The Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava is a short text presenting both a series of “vajra statements” (Tib. rdo rje tshig), which it calls the “essence of all vidyā and mantra,” and a dhāraṇī, followed by instructions for the dhāraṇī's associated rites. These include rites for countering and repelling enemies, subjugating nāgas and preventing hail, curing illness, and even protecting liquor from spoilage.
Translated and introduced by David Mellins and Kaia Fischer under the auspices of the Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Nathaniel Rich edited the translation and the introduction, and Laura Goetz copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava is a short text presenting a series of “vajra statements” followed by a dhāraṇī, both in transliterated Sanskrit, and instructions for the rites associated with the dhāraṇī. The series of vajra statements is generalized as being “for the accomplishment of all aims,” and the dhāraṇī targets a range of specialized ritual applications, from repelling enemy armies to protecting liquor from spoilage. Vajrabhairava’s name appears in the text’s title, in the dhāraṇī itself, and in the colophon, where he is identified as the speaker of the dhāraṇī. The colophon also states that this dhāraṇī is “the supreme dhāraṇī endowed with the seven protective acts” and “the most extraordinary yoga.”
A Sanskrit version of the text is to our knowledge no longer extant, and there are no associated commentaries in the Tengyur. The first part of the dhāraṇī appears as a portion of a larger mantra in the tantra Orderly Arrangement of the Three Commitments (Trisamayavyūha, Toh 502).
The Phangthangma imperial catalog lists a text in twenty-two ślokas called The Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava, while the Denkarma contains a text, likewise in twenty-two ślokas, called The Essence Mantra of Vajrabhairava.1 These different entries probably refer to the same text, but it is uncertain whether they refer to the text presented in translation here. If they are the same, the two texts mentioned in the royal catalogs would have to be an earlier version, since the colophon to The Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava, which we have translated here, mentions that the Tibetan translation was produced by the eleventh-century Indian translator and lineage holder Amoghavajra and the Tibetan monk Kyo Öjung.2 Amoghavajra was instrumental in the introduction of tantric practices such as those associated with Vajrabhairava (Yamāntaka). Kyo Öjung is likely the eleventh-century Tibetan Kyo Lotsawa, who was an important figure in the transmission of those practices and whose lineage has been transmitted within the Sakya school down to the present day.3
This English translation is based on the Degé Kangyur version of the text found in the Tantra section (Toh 605), in consultation with the variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace version. In addition, we have compared Toh 605 to Toh 956, its reiteration within the Dhāraṇī section of the Degé Kangyur.44
arara asama samatā anantadharmmatre7 khaṇā khaṇā mahāvire8 calesa mama āsahā9 mahābale kaṇa kaṇa mahābala āgrihe10 ha ha vajrā11 vajrahāye12 dhara dhara hūṃ hūṃ maṇḍala samapara-akravikrame kuru kuru turu turu sarvathā13 sarva hi jvala jvala akriṇi phaṭ svāhā14
When this essence of all vidyās and mantras has been recited a thousand times in the presence of the tathāgatas, all vidyās and mantras will have been recited a hundred thousand times.
It accomplishes all other ritual actions unfailingly and without obstacle, for this, among all the vidyās, mantras, heart mantras,[F.51.a] and dhāraṇīs originating from The Ritual of the Three Commitments,15 is the one that accomplishes all ritual actions.
tadyathā| oṃ vajraprākāra vajraprākāra vajradaṃṣṭā16 bhayābhahā curu curu paricumbike culutele namo ratnatrayāya namo vajrabhairavasya[F.36.b] mahāgaṇapatisya vajraśakti parśupāśahastāya vajrakanka vajravaiḍūrya alaṅkṛtaśarīrāya vajrapāṇir anupālāya tadyathā bhuru bhuru ānayā ānayā mahāgaṇapati laghu laghu ehi ehi ākrama ākrama śarīraṃ gṛhītam graṃhītam17 daṃṣṭāmā18 daṃśṭrīmāvā19 attra viśatu śarīraṃ kiñ cirāyasi20 vidhuna vadhana paṭa paṭa kampa kampa raṅga raṅga moda moda dhama dhama vijṛmabā vijṛmabā21 pūra pūra ghūrṇṇa ghūrṇṇa āviśa āviśa22 śīghraṃ śīghraṃ mahāvajrabhairabhe23 gaṇapatir ājñāvayati svāhā24
As for the rite, to paralyze all one’s enemies and counter all kākhordas, after a square maṇḍala has been prepared on cow dung and a weapon incanted seven times in a wrathful state of mind, all kākhordas will be disrupted the moment the weapon is stabbed into the ground.
When, wishing to repel an enemy army, one incants a rod seven times and hurls it in the army's direction, all the enemy soldiers will fall into a stupor.
If one wishes to subjugate nāgas, one should wrathfully incant a vajra seven times and thrust it at them. This will bring the nāgas under one’s control.
When, wishing to repel hail, one spins a vajra in utter absence of forcefulness while reciting the words at low pitch and in utter secrecy,[F.51.b] the nāgas will refrain from sending down hail.
When, wishing to preserve liquor, one incants the ingredients and mustard seeds seven times, they will endure.
When, wishing to allay an illness, one incants the medicines appropriate to the illness seven times mixed in water and then drinks or applies it, one will be freed from illness.
When, wishing to perform any rite, one recites the dhāraṇī25 seven times, one’s intention will be accomplished.
This completes “The Noble Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava,” which repels malevolence.
Translated in the presence of the great lord of yogins Amoghavajra and given27 to the Tibetan monk Kyo Öjung.
The Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava is a short text presenting both a series of “vajra statements” (Tib. rdo rje tshig), which it calls the “essence of all vidyā and mantra,” and a dhāraṇī, followed by instructions for the dhāraṇī's associated rites. These include rites for countering and repelling enemies, subjugating nāgas and preventing hail, curing illness, and even protecting liquor from spoilage.
Translated and introduced by David Mellins and Kaia Fischer under the auspices of the Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Nathaniel Rich edited the translation and the introduction, and Laura Goetz copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava is a short text presenting a series of “vajra statements” followed by a dhāraṇī, both in transliterated Sanskrit, and instructions for the rites associated with the dhāraṇī. The series of vajra statements is generalized as being “for the accomplishment of all aims,” and the dhāraṇī targets a range of specialized ritual applications, from repelling enemy armies to protecting liquor from spoilage. Vajrabhairava’s name appears in the text’s title, in the dhāraṇī itself, and in the colophon, where he is identified as the speaker of the dhāraṇī. The colophon also states that this dhāraṇī is “the supreme dhāraṇī endowed with the seven protective acts” and “the most extraordinary yoga.”
A Sanskrit version of the text is to our knowledge no longer extant, and there are no associated commentaries in the Tengyur. The first part of the dhāraṇī appears as a portion of a larger mantra in the tantra Orderly Arrangement of the Three Commitments (Trisamayavyūha, Toh 502).
The Phangthangma imperial catalog lists a text in twenty-two ślokas called The Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava, while the Denkarma contains a text, likewise in twenty-two ślokas, called The Essence Mantra of Vajrabhairava.1 These different entries probably refer to the same text, but it is uncertain whether they refer to the text presented in translation here. If they are the same, the two texts mentioned in the royal catalogs would have to be an earlier version, since the colophon to The Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava, which we have translated here, mentions that the Tibetan translation was produced by the eleventh-century Indian translator and lineage holder Amoghavajra and the Tibetan monk Kyo Öjung.2 Amoghavajra was instrumental in the introduction of tantric practices such as those associated with Vajrabhairava (Yamāntaka). Kyo Öjung is likely the eleventh-century Tibetan Kyo Lotsawa, who was an important figure in the transmission of those practices and whose lineage has been transmitted within the Sakya school down to the present day.3
This English translation is based on the Degé Kangyur version of the text found in the Tantra section (Toh 605), in consultation with the variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace version. In addition, we have compared Toh 605 to Toh 956, its reiteration within the Dhāraṇī section of the Degé Kangyur.44
arara asama samatā anantadharmmatre7 khaṇā khaṇā mahāvire8 calesa mama āsahā9 mahābale kaṇa kaṇa mahābala āgrihe10 ha ha vajrā11 vajrahāye12 dhara dhara hūṃ hūṃ maṇḍala samapara-akravikrame kuru kuru turu turu sarvathā13 sarva hi jvala jvala akriṇi phaṭ svāhā14
When this essence of all vidyās and mantras has been recited a thousand times in the presence of the tathāgatas, all vidyās and mantras will have been recited a hundred thousand times.
It accomplishes all other ritual actions unfailingly and without obstacle, for this, among all the vidyās, mantras, heart mantras,[F.51.a] and dhāraṇīs originating from The Ritual of the Three Commitments,15 is the one that accomplishes all ritual actions.
tadyathā| oṃ vajraprākāra vajraprākāra vajradaṃṣṭā16 bhayābhahā curu curu paricumbike culutele namo ratnatrayāya namo vajrabhairavasya[F.36.b] mahāgaṇapatisya vajraśakti parśupāśahastāya vajrakanka vajravaiḍūrya alaṅkṛtaśarīrāya vajrapāṇir anupālāya tadyathā bhuru bhuru ānayā ānayā mahāgaṇapati laghu laghu ehi ehi ākrama ākrama śarīraṃ gṛhītam graṃhītam17 daṃṣṭāmā18 daṃśṭrīmāvā19 attra viśatu śarīraṃ kiñ cirāyasi20 vidhuna vadhana paṭa paṭa kampa kampa raṅga raṅga moda moda dhama dhama vijṛmabā vijṛmabā21 pūra pūra ghūrṇṇa ghūrṇṇa āviśa āviśa22 śīghraṃ śīghraṃ mahāvajrabhairabhe23 gaṇapatir ājñāvayati svāhā24
As for the rite, to paralyze all one’s enemies and counter all kākhordas, after a square maṇḍala has been prepared on cow dung and a weapon incanted seven times in a wrathful state of mind, all kākhordas will be disrupted the moment the weapon is stabbed into the ground.
When, wishing to repel an enemy army, one incants a rod seven times and hurls it in the army's direction, all the enemy soldiers will fall into a stupor.
If one wishes to subjugate nāgas, one should wrathfully incant a vajra seven times and thrust it at them. This will bring the nāgas under one’s control.
When, wishing to repel hail, one spins a vajra in utter absence of forcefulness while reciting the words at low pitch and in utter secrecy,[F.51.b] the nāgas will refrain from sending down hail.
When, wishing to preserve liquor, one incants the ingredients and mustard seeds seven times, they will endure.
When, wishing to allay an illness, one incants the medicines appropriate to the illness seven times mixed in water and then drinks or applies it, one will be freed from illness.
When, wishing to perform any rite, one recites the dhāraṇī25 seven times, one’s intention will be accomplished.
This completes “The Noble Dhāraṇī of Vajrabhairava,” which repels malevolence.
Translated in the presence of the great lord of yogins Amoghavajra and given27 to the Tibetan monk Kyo Öjung.
The exact wording of the colophon, in which the text is said to have been translated “in the presence” (zhal snga nas) of Amoghavajra, appears to indicate the collaboration of the Indian master and his Tibetan disciple in producing the present Tibetan translation. For his part, Butön Rinchen Drup (1290–1364) identifies Amoghavajra as the translator in his History, and in his Catalog of the Tantras (rgyud ’bum gyi dkar chag) he lists both Amoghavajra and Kyo Öjung as the translators. See Hermann-Pfandt 2008, p. 227.
Note that there is a discrepancy among various databases for cataloging the Toh 956 version of this text within vol. 101 or 102 of the Degé Kangyur. See Toh 956, n.4, for details.
This text, Toh 956, and all those contained in this same volume (gzungs 'dus waM), are listed as being located in volume 101 of the Degé Kangyur by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). However, several other Kangyur databases—including the eKangyur that supplies the digital input version displayed by the 84000 Reading Room—list this work as being located in volume 102. This discrepancy is partly due to the fact that the two volumes of the gzungs ’dus section are an added supplement not mentioned in the original catalog, and also hinges on the fact that the compilers of the Tōhoku catalog placed another text—which forms a whole, very large volume—the Vimalaprabhānāmakālacakratantraṭīkā (dus ’khor ’grel bshad dri med ’od, Toh 845), before the volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur, numbering it as vol. 100, although it is almost certainly intended to come right at the end of the Degé Kangyur texts as volume 102; indeed its final fifth chapter is often carried over and wrapped in the same volume as the Kangyur dkar chags (catalog). Please note this discrepancy when using the eKangyur viewer in this translation.
It may seem odd that Vajrabhairava would beseech the buddhas “and their heirs” for the supreme boon. Perhaps we are meant to read this line as an homage that is not part of the discourse proper spoken by Vajrabhairava, which would begin with the line that follows.
The above dhāraṇī appears as a portion of a larger mantra (sngags) in Orderly Arrangement of the Three Commitments (Toh 502) at folio 210.a.
K, Y daṃṣṭraṃ; C, U daṃṣṭā; H, N daṃṣṭaṃ. Note that the Comparative Edition itself appears to read daṃṣṭwā.
Y adtra viśatu śariraṃ kin cirāyasi; U attā viśatu śarīraṃ kiñ cirāyasi; J attra viśatu riraṃ kiñ carāyasi; C attra viśatu riraṃ kiñ carāyasi; K attra viśatu śariraṃ kin cirāyasi.
K, Y vijrimbā vijrimbā; C, J vijrima vijrima; U vijraṃma vijraṃma; H vajriṃbā vajriṃbā. More than likely, vijṛmbha vijṛmbha (“swell, swell”) is consistent with the subsequent imperative pair pūra pūra (“fill, fill”).
H reads mahāvajrabhairawe, which is vocative. C, J, K, Y, and Toh 956 have mahāvajrabhairavo, which is nominative. The present text’s mahāvajrabhairabhe is probably a rendering of the Sanskrit mahāvajrabhairave.
K, Y gaṇapatir adnyavayati svāhā; C, J gaṇapatir ājñāvayati svāhā; H gaṇapatir ajñāvayati svāhā.
The Tibetan does not explicitly say “the dhāraṇī” here, but this has been inserted for the sake of clarity.
Tib. bsrung bya’i las bdun. This term appears to be unique to the present text. It may therefore be assumed to refer to the ritual uses listed above, enumerated as (1) the paralysis of one’s enemies, (2) the countering of sorcery, (3) the repulsion of enemy armies, (4) the subjugation of nāgas, (5) the repulsion of hail, (6) the preservation of liquor, and (7) the allaying of illness, with the subsequent performance of any (other) activity treated separately. Alternatively, one might treat the first two above as they appear in the text, as a single item, in which case they could be enumerated as (1) the paralysis of one’s enemies and the countering of sorcery, (2) the repulsion of enemy armies, (3) the subjugation of nāgas, (4) the repulsion of hail, (5) the preservation of liquor, (6) the allaying of illness, and (7) the performance of any other such activities.
An important ca. eleventh-century Indian tantric master and translator. He is also known as Vajrāsana the younger, and is said to have been the abbot of Vajrāsana Monastery in what is now Bodh Gaya. This Amoghavajra should not be confused with the eighth-century translator of the same name, who is renowned for his Chinese translations of Indian Buddhist esoteric works.
This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290–1364), a great scholar at the monastery of Zhalu (zha lu) whose compiling of lists of translated works contributed to the emergence of the Kangyur and Tengyur collections.
The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula—that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.
A class of nonhuman being typically associated with violent sorcery rites.
The eleventh century Tibetan translator and adept involved in the translation of the present text and the transmission of Vajrabhairava/Yamāntaka lineages in Tibet.
A formula of words or syllables that are recited aloud or mentally in order to bring about a magical or soteriological effect or result. The term has been interpretively etymologized to mean “that which protects (trā) the mind (man)”.
A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.
A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.
The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.
A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A class of gods in the desire realm named for Śakra (also known as Indra) and thirty-two other gods, who collectively dwell in what is called the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.
This term generally indicates indestructibility and stability. In the sūtras, vajra most often refers to the hardest possible physical substance, said to have divine origins. In some scriptures, it is also the name of the all-powerful weapon of Indra, which in turn is crafted from vajra material. In the tantras, the vajra is sometimes a scepter-like ritual implement, but the term can also take on other esoteric meanings.
Generally considered a wrathful form of Mañjuśrī.
An epithet for a buddha.
This term may, according to context, refer to exoteric or esoteric knowledge, a goddess, her associated dhāraṇī, or some combination of these.
rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi gzungs (Vajrabhairavadhāraṇī). Toh 605, Degé Kangyur vol. 91 (rgyud, ba), folios 36.a–37.a
rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi gzungs (Vajrabhairavadhāraṇī). Toh 956, Degé Kangyur vol. 101 (gzungs, waM), folios 50.b–51.b.
rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi gzungs. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 91, pp. 106–9; vol. 98, pp. 148–50.
rdo rje ’jigs byed kyi gzungs. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 104 (rgyud, pa), folios 375.b–377.a.
dam tshig gsum bkod pa’i rgyal po zhes bya ba’i rgyud (Trisamayavyūharājanāmatantra) [Orderly Arrangement of the Three Commitments]. Toh 502, Degé Kangyur vol. 87 (rgyud, da), folios 181.a–247.a.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). chos ’byung (bde bar gshegs pa’i bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i gter mdzod). In The Collected Works of Bu-Ston, vol. 24 (ya), pp. 633–1055. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71. BDRC W22106.
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). rgyud ’bum dkar chag. In The Collected Works of Bu-Ston, vol. 26 (la), pp. 365–99. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71. BDRC W22106.
Dhongthog Rinpoche, and Sam van Schaik, trans. The Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2016.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
C Choné Kangyur
H Lhasa (Zhol) Kangyur
J Lithang Kangyur
K Kangxi Kangyur
N Narthang Kangyur
U Urga Kangyur
Y Yongle Kangyur
