The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, one of five texts that constitute the Pañcarakṣā scriptural collection, has been among the most popular texts used for pragmatic purposes throughout the Mahāyāna Buddhist world. This sūtra promises protection for the Buddha’s “four communities”—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—against a range of illnesses and obstacles originating from the hosts of spirit entities who reside in remote wilderness retreats. The text centers specifically on threats of illness posed by the capricious spirit world of “nonhumans,” known collectively as grahas or bhūtas, who feed off the vitality, flesh, and blood of members of the Buddhist spiritual community engaging in spiritual practice at those remote hermitages. The sūtra is proclaimed by the Four Great Kings, each of whom reigns over a host of bhūtas, with the goal of quelling the hostile forces who assail those diligently practicing the Buddha’s teachings. Also included are ritual prescriptions for properly performing the sūtra and descriptions of the many benefits that ensue.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by James Gentry, who also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor compared the translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove is one in a series of five works that are widely popular in the Buddhist world for their power to bring about practical and liberative benefit. In addition to The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, this set of texts includes Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm (Mahāsāhasrapramardanīsūtra, Toh 558),1 The Great Peahen (Mahāmāyūrīvidyārājñī, Toh 559),2 The Great Amulet (Mahāpratisārāvidyārājñī, Toh 561),3 and Great Upholder of the Secret Mantra (Mahāmantrānusāriṇīsūtra, Toh 563).4 Together these five texts have been apotheosized in the Mahāyāna tradition as five goddesses known collectively as the Pañcarakṣā, or the Five Protectresses. In the Tibetan tradition this collection is known as gzungs chen grwa lnga, the Five Great Dhāraṇīs.
Tibetan redactors of Kangyur collections have cataloged these five texts together within the Kriyātantra section of the Collected Tantras (rgyud ’bum) division of the canon. Indeed, these scriptures do contain elements that resonate with standard Kriyātantra practice as understood in Tibet: the use of powerful incantations, an emphasis on external ritual hygiene, the pragmatic application of ritual and mantra, and so forth. Yet, nearly absent from the five dhāraṇī texts are detailed descriptions of the contemplative visualization exercises, specialized ritual gestures (mudrā), elaborate maṇḍala diagrams, and initiation ceremonies typical of full-blown Buddhist tantra. A close perusal of these five texts might then lead the reader to construe them as Mahāyāna texts with a preponderance of elements—magical mantra formulas, ritual prescriptions, pragmatic aims, and so forth—that developed into a tantric practice tradition with its own unique view, meditation, and conduct. To complicate things further, core features of texts in this collection are rooted in Indian Buddhist traditions that are not specifically esoteric or even explicitly part of the Mahāyāna tradition. The great peahen incantation, for example, appears as a remedy for snakebites in the Mūlasarvāstivādavinayavastu.5 This accords with Gregory Schopen’s general observation, based on inscriptional evidence, that “Dhāraṇī texts were publically [sic] known much earlier and much more widely than the texts we think of as ‘classically’ Mahāyāna.”6
It is believed that all five of these texts, and specifically their incantations, provide special protection from a wide range of illnesses and misfortunes for those who memorize, recollect, read, copy, teach, wear, or otherwise come into contact with them. Each text promises protection from specific misfortunes, with considerable overlap witnessed between the texts. Despite the pragmatic thrust of these scriptures, each text also contains numerous allusions to doctrinal notions, the range of effects described therein sometimes, though rarely, extending beyond the pragmatic sphere to include the purification of negative karma, deliverance from the lower realms, and even the attainment of buddhahood.
While it seems certain that the five texts each developed independently and were only later combined into the well-known collection, their popularity as a set is attested by their eventual spread from India to Nepal, Tibet, Central Asia, China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Indonesia.7 Among the five texts, the status of The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove is perhaps the most ambiguous. The sūtra is listed as one of the “Five Great Dhāraṇīs” in the Denkarma (ldan kar ma), the imperial-period catalog of Tibetan translations, indicating that it was counted among the set as early as the ninth century.8 Similarly, it was also counted among the same set in a ninth-century Tibetan manuscript found at Tabo monastery in Ladakh.9 However, in later Sanskrit Pañcarakṣā collections it was replaced with the similarly titled but otherwise distinct dhāraṇī Great Cool Goddess (Mahāśītavatī).10 Thus, the collection of five dhāraṇīs preserved in the Tibetan canon and recorded in Denkarma catalog as the “Five Great Dhāraṇīs” may represent a “proto-Pañcarakṣā collection” that evolved into the collection that includes the dhāraṇī Great Cool Goddess rather than The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove.11 It is the later arrangement of the Five Great Dhāraṇīs, the set that does not include The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, that has achieved widespread popularity in the Buddhist world, particularly in Nepal, where numerous versions of the text have been preserved in Sanskrit and vernacular languages into modern times.12
The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove takes place in the Cool Grove cremation ground and unfolds as an exchange between the Buddha and the Four Great Kings: Kubera, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, and Virūpākṣa. The Four Great Kings deliver the sūtra and teach the incantations it contains, and the Buddha establishes their teaching as authoritative scripture by accepting and rejoicing in their proclamation. After doing so, the Buddha adds the final incantation of the sūtra. The Four Great Kings’ explicit purpose in delivering the sūtra is to protect the Buddha’s four communities and other human beings from the threatening influence of the kings’ own pantheon of capricious, nonhuman servants, known collectively as grahas or bhūtas. Each of the Four Great Kings holds spiritual sovereignty over a cardinal direction and the classes of supernatural beings who reside in them. According to the cosmology presented in the text, the great king Kubera, also called Vaiśravaṇa, dwells in the north, where he presides over primarily yakṣas, but also a host of other supernatural beings including nakṣatras, unmādas, apasmāras, kinnaras, and skandas. The great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra dwells in the east, where he reigns over gandharvas as well as rākṣasas, piśācas, and marutas. The great king Virūḍhaka rules in the south, where his entourage consists mostly of kumbhāṇḍas but also includes pretas and pūtanas. Finally, the great king Virūpākṣa reigns in the west, where his entourage is made up of nāgas as well as garuḍas and guhyakas.
The sūtra promises protection specifically for the Buddha’s “four communities”—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—against a range of illnesses and obstacles originating from the animosity and ill will of these hosts of supernatural beings. In this text, these beings are said to reside in the vicinity of remote wilderness retreats, where they can feed off the vitality, flesh, and blood of members of the Buddhist spiritual community engaged in spiritual practice there. The negative impact of these supernatural beings is framed in terms of their intrusion upon the human body in the form of illness, danger, and misfortune. Concordantly, the text claims to work precisely by means of “repelling” harmful entities from the bodies of patients, “drawing a boundary” around them, and thereby restoring health and well-being. It is through “receiving, holding, reciting, mastering, and using” the scripture itself that such healing exorcisms are effected. This can be done by patients themselves or by other members of the community on their behalf.
The narrative introduction (nidāna; gleng gzhi) traditionally found at the very beginning of a sūtra is here preceded by a series of supplications to the buddhas of the past, prominent monks in the Buddha’s entourage, and the Four Great Kings. This is followed by an entreaty to malevolent and benevolent supernatural beings and an initial incantation formula. This material, which was likely appended to the sūtra by a later compiler, has the effect of transforming the core scripture into a liturgy to be recited in a ritual setting. One such ritual framework is found at the end of the sūtra, following the traditional formula for ending a scripture. This concise ritual instruction was also likely added by a later compiler in order to provide practical instructions for using the sūtra as part of a healing or protective rite.
The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove was translated into Tibetan under Tibetan imperial patronage sometime during the first half of the ninth century by a team that included the translator-editor Bandé Yeshé Dé (ca. eighth–ninth centuries) and the Indian scholars Śīlendrabodhi, Jñānasiddhi, and Śākyaprabha. The translation was edited several centuries later by Gö Lotsāwa Shönu Pal (’gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal, 1392–1481), who based his work on a Sanskrit manuscript that had been in the possession of Chak Lotsāwa Chöjé Pal (chag lo tsA ba chos rje dpal, 1197–1263/64). The Stok Palace Kangyur contains yet another recension of Yeshé Dé’s translation in which the mantras were revised by Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290–1364) based on two Sanskrit manuscripts from India.13
There are no extant Sanskrit versions of The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, nor are there any known Chinese translations of the sūtra. This English translation is based solely on Tibetan sources, with the Degé version taken as the primary witness. The Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Degé Kangyur was also consulted, as was the version of the translation recorded in the Stok Palace Kangyur. Additionally, this translation draws upon an early version of the Tibetan translation preserved in the Dunhuang manuscript collection (IOL Tib J 397). This version is generally consistent with the canonical versions, but it does contain variants that clarify some readings. The incantation formulas have been preserved as given in the Degé text, with no attempt made to edit them based on versions of the mantras found in other canonical sources. Some minor orthographic emendations have been made without notation.
[F.138.b]Homage to the Three Jewels.
This Great Sūtra of Cool Grove, the great protection of the Four Great Kings, covers all four communities.
All you yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, nāgas, garuḍas, guhyakas, bhūtas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, piśācas, asuras, marutas, skandas, mischief makers,15 unmādas, kinnaras, upward movers, wandering beings, covetous ones, evildoers, stealers of vitality, and apasmāras; all intense fevers, one-day fevers, two-day fevers, three-day fevers, and four-day fevers; all humans and nonhumans who are hostile, search for weakness, have malicious intent, and perpetrate violence; all who do not like the teaching of the blessed Buddha, wish to harm it, do not want to benefit it, do not wish it well, and do not want it to succeed or be secure; all who do not like the four communities,[F.140.a] wish to harm them, do not want to benefit them, do not wish them well, and do not want them to succeed or be secure; all who do not like the person with such-and-such a name,16 want to harm them, do not want to benefit them, and do not want them to be well, succeed, or be secure—having heard this Great Sūtra of Cool Grove, depart. May you be scared. May you be frightened. May you be terrified. Do not remain here. May the heads of the evil and malicious split into seven pieces.
All you yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, nāgas, garuḍas, guhyakas, bhūtas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, piśācas, asuras, marutas, skandas, mischief makers, unmādas, kinnaras, upward movers, wandering beings, covetous ones, evildoers, stealers of vitality, and apasmāras; all intense fevers, one-day fevers, two-day fevers, three-day fevers, and four-day fevers; all humans and nonhumans who are not hostile, do not search for weakness, do not have malicious intent, and do not perpetrate violence; all who like the teaching of the blessed Buddha, want to benefit and assist it, wish it well, and want it to be successful and secure; all who like the person with such-and-such a name, want to benefit and assist them, wish them well, and want them to be successful and secure—having heard this Great Sūtra of Cool Grove, remain here. Do not be scared. Do not be frightened. Do not be terrified. Be nothing but fearless. For the benefit, assistance, happiness, and security of the person with such-and-such a name, I will teach and explain this Great Sūtra of Cool Grove.[F.140.b] The Great Sūtra of Cool Grove that protects oneself is as follows:
Syād yathedam khaṭe khaṭe khattyasi palakavaṭe rogabhadrigaṇe hili hili dumate gṛttati ajaṭi kathari masārakalpe samantena caturdiśi yojanaśata ātmarakṣa anatikramaṇi sarvaviheṭhakebhyaḥ namo bhagavate buddhasya siddhyantu mantrapadā daraduvidyā brahmaṇo manadu svāhā
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagṛha at the horrific and hair-raising great charnel ground Cool Grove, together with a large monastic assembly of 1,250 monks. The Four Great Kings—Kubera, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūpākṣa, and Virūḍhaka—with their sons, ministers, entourages, retainers, messengers, and servants, appeared at midnight in their majestic glory, arriving in the great charnel ground of Cool Grove with a single intent. Through their natural radiance and power they flooded the place with bright light. They then approached the Blessed One, bowed their heads to his feet, and circumambulated him three times. Then, with palms joined they prostrated only to him and stood to one side. Thus standing to one side, the Four Great Kings praised the Blessed One in verse:
The Four Great Kings then praised the Blessed One with this verse a second and third time:
The Four Great Kings then said to the Blessed One,[F.141.a] “Venerable Blessed One, does this place agree with you? Do you have sustenance? Venerable Blessed One, are you healthy? Are you free of illness? Are you without discomfort? Does nothing harm the Blessed One’s body?
“Are there no yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, nāgas, garuḍas, guhyakas, bhūtas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, piśācas, asuras, marutas, skandas, mischief makers, unmādas, kinnaras, upward movers, wandering beings, covetous ones, evildoers, stealers of vitality, or apasmāras, intense fevers, one-day fevers, two-day fevers, three-day fevers, or four-day fevers, or humans or nonhumans who hate the Blessed One, search for weakness, have malicious intent, are harmful toward him, or even have the intention of being harmful?”
The Blessed One responded to the Four Great Kings, “I have everything, Great Kings. The place agrees with me, I have sustenance, my health is good, I am free of illness, and I am without discomfort. Great Kings, there is no one harming my body.
“Great Kings, I have not seen anyone at all in the world, including gods, māras, and Brahmā; anyone among humans, including mendicants and brahmins; or anyone else among gods and humans who intends to harm the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha. Great Kings, it is rather your communities that intend to harm my community.”
The Four Great Kings said to the Blessed One,[F.141.b] “Venerable Blessed One, we have been informed of this, thus we have come before the Blessed One to honor you, pay homage, pay respect, and petition the Blessed One in person. Why? Venerable Blessed One, at remote wilderness retreats there are extremely malicious yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, nāgas, garuḍas, guhyakas, bhūtas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, piśācas, asuras, marutas, skandas, mischief makers, unmādas, kinnaras, upward movers, wandering beings, covetous ones, evildoers, stealers of vitality, and apasmāras, intense fevers, one-day fevers, two-day fevers, three-day fevers, and four-day fevers, and humans and nonhumans who are hateful, search for weakness, have malicious intent, and perpetrate violence. The śrāvakas of the venerable Blessed One also dwell at those places, exerting themselves in practice without resting at dawn or dusk. Venerable Blessed One, from the yakṣas and rākṣasas up to those perpetrating violence, there are very few with trust in the Blessed One’s teaching, and there are a great many who lack trust in the Blessed One’s teaching and intend to harm the śrāvakas of the Blessed One who stay in these places, exerting themselves in practice without resting at dawn or dusk. In order to stop them, so that the pernicious yakṣas without trust can gain trust, so that those with trust can increase their trust, and so that the four communities can have well-being,[F.142.a] dwell at ease, and meditate well without exception, was ask you to expound The Great Sūtra of Cool Grove.
Syād yathedam vakahumule haśiṇa śaśiṇa vanamuhale samuhāle uduhāle samahāle praśamamī rākṣasa amanuṣyā vāremi yakṣaṇi vārāmi pretamabhithai dumanuṣyā masapata hadhamuranan sutiṣyati
The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, one of five texts that constitute the Pañcarakṣā scriptural collection, has been among the most popular texts used for pragmatic purposes throughout the Mahāyāna Buddhist world. This sūtra promises protection for the Buddha’s “four communities”—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—against a range of illnesses and obstacles originating from the hosts of spirit entities who reside in remote wilderness retreats. The text centers specifically on threats of illness posed by the capricious spirit world of “nonhumans,” known collectively as grahas or bhūtas, who feed off the vitality, flesh, and blood of members of the Buddhist spiritual community engaging in spiritual practice at those remote hermitages. The sūtra is proclaimed by the Four Great Kings, each of whom reigns over a host of bhūtas, with the goal of quelling the hostile forces who assail those diligently practicing the Buddha’s teachings. Also included are ritual prescriptions for properly performing the sūtra and descriptions of the many benefits that ensue.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by James Gentry, who also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor compared the translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove is one in a series of five works that are widely popular in the Buddhist world for their power to bring about practical and liberative benefit. In addition to The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, this set of texts includes Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm (Mahāsāhasrapramardanīsūtra, Toh 558),1 The Great Peahen (Mahāmāyūrīvidyārājñī, Toh 559),2 The Great Amulet (Mahāpratisārāvidyārājñī, Toh 561),3 and Great Upholder of the Secret Mantra (Mahāmantrānusāriṇīsūtra, Toh 563).4 Together these five texts have been apotheosized in the Mahāyāna tradition as five goddesses known collectively as the Pañcarakṣā, or the Five Protectresses. In the Tibetan tradition this collection is known as gzungs chen grwa lnga, the Five Great Dhāraṇīs.
Tibetan redactors of Kangyur collections have cataloged these five texts together within the Kriyātantra section of the Collected Tantras (rgyud ’bum) division of the canon. Indeed, these scriptures do contain elements that resonate with standard Kriyātantra practice as understood in Tibet: the use of powerful incantations, an emphasis on external ritual hygiene, the pragmatic application of ritual and mantra, and so forth. Yet, nearly absent from the five dhāraṇī texts are detailed descriptions of the contemplative visualization exercises, specialized ritual gestures (mudrā), elaborate maṇḍala diagrams, and initiation ceremonies typical of full-blown Buddhist tantra. A close perusal of these five texts might then lead the reader to construe them as Mahāyāna texts with a preponderance of elements—magical mantra formulas, ritual prescriptions, pragmatic aims, and so forth—that developed into a tantric practice tradition with its own unique view, meditation, and conduct. To complicate things further, core features of texts in this collection are rooted in Indian Buddhist traditions that are not specifically esoteric or even explicitly part of the Mahāyāna tradition. The great peahen incantation, for example, appears as a remedy for snakebites in the Mūlasarvāstivādavinayavastu.5 This accords with Gregory Schopen’s general observation, based on inscriptional evidence, that “Dhāraṇī texts were publically [sic] known much earlier and much more widely than the texts we think of as ‘classically’ Mahāyāna.”6
It is believed that all five of these texts, and specifically their incantations, provide special protection from a wide range of illnesses and misfortunes for those who memorize, recollect, read, copy, teach, wear, or otherwise come into contact with them. Each text promises protection from specific misfortunes, with considerable overlap witnessed between the texts. Despite the pragmatic thrust of these scriptures, each text also contains numerous allusions to doctrinal notions, the range of effects described therein sometimes, though rarely, extending beyond the pragmatic sphere to include the purification of negative karma, deliverance from the lower realms, and even the attainment of buddhahood.
While it seems certain that the five texts each developed independently and were only later combined into the well-known collection, their popularity as a set is attested by their eventual spread from India to Nepal, Tibet, Central Asia, China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Indonesia.7 Among the five texts, the status of The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove is perhaps the most ambiguous. The sūtra is listed as one of the “Five Great Dhāraṇīs” in the Denkarma (ldan kar ma), the imperial-period catalog of Tibetan translations, indicating that it was counted among the set as early as the ninth century.8 Similarly, it was also counted among the same set in a ninth-century Tibetan manuscript found at Tabo monastery in Ladakh.9 However, in later Sanskrit Pañcarakṣā collections it was replaced with the similarly titled but otherwise distinct dhāraṇī Great Cool Goddess (Mahāśītavatī).10 Thus, the collection of five dhāraṇīs preserved in the Tibetan canon and recorded in Denkarma catalog as the “Five Great Dhāraṇīs” may represent a “proto-Pañcarakṣā collection” that evolved into the collection that includes the dhāraṇī Great Cool Goddess rather than The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove.11 It is the later arrangement of the Five Great Dhāraṇīs, the set that does not include The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, that has achieved widespread popularity in the Buddhist world, particularly in Nepal, where numerous versions of the text have been preserved in Sanskrit and vernacular languages into modern times.12
The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove takes place in the Cool Grove cremation ground and unfolds as an exchange between the Buddha and the Four Great Kings: Kubera, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, and Virūpākṣa. The Four Great Kings deliver the sūtra and teach the incantations it contains, and the Buddha establishes their teaching as authoritative scripture by accepting and rejoicing in their proclamation. After doing so, the Buddha adds the final incantation of the sūtra. The Four Great Kings’ explicit purpose in delivering the sūtra is to protect the Buddha’s four communities and other human beings from the threatening influence of the kings’ own pantheon of capricious, nonhuman servants, known collectively as grahas or bhūtas. Each of the Four Great Kings holds spiritual sovereignty over a cardinal direction and the classes of supernatural beings who reside in them. According to the cosmology presented in the text, the great king Kubera, also called Vaiśravaṇa, dwells in the north, where he presides over primarily yakṣas, but also a host of other supernatural beings including nakṣatras, unmādas, apasmāras, kinnaras, and skandas. The great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra dwells in the east, where he reigns over gandharvas as well as rākṣasas, piśācas, and marutas. The great king Virūḍhaka rules in the south, where his entourage consists mostly of kumbhāṇḍas but also includes pretas and pūtanas. Finally, the great king Virūpākṣa reigns in the west, where his entourage is made up of nāgas as well as garuḍas and guhyakas.
The sūtra promises protection specifically for the Buddha’s “four communities”—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—against a range of illnesses and obstacles originating from the animosity and ill will of these hosts of supernatural beings. In this text, these beings are said to reside in the vicinity of remote wilderness retreats, where they can feed off the vitality, flesh, and blood of members of the Buddhist spiritual community engaged in spiritual practice there. The negative impact of these supernatural beings is framed in terms of their intrusion upon the human body in the form of illness, danger, and misfortune. Concordantly, the text claims to work precisely by means of “repelling” harmful entities from the bodies of patients, “drawing a boundary” around them, and thereby restoring health and well-being. It is through “receiving, holding, reciting, mastering, and using” the scripture itself that such healing exorcisms are effected. This can be done by patients themselves or by other members of the community on their behalf.
The narrative introduction (nidāna; gleng gzhi) traditionally found at the very beginning of a sūtra is here preceded by a series of supplications to the buddhas of the past, prominent monks in the Buddha’s entourage, and the Four Great Kings. This is followed by an entreaty to malevolent and benevolent supernatural beings and an initial incantation formula. This material, which was likely appended to the sūtra by a later compiler, has the effect of transforming the core scripture into a liturgy to be recited in a ritual setting. One such ritual framework is found at the end of the sūtra, following the traditional formula for ending a scripture. This concise ritual instruction was also likely added by a later compiler in order to provide practical instructions for using the sūtra as part of a healing or protective rite.
The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove was translated into Tibetan under Tibetan imperial patronage sometime during the first half of the ninth century by a team that included the translator-editor Bandé Yeshé Dé (ca. eighth–ninth centuries) and the Indian scholars Śīlendrabodhi, Jñānasiddhi, and Śākyaprabha. The translation was edited several centuries later by Gö Lotsāwa Shönu Pal (’gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal, 1392–1481), who based his work on a Sanskrit manuscript that had been in the possession of Chak Lotsāwa Chöjé Pal (chag lo tsA ba chos rje dpal, 1197–1263/64). The Stok Palace Kangyur contains yet another recension of Yeshé Dé’s translation in which the mantras were revised by Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290–1364) based on two Sanskrit manuscripts from India.13
There are no extant Sanskrit versions of The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, nor are there any known Chinese translations of the sūtra. This English translation is based solely on Tibetan sources, with the Degé version taken as the primary witness. The Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Degé Kangyur was also consulted, as was the version of the translation recorded in the Stok Palace Kangyur. Additionally, this translation draws upon an early version of the Tibetan translation preserved in the Dunhuang manuscript collection (IOL Tib J 397). This version is generally consistent with the canonical versions, but it does contain variants that clarify some readings. The incantation formulas have been preserved as given in the Degé text, with no attempt made to edit them based on versions of the mantras found in other canonical sources. Some minor orthographic emendations have been made without notation.
[F.138.b]Homage to the Three Jewels.
This Great Sūtra of Cool Grove, the great protection of the Four Great Kings, covers all four communities.
All you yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, nāgas, garuḍas, guhyakas, bhūtas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, piśācas, asuras, marutas, skandas, mischief makers,15 unmādas, kinnaras, upward movers, wandering beings, covetous ones, evildoers, stealers of vitality, and apasmāras; all intense fevers, one-day fevers, two-day fevers, three-day fevers, and four-day fevers; all humans and nonhumans who are hostile, search for weakness, have malicious intent, and perpetrate violence; all who do not like the teaching of the blessed Buddha, wish to harm it, do not want to benefit it, do not wish it well, and do not want it to succeed or be secure; all who do not like the four communities,[F.140.a] wish to harm them, do not want to benefit them, do not wish them well, and do not want them to succeed or be secure; all who do not like the person with such-and-such a name,16 want to harm them, do not want to benefit them, and do not want them to be well, succeed, or be secure—having heard this Great Sūtra of Cool Grove, depart. May you be scared. May you be frightened. May you be terrified. Do not remain here. May the heads of the evil and malicious split into seven pieces.
All you yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, nāgas, garuḍas, guhyakas, bhūtas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, piśācas, asuras, marutas, skandas, mischief makers, unmādas, kinnaras, upward movers, wandering beings, covetous ones, evildoers, stealers of vitality, and apasmāras; all intense fevers, one-day fevers, two-day fevers, three-day fevers, and four-day fevers; all humans and nonhumans who are not hostile, do not search for weakness, do not have malicious intent, and do not perpetrate violence; all who like the teaching of the blessed Buddha, want to benefit and assist it, wish it well, and want it to be successful and secure; all who like the person with such-and-such a name, want to benefit and assist them, wish them well, and want them to be successful and secure—having heard this Great Sūtra of Cool Grove, remain here. Do not be scared. Do not be frightened. Do not be terrified. Be nothing but fearless. For the benefit, assistance, happiness, and security of the person with such-and-such a name, I will teach and explain this Great Sūtra of Cool Grove.[F.140.b] The Great Sūtra of Cool Grove that protects oneself is as follows:
Syād yathedam khaṭe khaṭe khattyasi palakavaṭe rogabhadrigaṇe hili hili dumate gṛttati ajaṭi kathari masārakalpe samantena caturdiśi yojanaśata ātmarakṣa anatikramaṇi sarvaviheṭhakebhyaḥ namo bhagavate buddhasya siddhyantu mantrapadā daraduvidyā brahmaṇo manadu svāhā
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagṛha at the horrific and hair-raising great charnel ground Cool Grove, together with a large monastic assembly of 1,250 monks. The Four Great Kings—Kubera, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūpākṣa, and Virūḍhaka—with their sons, ministers, entourages, retainers, messengers, and servants, appeared at midnight in their majestic glory, arriving in the great charnel ground of Cool Grove with a single intent. Through their natural radiance and power they flooded the place with bright light. They then approached the Blessed One, bowed their heads to his feet, and circumambulated him three times. Then, with palms joined they prostrated only to him and stood to one side. Thus standing to one side, the Four Great Kings praised the Blessed One in verse:
The Four Great Kings then praised the Blessed One with this verse a second and third time:
The Four Great Kings then said to the Blessed One,[F.141.a] “Venerable Blessed One, does this place agree with you? Do you have sustenance? Venerable Blessed One, are you healthy? Are you free of illness? Are you without discomfort? Does nothing harm the Blessed One’s body?
“Are there no yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, nāgas, garuḍas, guhyakas, bhūtas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, piśācas, asuras, marutas, skandas, mischief makers, unmādas, kinnaras, upward movers, wandering beings, covetous ones, evildoers, stealers of vitality, or apasmāras, intense fevers, one-day fevers, two-day fevers, three-day fevers, or four-day fevers, or humans or nonhumans who hate the Blessed One, search for weakness, have malicious intent, are harmful toward him, or even have the intention of being harmful?”
The Blessed One responded to the Four Great Kings, “I have everything, Great Kings. The place agrees with me, I have sustenance, my health is good, I am free of illness, and I am without discomfort. Great Kings, there is no one harming my body.
“Great Kings, I have not seen anyone at all in the world, including gods, māras, and Brahmā; anyone among humans, including mendicants and brahmins; or anyone else among gods and humans who intends to harm the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha. Great Kings, it is rather your communities that intend to harm my community.”
The Four Great Kings said to the Blessed One,[F.141.b] “Venerable Blessed One, we have been informed of this, thus we have come before the Blessed One to honor you, pay homage, pay respect, and petition the Blessed One in person. Why? Venerable Blessed One, at remote wilderness retreats there are extremely malicious yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, nāgas, garuḍas, guhyakas, bhūtas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, piśācas, asuras, marutas, skandas, mischief makers, unmādas, kinnaras, upward movers, wandering beings, covetous ones, evildoers, stealers of vitality, and apasmāras, intense fevers, one-day fevers, two-day fevers, three-day fevers, and four-day fevers, and humans and nonhumans who are hateful, search for weakness, have malicious intent, and perpetrate violence. The śrāvakas of the venerable Blessed One also dwell at those places, exerting themselves in practice without resting at dawn or dusk. Venerable Blessed One, from the yakṣas and rākṣasas up to those perpetrating violence, there are very few with trust in the Blessed One’s teaching, and there are a great many who lack trust in the Blessed One’s teaching and intend to harm the śrāvakas of the Blessed One who stay in these places, exerting themselves in practice without resting at dawn or dusk. In order to stop them, so that the pernicious yakṣas without trust can gain trust, so that those with trust can increase their trust, and so that the four communities can have well-being,[F.142.a] dwell at ease, and meditate well without exception, was ask you to expound The Great Sūtra of Cool Grove.
Syād yathedam vakahumule haśiṇa śaśiṇa vanamuhale samuhāle uduhāle samahāle praśamamī rākṣasa amanuṣyā vāremi yakṣaṇi vārāmi pretamabhithai dumanuṣyā masapata hadhamuranan sutiṣyati
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm, Toh 558 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016).
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Queen of Incantations: The Great Peahen, Toh 559 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023).
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Great Amulet, Toh 561 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023).
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., Great Upholder of the Secret Mantra (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016).
Hidas 2012, p. 24, note 16. Likewise, Great Upholder of the Secret Mantra (Mahāmantrānusāriṇīsūtra, Toh 563) was replaced in later collections with the similarly titled yet distinct Great Goddess Aligned with Mantra (Ahāmantrānusāriṇī). See Skilling 1992 for a brief discussion of the differences between the Mahāśītavanīsūtra and the Mahāśītavatī dhāraṇī. A text that closely parallels the dhāraṇī now widely known as Mahāśītavatī was translated into Tibetan under the title Mahādaṇḍadhāraṇī (’phags pa be con chen po zhes bya ba’i gzungs, Toh 606).
This colophon to the Stok Palace seems to omit the full colophon ascribing the translation to Śīlendrabodhi, Jñānasiddhi, Śākyaprabha, and Yeshé Dé. Instead, it states only that Butön revised the mantras: “The great lotsāwa Butön revised the mantras in consultation with two manuscripts from Magadha” (sngags rnams yul dbus kyi rgya dpe gnyis dang bstun nas/ bu ston lo ts+tsha dag par bcos so).
Tib. spyangs pa. This is understood as a translation of dhuta, and therefore as a contraction of dhutaguṇa (Tib. spyangs pa’i yon tan), the set of ascetic Buddhist practices for which Kāśyapa was specifically renowned.
Tib. ming ’di zhes bya ba. This term indicates that the officiant of the rite described below should here insert the name of the client on whose behalf the rite is being performed.
Like many Indic deities, Kubera/Vaiśravaṇa has a specific mount on which he rides. In his case, it is a human man.
This translation follows C, H, J, N, and S in reading mchi (“arrive”). Degé reads ’chi (“die”).
Tib. slo ma rna la rab tu ’phyang. It is unclear what śūrpa or śūrpaka (slo ma) refers to. It can refer to type of basket used to winnow grain or to a type of nonhuman being. It is possible that the Tibetan locative particle is incorrect and that the Sanskrit equivalent of slo ma rna should have been interpreted as śūrpakarṇa (“basket-like ears”). This term is used to refer to the shape of ears and is often used as an epithet of the elephant-headed god Gaṇeśa.
Here we follow IOL Tib J 397 in reading kum bhī ra. This name is further suggested by the readings ku bhi ra attested in K, Y, N, and S. Degé reads ku be ra.
This list of eight mātṛkās appears to be unique to this text. In absence of a Sanskrit witness it is difficult to identify this set of deities with certainty.
Tib. de bzhin. The Tibetan term is understood here to indicate the full range of fevers—from intense to four-day—listed previously in this text.
Tib. rin chen snying po. This plausibly translates the Skt. term ratnagarbha, which often refers to the sea, which was believed to contain innumerable jewels. Thus, this line could be interpreted to say, “You are powerful like the sea.”
This translation follows IOL Tib J 397, K, Y, N, and S in reading rigs sngags kyi rgyal po chen po. Degé reads rigs sngags kyi rgyal mo chen mo (“the great queen of vidyā-mantras”).
This translation follows IOL Tib J 397, N, and S in reading rigs sngags kyi rgyal po chen po. Degé reads rigs sngags kyi rgyal mo chen mo (“the great queen of vidyā-mantras”). IOL Tib J 397 omits chen po.
This translation follows C, J, K, Y, N, and S in reading rigs sngags kyi rgyal po chen po. Degé reads rigs sngags kyi rgyal mo chen mo (“the great queen of vidyā-mantras”). The corresponding folio from IOL Tib J 397 has been lost.
This translation follows IOL Tib J 397 in reading rigs sngags kyi rgyal po. Degé reads rigs sngags kyi rgyal mo (“the queen of vidyā-mantras”).
This translation follows IOL Tib J 397 in reading rigs sngags kyi rgyal po chen po. Degé reads rigs sngags kyi rgyal mo chen mo (“the great queen of vidyā-mantras”).
As above, the Tibetan phrase ming ’di zhes bya ba indicates that the ritual officiant should insert the name of their client here.
There is a slight difference in phrasing between this passage and the parallel passage at the beginning of the sūtra. There, the Four Great Kings are said to arrive “at midnight” (nam phyed na). Here they are said to arrive at dusk (nam sros na).
A city of yakṣas located on Mount Sumeru and ruled by Kubera.
A nāga king.
The name of a mātṛkā in Great Cool Grove.
The name of a mātṛkā in Great Cool Grove.
A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).
Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.
A class of nonhuman beings believed to cause epilepsy, fits, and loss of memory. As their name suggests—the Skt. apasmāra literally means “without memory” and the Tib. brjed byed means “causing forgetfulness”—they are defined by the condition they cause in affected humans, and the term can refer to any nonhuman being that causes such conditions, whether a bhūta, a piśāca, or other.
A previous buddha.
A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).
The name of a yakṣa.
A previous buddha.
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.
The name of a rākṣasī.
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
The name of a yakṣa.
The name of a yakṣa.
The name of a rākṣasī.
A famous cremation ground near Bodh Gayā.
A class of nonhuman beings associated with misfortune and disease.
The name of a yakṣa.
One of the Four Great Kings, he presides over the east and rules over the gandharvas.
An optional set of practices that monastics can adopt in order to cultivate greater detachment. The list of practices varies in different sources. Common is a set of thirteen practices, which consist of (1) wearing patched robes made from discarded cloth rather than from cloth donated by laypeople, (2) wearing only three robes, (3) going for alms, (4) not omitting any house while on the alms round, rather than begging only at those houses known to provide good food, (5) eating only what can be eaten in one sitting, (6) eating only food received in the alms bowl, rather than more elaborate meals presented to the saṅgha, (7) refusing more food after indicating one has eaten enough, (8) dwelling in the forest, (9) dwelling at the root of a tree, (10) dwelling in the open air using only a tent made from one’s robes as shelter, (11) dwelling in a charnel ground, (12) being satisfied with whatever dwelling one has; and (13) sleeping in a sitting position, without ever lying down.
One of the most renowned of former buddhas.
The name of a rākṣasī.
The name of a yakṣa.
The name of a mātṛkā in Great Cool Grove.
The name of a yakṣa.
The communities of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen that make up the Buddhist spiritual community.
A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.
Family name of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
The name of a yakṣa.
The term graha refers to a class of nonhuman beings who “seize,” possess, or otherwise adversely influence other beings by causing a range of physical and mental afflictions, as well as various kinds of misfortune. The term can also be applied generically to other classes of supernatural beings who have the capacity to adversely affect health and well-being.
Another term for a yakṣa, often used to describe them as subjects of Kubera.
A yakṣiṇī with hundreds of children that the Buddha converted into a protector of children. In other texts she is considered a rākṣasī.
The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.
The name of a nāga or yakṣa.
One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.
The capital city of the Śākya kingdom, where the Buddha had grown up as Prince Siddhārtha.
A senior disciple of the Buddha Śākyamuni, famous for his austere lifestyle. He became the Buddha’s successor on his passing.
One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.
One of the ten principal pupils of the Buddha, he was foremost in explaining the Dharma.
Counted among the five wandering mendicants (parivrājaka) who initially ridiculed the Buddha’s austerities but later, after the Buddha’s awakening, became some of his first disciples and received his first discourse at Deer Park.
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.
A class of nonhuman being, often female, who are ritually summoned to perform injurious acts against the target of the rite.
A previous buddha.
One of the Four Great Kings, he presides over the north and rules over the yakṣas. He is also known as Vaiśravaṇa.
A class of dwarf beings subordinate to Virūḍhaka, one of the Four Great Kings, associated with the southern direction. The name uses a play on the word aṇḍa, which means “egg” but is also a euphemism for a testicle. Thus, they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from kumbha, or “pot”).
The name of a mātṛkā in Great Cool Grove.
bsil ba’i tshal gyi mdo chen po (Mahāśītavanīsūtra). Toh 562, Degé Kangyur vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pha), folios 138.b–150.b.
bsil ba’i tshal gyi mdo chen po. 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. 90, pp. 421–56.
bsil ba’i tshal gyi mdo chen po. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 103 (rgyud, na), folios 546.a–561.a.
IOL Tib J 397. British Library, London. Accessed through The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online.
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.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Queen of Incantations: The Great Peahen (Toh 559). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023.
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C Choné Kangyur
H Lhasa (Zhol) Kangyur
J Lithang Kangyur
K Peking Kangxi Kangyur
N Narthang Kangyur
S Stok Palace Kangyur
Y Peking Yongle Kangyur
