鬼子母

Hāritī, 訶梨帝 intp. as pleased, or pleasing. A 'woman who having vowed to devour all the babies at Rādjagriha was reborn as a (sa) rākshasī, and gave birth to 500 children, one of which she was to devour every day. Converted by Śākyamuni she entered a convent. Her image is to be seen in all nunneries'. Eitel. Another account is that she is the mother of 500 demons, and that from being an evil goddess or spirit she was converted to become a protectress of Buddhism.