Hariti

Hariti, whose Sanskrit name is Hari-ti, was said to have borne five hundred children. According to legend, she originally served as a malevolent deity who abducted and devoured human infants, plunging bereaved families into inconsolable grief. Moved by their anguish, the Buddha concealed her youngest child beneath his alms bowl. Desperate and distraught, Hariti searched everywhere in vain—her anguish mounting to near-madness—until the Buddha admonished her: 'You grieve so deeply at the loss of just one among your five hundred sons; how much greater must be the suffering of parents who lose their only child?' Struck by profound remorse, Hariti immediately took refuge in the Buddha and vowed to safeguard all children throughout the world. Thus transformed, she evolved from a fearsome child-eating spirit into a benevolent protector of motherhood and childhood—enshrined as the guardian of safe childbirth and infant health. To this day, she remains widely venerated by couples praying for children, and her conversion story continues to resonate deeply across East Asian Buddhist traditions.