Brass - 6" Phurba

The phurba (Sanskrit: kila) dagger seen here was designed to symbolically consume the triple poisons of ignorance, greed, and delusion that impede spiritual progress. The phurba is the embodiment of the Vajrakila Buddha, who is empowered to suppress all evil in the world.  Lamas may hold the Phurba during various rituals, such as a “blessing,” but typically the face is covered metaphorically with cloth in these circumstances. Alternatively the dagger would be stuck in the ground to mark the place for the composition of a mandala.