Dhrtarastra — the guardian king of the East — is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the protectors of the world and the dharma: a noble armored deity who watches over the eastern quarter, commands the celestial musicians, and upholds the realm with harmony. His name means “he who upholds the realm” or “he who maintains the kingdom.”
The Upholder of the Realm
Dhrtarastra is the guardian of the East among the Four Heavenly Kings (Lokapalas), who dwell on the slopes of Mount Meru and ward the four directions, defending the world and the Buddhist teaching from the forces of evil. His name signifies the upholding and harmonious maintenance of the kingdom — he is the king who keeps the realm in order and concord. He commands the gandharvas, the celestial musicians and fragrance-eating spirits, as his hosts, and through music and harmony he maintains the well-being of the world.
The Lord of Music
Dhrtarastra is most often depicted holding a stringed musical instrument — a pipa (lute) in the East Asian tradition — the emblem of his command over the gandharva musicians and of the harmony by which he upholds the realm. The string of the instrument, in some interpretations, also symbolizes the “middle way” — neither too taut nor too slack — the balanced path of the dharma. In China he is Chiguo Tianwang, and his armored image, holding the lute, guards temple gates with his three royal brothers, each warding a direction.
The Guardian of the East
As one of the four protectors, Dhrtarastra is invoked for protection, harmony, and the maintenance of order and peace. The Four Heavenly Kings together are among the most important protective deities of Buddhism, their fierce armored figures standing guard at the entrances of temples throughout Asia, warding off evil and demonic forces from the four quarters. In Dhrtarastra, Buddhism gave form to the harmonious upholding of the world — the guardian king of the East, lord of the celestial musicians, who maintains the realm in concord and order and defends the dharma from the eastern quarter, the lute-bearing protector of harmony and peace.