Legendary Erlang Shen And His Third Seeing Eye That Could Distinguish Between Truth And Lie

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Erlang Shen (or Erlang) is one of the famous gods in Chinese beliefs. He has a powerful third, truth-seeing eye in the middle of his forehead. (Erlang Shen means "2nd son god"), while "Er" means 2nd, "Lang" means boy, and "Shen" means God.

First Marshal of Heaven - Erlang Shen. Image source - Public Domain

Who Was Erlang Shen?

According to the Buddhist scriptures, Erlang Shen was the second son of Northern Heavenly King Vaishravana. In ancient legends, he was the greatest warrior god and the king of heaven.

In many Chinese myths and legends, Erlang Shen is Yang Jian, a nephew of the Jade Emperor (one of the representations of the first God and the monarch of all the deities in heaven).

She violated the Heavenly Rules by marrying a human named Yang Tianyou. Years later, her son Yang Jian cleaved Mount Tao with his ax, hoping to set his mother free. Unfortunately, ten Sun Gods (all the sons of the Jade Emperor) arrived and burnt her to death. In revenge, the angry Yang Jian killed nine of the sun deities but was advised to release the last Sun.

Some theories suggest that Erlang Shen may be a version of several folk heroes dated to the Qin, Sui, and Jin dynasties, which helped regulate China's large rivers and watercourses against devastating torrential floods.

One such hero was Li Erlang, the second son of Li Bing, the Qin governor, irrigation engineer, and hydrologist behind the Dujiangyan irrigation system, constructed in 256 BC and still in use today.

Erlang Shen The Divine Immortal of Purity and Decency. Photo Dharma from Penang, Malaysia - 011 Yang Jian (Erlang Shen) - CC BY 2.0

As confirmed in the "Story about Li Bing and His Son in Harnessing the Rivers," Li Erlang assisted his father in constructing the complex irrigation system that protected the area and the people from the severe flood of the Min River. Moreover, he helped his father in building a dam.

Their deeds brought prosperity to the people. In thanks, a beautiful Two Kings Temple was built in their honor. Now, the Famous Erlang temple is located on the Bank of the river of Mount Yulei in Dujiangyan City.

Another legend tells of Li Erlang defeating a fire dragon that lived in the mountains north of Dujiangyan by climbing to the top of Mount Yulei, turning into a giant and building a dam with 66 peaks, then filling it with water.

The Third Eye of Erlang Shen And Its Abilities

No other Chinese god has the feature of the third eye except Erlang Shen. Devotees generally named it the "Heaven's Eye.

According to a Chinese myth, Erlang Shen's powerful third eye could distinguish between truth and lie. The eye could differentiate between an honest, good man and an evil in the middle of God's forehead. His eye could detect incoming enemies from vast distances and destroy them without using weapons. Therefore, Erlang used his third eye as a weapon during the wars to defeat the enemies.

Effigy of god Erlang inside the Erwang Temple in Dujiangyan, Sichuan. Credit: Shizhao - CC BY-SA 3.0

However, the most dangerous feature of the third eye was its ability to destroy the world and kill demons.

Abilities Of Erlang Shen And His Weapons

Erlang Shen could transform himself into any virtual object he wanted. He also had magical powers to paralyze enemies, play with fire and water, and break mountains immediately. Due to his divine heritage, people believed he was God. In addition to his supernatural powers, his body was resistant to poisons, fire, water, magic, and explosion.

In addition, he was a mighty warrior god, highly skilled in martial arts and archery. He had two powerful weapons: the three-pointed double-edged lance that could penetrate stones and Xiaotianquan, his faithful, howling celestial hound, Xiaotianquan (XiaoTianQuan). The animal could attack and subdue demons.

Great Power Of The Third Eye

The third eye is a mysterious inner eye that represents a state of enlightenment or which can see far behind ordinary sight. The All-Seeing Eye is among many ancient traditions' most respected sacred symbols.

In some traditions like Hinduism, Lord Shiva possesses a third eye located around the middle of the forehead. It is believed that when he gets angry, he opens the third eye to cause disasters.

Shiva's third eye is the pearl in the center of his forehead, and it represents spiritual awareness and celestial wisdom.

In Chinese and Japanese meditation training, the third eye focuses on the point between the eyebrows to reach closer to God.

Updated on March 28, 2024

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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