In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Vāruṇīpūjā (वारुणीपूजा) or “Vāruṇī Worship” (i.e., ‘worship of alcohol and the mantrapātra’) refers to one of the various rituals typically performed as a part of the larger rites, according to Buddhist teachings followed by the Newah in Nepal, Kathmandu Valley (whose roots can be traced to the Licchavi period, 300-879 CE).—Vāruṇīpūjā, “Vāruṇī Worship”, is the worship of alcohol and the mantra-pātra, and is sometimes referred to as the Khāy Thāpiṃ Pūjā, “Khāy and Alcohol Pot Worship”, or Māmakī Pūjā, “Māmakī Worship”. Khāy (Newah) is a mixture of curd, mustard seed oil, salt and turmeric, cumin and water, and is symbolic of the male sexual fluids, and represented by the god Ānanda. The thāpiṃ is an alcohol pot used for storing thvaṃ, "beer" (both Newah), which is symbolic of the female sexual fluids, and represented by either Vāruṇī, or Māmakī, the later being the consort of Akṣobhya.

The goal of the [Vāruṇīpūjā] ritual is to mix the two substances together by taking an egg (khyaṃ), fish (nyā), and meat (lā) (all Newah), and to dip it in the khāy, and then to “seed” the alcohol by placing it in the thāpiṃ. When together the two as one are referred to as Ānandā-Vāruṇī, where as a single mixture of male and female sexual fluids combined, the male deity Ānanda takes on the feminine form Ānandā, because it has been deposited into the thāpiṃ, which in this context symbolizes the vagina and uterus as a receptacle. Shorter versions of the vāruṇīpūjā appear at the end of the Guru Maṇḍala as the Bali Bhāvanā, “Bali Meditation”, and in the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi as the Mantra Pātra.

context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Puja, Varuni.

Full-text (+83): Ashitangabhairava, Kapalabhairava, Bhishanabhairava, Camunda, Ugracanda, Candabhairava, Krodhabhairava, Rurubhairava, Unmattabhairava, Svacchandabhairava, Samharabhairava, Vaishnavi, Kaumari, Ruru, Hathapitha, Odiyanapitha, Sambhogacakra, Brahmayani, Indrayani, Hatha.

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