本名訶梨帝。譯曰歡喜。以為五百鬼子之母，故云鬼子母。見訶梨帝條（CBETA註：疑為見訶利底條），增一阿含經二十二曰：「降鬼諸神王，及降鬼子母，如彼噉人鬼。」初為惡神，後歸於佛為護法神。金光明經三曰：「訶利帝南鬼子母等，及五百神，常來擁護聽是經者。」最勝王經八曰：「敬禮鬼子母，及最小愛兒。」
Hāritī, 訶梨帝 intp. as pleased, or pleasing. A 'woman who having vowed to devour all the babies at Rādjagriha was reborn as a rākshasī, and gave birth to 500 children, one of which she was to devour every day. Converted by Śākyamuni she entered a convent. Her image is to be seen in all nunneries'. Eitel. Another account is that she is the mother of 500 demons, and that from being an evil goddess or spirit she was converted to become a protectress of Buddhism.
一鬼子母 又作功德天、訶梨帝藥叉女。據雜寶藏經卷九（大四‧四九二上）：「鬼子母者，是老鬼神王般闍迦妻，有子一萬，皆有大力士之力。其最小子，字嬪伽羅，此鬼子母兇妖暴虐，殺人兒子，以自噉食。」於迦葉佛時，是羯膩王的第七小女，雖大作功德，但不持戒故墮入鬼道。後因受到佛陀感化，皈依三寶。自此，佛教僧團每次用餐時，遂有施食予餓鬼的傳統。這位受到佛陀慈悲教化的鬼子母，後來被稱為「鬼子母神」，也是佛教重要護法神之一。〔佛說鬼子母經〕（參閱「鬼子母神」5515）p5515