Milarepa (1052-1135) is Tibet’s most revered poet. He is usually portrayed with his right hand to his ear, wearing a red meditation band over his shoulder. When his well-to-do merchant father died, Milarepa's uncle and aunt took all the family's wealth, suddenly thrusting Milarepa and his mother into a kind of slavery and near-starvation. His mother plots revenge by sending Milarepa away to study sorcery. While his aunt and uncle were having a party, Milarepa took his revenge, killing 35 people. Realizing that his revenge was wrong, Milarepa set out to find a lama and was led to Marpa the translator. Marpa subjected Milarepa to grueling tests before initiating him and giving him responsibility for transmission of the doctrine. Milarepa then spent six years in solitude, meditating in a cave. His only clothing was a light, cotton robe, hence his name Mila-repa, cotton-clad Mila. After returning home to find his mother dead, his home in ruins, and his sister dressed in rags, he decided to lead the life of a hermit and search for final liberation. The rest of his life was spent in the mountains where he achieved his goal. The songs and poetry he left behind, known as the Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, are revered by Tibetans.