisest of the devas. Yama is said to be the keeper of human deeds on earth and determines if their Karma is deserving of reincarnation to a better or worse position. Yama is sometimes considered the Lord of Justice and is often called Dharma, since he is associated with justice, order and harmony. In paintings and art, Yama is shown with 2 arms and tusks and often seen riding atop male buffalo.
The Guardians of The Directions are of importance as they pertain to vastu shastra or vastu veda, which is an ancient Hindu practice based on how the cosmos affect domiciles or Hindu Temples and those that reside within. The Vastu Purusha (energy) Mandala (chart) is an important part of vastu shastra. It's a sort of supranatural blueprint (based on mathematics, diagrams, alignments and geometry) of the process of constructing a building, that takes into account the cosmos and spirit. Vastu Purusha is originally a Hindu legend about how a supernatural being blocked the heaven from the earth and Brahma and other gods including The Guardians of The Directions trapped him onto the ground. This legend is physically illustrated in the Vastu Purusha Mandala. Each Of The Guardians of The Directions is represented and each are located in positions surrounding the central position called the Brahmasthana.
The Vastu Purusha Mandala is similar to parts of Feng Shui which is an ancient art practiced thousands of years ago in China. Feng Shui attempts to equalize Chi or energies of areas to ensure the good health and fortune of the people in or around it. The main tools used in a feng shui are the Bagua and Compass. Bagua is in the form of a grid similar to the concept of Mandala in Hinduism.
