Phurba pendant #1

The phurba is a ritual triangular knife common in vast territories of Asia, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan and others. There is no exact data on the duration of the use of phurba for ritual purposes, but according to references in the annals and finds from excavations it can be established that is has been used at least 3500 years.  

There are multiple ways in which the phurba is used. In many traditions it is used during ritual actions for its protective qualities, keeping the space safe from distortion by dark spirits and protecting the souls of the participants from getting lost. For this reason, before going into deep trance, Nepalese Orthodox Shamans called Jakri stick the phurba into the ground on their left side to keep dark spirits at a distance.  

Also the phurba can be used as an attribute for healing, using it to expel evil spirits and entities from the human body and as a tool for directing energy and giving blessings.

In the appearance of a phurba there’s a lot of symbolism to be seen. Lengthwise it symbolizes the axis of the world and the three levels of Middleworld, Upperworld and Underworld can be recognized. The three facets of the faces and the blade symbolize all kinds of trinities, like in time (past, present, future) or state (creation, preservation, destruction).

The handle shows the guardian of this phurba and its owner, the three faced Vajrakilaya (or Dorje Phurba), a wrathful form of the Buddha Vajrasattva. The triangular blade is held by the watermonster Makara, symbolizing fierce activity.

This phurba pendant can be used as a protective amulet pendant, but also as a fully functional ritual attribute in handy travel-size.

This phurba pendant is made in Tibet and comes to us via our friends at Shaman Bazar. It is made of brass and measures 58 mm.