Yamantaka and consort empowerments Develo-p a source of identity strong enough to face down death! In Sanskrit, Yama means "the Lord of Death" and antaka means "one whoends." Yamantaka, therefore is, the "one who ends death."
Yamantaka,the ferocious emanation of Manjushri (Bodhisattva of wisdom), is the most complicated and terrible of all the wrathful Buddhist divinities. Under this from he conquered the demon king of death, Yama,who was depopulating Tibet in his insatiable thirst for victims.
According tothis myth, in his paroxysm of insight, Manjushri traveled all the way to theunderworld to seek out Yama, the God of death, who dwells with all his minions in the sealed up iron cities of hell. Yama appears in Indian mythology with the head of a water buffalo.
To tame Yama, Manjushri adopted the same form, adding to it eight other faces and a multiple array of arms, each holding fearful and deadly weapons. He further sprouted a number of legs, and surrounded himself witha vast host of terrifying beings.
To confront death, he thus manifested the form of death itself, magnified to infinity. Death (Yama) saw himself endlessly mirrored back to himself, infinitely outnumbered by himself. Death was literally scared to death.
Thus the yogi who meditates through the imagery of Yamantaka intends and hopes to develop a sense of identity strong enough to face down death, and the fear that attends upon it.
Each head, each limb, each attribute, symbol and ornament of Yamantaka expresses the total mobilization of the faculties of enlightenment needed for this ultimate confrontation.
Yamantakahas the following characteristics:
1).Nine heads. The first head is that of a bull. Next to his right horn he has three heads, and three heads next to the left horn. Between the horns, is ahead red and terrible, above which is the head of Manjushri, with a slightlyirritated expression. The main enormous buffalo head is truly fearsome, with its gaping jaws, rolling tongue, three red-rimmed, popping eyes, and red nostrils.
2).Thirty four arms, each holding a symbolic implement. The two main arms hold a skull and a chopper.
3).Sixteen legs, eight on each side. Lying face down under his bent right legs areone human male and six animals that are in turn, stepping on four devas, or heavenly gods. Under his outstretched left legs, four birds are stepping onfour devas, including a personification of Ganesha, the Lord of obstacles.
This portrayal of Yamantaka without his consort, in what is called the Lone Heroform, is tremendously powerful. The tight, muscular, blue body, modeled daringly with blue-grey highlights and dark blue shadows, has a tough reality that sets it apart from the more linear, decorative character of the rest of the painting.
Each arm fights for individuality in the compact crowd of arms and red-palmed hands holding various symbols and weapons. The legs cluster together, appearing like thick supports for the wayward and spreading array of arms. His erect phallus has a bright red tip.
He wears the characteristic ornaments of the wrathful deities-the garland of severed heads and the five-skull crown. He wears the jeweled girdle, and ankle,leg, arm, and wrist ornaments, all executed with gossamer white lines, a style known from as early as the late 12th century and seeming to have stylistic connections with art of Eastern India (Orissa).
The great clusters of limbs and heads create an awesome, even if cumbersome,effect. The Tibetan infusion of a quality of deep primordial power emanates without restraint from this mesmerizing figure, striking to the heart of one who witnesses it. In Sanskrit "Vajrabhairava" stands for 'Adamantine Terrifier'.
Regardless which manifestation of Vajrabhairava you are looking at it he is always depicted as fear-inducing, scary, and intimidating. Not only is he terrifying to look at but - according to the Vajrabhairava Tantra - he also has conquered all evilspirits, including the Lord of Death, Yama.
That's why he is also called"Yamantaka", the Slayer of Death. Depending on which manifestation of Yamantaka the Tibetans call him either gSin-rje-gsed or in thebuffalo-faced aspect of Vajrabhairava rdo-rje 'jigs-byed. It seems that the term "Yamantaka" (and "Yamari") is used in a moregeneral way than "Vajrabhairava" which is restricted to the buffalo-headed yidam of the Gelug and Sakya schools (see Lokesh Chandra).
Sometimes the protector Kalarupa is called "Yamaraja" and comes asOuter, Inner, and Secret Yama- or Dharmaraja. In the Gelug school Yama- or Dharmaraja is part of the Vajrabhairava practice.
Yamnataka's consort, Vajravetali the wrathful nature of Saraswati.
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