Wrathful Lion-Headed Dakini of Wisdom
Simha Mukha is both wrathful and female meditational deity or yidam of higher tantra. Though she has fierce aspect she is not a guardian deity subdued and bound by oath to serve Dharma by any Mahasiddha but rather she is a manifestation of Guhyajnana Dakini in Nyingmapa Tradition. She is the principal dakini teacher of Padmasambhava and is associated with one of the manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava. Although Simha Mukha in her aspect she's a Dakini she functions as a Yidam. Her special function is averting and repulsing attacks and subdueing negative female energies personified as Mamos who are uncontrolled female spirits generally hostile to male gender. She appears to be wrathful, feminine and demonic not because of her evil or demonic nature but she skillfully overcomes and subdues voilent negative energies. She is the manifestation of the enlightened awareness of the Buddha and her nature is compassion. She represents crone aspect of female wisdom.
Iconographically, her body color is dark azure like that of gathering dark clouds. She has one face which is of a lion and is white in color and is slightly turning to right. Her face has fierce and wrathful appearence. She has three eyes and her lion roar is like thunder. Her hair is long, black and made of iron. He has two hands; with her right hand she holds a five pronged vajra kartika in the sky and with her left hand a skull cup/kapala filled with blood. She holds a khatvanga staff cradled in the crook of her left arm. She wears tiger skin as her lower garment and a mantle of the hide of an elephant and a human skin. She is adorned with garland of dried and freshly severed human heads with necklace of human bone. She is also adorned with various fearful apparutous. At her navel are sun and moon. She stands with her two legs ectended and drawn up in dance position of ardhaparyanka. She stans amidst the blazing flame of wisdom.