Fiercely wrathful, dark blue in colour, with one face and two hands, he has three eyes and dark orange hair flaming upward. The right hand holds aloft a gold vajra and the left held to the heart in a fierce gesture. Adorned with a skull crown, gold ornaments, a necklace of severed heads and an elephant and human skin tied about the neck he wears a tiger skin as a skirt. Standing atop a sun disc and multi-coloured lotus he is completely surrounded by the bright orange flames of pristine awareness. At the right, kneeling on the sun disc is the dakini Shantarakshita, blue, attired in flowing robes and trousers, holding up a gold offering vessel.

At the upper right is a lama wearing monastic robes and a red pandita hat. In the right hand he holds a kila (ritual peg) and the left hand is placed in the mudra of meditation; seated above a moon disc and lotus.

In a charnel ground below, wild dogs devour a corpse while vultures wait patiently and dancing amidst flames is a cemetery daemon in the appearance of a white skeleton. To the upper left is a caitya, funerary monument. At the lower right Padmasambhava in the appearance of a prince instructs a group of panditas.

Simhanada represents the period of time when Padmasambhava remained for 5 years in a charnel ground teaching to the dakinis and others. At this time he also defeated in debate the Tirthakas from South India.

Jeff Watt 10-98