Four Heavenly Kings

In the Buddhist faith

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

, the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction

Cardinal direction

The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the directions of north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials: N, E, S, W. East and west are at right angles to north and south, with east being in the direction of rotation and west being directly opposite. Intermediate...

 of the world.

The Kings are collectively named as follows:

Language	Written form	Romanization	Translation
Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...	चतुर्महाराज	caturmahārāja	Four Kings
		Lokapāla Lokapala Lokapāla, Sanskrit and Pāli for "guardian of the world", has different uses depending on whether it is found in a Hindu or Buddhist context....	Guardians of the world
Burmese Burmese language The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...		sətṵ lɔ́ka̰ pàla̰ sətṵ məhà ɹɪʔ naʔ	Four worldly guardians Four Great King Nat Nat (spirit) The nats are spirits worshipped in Burma in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats and all the rest . Almost all of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths . They may thus also be called nat sein... s
Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...	天王	Tiānwáng	Heavenly kings
	四天王	Sì Tiānwáng	Four heavenly kings
	四大天王	Sì Da Tiānwáng	Four great heavenly kings
Korean Korean language Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...	천왕	Cheonwang	Heavenly kings
	사천왕	Sacheonwang	Four heavenly kings
Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...	四天王	Shitennō	Four heavenly kings
Vietnamese Vietnamese language Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...	四天王	Tứ Thiên Vương	Four heavenly kings
Tibetan Tibetan language The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...		rgyal chen bzhi	Four great kings
Mongolian Mongolian language The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...	Махаранз	maharanja	(Four) Great kings
Thai Thai language Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...	จาตุมหาราชา	chatumaharaja	Four great kings
	จาตุโลกบาล	chatulokkaban	Four Guardians of the world

They currently live in the Cāturmahārājika heaven (Pāli

Páli

- External links :* *...

 Cātummahārājika, "Of the Four Great Kings") on the lower slopes of Mount Sumeru

Sumeru

Sumeru or Sineru is the name of the central world-mountain in Buddhist cosmology. Etymologically, the proper name of the mountain is Meru , to which is added the approbatory prefix su-, resulting in the meaning "excellent Meru" or "wonderful Meru".The concept of Sumeru is closely related to the...

, which is the lowest of the six worlds of the devas

Deva (Buddhism)

A deva in Buddhism is one of many different types of non-human beings who share the characteristics of being more powerful, longer-lived, and, in general, living more contentedly than the average human being....

 of the Kāmadhātu. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil, each able to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma

Dharma (Buddhism)

Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism can have the following meanings:* The state of Nature as it is * The Laws of Nature considered collectively....

. They are:

Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...  romanization

{{About|Buddhist gods}} In the Buddhist faith Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th... , the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction Cardinal direction The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the directions of north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials: N, E, S, W. East and west are at right angles to north and south, with east being in the direction of rotation and west being directly opposite. Intermediate...  of the world. The Kings are collectively named as follows: Language Written form Romanization Translation Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... चतुर्महाराज caturmahārāja Four Kings Lokapāla Lokapala Lokapāla, Sanskrit and Pāli for "guardian of the world", has different uses depending on whether it is found in a Hindu or Buddhist context.... Guardians of the world Burmese Burmese language The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as... {{my|စတုလောကပါလ}} {{my|စတုမဟာရာဇ်နတ်}} sətṵ lɔ́ka̰ pàla̰ sətṵ məhà ɹɪʔ naʔ Four worldly guardians Four Great King Nat Nat (spirit) The nats are spirits worshipped in Burma in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats and all the rest . Almost all of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths . They may thus also be called nat sein... s Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages... 天王 Tiānwáng Heavenly kings 四天王 Sì Tiānwáng Four heavenly kings 四大天王 Sì Da Tiānwáng Four great heavenly kings Korean Korean language Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing... 천왕 Cheonwang Heavenly kings 사천왕 Sacheonwang Four heavenly kings Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an... 四天王 Shitennō Four heavenly kings Vietnamese Vietnamese language Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam... 四天王 Tứ Thiên Vương Four heavenly kings Tibetan Tibetan language The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,... rgyal chen bzhi Four great kings Mongolian Mongolian language The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner... Махаранз maharanja (Four) Great kings Thai Thai language Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively... จาตุมหาราชา chatumaharaja Four great kings จาตุโลกบาล chatulokkaban Four Guardians of the world They currently live in the Cāturmahārājika heaven (Pāli Páli - External links :* *...  Cātummahārājika, "Of the Four Great Kings") on the lower slopes of Mount Sumeru Sumeru Sumeru or Sineru is the name of the central world-mountain in Buddhist cosmology. Etymologically, the proper name of the mountain is Meru , to which is added the approbatory prefix su-, resulting in the meaning "excellent Meru" or "wonderful Meru".The concept of Sumeru is closely related to the... , which is the lowest of the six worlds of the devas Deva (Buddhism) A deva in Buddhism is one of many different types of non-human beings who share the characteristics of being more powerful, longer-lived, and, in general, living more contentedly than the average human being....  of the Kāmadhātu. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil, each able to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma Dharma (Buddhism) Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism can have the following meanings:* The state of Nature as it is * The Laws of Nature considered collectively.... . They are: Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...  romanization {{About|Buddhist gods}} In the Buddhist faith Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th... , the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction Cardinal direction The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the directions of north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials: N, E, S, W. East and west are at right angles to north and south, with east being in the direction of rotation and west being directly opposite. Intermediate...  of the world. The Kings are collectively named as follows: Language Written form Romanization Translation Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... चतुर्महाराज caturmahārāja Four Kings Lokapāla Lokapala Lokapāla, Sanskrit and Pāli for "guardian of the world", has different uses depending on whether it is found in a Hindu or Buddhist context.... Guardians of the world Burmese Burmese language The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as... {{my|စတုလောကပါလ}} {{my|စတုမဟာရာဇ်နတ်}} sətṵ lɔ́ka̰ pàla̰ sətṵ məhà ɹɪʔ naʔ Four worldly guardians Four Great King Nat Nat (spirit) The nats are spirits worshipped in Burma in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats and all the rest . Almost all of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths . They may thus also be called nat sein... s Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages... 天王 Tiānwáng Heavenly kings 四天王 Sì Tiānwáng Four heavenly kings 四大天王 Sì Da Tiānwáng Four great heavenly kings Korean Korean language Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing... 천왕 Cheonwang Heavenly kings 사천왕 Sacheonwang Four heavenly kings Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an... 四天王 Shitennō Four heavenly kings Vietnamese Vietnamese language Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam... 四天王 Tứ Thiên Vương Four heavenly kings Tibetan Tibetan language The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,... rgyal chen bzhi Four great kings Mongolian Mongolian language The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner... Махаранз maharanja (Four) Great kings Thai Thai language Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively... จาตุมหาราชา chatumaharaja Four great kings จาตุโลกบาล chatulokkaban Four Guardians of the world They currently live in the Cāturmahārājika heaven (Pāli Páli - External links :* *...  Cātummahārājika, "Of the Four Great Kings") on the lower slopes of Mount Sumeru Sumeru Sumeru or Sineru is the name of the central world-mountain in Buddhist cosmology. Etymologically, the proper name of the mountain is Meru , to which is added the approbatory prefix su-, resulting in the meaning "excellent Meru" or "wonderful Meru".The concept of Sumeru is closely related to the... , which is the lowest of the six worlds of the devas Deva (Buddhism) A deva in Buddhism is one of many different types of non-human beings who share the characteristics of being more powerful, longer-lived, and, in general, living more contentedly than the average human being....  of the Kāmadhātu. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil, each able to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma Dharma (Buddhism) Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism can have the following meanings:* The state of Nature as it is * The Laws of Nature considered collectively.... . They are: Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...  romanization {{IAST Vaisravana ' or ' also known as Jambhala in Tibet and Bishamonten in Japan is the name of the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology.-Names:...  (Kubera) {{IAST Virūḍhaka Virūḍhaka is one of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology. He is part of the Buddhist Pantheon of Esoteric Buddhism.... {{IAST Dhṛtarāṣṭra Dhṛtarāṣṭra refers to an important figure in Buddhist mythology.In Buddhism, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is one of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology... {{IAST Virūpākṣa Virūpākṣa is one of the Four Heavenly Kings representing the cardinal direction of the west in Buddhist cosmology.His followers are the Nāga. His name means 'He who sees all'.... Sanskrit Devanagari Devanagari Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal... वैश्रवण (कुबेर) विरूढक धृतराष्ट्र विरूपाक्ष Pāli Páli - External links :* *...  romanization {{IAST|Vessavaṇa}} (Kuvera) {{IAST|Virūḷhaka}} {{IAST|Dhataraṭṭha}} Virūpakkha Pāli Devanagari वेस्सवण (कुवेर) विरूळ्हक धतरट्ठ विरूपक्ख Meaning He who hears everything He who enlarges He who maintains the state He who sees all Patron of Growth Watcher of the Lands Burmese Burmese language The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as... {{my|ကုဝေရ}} {{my|ဝိရဠက}} {{my|ဓတရဌ}} {{my|ဝိရုပက္ခ}} Traditional Chinese {{lang|zh-t|多聞天王}} {{lang|zh-t|增長天王}} {{lang|zh-t|持國天王}} {{lang|zh-t|廣目天王}} {{lang|zh-t|毗沙門天}} {{lang|zh-t|留博叉天}} {{lang|zh-t|多羅吒天}} {{lang|zh-t|毗琉璃天}} Simplified Chinese {{lang|zh|多闻天王}} {{lang|zh|增长天王}} {{lang|zh|持国天王}} {{lang|zh|广目天王}} {{lang|zh|毗沙门天}} {{lang|zh|留博叉天}} {{lang|zh|多罗吒天}} {{lang|zh|毗琉璃天}} Hanyu Pinyin {{lang|zh-Latn|Duō Wén Tiānwáng}} {{lang|zh-Latn|Zēng Zhǎng Tiānwáng}} {{lang|zh-Latn|Chí Guó Tiānwáng}} {{lang|zh-Latn|Guăng Mù Tiānwáng}} hangul Hangul Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean... {{lang|ko|다문천왕}} {{lang|ko|증장천왕}} {{lang|ko|지국천왕}} {{lang|ko|광목천왕}} Romanized Korean Revised Romanization of Korean The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea proclaimed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replacing the older McCune–Reischauer system... {{lang|ko-Latn|Damun-cheonwang}} {{lang|ko-Latn|Jeungjang-cheonwang}} {{lang|ko-Latn|Jiguk-cheonwang}} {{lang|ko-Latn|Gwangmok-cheonwang}} kanji Kanji Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet... {{lang|ja|多聞天}} ({{lang|ja|毘沙門天}}) {{lang|ja|増長天}} {{lang|ja|持国天}} {{lang|ja|広目天}} {{lang|ja|治国天}} Hepburn romanization Hepburn romanization The is named after James Curtis Hepburn, who used it to transcribe the sounds of the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet in the third edition of his Japanese–English dictionary, published in 1887. The system was originally proposed by the in 1885... {{lang|ja-Latn|Tamon-ten}} ({{lang|ja-Latn|Bishamon-ten}}) {{lang|ja-Latn|Zōjō-ten}} {{lang|ja-Latn|Jikoku-ten}} {{lang|ja-Latn|Kōmoku-ten}} {{lang|ja-Latn|Zōchō-ten}} Sino-Vietnamese Đa Văn Thiên Tăng Trưởng Thiên Trì Quốc Thiên Quảng Mộc Thiên Tibetan romanization rnam.thos.sras (Namthöse) 'phags.skyes.po (Phakyepo) yul.'khor.srung (Yülkhorsung) spyan.mi.bzang (Chenmizang) Thai ท้าวกุเวร ท้าววิรุฬหก ท้าวธตรัฐ ท้าววิรูปักษ์ เวสวัณ,เวสสุวัณ,เวสสุวรรณ Thai romanization Thao Kuwen Thao Virunhok Thao Thatarot Thao Virupak Vessavan Color Yellow Red Green White Symbol Symbol A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for... Umbrella Umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain... Sword Sword A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration... Pipa Pipa The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26... Serpent Serpent (symbolism) Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,... Mongoose Mongoose Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"... pagoda Pagoda A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,... stupa Stupa A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship.... pearl Pearl A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other... Followers {{IAST Yaksha Yaksha is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology. The feminine form of the word is ' or Yakshini .In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist mythology,... {{IAST Kumbhanda A ' or ' is one of a group of dwarfish, misshapen spirits among the lesser deities of Buddhist mythology. was a dialectal form for "gourd", so they may get their name from being thought to resemble gourds in some way, e.g. in having big stomachs... Gandharva Gandharva Gandharva is a name used for distinct mythological beings in Hinduism and Buddhism; it is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music.-In Hinduism:... s Nāgas Direction North South East West Further associations between the four directions and elements, seasons, planets, animals, internal organs, etc. can be found at Five elements (Chinese philosophy) Five elements (Chinese philosophy) The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Phases, the Five Agents, the Five Movements, and the Five Steps/Stages, are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device, in many traditional Chinese fields.... . Note, however, that the colors assigned to the Four Heavenly Kings represent an independent tradition and do not correspond to the traditional Chinese association of colors and directions. All four serve {{IAST Sakra Śakra or Sakka is the ruler of the Heaven according to Buddhist cosmology. His full title is |deva]]s". In Buddhist texts, Śakra is the proper name and not an epithet of this deity; conversely, Indra in Sanskrit and Inda in Pali are sometimes used as an epithet for Śakra as "lord".In East... , the lord of the devas of {{IAST. On the 8th, 14th and 15th days of each lunar month, the Four Heavenly Kings either send out messengers or go themselves to see how virtue and morality are faring in the world of men. Then they report upon the state of affairs to the assembly of the {{IAST|Trāyastriṃśa}} devas. On the orders of Śakra, the four kings and their retinues stand guard to protect {{IAST|Trāyastriṃśa}} from another attack by the Asuras Asura (Buddhism) Asura in Buddhism is the name of the lowest ranks of the deities or demigods of the Kāmadhātu.-Origins and etymology:... , which once threatened to destroy the kingdom of the devas. They are also vowed to protect the Buddha, the Dharma Dharma (Buddhism) Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism can have the following meanings:* The state of Nature as it is * The Laws of Nature considered collectively.... , and the Buddha's followers from danger. According to Vasubandhu Vasubandhu Vasubandhu was an Indian Buddhist monk, and along with his half-brother Asanga, one of the main founders of the Indian Yogācāra school. However, some scholars consider Vasubandhu to be two distinct people. Vasubandhu is one of the most influential figures in the entire history of Buddhism... , devas born in the Cāturmahārājika heaven are 1/4 of a krośa in height (about 750 feet tall). They also have a five-hundred year lifespan, of which each day is equivalent to 50 years in our world; thus their total lifespan amounts to about nine million years (other sources say 90,000 years). In Chinese they are known collectively as "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" (風調雨順 / 风调雨顺), which translates into "Good Climate". This mnemonic Mnemonic A mnemonic , or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory. To improve long term memory, mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. Commonly encountered mnemonics are often verbal, such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something,...  reminds one of the symbols the Heavenly Kings carry. For instance, "Fēng" sounds like the Chinese word for "edge" (鋒 / 锋), hence the corresponding symbol is a sword. "Tiáo" sounds like "Tune", hence the corresponding symbol is a musical instrument. "Yǔ" means "rain", hence the corresponding symbol is an umbrella. "Shùn" refers to the symbol of a crimson dragon Chinese dragon Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs...  (赤龍 / 赤龙). These symbols also link the deities to their followers; for instance, the nāgas, magical creatures who can change form between human and serpent, are led by {{IAST|Virūpākṣa}}, represented by a snake; the gandharva Gandharva Gandharva is a name used for distinct mythological beings in Hinduism and Buddhism; it is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music.-In Hinduism:... s are celestial musicians, led by {{IAST|Dhṛtarāṣṭra}}, represented with a lute. The umbrella was a symbol of regal sovereignty in ancient India, and the sword is a symbol of martial prowess. {{IAST|Vaiśravaṇa}}'s mongoose, which ejects jewels from its mouth, is said to represent generosity in opposition to greed. Tamon-ten Vaisravana ' or ' also known as Jambhala in Tibet and Bishamonten in Japan is the name of the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology.-Names:... (north) Kōmoku-ten Virūḍhaka Virūḍhaka is one of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology. He is part of the Buddhist Pantheon of Esoteric Buddhism.... (west) Heavenly Kings (Japanese) Jikoku-ten (east) Zōjō-ten (south)