Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi are Consort Deities in Anuttarayoga Tantra

The union of Vajrayogini and Chakrasamvara stands out as one of the most profound and cherished expressions of Tantric practice. This union, often depicted in the yab-yum form (the coming together of male and female deities), symbolizes the beautiful balance of wisdom and compassion; two core principles on the Tantric journey toward enlightenment. Their connection is pivotal in Anuttarayoga Tantra, which represents the highest and most advanced level of Tantric meditation, serving as a guiding light for practitioners seeking spiritual realization.

In this read, take a closer look at the tantric union of Vajrayogini and Chakrasamvara, emphasizing the vital role that Vajravarahi (a form of Vajrayogini) plays as Chakrasamvara’s consort.

Vajrayogini: The Embodiment of Wisdom

Dakini Vajrayogini holds a significant place as one of the key female deities in Vajrayāna Buddhism. She embodies the kind of wisdom (prajna) that goes beyond ordinary understanding, serving as a powerful tool for practitioners. Through her, they can transform their attachments, desires, and ego-clinging into profound spiritual insights.

Iconography of Vajrayogini:

• Color: Red, symbolizing the inner fire (tummo) of spiritual transformation.

• Third Eye: Positioned on her forehead,  embodying her all-seeing wisdom, granting her the ability to glimpse the past, present, and future, while also piercing through the world's illusions.

• Skull Cup (Kapala): Filled with blood, symbolizing the transformation of death and the transcendent nature of ordinary existence.

• Flaying Knife (Kartika): In her right hand, signifying the cutting through ignorance, attachment, and ego-clinging.

• Posture: Often depicted in a dancing pose, reflecting her passionate energy used to burn away defilements.

Her practice, especially in the Anuttarayoga Tantra,the Highest Yoga Tantra in Tibetan Buddhism encompasses both the generation stage and the completion stage meditations. During the generation stage, practitioners imagine themselves as Vajrayogini, which helps them elevate ordinary experiences into a more profound spiritual journey. On the other hand, the completion stage is all about realizing emptiness and clear light, ultimately guiding them toward liberation.

Vajravarahi: The Form of Vajrayogini and Her Role as Chakrasamvara’s Consort

Vajravārāhī, an essential form of Vajrayogini, is often regarded as the consort of Chakrasamvara in Anuttarayoga Tantra. She embodies the fierce and transformative energy essential for the journey toward liberation. Her powerful form embodies the relentless wisdom that shatters ignorance and the clinging to ego, which is crucial for swift spiritual growth. Unlike the more tranquil deities, Vajravārāhī challenges practitioners with the raw intensity of enlightened awareness, pushing them to confront their inner barriers without holding back. Through her, practitioners can transform fear, desire, and attachment into the driving force for awakening, making her an essential figure in advanced Tantric practices.

Vajravārāhī’s Key Attributes:

• Complexion: Reddish complexion (distinct from Chakrasamvara’s blue).

• Number of Arms: Two arms, one embracing Chakrasamvara.

• Implements:

  • Kartika (curved flaying knife) – held in the right hand.

   

• Adornments: Wears similar bone ornaments, a skull crown, and a garland of severed heads.

• Posture: Locked in yab-yum embrace, her legs wrapped around Chakrasamvara’s body in a dynamic, erotic posture, symbolizing the unification of wisdom (female) and method (male).

Vajravarahi embodies both wisdom and compassion, and she plays a crucial role in the practice of Chöd. In this practice, she helps practitioners face their ego and attachment to the self through powerful visualizations and rituals.

Read more about Vajrayogini and Vajravarahi: The Iconographic Differences here.

Chakrasamvara: The Power of Compassion and Method

Cakrasamvara (Tibetan: Khorlo Demchok) is regarded as one of the key male deities in Anuttarayoga Tantra. He symbolizes the compassionate approach (upaya) needed to guide practitioners through the challenges of samsara. Often portrayed as a fierce deity, he embodies the strength to dispel illusions and sever attachments. His purpose as a meditational figure is to assist practitioners in moving beyond dualistic thinking, ultimately leading them to an understanding of non-duality.

Iconography of Chakrasamvara:

• Complexion: Dark blue, symbolizing limitless compassion and the transformation of ignorance into wisdom.

• Faces: Four faces, each with a wrathful expression, representing mastery over the four directions and four types of obscurations.

  • The main face is blue (facing forward).

  • The other three (red, white, and green) face the other directions.

• Arms: Twelve arms, holding various implements:

  • Vajra – skillful means.

  • Bell (ghanta) – wisdom.

  • Damaru (drum) – the sound of emptiness.

  • Kapāla (skull cup) – transformation of defilements.

  • Trident (triśūla), noose, and other Tantric weapons – subjugation of ego and negative forces.

• Adornment:

  • Wears bone ornaments and a crown of five skulls, symbolizing the transmutation of the five poisons into the five wisdoms.

  • Garland of severed heads (mundamālā), denoting severance from cyclic existence.

• Posture: He stands in alidhāsana (wide, warrior stance), dancing on two deities:

  • Bhairava (blue male) – ignorance or ego.

  • Kālarātri (red female) – clinging to samsaric illusion.

Chakrasamvara’s fierce energy embodies the dynamic essence of compassion, capable of swiftly clearing away any obstacles and misunderstandings on the journey to enlightenment. His intense form isn’t meant to inflict harm; rather, it’s designed to awaken awareness, slicing through illusions with the sharpness and urgency that comes from enlightened intention.

Read more about Two Forms of Chakrasamvara: Explore the Dual Aspects of the Supreme Tantric Yidam here.

Comparative View of Vajrayogini, Chakrasamvara, and Vajravarahi

Here’s a table summarizing the iconography of the deities involved in this profound Tantric union:

Anuttarayoga Tantra: The Highest Tantric Path

The Anuttarayoga Tantra stands as the most advanced and profound path within Vajrayāna Buddhism. It’s considered the peak of tantric practice, specifically meant for those deeply committed to achieving full enlightenment within a single lifetime. This journey is tailored for individuals who aspire to directly experience śūnyatā (emptiness) by merging wisdom (prajñā/mother) with method (upāya/father). Yoganiruttara places a strong emphasis on deity yoga, inner yogic practices, and transforming everyday perception into the enlightened viewpoint of a Buddha.

It is divided into two key phases: 

1. Generation Stage (utpatti-krama)

Here, the practitioner visualizes themselves as the deity (such as Chakrasamvara or Vajrayogini) to purify perception, and transform ordinary appearances, identity, and environment into expressions of awakened reality. Through sustained visualization, mantra recitation, and mandala contemplation, the practitioner gradually dissolves dualistic thinking and plants the seeds of Buddhahood.

2. Completion Stage (niṣpanna-krama)

This stage dives into a advanced subtle-body practices, like tummo (inner heat yoga), prāṇa (the winds), nāḍīs (the channels), and bindus (the drops). These yogic techniques tap into the body’s energetic system, helping to dissolve the conceptual mind and reach the clear light mind, which is the most refined level of consciousness. These practices are unique to Anuttarayoga Tantra and are not found in the lower classes of tantra. Through mastery of this stage, the practitioner directly experiences emptiness united with great bliss, transcending duality and achieving the non-conceptual realization of ultimate reality.

Central deities of this class include Chakrasamvara, Vajrayogini/Vajravarahi, Guhyasamāja, and Hevajra. Each of these yiadms embody unique aspects of an enlightened mind. The Anuttarayoga Tantra holds a significant place in the Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism, with each school boasting its own transmission lineages and textual commentaries.

The Ultimate Tantric Union of Vajravarahi and Chakrsamvara

The union of Vajrayoginī and Chakrasamvara is central to Anuttarayoga Tantra, which is considered the pinnacle of Vajrayāna practice. Together, they embody the deep and inseparable blend of wisdom (prajñā) and compassionate method (upāya)—the two vital forces that drive spiritual awakening.

This sacred pairing goes way beyond just being symbolic. Through the yab-yum union, the powerful energy of Vajravārāhī as a consort, along with practices like Chöd, practitioners are led beyond the usual experience of duality. Their union serves as a direct route to understanding emptiness, non-duality, and transforming all worldly attachments into enlightened awareness.

The fierce, wrathful forms of these deities remind us that the Tantric path is raw and transformative. Vajravarahi's sharp wisdom and Chakrasamvara’s fierce compassion don’t just gently guide us toward realization; they slice right through delusion, ego, and fear. Their embrace isn’t just a metaphor for desire; it’s a mandala of complete realization, where the lines between self and other, samsara and nirvana, completely fade away.

This is why their union is seen as the peak of Tantric realization in Vajrayana; a living expression of bliss and emptiness, brought to life in divine form. As the ultimate representation of enlightened union, their practices lead practitioners on a journey of total inner transformation, breaking down all barriers between wisdom and method, and guiding them straight toward spiritual liberation in this very life.

Source: Vajrayogini by Dr. Uday Dokras.