The Phurba is also called the magic dagger. In Sanskrit it is named the kilaya or the kila, and in Tibetan the name is phurba or phurpa. Phur is translated from the Sanskrit kila and it means peg or nail. The Phurba is a three-sided stake that is used in Buddhist rituals. Because Tibet has always been a nomadic culture, the tent is an important part of Tibetan lives, and placing the tent pegs into the ground is always seen as sacrificing the ground. The shape of the Phurba may have come from the stake used to hold down tents. The three-sided style of the Phurba comes from an ancient vedic tool used to pin down sacrifices. The Phurba has three segments on its blade. The three segments represent the power of the Phurba to transform negative energies. These energies are known as the three poisons: attachment, ignorance, and aversion. The three sides of the Phurba also represent the three spirit worlds, and the Phurba itself represents the axis of the three spirit worlds. The Phurba brings the three spirit worlds together. The handle of the Phurba represents wisdom, while the blade represents method. In Tibetan rituals, the phurba is often stabbed down into a bowl of rice or other grains. Phurbas can be made from wood, bone, or metals such as copper and brass. If more than one metal is used to make a phurba, it is done in a combination of three or nine metals, which are both meaningful combinations numerically.
6,3 cm
