Eighty-four mahasiddhas

Eighty-four mahasiddhas (Skt. caturaśītisiddha; T. grub thob brgyad cu rtsa bzhi གྲུབ་ཐོབ་བརྒྱད་ཅུ་རྩ་བཞི་) are a group of mahasiddhas, or great adepts, that are said to have lived in ancient India. The stories of their lives are recounted in a text by Abhayadatta.

The 84 Mahasiddhas according to the tradition of Abhayadatta:

• 1. Lūyipa / Luipa (nya'i rgyu ma za ba): "The Eater of Fish Intestines"

• 2. Līlapa / Līlāpāda (sgeg pa) : "He Who Loved the Dance of Life"

• 3. Virūpa / Dharmapala (bi ru pa) : "The Wicked"

• 4. Dombipa / Dombipāda (dom bhi he ru ka): "He of the Washer Folk"

• 5. Shavaripa / Sabaripāda (ri khrod dbang phyug): "The Peacock Wing Wearer"

• 6. Saraha / Rāhulabhadra (mda snun): "The Arrow Shooter"

• 7. Kankaripa / Kankālipāda (kanka ri pa): "The One Holding the Corpse"

• 8. Mīnapa / Vajrapāda / Acinta (nya bo pa): "The One Swallowed by a Fish"

• 9. Goraksa (ba glang rdzi), "The Immortal Cowherd"

• 10. Caurāngi (chom rkun gyu yan lag), "Member of the Robber's Gang"

• 11. Vīnapa / Vīnapāda (pi vang pa), "The Lute Player"

• 12. Sāntipa / Ratnākarasānti (a kar chin ta), "The Academic"

• 13. Tantipa / Tantipāda (thags mkhan), "The Weaver"

• 14. Camaripa / Tsamaripa (lham mkhan), "The Leather-worker"

• 15. Khadgapa / Pargapa / Sadgapa (ral gri pa), "The Swordsman"

• 16. Nagarjuna (klu grub), "Philosopher and Alchemist"

• 17. Kānhapa / Krsnācharya (nag po pa), "The Dark Master"

• 18. Karnaripa / Āryadeva ('phags pa lha), "The One-Eyed"

• 19. Thaganapa / Thagapa (rtag tu rdzun smra ba), "He Who Always Lies"

• 20. Naropa / Nādapāda (rtsa bshad pa), "He Who Was Killed by Pain"

• 21. Shalipa / Syalipa (spyan ki pa), "The Jackal Yogin"

• 22. Tilopa / Prabhāsvara (snum pa / til bsrungs zhabs), "The Sesame Grinder"

• 23. Catrapa / Chatrapāda (tsa tra pa), "The Beggar Who Carries the Book"

• 24. Bhadrapa / Bhadrapāda (bzang po), "The Auspicious One"

• 25. Khandipa / Dukhandi (gnyis gcig tu byed pa / rdo kha do), "He Who Makes Two into One"

• 26. Ajokipa / Āyogipāda (le lo can), "He Who Does Not Make Effort"

• 27. Kalapa / Kadapāda (smyon pa), "The Madman"

• 28 Dhombipa / Dhombhi (khrus mkhan), "The Washerman"

• 29. Kankana / Kikipa (gdu bu can), "The Bracelet Wearer"

• 30. Kambala / Khambala (ba wa pa / lva ba pa), "The Yogin of the Black Blanket"

• 31. Tengipa / Tinkapa ('bras rdung ba), "The Rice Thresher"

• 32. Bhandhepa / Bade / Batalipa (nor la 'dzin pa), "He Who Holds the God of Weath"

• 33. Tandhepa / Tandhi (cho lo pa), "The Dice Player"

• 34. Kukkuripa (ku ku ri pa), "The Dog Lover"

• 35 Kucipa / Kujiba (ltag lba can), "The Man with a Neck Tumor"

• 36. Dharmapa (thos pa'i shes rab bya ba), "The Man of Dharma"

• 37. Mahipa / Makipa (ngar rgyal can), "The Braggart"

• 38. Acinta / Atsinta (bsam mi khyab pa / dran med pa), "He Who is Beyond Thought"

• 39. Babhahi / Bapabhati (ch las 'o mo len), "The Man Who Gets Milk from Water"

• 40. Nalina / Nili / Nali (pad ma'i rtsa ba), "The Lotus-Root"

• 41. Bhusuku / Shantideva (zhi lha / sa'i snying po), "The Lazy Monk"

• 42. Indrabhūti / Indrabodhi (dbang po'i blo), "He Whose Majesty Is Like Indra"

• 43. Mekopa / Meghapāda (me go pa), "The Wild-Eyed Guru"

• 44. Kotali / Togcepa (tog rtse pa / stae re 'dzin), "The Ploughman"

• 45. Kamparipa / Kamari (ngar pa), "The Blacksmith"

• 46. Jālandhari / Dzalandara (dra ba 'dzin pa), "The Man Who Holds a Net"

• 47. Rahula (sgra gcan 'dzin), "He Who Has Grasped Rahu"

• 48. Dharmapa - (tos pa can), "The Man of Dharma"

• 49. Dhokaripa / Tukkari (rdo ka ri), "The Man Who Carries a Pot"

• 50. Medhina / Medhini (thang lo pa), "The Man of the Field"

• 51. Pankaja / Sankaja ('dam skyes), "The Lotus-Born Brahmin"

• 52. Ghandhapa / Vajraganta / Ghantapa (rdo rje dril bu pa), "The Man with the Bell and Dorje"

• 53. Yogipa / Jogipa (dzo gi pa), "The Candali Pilgrim"

• 54. Caluki / Culiki (tsa lu ki), "The Revitalized Drone"

• 55. Gorura / Vajura (bya ba), "The Bird Man"

• 56. Lucika / Luncaka (lu tsi ka pa), "The Man Who Stood Up After Sitting"

• 57. Niguna / Nirgunapa (yon tan med pa), "The Man without Qualities"

• 58 Jayānanda (rgyal ba mtha' med), "He Who Delights in Victory"

• 59. Pacari / Pacaripa ('khur ba 'tsong ba), "The Pastry-Seller"

• 60. Campaka / Tsampala (tsam pa ka), "The Flower King"

• 61. Bhiksana / Bhekhepa (so gnyis pa), "The Man with Two-Teeth"

• 62. Telopa / Dhilipa (mar nag 'tshong mkhan), "The Seller of Black Butter"

• 63. Kumaripa / Kumbharipa (rdza mkhan), "The Potter"

• 64. Caparipa / Carbaripa (tsa pa ri pa), "The Siddha Who Turned People to Stone"

• 65. Manibhadrā / Bahura, "She of the Broken Pot"

• 66. Mekhalā / Mekhali, "The Elder Severed-Headed Sister"

• 67. Kanakhalā, "The Younger Severed-Headed Sister"

• 68. Kalakala / Kilakilapa (ku ko can), "The Exiled Loud-Mouth"

• 69. Kantali / Kantalipa (tshem bu pa), "The Tailor"

• 70. Dhahuli / Dekara (rtsva thag can), "The Man of the Grass Rope"

• 71. Udheli / Udhilipa (phur pa), "The Flying-Siddha"

• 72. Kapalapa / Kapalipa (thod pa can), "The Skull Bearer"

• 73. Kirava / Kilapa (rnam rtog spang ba), "He Who Abandons Conceptions"

• 74. Sakara / Pukara / Padmavajra (mtsho skyes), "The Lake-Born"

• 75. Sarvabhaksa (thams cad za ba), "He Who Eats Everything"

• 76. Nāgabodhi (klu'i byang chub), "The Red Horned Thief"

• 77. Dārika / Darikapa (smad 'tshong can), "Slave-King of the Temple Whore"

• 78. Putali / Sutali / Tali / Purali (rgyan slang ba), "He Who Raises the Ornaments"

• 79. Panaha / Upanaha (mchil lham can), "The Bootmaker"

• 80. Kokalipa / Kokilipa / Kokali (ko la la'i skad du chags), "The One Distracted by a Cuckoo"

• 81. Ananga / Anangapa (ana ngi), "The Handsome Fool"

• 82. Laksmīnkarā (legs smin kara), "She Who Makes Fortune"

• 83. Samudra (rgya mtsho nas nor bu len mkhan), "The Beachcomer"

• 84. Vyali / Vyalipa (ba li pa), "The Courtesan's Alchemist"

Further reading

Web publications:

• Eighty-four mahasiddhas, Rigpa Shedra Wiki
• Eighty-four_Mahasiddhas_of_India, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
• Mahasiddha#Eighty-Four_Mahasiddhas, Wikipedia
• The 84 Indian Adepts of Abhayadatta System, Himalayan Art Resources

Print publications:

• Buddha's Lions: The Lives of the Eighty-Four Siddhas, 'Caturasîti-siddha-pravrtti' by Abhayadatta, Tibetan: 'grub thob brgyad cu rtsa bzhi'i lo rgyus' by smon grub shes rab, translated into English by James B. Robinson, ISBN 0913546615.
• Masters of Mahamudra: Songs and Histories of the Eighty-Four Buddhist Siddhas, translated by Keith Dowman, SUNY, ISBN 0887061605