Four Armed Mahakala

Four Armed Mahakala (Tib. Gönpo Chagzhipa) is a primary wisdom protector strongly associated with various Kagyü lineages, especially the Marpa Kagyü. His four arms represent the four immeasurables (love, compassion, joy and equanimity directed towards an immeasurable number of sentient beings). He holds aloft a flaming wisdom sword that cuts through self-grasping, the root of ignorance, and a trident showing how reliance on the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is the path to liberation from samsaric suffering. At his heart he holds a curved knife and skullcup showing how reliance upon a blissful mind that rests in the state of ultimate truth, is the supreme path to enlightenment.