Chakrasamvara is shown here in terrific sexual embrace with his consort Vajravarahi, symbolizing the blissful union of compassion and wisdom that is the actually of enlightenment. He stands in alidha posture of outstretched legs on the prostrate forms of Bhairava and Kalaratri. He is blue in colour. Among his four faces, front is blue, his right face is red, while his left faces are blue and green colors, respectively. He is twelve armed, symbolizing twelve links of dependant origination. With the two principal arms, in vajra-humkara-mudra he carries the vajra and vajra-tipped bell, and embrace his consort. With second pair he carries the elephant skin. In the remaining four right hands he holds the vajra axe, vajra-chopper and the trident. The four left hands show the cranium-cup full of blood, noose, severed head of Brahma, vajra-tipped khatvanga.
His hair is upswept in knots with decoration on it. He wears Heruka ornaments consisting of earrings, necklace and bracelets; scarves and a tiger-skin skirt; a skull crown with jewel; crescent on top of the head, and garland of a fresh human heads.
His prajna (consort) has one face and two arms. She is naked with disheveled hair because she has set free from the illusions that hide the essence of things. Her both the legs are wrapped around his waist. She holds a vajra-marked chopper in her right hand and her left hand is behind his neck. She is adorned with gold and bone ornaments skull crown, gold earrings, armlets, bracelet, bone girdle, and garland of human skulls.
There is arch-shaped wisdom fire aureole. There are six dragons and stylized clouds around the figures of both the deities. The area outside the aureole is decorated with vines and lotus flowers. The upper corner depicts Garuda and dragon, respectively, while the bottom corners with auspicious symbols. The brocade is decorated with stylized vishva-vajra, flowers and good luck symbols.
Select Bibliography
A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962
B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Calcutta, 1968
Ben Meulenbeld, Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thangka, Holland, 2001
Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A.F. Thurman, Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1999
Lokesh Chandra, Transcendental Art of Tibet, Delhi, 1996
Rob Linrothe & Jeff Watt, Demonic Divine: Himalayan Art and Beyond, New York, 2004
This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)".
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