Eight Great Naga Kings

The Eight Great Naga Kings (Skt. nāgarāja; Tib. ཀླུའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བརྒྱད་, lü gyalpo chenpo gyé, Wyl. klu'i rgyal po chen po brgyad) — a list of great naga kings, who where amongst the audience when Buddha Shakyamuni taught the Dharma. They are frequently mentioned in Vajrayana practices.

The Great Tibetan Dictionary gives the following list, while admitting there are other lists as well:

1. Vasuki (Skt. Vāsuki; Tib. Norgyé, Wyl. nor rgyas)

2. Padma (Skt.; Tib. Pema, Wyl. pad ma)

3. Karkotaka (Skt. Karkoṭaka; Tib. Tobgyu, Wyl. stobs rgyu)

4. Takshaka (Skt. Takṣaka; Tib. Jokpo, Wyl. 'jog po)

5. Mahapadma (Skt. Mahāpadma; Tib. Pema Chenpo, Wyl. pad ma chen po)

6. Shankhapala (Skt. Śaṅkhapāla; Tib. Dungkyong, Wyl. dung skyong)

7. Kulika (Skt.; Tib. Rikden, Wyl. rigs ldan)

8. Shesha (Skt. Śeṣa; Tib. Tayé, Wyl. mtha' yas )

Further Reading

• Beer, Robert. The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols (Chicago: Serindia, 2003), pages 72-74.

External Links

• The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara
• The Verses of Nāga King Drum