Vajrabhairava
From Buddhist Encyclopedia
The Vajrabhairava practice is an highest yoga (anuttara) tantra practice focusing on the yidam Yamantaka, the wrathful emanation of Manjushri Bodhisattva.
The Sanskrit name Yamantaka means the one who conquers Yama, the Lord of Death who appears with the face of a buffalo. Yamantaka has nine heads, the central one being that of the buffalo, symbolic of his victory over Yama. The top-most head is that of Manjusri himself. The Sanskrit name Vajrabhairava means the Diamond-like Terrifier. Bhairava means "terrifying" and it is the adjective applied to the Hindu god Shiva in his wrathful aspect. Yamantaka comes in two forms: as Solitary Hero (Ekavira), and in union with his consort Vajravetali, called the "13 Deities of Yamantaka" (because of the twelve more deities in his mandala).
