དཔལ་གྱི་བེའུ། | Glossary of Terms

Lit. “Lakṣmī’s calf.” One of the symbols adorning the palms of the hands and soles of the feet of the buddhas. Together with the svastika and nandyāvarta, it forms the eightieth minor sign. It is the endless knot, symbolizing compassion.

Literally “the favorite of the glorious one” or (as translated into Tibetan) “the calf of the glorious one.” This is an auspicious mark that in Indian Buddhism was said to be formed from a curl of hair on the breast and was depicted in a shape that resembles the fleur-de-lis. In Tibet it is usually represented as an eternal knot. It is also one of the principal attributes of Viṣṇu.

Literally “the favorite of the glorious one,” or (as translated into Tibetan) “the calf of the glorious one.” This is an auspicious mark that in Indian Buddhism was said to be formed from a curl of hair on the breast and was depicted in a shape that resembles the fleur-de-lis. In Tibet it is usually represented as an eternal knot. It is also one of the principal attributes of Viṣṇu.

An auspicious symbol for eternity, taking the design of an endless looping knot; the Tibetan translates the term as “glorious knot,” while the Sanskrit literally means “beloved of Śrī” as an epithet of Viṣṇu (the consort of Śrī), because the emblem is seen on Viṣṇu’s chest. In Buddhism the design represents the endless insight and compassion of the Buddha and is included among the eight auspicious emblems. It is also here the third of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

A special symbol, often represented as an endless knot in the Tibetan tradition.

One of the eighty minor marks of a great being, it is a swirl of hair in the center of the chest, a symbol shared by the Brahmanical deity Viṣṇu. It is often symbolically referred to as an “endless knot.”

Literally “the favorite of the glorious one,” or (as translated into Tibetan) “the calf of the glorious one.” This is an auspicious mark that in Indian Buddhism was said to be formed from a curl of hair on the breast and was depicted in a shape that resembles the fleur-de-lis. In Tibet it is usually represented as an eternal knot. It is also one of the principal attributes of Viṣṇu. Together with the svastika and nandyāvarta, it forms the eightieth minor sign.

An auspicious sign found on the chest of the Buddha. In non-Buddhist traditions it is also found on the chest of certain deities, such as Viṣṇu.

A swirl of chest hair that in the Buddhist tradition is counted as one of the eighty minor marks of a great being. It is also a regular iconographic feature of the Brahmanical deity Viṣṇu. The srīvatsa can be stylistically depicted as an endless knot, and is thus included among the eight auspicious symbols in Buddhism.

An auspicious symbol, taking the form of an endless knot, indicative of eternity.