Virupa: The Yogi Who Walked Between Worlds

Virupa - བི་རུ་པ་ - 毕鲁巴

Virupa, the legendary dakini master and mahasiddha, is a figure whose life dances at the edge of the miraculous and the unthinkable. Born in Bengal during the reign of King Devapala, he entered the great Buddhist academy of Somapuri as a child and devoted himself to years of intense meditation and study. Yet his true path did not begin until he let go of all expectation and his practice transformed into realization. 

Blessed by the dakini Vajra Varahi, Virupa attained the supreme realization of Mahamudra. As a sign of his realization, he lived without duality, fearlessly engaging with the world. He is known not only for his powerful spiritual insight but also for his unconventional ways, embodying a wisdom that “saw no contradiction in eating meat or drinking alcohol,” and walking paths where few dared to go. Though expelled from the monastery, his life unfolded into a radiant journey of liberation, miracles, and fearless compassion.  

Iconography of Virupa

    The Master Who Halted the Sun 

    After leaving Somapuri, Virupa journeyed across India, his every step marked by wonders. One day, hungry and tired, he arrived at the town of Kanasata and entered a tavern. There he devoured a plate of rice and drank deeply. But his thirst grew greater, and he drank flagon after flagon until the tavern was dry. 

    When the wary tavernkeeper asked for payment, Virupa looked skyward and offered her the sun. Taking out his magical dagger, the Phurba, he drove it into the air “exactly halfway between the light and the darkness,” stopping the daystar in its path. For two and a half days, the sun stood still. Light blazed without end. The town sweltered under unrelenting heat. 

    Eventually, the sun goddess herself appeared in a dream to the local king, revealing that she was trapped by a siddha’s unpaid debt to a woman in a tavern. Only once the debt was paid on his behalf did the sun move again. By then, Virupa had vanished into the open sky. 

    This tale is only one among many: he parted the Ganges, walked on lotus leaves, raised pigeons from the dead, and turned ghouls into disciples. With laughter like thunder and a presence like fire, Virupa shattered illusions; not to frighten, but to awaken. 

    References

    • Buddhist Masters of Enchantment: The Lives and Legends of the Mahasiddhas. (1998). Inner Traditions. 

    Other forms of Virupa

      Commonly associated with

        Virupa