Shadakshari Lokeshvara (Lord of the Six Syllables) is the personification of the six-syllable Buddhist mantra, om mani padme hum. A form of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, he embodies compassion and is believed to alleviate the suffering of beings in the six realms of existence: hell-beings (narakas), hungry ghosts (preta), animals, humans, demigods, and gods. The Dalai Lama is considered an incarnation of Shadakshari Lokeshvara.
He is typically white-skinned, crowned, wears copious jewelry (bodhisattva abharana), and has four arms. His primary pair of hands are joined together in the gesture of adoration (anjali mudra). In his upper right hand, he holds a rosary (akshamala), and a white lotus (padma) in his upper left hand. He sits in the lotus posture (padma asana) on a lotus base.
See also M.76.70, M.79.189.7, M.80.221.2, M.91.349.1, AC1992.69.2, and M.2006.68. A comparable bronze image of Shadakshari Lokeshvara attributed to Bihar, 12th century is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1982.457).
