VAJRAVARAHI :: BUDDHIST VARAHI

 The Buddhist Tantric Goddess Vajrayogni and his cult lowered in India between the tenth and twelfth centuries C.E .The Buddhist text talks about various sadhana of this goddess .Sadhana is a meditation and ritual text—literally, a "means of attainment" (sddhanam)—that centers upon a chosen deity, in this case, upon Vajrayogini or one of her various manifestations.Goddess Vajravarahi is one of the form/emanation/manifestation of Vajrayogni.The Guhyasamayasddhanam (GSS) is primary text which talk about her particularly in her form as Vajravarahi. 

Who is Vajrayogini? The texts refer to her reverentially as a "blessed one" (bhagavati), as a "deity" (devata) or "goddess" (devi). She is divine in the sense that she embodies enlightenment; and as she is worshiped at the center of a mandala of other enlightened beings, the supreme focus of devotion, she has the status of a buddha. In the opening verse to the Vajravarahi Sadhana, the author salutes her as a vajradevi, that is, as a Vajrayana or tantric Buddhist (vajra) goddess, and in the final verse prays.

She(Vajrayogni) is usually shown in yab-yum with Heruka. Vajravarahi is most common forms of Vajrayogni, Vajravarahi itself have many different manifestation mentioned in Tāntric texts such as GSS, Nispannayogāvalī & Sadhanamala. Many times Vajravarahi & Vajrayogni regarded as same.

Vajravarahi's name means "vajra-boar" ,her origins lie in the Hindu goddess, Varahi.Goddess Varahi is considered as one of SaptaMatrikas(Brahmani,Vaishnavi,Maheshvari,Indrani,Kaumari,Varahi,Chamn-da) & widely worshiped in India & Nepal.

Pre-buddhist goddess Varahi is sculpted with the single face of a boar, she is considered as female counterpart of Varaha. One of the Avtars of Bhagwan Vishnu. The Buddhist Varahi inherits her wrathful character for purposes of destroying enemies.Vajravarahi's character is fierce and wrathful.

Buddhist Varahi i.e Vajravarahi doesn't always shown  boar like head,in one of the commonest forms of Vajravarahi, a snarling hog's head attached sideways to the right of her head can be seen.

"The worshipper should think himself as goddess Vajravārāhi whose colour is red like the pomegranate flower and is two-armed. She exhibits in her right hand the Vajra along with the raised index finger, and shows in the left the Kapala and the Khatvānga. She is one-faced and three-eyed, has dishevelled hair, is marked with the six auspicious symbols and is nude. She is the essence of the five kinds of know ledge, and is the embodiment of the Sahaja pleasure. She stands in the Pratyalidha attitude, tramples upon the gods Bhairava and Kālarātri, wears a garland of heads still wet with blood which she drinks."

~ Sadhanamala pp 425

References:

1.VAJRAYOGINI: Her Visualizations, Rituals, & Forms ,A Study of the Cult of Vajrayogini in India ,Elizabeth English

2. Nispannayogāvalī by Benoytosh Bhattacharjee

3. Sadhanamala by Benoytosh Bhattacharjee

4. Indian Buddhist iconography by Benoytosh Bhattacharjee



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