Four Heavenly Kings

In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four guardian gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world. They are collectively named as follows:
Language 	Written form	Romanization 	Translation
Sanskrit 	चतुर्महाराज 	caturmahārāja 	Four Kings
Sanskrit 	चतुर्महाराज 	Lokapāla 	guardian of the world
Chinese 	天王 	Tiānwáng 	Heavenly kings
Chinese 	四天王 	Sì Tiānwáng 	Four heavenly kings
Korean 	천왕 	Cheonwang 	Heavenly kings
Korean 	사천왕 	Sacheonwang 	Four heavenly kings
Japanese 	四天王 	Shitennō 	Four heavenly kings
Vietnamese	四天王 	Tứ Thiên Vương 	Four heavenly kings
Tibetan 	 	rgyal chen bzhi	Four great kings
Thai 	จาตุมหาราชา 	chatumaharaja 	Four great kings
Thai 	จาตุโลกบาล 	chatulokkaban 	guardian of the world
They reside in the Cāturmahārājika heaven (Pāli Cātummahārājika, "Of the Four Great Kings") on the lower slopes of Mount Sumeru, which is the lowest of the six worlds of the devas 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. They are:
Sanskrit romanization	(Kubera) 	 	 	
Sanskrit Devanagari 	वैस्रवण (कुबेर) 	विरूधक 	धृतराष्ट्र 	विरूपाक्ष
Pāli romanization 	(Kuvera) 	 	 	Virūpakkha
Pāli Devanagari 	कुवॆर 	विरूल्हक 	धतराथ्थ 	विरूपाख्ख
Meaning 	He who hears everything 	He who enlarges 	He who maintains the state 	He who sees all
Meaning 	He who hears everything 	Patron of Growth 	Watcher of the Lands 	He who sees all
Traditional Chinese 	 	 	 	
Traditional Chinese 	 	 	 	
Simplified Chinese 	 	 	 	
Simplified Chinese 	 	 	 	
Hanyu Pinyin 	 	 	 	
hangul 	 	 	 	
Romanized Korean 	 	 	 	
kanji 	() 	 	 	
kanji 	() 	 	 	
Hepburn romanization 	() 	 	 	
Hepburn romanization 	() 	 	 	
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 	ท้าวธตรฐ 	ท้าววิรูปักษ์
Thai 	เวสสัณ 	ท้าววิรุฬหก 	ท้าวธตรฐ 	ท้าววิรูปักษ์
Thai romanization 	Thao Kuwen 	Thao Virunhok 	Thao Thatarot 	Thao Virupak
Thai romanization 	Vessavan 	Thao Virunhok 	Thao Thatarot 	Thao Virupak
Color 	Yellow 	Blue 	White 	Red
Symbol 	Umbrella 	Sword 	Pipa 	Serpent
Symbol 	Mongoose 	Sword 	Pipa 	pagoda
Symbol 	stupa 	Sword 	Pipa 	pearl
Followers 	 	 	Gandharvas 	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). 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 (), the lord of the devas of . 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 devas. 
On the orders of Śakra, the four kings and their retinues stand guard to protect from another attack by the Asuras, which once threatened to destroy the kingdom of the devas. They are also vowed to protect the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Buddha's followers from danger. 
According to Vasubandhu, 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 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 (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 , represented with a snake; the gandharvas are celestial musicians, led by , represented with a lute. The umbrella was a symbol of regal sovereignty in ancient India, and the sword is a symbol of martial prowess. 's mongoose, which ejects jewels from its mouth, is said to represent generosity in opposition to greed.
	Tamon-ten
(north) 	
Kōmoku-ten
(west)	Heavenly Kings(Japanese)	Jikoku-ten
(east)
	Zōjō-ten
(south) 	
==References==
* Chaudhuri, Saroj Kumar. Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Japan. New Delhi: Vedams eBooks (P) Ltd., 2003. ISBN 8179360091.
* Nakamura, Hajime. Japan and Indian Asia: Their Cultural Relations in the Past and Present. Calcutta: Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, 1961. Pp. 1–31.
* Potter, Karl H., ed. The Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, volume 9. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1970–. ISBN 8120819683, ISBN 8120803078 (set).
* Thakur, Upendra. India and Japan: A Study in Interaction During 5th cent.–14th cent. A.D.. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1992. ISBN 8170172896. Pp. 27–41.
==See also==
* Guardians of the directions
Category:Buddhist cosmology
Category:Lokapalas