The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c17.s2.2

c17.s2.2

There is a theory that Mārīcī and Vajravārāhī are the same, but it cannot be supported; for, whereas Vajravārāhī is actively associated in yab-yum with her consort Heruka, or Samvara an emanation of Akṣobhya, Mārīcī invariably appears singly, and her consort is Vairocana himself, and not any emanation of a Dhyāni Buddha. Again, Heruka rides a corpse lying on its chest, and accordingly, such a Vāhana has been given to Vajravārāhī, but Mārīcī is never known to tread upon a corpse, or even the prostrate body of a man. The images of Vajravārāhī always represent her as one-faced with an excrescence near the right ear, but Mārīcī, even when represented as one-faced is not known to have any excrescence on her face. Vajravārāhī according to the Dhyāna, may have four arms, but Mārīcī must have either two, eight, ten or twelve arms according to the Sādhana. Mārīcī is always said to reside in the womb of a Caitya, whereas Vajravārāhī, being an abbess, may reside anywhere. The mantra for Vajravārāhī is “Oṃ Sarva-Buddhaḍākinīye Vajravaṛṇanīye hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā” or “Oṃ Vajravetālī hūṃ phaṭ”. Śāntideva gives the Dhāraṇī for Mārīcī but the Dhāraṇī never refers to her as Vajravārāhī. The conception of Mārīcī has a greater antiquity than the conception of either Vajravārāhī or Heruka. The union of Heruka and Vajravārāhī is the subject-matter of the Vajravārāhī Tantra, but no Tantra is assigned to Mārīcī. Vajravārāhī stands in the Ardhaparyaṅka in a dancing attitude on a corpse, but Mārīcī stands almost always in the Ālīḍha attitude and moves in a chariot, but she is never in the dancing attitude. Last but not the least, Vajravārāhī has been called a Ḍākinī, that is, an abbess who had attained perfection, ( siddhi ) and had become a deified woman, but Mārīcī is a goddess, first and last.