The Four Zoomorphic Wrathful Ḍakinis of the Cakrasaṃvara Maṇḍala.
In Buddhist Tantra, the Cakrasaṃvara Maṇḍala, which is an integral part of the Vajravārāhī Maṇḍala, is surrounded on all four sides by four terrifying zoomorphic ḍākinīs who serve as its protectresses and guardians. These four wrathful ḍakinis are Kākasyā, Svabhavanasyā, Ullukāsyā, and Śūkarasyā.
1) Kakasya
Kākasyā is the first guardian ḍākinī of the Cakrasaṃvara Maṇḍala and resides in its eastern direction. She is blue in color and has the face of a crow. In another form, she is identified with Kākarinī, one of the sixty-four yoginīs described in the Agni Purāṇa. She is two-armed, holding a skull-cup filled with blood and a cleaver (kartṛkā).
2) Svabhavanasya
Svabhavanasyā is the second guardian ḍākinī of the Cakrasaṃvara Maṇḍala and is stationed in the western direction. She is red in color and has the face of a dog. She is two-armed, holding a vajra and a skull-cup in her hands.
3) Ullukasya
Ullukāsyā is the third guardian ḍākinī of the Cakrasaṃvara Maṇḍala and resides in the northern direction. She is green in color and has the face of a hawk; according to some traditions, her face resembles that of an owl. In her alternative form, she is identified with Yakṣiṇī Ullukā Yoginī, one of the sixty-four yoginīs mentioned in the Kālikā Purāṇa and the Skanda Purāṇa. She is four-armed, holding a variegated staff, a skull-cup filled with blood, a cleaver, and other ritual implements.
4) Sukarasya
Śūkarasyā is the fourth guardian ḍākinī of the Cakrasaṃvara Maṇḍala and is positioned in the southern direction. She is yellow in color and has the face of a boar (varāha). She is two-armed and displays the tarjanī mudrā with her hands. In another form, she is identified with the boar-faced yoginī among the sixty-four yoginīs described in the Kālikā Purāṇa and the Skanda Purāṇa.
The four zoomorphic yoginīs described above are the principal protectresses of the Cakrasaṃvara Maṇḍala and are among the eight animal-faced ḍākinīs of Buddhist Tantra. These ḍākinīs repel all negative forces and inauspicious influences. In Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, their worship and esoteric practice are performed; however, these practices are highly secret, transmitted only through a qualified guru, extremely complex, and fearsome, and are never intended for ordinary household practitioners.
May the Primordial Divine Power bestow auspiciousness upon all.
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