In addition to edged weapons, intended for completely utilitarian purposes - war or self-defense, many peoples also had a special, sacred, one might say - magical edged weapon. One of the brightest representatives of this family is the Tibetan ritual dagger phurbu, or keela.
general description
Phurbu - short, usually only slightly longer than the palm, an all-metal dagger with a trihedral blade of "diamond" cross-section - when viewed from the front, the blade will look like a three-pointed star. All three blades of the phurbu converge into one point.
The handle is of a complex shape, richly decorated, made of the same metal as the blade, almost at the same time with it. The most common phurbu are iron, but both silver and gold are known.
The head of the handle is made in the form of a three-faced head of one of the Tibetan deities - either the fierce spirit of Hayagriva, or Mahakala, Idam or Vajrakilaya. The central part of the handle is a vajra - a Hindu-Buddhist sacred object symbolizing the punishing lightning of the god Indra. Phurbu are also known without the heads of deities on the pommel.
The very word "phurbu" ("phurpu") is a Tibetan tracing of the Sanskrit word "keela" meaning "nail" or "peg".
Longer phurbu.
Promotional video:
Appointment
Phurbu is a weapon, but not against people, but against evil spirits or demons. To punish them is the task of the deities depicted on the pommel of the dagger and the vajra that is its hilt.
Three blades of phurbu in the Tibetan tradition of Lamaism (a complex mixture of Buddhism with national shamanic practices, seasoned with theocracy - admiration for lamas) symbolize the past, present and future, and in addition, the struggle with the three main sins in Buddhism: ignorance, passion (in a broad sense) and hatred. The writhing snakes, often found on the blades, symbolize the Kundalini pillar.
Little phurbu.
In fact, phurbu in tantric, shamanic and Buddhist practices of Tibet can be used in a variety of ways - from dispersing evil infernal entities, continuing with vocation or, conversely, driving away rain, and ending with use in meditative practices. For each of these purposes, the locals have their own type of phurbu, dedicated to a strictly defined deity.
By the way, it is believed that the larger the phurbu, the stronger it is. They say that the monasteries keep very huge, and therefore powerful specimens, but practically no one has seen them and cannot testify …