Vajrabhairava Yamantaka and Vajravetali (Primary Title)
Yamantaka Vajrabhairava and Vajravetali (Primary Title)
Paubha (Object Name)
Unknown (Artist)
As if to signal an ecstasy hidden behind the horrors of death, Vajrabhairava, who was blue black at the center of our mandala, is here transformed into the radiant gold of realization. The gleaming bodies of the deity and his consort are a reminder that Vajrabhairava is Manjushri’s mirror, simultaneously revealing Death to himself and incorporating us into that vision. This luminous painting is, in fact, a mandala, in a more schematic format than the cosmic bird’s-eye view type. The meditation deities at its center are surrounded by multiarmed figures very similar to the guardians of our mandala map. Additional deities, including Yama Dharmaraja, and a teaching lineage surround the configuration.
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