(10.) The proximity of these two deities leads to the common but mistaken belief that the
Mahavidya is Bal Kumari.
In the Karandavyuha sutra, the mandala that is identified with the six-syllable spell (om mani padme hum) consists of a central Buddha (Amitabha), flanked by a Bodhisattva (Mahamanidhara) and by the female personification of the spell (the 'six-syllable'
Mahavidya).
The first volume also includes overview comments about the deity pantheon (which for the MM reveals an emphasis on forms of goddesses); a discussion of tantric forms of Ganesa; of Buddhist deities in the Hindu pantheon; of the
Mahavidya Goddesses; of specific iconographic attributes and their distribution; and much other pertinent matter.