Again in this context we see the violent, warrior like qualities of Vajrap€Ši rise to the surface of his mythology. He is chosen explicitly for his strength and power over the beloved disciple of the Buddha. While this selection of Vajrap€Ši over šnanda is definitely a later interpolation, it seems obvious that

as Mahay€na Buddhism developed and the teachings of the Buddha began spreading throughout South and Central Asia, many authors and sculptors felt the need for a stronger companion for the Buddha. Vajrap€Ši, as a Buddhist version of the warrior function seemed the obvious choice.

In this period of cultural exchange throughout Central Asia and Western India competition for patronage must have been intense and as a result, the Buddha needs a figure by his side who is not simply endowed with spiritual power, but also a figure who embodies this-worldly power. This is thus manifest in the two companions of the Buddha, Avalokite�vara and Vajrap€Ši, and is a distinction that will be more explicitly articulated in late Mahay€na and their division of the lotus and Vajra families.