Girimekhala Explained

Girimekhala is the elephant that carries Mara in Theravada Buddhism.

Buddhist tradition

Its height is 250 yojana.^[1] When Mara and his army of evil tried to prevent the future Buddha from achieving enlightenment, the Buddha asked the earth to bear testimony for his deeds and Girimekhala fell in front of the Buddha.^{[2] [3]}

Girimekhala appears in the Buddhist chant Buddha-jaya-maṅgala Gāthā (Verses of the Buddha's Auspicious Victories):^[4]

Popular culture

Video games

Girimekhala has made appearances in video games including:

• Megami Tensei series
  • series
  • series
• Dragon Warrior Monsters
• Dragon Warrior Monsters 2
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Tokyo Afterschool Summoners

Television

In The Real Ghostbusters, Winston battles against a demon pitcher who resembles Girimekhala in a game of baseball.

See also

• Gajasura
• Gajasurasamhara

References

1. Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, G P Malalasekera (1899-1973)p614.
2. Becoming the Buddha: The Ritual of Image Consecration in Thailand,p133.
3. Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, G P Malalasekera (1899-1973)p614.
4. Book: The Dhammayut Order in the United States of America. A Chanting Guide: Pali Passages with English Translations. 2013.