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"One should meditate on Devi, resembling a lotus, like the early morning rays of the Sun, like a hibiscus or a pomegranate flower, red as a ruby, or like kumkuma dissolved in water, adorned with a bedazzling jewel in Her diadem, and by a dense mass of small bells, Her mouth, like a line of black bees, amidst beautifully curved red lips, the circle of Her face like the dawn or a day lotus, a curved half moon of nectar on Her forehead, Her eyes like bows, and a beautiful brow, O Parameshvari."

Vamakeshvara Tantra

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Sayings of Ramakrishna 206

Q. When shall I be free? 

A. When your egoism will vanish, and your self-will be merged in the Divinity.

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Chakrasamvara and Consort ca 17th century. Tibet. Mineral pigments with gold on cloth.

Chakrasamvara, which translates to “wheel of bliss,” is one of the most popular yidam (meditations deity) in Tantric Buddhism after the 11th century.

As the principal deities of the Anuttarayoga Tantra of the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, Chakrasamvara can appear in several dozen different forms, from simple to complex, peaceful to wrathful.

Here, Chakrasamvara and his consort Vajravarahi are both shown in wrathful form, standing over Kalaratri and Black Bhairava, symbolizing triumph over ego and ignorance. (via Instagram: Kapoor Galleries)

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Chinnamasta

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Mahakala (Sanskrit: Mahākāla) is a Dharmapala ("protector of Dharma") in Vajrayana Buddhism (Tibetan, Nepalese Newar, Chinese, Japanese Shingon traditions and related). In Chinese and Japanese Buddhism tradition is known as Daheitian or Daikokuten (大黒天).

Mahakala is a category of Tantric Buddhist deity. His primary function is as a protector (Dharmapala) and specifically the primary Wisdom Protector of Tantric Buddhism - Vajrayana. There are dozens of different variations and forms of Mahakala. He is typically in wrathful appearance following the Indian model of a Raksha demon. In most occurrences and uses of Mahakala, he is paired with a meditational deity such as Panjarnata Mahakala and Shri Hevajra, Chaturbhuja Mahakala and Chakrasamvara, Chaturmukha Mahakala and Guhyasamaja. In most cases Mahakala is an emanation, or wrathful aspect, of the principal meditational deity that he is associated with. For instance Panjarnata Mahakala is the most wrathful emanation, or form, of Hevajra. In other situations Mahakala might be a wrathful emanation of Vajradhara or Akshobhya Buddha. Aside from the individual Anuttarayoga Tantras that teach various forms of Mahakala, the principal texts are the Twenty-five and Fifty Chapter Mahakala Tantra.

In one specific case, Shadbhuja Mahakala, Avalokiteshvara takes on the form of Mahakala. Therefore, it can be said that the Shadbhuja form, with one face and six hands, arising from the Eight Chapter Mahakala Tantra, is a wrathful Avalokiteshvara.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahakala

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“Being Buddhist, most Tibetans do not offer blood sacrifice to spirits. This goes back to the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet in the mid-8th century. In the year 760 the King of Tibet, Trison Detsen, a strong proponent of Buddhism, had invited Santaraksita the abbot of Nalanda to build a monastery in Tibet. This upset the local lha-dre (local demons and gods) who survived off blood sacrifices and were not terribly keen on the idea of Buddhism taking hold in the land of snows, as Buddhism does not allow for animal or human sacrifice. Every night after the workers finished for the day, the spirits would come and tear down everything that was built, as well as causing floods, storms, and disease. Being a simple abbot, Santaraksita was no match for the spirits arrayed against him, and he recommended the king summon Padmasambhava, a great Tantric Sorceror who could overpower both gods and demons. Padmasambhava was at the Asura Cave in Yang-le-shod (Pharping) Nepal practicing sex yoga with his Nepali consort Shakyadevi when he sensed that he was needed in Tibet and flew off to be of assistance. Upon crossing the border into Tibet, he was attacked by the Yul-lha (mountain god) Yarlha Shampo who took the form of a giant white yak with lightning emanating from its eyes and blizzards issuing from its nose. As it charged down Mount Sotang Kangbori at Padmasambhava, Padmasambhava simply grabbed him by the nose, twirled him a round his head three times, and slammed him on the ground so hard that it created an earthquake that was felt as far as Kathmandu. Yarlha Shampo transformed into a humanoid form and asked Padmasambhava to spare him. Padmasambhava made him promise to stop creating problems for the people in the Yarlung Valley and to become a protector of the Buddha’s Dharma and all practitioners that come down Padmasambhava’s students. He began the first Tibetan Dharmapala (Protector). Yarlha Shampo agreed but there was a problem: He subsisted on mar-chod, the “red-offering” of sacrificed animals and humans that Buddhists do not practice. Padmasambhava said that this was not a problem and established the tradition of Red Tormas, cakes that stand in for, and sometimes are shaped to look like, blood sacrifices. These cakes get packed with prana during offering rites, and multiplied through meditative visualization so that they function for the recipient the same way that a blood sacrifice would. Padmasambhava eventually got the Samye where he subdued the demons blocking the building of the monastery. He then traveled all over Tibet and recruited more Dharma Protectors. Some, like the Nagaraja Angkusha of Chimphu Cave, had to be subdued and forced to become a protector. Others, like Dorje Lekpa (literally Vajra Good-Guy), happily agreed to it over a glass of beer. The Tormas and other types of Buddhist offerings were so attractive to some spirits that it even attracted gods from outside of Tibet. Pehar supposedly came from Turkey and agreed to become a Tibetan Protector in exchange for a wife and regular puja offerings. Pehar still serves as the main spirit that speaks through the Nechung Oracle to this day.”

— Jason Miller - Severed Head Cakes And Clouds of Dancing Girls

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Sharabha Subduing Narasimha 1820-30. Murshidabad, Bengal, India Opaque watercolour on paper (via Prahlad Bubbar)

Sharabha or Sarabha is a part-lion and part-bird beast in Hindu mythology. Shaiva scriptures narrate that god Shiva assumed the Avatar (incarnation) of Sharabha to pacify Narasimha - the fierce man-lion avatar of Vishnu worshipped by Vaishnava sect. This form is popularly known as Sharabeshwara (“Lord Sharabha”) or Sharabeshwaramurti.

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Guhyakali, Nepal

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Guhyakali, Nepal

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Guhyakali, Nepal

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Guhyakali, Nepal

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Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini

Nepal 15th-16th century. Gilt copper 8 ½ in. 22 cm.high Published: Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 16809

(via Instagram: Kapoor Galleries Inc.)

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☀ 𝐎𝐦 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐡 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐲𝐚 ☀    

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Kali, nepali paubha

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Guhyakali, Bengal

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Shri Guhyakali Nepal, 20th century. Opaque watercolor on paper. (via Los Angeles County Museum of Art | LACMA)