Vajrabhairava (Primary Title)
Vajrabhairava Yamantaka (Former Title)
Yamantaka Vajrabhairava (Former Title)
Yamantaka (Former Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Widely known as Yamantaka—Slayer of Yama—Vajrabhairava, the Lightning Terror, personifies the victory of spiritual wisdom over death. Ferocious and commanding, he tramples a host of figures symbolizing our delusions and attachments. Each implement in his thirty-four hands represents a different aspect of his spiritual knowledge used to destroy various obstacles to awakening. Vajrabhairava embodies the entire cycle of teachings encoded in his mandala. He is a cosmic emanation of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Manjushri, whose serene face appears at the sculpture’s apex.
E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund
Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey toward Enlightenment, VMFA, Richmond, April 20-August 14, 2019; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, January 17 – November 29, 2020; Rubin Museum of Art, New York, March 12, 2021 – January 2, 2022
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
