倶く利り迦か羅ら

Meanings

Kulika; dragon-wreathed sword manifestation of Acala

abbreviationBuddhism

Abbreviation of 倶利迦羅竜王 (Kulika dragon king). In Buddhist iconography, it refers to the flame-wreathed dragon coiled around an upright sword, swallowing the tip, representing the fierce form of the deity Acala (Fudō Myōō).

Kanji

倶both, together, alike
利profit, advantage, benefit
迦(used phonetically)
羅gauze, thin silk, Rome
俱all, together, accompany
梨pear tree
伽nursing, attending, entertainer

Related words

倶く利り迦か羅ら竜りゅう王おう
Full name of the deity; 倶利迦羅 is the abbreviated form.
不ふ動どう明みょう王おう
Acala, the wrathful deity of whom Kulika is a manifestation.

Word family

くりからもんもん
tattoo of a flame-wreathed dragon wrapped around a sword; person with such a tattoo

Written forms

倶く利り迦か羅ら
Standard kanji spelling for this Buddhist term.
俱く利り迦か羅ら
Variant kanji form using 俱 instead of 倶.
倶く梨り伽か羅ら
Rare variant with 梨伽.
俱く梨り伽か羅ら
Rare variant combining 俱 and 梨伽.

Etymology

From Sanskrit Kulika, a dragon king in Buddhist mythology. The exact derivation of the kanji spelling is uncertain; it is a phonetic transcription (ateji) of the Sanskrit name.