As the tantric savant Pemasambha the the Guru constitutes the gateway through which the doctrine enters the earthy world. He embodies the revelation of the holy teachings, the dharma. Pemasambha wears the robes of a celibate monk and the pointed had with long ear-pieces of an Indian pandit. In his left hand, he holds a bowl filled with golden nectar as a sign of his knowledge of immortality, while his raised right-hand displays the gesture of protection and reassurance to the devotee that there is nothing to be afraid of in the cycle of existence.