The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising contains instructions for the visualization and ritual propitiation of the goddess Mārīcī. The text covers rites for protecting oneself from perilous situations, rites for increasing wealth and intelligence, elaborate battlefield magic rites, and rites for protecting livestock from predators.
This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The text was translated, checked against the Sanskrit and Tibetan, and edited by Adam C. Krug.
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. Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The opening line of The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising1 identifies the text as a ritual manual to the work that immediately precedes it in the Degé Kangyur, The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī (Toh 564). But while the opening section of this tantra does contain a recitation practice for The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī, the majority of the text focuses on ritual instructions for additional practices associated with the goddess Mārīcī. The full title, The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, indicates that these ritual instructions were compiled from a larger work known as The Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, which the text’s colophon notes was taught by the Buddha Vairocana.
After providing an initial set of instructions for the practice of reciting The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī, The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising presents a variety of instructions for performing ritual actions characteristic of Buddhist Kriyātantra literature. These include guidelines for preparing the ritual space or maṇḍala, creating and installing an image of Mārīcī, and creating an effigy of the target of the rite, as well as methods for depicting Mārīcī’s mantra or mantra wheel and instructions for invoking, visualizing, and propitiating Mārīcī with bali and fire offerings.
The first set of such rituals concerns rites to protect oneself from perilous situations, to be free of illness, to increase one’s wealth, and to increase one’s intelligence. The second set begins with rites that one can perform to both protect oneself and harm one’s enemies. Here we find rituals for infecting others with diseases, killing a specified target, expelling them from an area, and sowing discord. The text then moves on to detailed instructions for the performance of battlefield rites to paralyze, enchant, or otherwise render ineffective an enemy army. The rituals in the last section of the text concern protecting cattle and other livestock from predators, and they combine a rite to the deity Agni with a Mārīcī visualization and fire offering.
Tarthang Tulku’s catalog of the Nyingma edition of the Degé Kangyur divides The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising into two chapters.2 However, the text itself tells us that its material is extracted from a much larger work, and it is likely the case that the two chapter colophons that do appear in this text are not indicative of the structure of The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising itself but are instead artifacts from its source text. The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising and its companion text, The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī (Toh 566) both indicate that they are compilations of ritual instructions from larger tantra dedicated to the goddess Mārīcī. The title of the current text refers to this work as The Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, and the title for The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī (Toh 566) refers to it as The Twelve-Thousand Line Tantra of Mārīcī’s Arising. The opening section of The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī also refers to its source text as Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, which indicates that these two ritual manuals may derive, at least in part, from the same longer tantra dedicated to the goddess Mārīcī.
Unlike The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī, neither The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising nor The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī contains a translators’ colophon, and neither work appears in either of the royal Tibetan catalogs of translated works. As a result, it is difficult to say with any real precision when these texts were first translated into Tibetan.3 However, as Lancaster notes, Tian Xizai’s tenth-century translation of the Mārīcīdhāraṇīsūtra (Taishō 1257) contains a translation of The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī as well as both ritual manuals in the cycle on the goddess Mārīcī preserved in the Degé Kangyur.4 It thus seems possible that all three of the works dedicated to Mārīcī in the Tibetan Kangyurs—The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī, The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, and The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī—belong to the same later textual tradition of the goddess Mārīcī that was translated into Chinese in the tenth-century.5 As noted in this English translation, however, the version of The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī described in the opening section of The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising appears to be a slightly different version than the translation preserved in the Kangyur as a standalone text (Toh 564).6
While a relatively large number of Sanskrit witnesses of The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī have survived,7 there is to our knowledge only one surviving manuscript witness of The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising. This witness is preserved in an unpublished manuscript from Nepal that contains Sanskrit versions of all three works in the cycle of texts in the Degé Kangyur on the goddess Mārīcī. The fact that this witness contains all three texts in the exact order in which they appear in the Degé Kangyur suggests it is related to the textual tradition from which the translations of Toh 564, 565, and 566 were produced. The Sanskrit manuscript unfortunately cuts off at the material corresponding to the middle of The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī (Toh 566).8 The fragment of scribal colophon that survives notes that the text was copied by one Vajrācārya Ravṛndrabhadra (perhaps a misspelling of Ravīndrabhadra), but it does not indicate when or where the text was copied.9 The Sanskrit manuscript comes from the private collection of Manavajra Vajrācārya and was microfilmed and cataloged by both the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project (NGMPP)10 and the International Association for the Study of World Religions (IASWR).11 The readings in this Sanskrit witness reflect a relatively close relationship to these texts as they are received in the Tibetan Kangyur recensions, and it has proved a valuable resource for this translation.
This English translation is based on the Tibetan translation from the Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum) section in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Tibetan translation in the Stok Palace Kangyur and the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Kangyur. The Tibetan was also checked against the Sanskrit manuscript witness cataloged in the NGMCP microfilm collection under the title Mārīcīkalpa (NGMCP E 1480/9) and the IASWR microfilm collection under the title Mārīcīkalpatantra (MBB II 112). All instances in which the English translation deviates from the reading in the Degé Kangyur in favor of a reading in the Sanskrit witness or another Tibetan witness are noted in the translation.
[F.158.b]Homage to the Three Jewels.
This is the ritual manual of The Dhāraṇī of the Goddess Mārīcī that was received by Vairocana’s great king.12 Visualize Mārīcī on a sun and moon disk. Imagine a needle and thread emerge before her out of her rays and sew shut the mouths and eyes of wicked beings. Set up a boundary to any external observation and imagine, while reciting the “was dwelling in Śrāvastī” line, that the goddess Mārīcī emerges in her complete form from the light of the sun and moon.13 Continue, saying, “ ‘There is a certain goddess named Mārīcī,’ the Victor said, ‘who arrives just before the sun and moon, but even the many hordes of gods cannot see her.’ ” Then, continue to where it says, “ ‘may I, too, not be seen,’ ” and so forth. Those are the three sets of nine.14 The mantra verse is recited as follows: oṃ padākramasi15 parākramasi udayamasi pudamasi nairamasi antardhānamasi.
One can add a specific name to the section that reads, “Goddess Mārīcī, protect me on the path. Protect me from the wrong path. Protect me from perils involving kings, fire, enemies, and lions. Always bring me profit and success. namo ratnatrayāya oṃ ālo kālo tālo sacchalo saṁmurti rakṣa rakṣa māṃ sarvabhayeṣu svāhā. Homage to she who possesses the Three Jewels.16 oṃ varāli vatāli vattāli varāli varāhamukhi17[F.159.a] sarvaduṣṭānām mukhaṃ bandha bandha,” and that person will always be well protected.
The forty-four-syllable invocation is the names of the three oceans, the heart mantra with the syllable oṃ, and the twenty-two and the six-syllable mantras.18 It offers protection from all manner of perils.
If one bears this heart mantra in mind, one will have a keen intellect. When this mantra is recited along with the introductory verses, she grants boons such as increasing one’s wealth, stores of grain, and attendants.
To that end, someone who wants to perform the sādhana should draw her image on a canvas or wooden board. Draw Aśokamārīcī seated on a lotus at the base of an aśoka tree adorned with all her ornaments. She is yellow and wears a blue upper garment and shawl.19 Her head is crowned with a caitya, she is youthful, and her eyes look to the left. Following the aforementioned ritual procedure, gaze at the painting in front of you while reciting the heart mantra of the supreme sādhana, oṃ mārīcyai svāhā, one thousand times. This supreme heart mantra will certainly grant the highest siddhi, eliminate all fevers, and eliminate all illnesses.
Reciting the mantra along with a fire offering causes Mārīcī to increase one’s wealth. A fire offering of yogurt and dūrvā grass eliminates illness. A fire offering of honey and ghee enthralls kings. A fire offering of yogurt, rice, and molasses allows one to acquire a yakṣiṇī. One thousand fire offerings of mustard oil and leafy neem branches eliminates fever and illnesses. One should perform one thousand fire offerings using one’s own blood, a bone, poison,20 and black mustard, and the enemy will die. Perform the fire offering with milk, and it will be pacified.
If one recites the mantra continually, it neutralizes poison and easily subdues ḍākinīs. If one recites it one hundred and eight times each day one will develop a keen intellect.
Mārīcī’s heart mantra is oṃ varāli vadāli vattāli varāhamukhi21 sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha mukhaṃ svāhā.[F.159.b]
Blessed Mārīcī’s six-syllable secret heart mantra is oṃ mārīcyai svāhā.
This is the hand mudrā for the heart mantra: Hold the hands parallel with the palms either together or open. Draw the thumbs in slightly and make a circular shape with the two middle fingers touching each other. Sit with the legs crossed and rest the hands at the navel.22
When one recites Blessed Mārīcī’s name eight times23 one will be protected, given refuge, and defended.
tadyathā arkamasi markamasi urmamasi varamasi cīvaramasi mahācīvaramasi antardhānamasi24 namo ratnatrayāya tadyathā oṃ vadāli varāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ mukhaṃ bandha bandha svāhā
This ritual manual comes from the Vidyādhara Basket.25
Another application of her mantra is as follows: Visualize a golden boar, and visualize Mārīcī mounted on it wearing a white skirt. Her head is crowned with a caitya, and her left hand holds a blooming aśoka branch. When confronted with any of the great perils, one should visualize oneself surrounded by a pack of boars. One should hold the hem of the upper garment at one’s heart and chant the mantra seven times while making seven knots, and one will not be overcome by robbers and the like. Afterward, the knots should be untied.
This concludes “The Ritual Manual of Blessed Mārīcī.”26
One should imagine the syllable laṃ on the moon disk at one’s heart.27 One should recite it mentally and meditate on the fact that[F.160.a] all phenomena are devoid of identity. Then one should imagine oneself in space in the form of Vairocana seated on a teakwood throne in the center of a lotus with legs crossed in the vajra posture. He has a golden complexion and bears the hand mudrā of supreme awakening. He has attained meditative concentration, wears a crown of matted locks, and is peaceful. Perform the mental recitation with the syllable māṃ.
Mārīcī appears on a moon disk before you out of Vairocana’s light rays. While reciting the mantra oṃ mārīcyai svāhā, imagine that she is before you holding a golden needle and thread with which she sews shut the eyes and mouths of wicked beings. Recite the vidyā of the root mantra once over a protection cord with twenty-one threads spun by a young girl. Then recite the following mantra one hundred and eight times:
namo ratnatrayāya mārīcyai devatāyai28 hṛdayāvartayeṣu tadyathā oṃ vati tili pattali pattilivarāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ cakṣurmukhaṃ bandhāmi29 svāhā
To protect oneself, make seven knots in the protection cord while reciting the following mantra:
namo ratnatrayāya mārīcyai devatāyai30 tadyathā oṃ vattāli vatāli varāli varāhamukhi31 sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ granthibandhāmi svāhā
To do this for an associate, make a single knot while bearing their name in mind. A traveler should tie the cord to his waist and recite Mārīcī’s vidyā along with the introductory verses, and she will travel in front of him. If he does that, he will protect himself.
Make a moon disk at night and a sun disk during the day in one’s location according to the previous instructions.32 Then recite the following vidyā seven times just as it was taught:
namaḥ sarvabuddhabodhisatvebhyaḥ tadyathā oṃ ālo kālo tālo sacchalo saṃpamūrti33 rakṣa rakṣa māṃ sarvabhayeṣu svāhā
That is the vidyā called[F.160.b] she who possesses the Three Jewels.
This has been confirmed as a supreme heart mantra of Blessed Mārīcī:
tadyathā oṃ mārīcyai vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi34 sarvaduṣṭpraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha mukhaṃ svāhā
tadyathā oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha mukhaṃ svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai svāhā
This has been confirmed as a supreme heart mantra of Blessed Mārīcī:
oṃ mārīcyai padākramasi35 parākramasi uttayamasi nairamasi arkamasi markamasi urmamasi bandhamasi gulmamasi cīvaramasi36 mahācīvaramasi antardhānamasi namo ratnatrayāya tadyathā oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhāmukhi37 sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha mukhaṃ svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai svāhā
He should perform the recitation with the mantras:
oṃ mārīcyai padākramasi38 parākramasi uttayamasi nairamasi arkamasi markamasi urmamasi bandhamasi gulmamasi cīvaramasi39 mahācīvaramasi40 antardhānamasi namo ratnatrayāya tadyathā oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha svāhā
oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ cakṣurmukhaṃ bandhāmi41 svāhā
And:
oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi42 sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ granthiṃ bandhāmi43 svāhā
Any of the following mantras may be recited to protect oneself:44
oṃ arkamasi svāhā
oṃ markamasi svāhā
oṃ antardhānamasi svāhā
oṃ tejomasi svāhā
oṃ uttayamasi svāhā
oṃ gulmamasi svāhā
oṃ vanāmasi svāhā
oṃ cīvaramasi45 svāhā
oṃ vatākramasi svāhā
oṃ varākramasi svāhā
oṃ urmamasi svāhā
There are other rites as well. The supreme mantra oṃ mārīcyai svāhā can be used for rites of pacifying, increasing, enthralling, subjugating,[F.161.a] and attracting. To use it for oneself, imagine the heart mantra at the heart with the syllables tri and oṃ added to it. Imagine the target standing in a whirling firebrand and perform the attracting rite with the hook and noose mudrās.46 This will attract a divine woman who is within one hundred leagues.
Another application is as follows: Perform the following rite at sunrise. Recite the Kumārī mantra one hundred times and install her in a maṇḍala made with cow dung. Smear her body with white flowers and sandalwood,47 wash her thoroughly, dress her in a white robe, and perform an incense offering with bdellium. Smear the thumbs with red lac and black oil48 and recite the mantra one hundred and eight times, and this will show that one has been consecrated.49 Then invoke all the gods and the like with this king of mantras:
oṃ ciri ciri mu svāhā
Recite the mantra oṃ māḥ50 aloud one hundred and eight times to incant the lamp, present it to Kumārī, and, just as before, they will see you.51 Listen for an auspicious or inauspicious sign from the entire horde of mātṛs while reciting the mantra oṃ vatāli yaṃ muḥ ten thousand times, and it will be revealed.
If one wants an enemy to contract a fever, mix ground human bone, ashes from a charnel ground, and the soil of both banks of a river with soil from a footprint and make an effigy. Write the augmented mantra with poison, copper, black mustard, and gold mixed with milk on cloth from a charnel ground. Perform one hundred and eight recitations of the following mantra:
oṃ mārīcyai, infect [insert name] with fever—infect them! hūṁ phaṭ svāhā
If the cloth is hidden in the enemy’s house, they will contract a fever.
One can also write the enemy’s name on a skull with the aforementioned substances, place four a syllables inside it, and place it in a fire surrounded by the syllable māṃ. Then the wrathful one should heat it in a fire kindled with teakwood.52 Remove the skull53 and hide it in the enemy’s house, and they will immediately contract a fever. It can also be hidden in a charnel ground.
If one wants to kill an enemy,[F.161.b] one should write their name on a skull in the middle of the two syllables hūṁ and phaṭ with ink made of poison, salt, black mustard, and blood using a pen made of human bone, and they will be killed. One should surround it with the mantra oṃ mārīcyai hūṁ, kill [insert name], hūṁ. One should recite the mantra one thousand and eight times, and the target will die. If the mantra is written in a charnel ground, the target will die within three days.
If one wants to expel someone, one should hold a crow’s wing while reciting one thousand and eight times the mantra oṃ mārīcyai cala cala pracala pracala śīghraṃgamini, expel [insert name], hūṁ phaṭ. One should carefully hide it in the enemy’s house and visualize the target mounted on a camel, and they will be expelled immediately.
If one wants to sow discord, one should make sure that each effigy is made to look like the target using ash from a charnel ground, the soil of both banks of a river, and soil from a footprint and placed back-to-back.54 One should tie them with hair from the heads of a buffalo and a horse and smear their bodies with poison, black mustard, and salt. Then one should write the targets’ names, augmented with the syllable hūṁ, in the middle of four phaṭ syllables with buffalo and horse blood on a piece of cloth from a charnel ground, and one should surround this with the syllable māṃ. One should place the effigies in the center and recite the mantra while visualizing the two of them mounted on a buffalo and a horse as if they were fighting, and it will sow discord.
One should bury an effigy55 of Hara with Durgā in a hole in a charnel ground while reciting the mantra oṃ mārīcyai, sow discord between [insert name] and [insert name], hūṁ svāhā.
Another application is as follows: The images should be made on a buffalo’s horn and a horse’s bone, and the names should be written at the heart centers with buffalo and horse blood mixed with feces and white dūrvā grass seeds. Then, this should be thrown into a fire kindled with teakwood while reciting the mantra, and it will immediately sow discord. One can also hide them in the enemy’s house, and it will sow discord.
Now I will explain the instruction from The Great Tantra of Mārīcī’s Arising,56 which teaches the verses that should be recited to paralyze an enemy’s army. If trying to disrupt a king’s forces wherever they may be and bring an adversary’s kingdom to ruin, this rite should be performed and offering made right after the king arrives.[F.162.a] The ācārya should request permission from the king’s counselor and then enter meditative concentration with a benevolent attitude and love toward all beings. He should have a competent assistant provide him with all the necessary ritual implements and assist with the rite. He should set up the painting of Blessed Mārīcī, anoint the maṇḍala with white sandalwood, scatter white flowers on it, and present incense, perfume, flower garlands, and a bali offering. Then he should make offerings of yogurt, honey, and molasses while reciting the following mantra seven times:
oṃ mārīcyai arghaṃ57 pratīccha svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai gandha pratīccha svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai puṣpe pratīccha svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai dhūpe pratīccha svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai dīpaṃ pratīccha svāhā
He should perform the offering to Blessed Mārīcī and then recite the dedication. When she has been pleased, he should see himself in the form of Blessed Mārīcī and recite the mantra thirty thousand times with pride.58 That is the preliminary worshiping rite, and it will reveal any inauspicious sign.
After that, he should perform the fire offering. Following the aforementioned ritual instructions, he should light fire pits for all the ritual actions59 using butea, bodhi tree, and uḍumbara branches, and he should offer one thousand and eight individual pieces of dūrvā grass that have been dipped in yogurt, milk, and ghee. Then he can perform all the ritual actions.
The paralyzing mantra is oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi60 sarvaripusyaibhyaṃ staṃbhaya61 svāhā. This mantra can be used for any paralyzing ritual. The recitation and fire offering should be performed using this mantra.
After that, he should add the names of the king and royal priest who are the target of the mantra and write them on a piece of birch bark or cloth using red saffron or bovine bezoar. He should encircle it with the syllable māṃ, surround that with the four syllables oṃ, māṃ, vāṃ, and māṃ, and draw the mantra wheel surrounded on the outside by the letter va. If he touches the troops with this on the crown or throat, they will be protected in everything they do. When they go to battle, no weapon will pierce[F.162.b] their bodies, and they will win the battle.
Then the vajrācārya should mount the lead elephant or the lead chariot, face the battlefield, and hoist a yellow victory banner over an unfurled painting of Blessed Mārīcī. He should wear a lower robe of yellow cloth and a yellow turban, hold the ritual implements, vajra, and bell, and, with confidence, visualize himself as Mārīcī atop a chariot drawn by wild boar as before while reciting the following mantra:
oṃ mārīcyai vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi62 sarvaduṣṭaripusyaibhyaṃ staṃbhaya63 hūṃ phaṭ svāhā
He should recite this while visualizing the target surrounded by wild boar, and it will bring immediate victory over the enemy army.
This mantra wheel should be drawn with a liquid made of yellow arsenic or turmeric on a piece of cloth from the corpse of a person who was slain in battle or on a piece of cloth from a charnel ground. An effigy of the enemy’s general should be fashioned out of soil from both sides of a riverbank or soil from a mountaintop mixed with ash from a charnel ground and placed in the center of the mantra wheel. The image of a wild boar should be drawn using the same soil mixed with a liquid base of rice and turmeric, and the effigy of the enemy should be placed face down in the boar’s mouth. The boar should be placed inside of a vessel with a lid and left there, situated so that it faces the enemy army. He should perform a bali offering with boiled rice, fish, and raw meat, and he should strike and pierce the ground with an eight-inch teakwood dagger while reciting the mantra. He should recite the mantra one thousand and eight times with the power of vajrakrodha, and the enemy army will be paralyzed.
For another depiction of the mantra wheel, he should surround it with the syllables of the target’s name, and surround that with the syllable ca. He should make a circle between those two with the mantra garland that begins with vattāli, surround that with the syllable māṃ, and surround it again with the four syllables. He should mark the edge of the square boundary with vajras, and it will instantly paralyze and weaken the enemy army—let there be no doubt. This mantra wheel called supreme victory over the enemy army[F.163.a] should be learned from an ācārya’s instructions.
The following is another mantra wheel for performing paralyzing rites, rites to sow discord, and killing rites for protecting one’s close allies and getting rid of people who create obstacles. The wise one should prepare a spot in a charnel ground, carefully unfurl the painting, and make a maṇḍala of cow dung in front of it. The wrathful one should perform an offering using the five prescribed offerings, put on a black robe, wear a black turban, clasp the ritual implements, vajra, and bell, and visualize himself as Mārīcī as before.
He should imagine himself as Mārīcī with three boar faces that have three eyes and bare their fangs. Her tongue strikes fear like a flash of lightning. She shines and radiates a light equal to twelve suns. She wears a sapphire-blue lower robe, a blue jacket, and a multicolored upper garment and shawl. She is adorned with all her ornaments and has eight arms. She holds an arrow, vajra, needle, and hook in her right hands and a bow, noose, aśoka branch, and thread in her left hands. The hair on her head is like a caitya. She stands on a sun disk with her right leg extended. She is wrathful and tramples the target of the rite with her foot.
He should make the effigy out of soil from a riverbank, ground human bone, and ash from a charnel ground. He should write the mantra augmented with the target’s name with ink containing the three spices, poison, blood, salt, black mustard, and datura on a piece of cloth from a corpse, place it in the middle, and add the target’s name to the following mantra:
oṃ mārīcyai vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi64 hūṁ kill [insert name] hūṁ phaṭ svāhā
He should make a pill with dried human flesh and bdellium, mix it with human fat, and perform one thousand and eight fire offerings[F.163.b] into a fire kindled with wood that has been used to burn a corpse. Then he should write65 the name of the king of the opposing army with black mustard oil. If he wants to kill him, he should make a smoke offering with it, and he will die. If he wants him to be paralyzed, he will be paralyzed. Or he can face the battlefield and perform a fire offering and mantra recitation with a mixture of ground human bone and human fat, and the enemy’s forces will instantly be paralyzed.
Another application of the mantra is as follows: If he wants to pacify jackals that are threatening livestock, he should go to the cattle pasture and write the mantra clearly on the arch of the pasture gate. He should place the mantra on top of a white victory banner and write the mantra on two boards, with the names of the eldest bull and the herders added to each respective board with an ink containing white sandalwood, red saffron, and bovine bezoar. Then he should hang the mantra wheel on the bull’s horns and around the herders’ necks. He should make the mantra wheel with the syllables oṃ, māṃ, vāṃ, and māṃ surrounded by the syllable va and then surrounded by the syllable cyai. It should be encircled on the outside with the syllable māṃ. He should wrap a teakwood dagger measuring eight fingers to the gate with five-colored thread and stab the gate with a dagger while reciting the following mantra seven times:
oṃ mārīcyai sarvavighnāṃ utsādhaya hūṁ phaṭ svāhā
That is the dagger mantra for dispelling vighnas.
After that, the wise one should carefully unfurl the painting of Blessed Mārīcī in the middle of the cattle pen so that it is facing east. He should dig a fire-offering pit in front of the painting in the shape of a square measuring one cubit across. He should set out vases for perfumed water on the four sides of the square and fill them with perfumed water and the five grains. They should be anointed with white sandalwood, tied with two strips of white cloth, and ornamented with leafy branches from the following five trees: banyan, bodhi tree, uḍumbara, mango, and giant milkweed. He should incant them with the mantra one hundred and eight times and then plant a teakwood dagger at each of the four sides of the fire pit while reciting the mantra explained above.
After that, he should make a maṇḍala66 with dung[F.164.a] and scatter upon it a bali offering of blood, a garland of red, blue, and white lotuses, and fragrant flowers. He should sprinkle it with perfume and sandalwood water and perform the deity food offering with a morsel that contains yogurt, honey, and molasses. He should decorate it with a row of butter lamps and hang a flower garland on the ornamental canopy. He should write the mantra at the top of a victory banner made of white cloth and plant it in the ground. Then he should make a smoke offering of bdellium.
When the offering to the blessed goddess Mārīcī has been properly performed and she is pleased, he should perform the mantra recitation with the mantra mentioned above while making all the requisite offerings.
In front of the painting, he should dig a square pit for the fire offering that is four cubits across. He should make an altar that is four fingers across, surrounded by vajras, and made to look like a lotus with the stalk attached. He should make the sign of a vajra in the middle of the lotus, make a maṇḍala with cow dung, and scatter flowers on it. Then the mantrin should bathe, purify himself, put on white clothes, wear the proper white turban, hold a vajra and bell, and begin with confidence.67
He should expel the vighnas in front of the fire pit with the mantra and plant teakwood daggers in the four corners on the outside of the fire pit. Then, just as above, he should sit on the east side of the fire pit facing west68 on a pile of kuśa grass while reciting the blessing with the mantra and hand mudrā. He should spread the kuśa grass on the four sides of the fire pit, incant all the implements with the mantra one hundred times, and place them on the right side. He should place a water bowl on the left side and set up a water-offering bowl filled with perfumed water and with flowers in front of it. He should set out the yogurt, molasses, and honey, place a fire in the fire pit that has been produced with a hearth stick, and kindle the fire with banyan, uḍumbara, and butea branches.
Then he should visualize that the syllable oṃ[F.164.b] transforms into a moon disk with the syllable raṃ on it, and that Agni appears out of that. He should invoke Agni with the following Agni invocation mantra:
oṃ ehy ehi mahābhūtadeva dvijaṛṣisattama parigṛhītvā āhuti mahārasmin sannihito bhava
Then he should recite the following Agni mantra:
oṃ agnaye dīvyadīpya āviśa mahāśriye havyakavyavāhanāya69 svāhā
He should imagine Agni seated on the moon disk with a round, white face, four arms, and three blazing eyes. Agni is beautiful and stainless, like the light of the autumn moon.70 He is peaceful and emits a stream of amṛta. He holds a staff, a water jar, and a rosary, and he displays the boon-granting hand mudrā. He should give him the water offering and offer three oblations of the fivefold offering in the aforementioned vessel into the deity’s mouth and sprinkle it again with water.71
The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising contains instructions for the visualization and ritual propitiation of the goddess Mārīcī. The text covers rites for protecting oneself from perilous situations, rites for increasing wealth and intelligence, elaborate battlefield magic rites, and rites for protecting livestock from predators.
This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The text was translated, checked against the Sanskrit and Tibetan, and edited by Adam C. Krug.
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. Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The opening line of The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising1 identifies the text as a ritual manual to the work that immediately precedes it in the Degé Kangyur, The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī (Toh 564). But while the opening section of this tantra does contain a recitation practice for The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī, the majority of the text focuses on ritual instructions for additional practices associated with the goddess Mārīcī. The full title, The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, indicates that these ritual instructions were compiled from a larger work known as The Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, which the text’s colophon notes was taught by the Buddha Vairocana.
After providing an initial set of instructions for the practice of reciting The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī, The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising presents a variety of instructions for performing ritual actions characteristic of Buddhist Kriyātantra literature. These include guidelines for preparing the ritual space or maṇḍala, creating and installing an image of Mārīcī, and creating an effigy of the target of the rite, as well as methods for depicting Mārīcī’s mantra or mantra wheel and instructions for invoking, visualizing, and propitiating Mārīcī with bali and fire offerings.
The first set of such rituals concerns rites to protect oneself from perilous situations, to be free of illness, to increase one’s wealth, and to increase one’s intelligence. The second set begins with rites that one can perform to both protect oneself and harm one’s enemies. Here we find rituals for infecting others with diseases, killing a specified target, expelling them from an area, and sowing discord. The text then moves on to detailed instructions for the performance of battlefield rites to paralyze, enchant, or otherwise render ineffective an enemy army. The rituals in the last section of the text concern protecting cattle and other livestock from predators, and they combine a rite to the deity Agni with a Mārīcī visualization and fire offering.
Tarthang Tulku’s catalog of the Nyingma edition of the Degé Kangyur divides The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising into two chapters.2 However, the text itself tells us that its material is extracted from a much larger work, and it is likely the case that the two chapter colophons that do appear in this text are not indicative of the structure of The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising itself but are instead artifacts from its source text. The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising and its companion text, The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī (Toh 566) both indicate that they are compilations of ritual instructions from larger tantra dedicated to the goddess Mārīcī. The title of the current text refers to this work as The Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, and the title for The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī (Toh 566) refers to it as The Twelve-Thousand Line Tantra of Mārīcī’s Arising. The opening section of The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī also refers to its source text as Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, which indicates that these two ritual manuals may derive, at least in part, from the same longer tantra dedicated to the goddess Mārīcī.
Unlike The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī, neither The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising nor The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī contains a translators’ colophon, and neither work appears in either of the royal Tibetan catalogs of translated works. As a result, it is difficult to say with any real precision when these texts were first translated into Tibetan.3 However, as Lancaster notes, Tian Xizai’s tenth-century translation of the Mārīcīdhāraṇīsūtra (Taishō 1257) contains a translation of The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī as well as both ritual manuals in the cycle on the goddess Mārīcī preserved in the Degé Kangyur.4 It thus seems possible that all three of the works dedicated to Mārīcī in the Tibetan Kangyurs—The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī, The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising, and The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī—belong to the same later textual tradition of the goddess Mārīcī that was translated into Chinese in the tenth-century.5 As noted in this English translation, however, the version of The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī described in the opening section of The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising appears to be a slightly different version than the translation preserved in the Kangyur as a standalone text (Toh 564).6
While a relatively large number of Sanskrit witnesses of The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī have survived,7 there is to our knowledge only one surviving manuscript witness of The King of Ritual Manuals from the Tantra of Māyā Mārīcī’s Arising. This witness is preserved in an unpublished manuscript from Nepal that contains Sanskrit versions of all three works in the cycle of texts in the Degé Kangyur on the goddess Mārīcī. The fact that this witness contains all three texts in the exact order in which they appear in the Degé Kangyur suggests it is related to the textual tradition from which the translations of Toh 564, 565, and 566 were produced. The Sanskrit manuscript unfortunately cuts off at the material corresponding to the middle of The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī (Toh 566).8 The fragment of scribal colophon that survives notes that the text was copied by one Vajrācārya Ravṛndrabhadra (perhaps a misspelling of Ravīndrabhadra), but it does not indicate when or where the text was copied.9 The Sanskrit manuscript comes from the private collection of Manavajra Vajrācārya and was microfilmed and cataloged by both the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project (NGMPP)10 and the International Association for the Study of World Religions (IASWR).11 The readings in this Sanskrit witness reflect a relatively close relationship to these texts as they are received in the Tibetan Kangyur recensions, and it has proved a valuable resource for this translation.
This English translation is based on the Tibetan translation from the Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum) section in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Tibetan translation in the Stok Palace Kangyur and the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Kangyur. The Tibetan was also checked against the Sanskrit manuscript witness cataloged in the NGMCP microfilm collection under the title Mārīcīkalpa (NGMCP E 1480/9) and the IASWR microfilm collection under the title Mārīcīkalpatantra (MBB II 112). All instances in which the English translation deviates from the reading in the Degé Kangyur in favor of a reading in the Sanskrit witness or another Tibetan witness are noted in the translation.
[F.158.b]Homage to the Three Jewels.
This is the ritual manual of The Dhāraṇī of the Goddess Mārīcī that was received by Vairocana’s great king.12 Visualize Mārīcī on a sun and moon disk. Imagine a needle and thread emerge before her out of her rays and sew shut the mouths and eyes of wicked beings. Set up a boundary to any external observation and imagine, while reciting the “was dwelling in Śrāvastī” line, that the goddess Mārīcī emerges in her complete form from the light of the sun and moon.13 Continue, saying, “ ‘There is a certain goddess named Mārīcī,’ the Victor said, ‘who arrives just before the sun and moon, but even the many hordes of gods cannot see her.’ ” Then, continue to where it says, “ ‘may I, too, not be seen,’ ” and so forth. Those are the three sets of nine.14 The mantra verse is recited as follows: oṃ padākramasi15 parākramasi udayamasi pudamasi nairamasi antardhānamasi.
One can add a specific name to the section that reads, “Goddess Mārīcī, protect me on the path. Protect me from the wrong path. Protect me from perils involving kings, fire, enemies, and lions. Always bring me profit and success. namo ratnatrayāya oṃ ālo kālo tālo sacchalo saṁmurti rakṣa rakṣa māṃ sarvabhayeṣu svāhā. Homage to she who possesses the Three Jewels.16 oṃ varāli vatāli vattāli varāli varāhamukhi17[F.159.a] sarvaduṣṭānām mukhaṃ bandha bandha,” and that person will always be well protected.
The forty-four-syllable invocation is the names of the three oceans, the heart mantra with the syllable oṃ, and the twenty-two and the six-syllable mantras.18 It offers protection from all manner of perils.
If one bears this heart mantra in mind, one will have a keen intellect. When this mantra is recited along with the introductory verses, she grants boons such as increasing one’s wealth, stores of grain, and attendants.
To that end, someone who wants to perform the sādhana should draw her image on a canvas or wooden board. Draw Aśokamārīcī seated on a lotus at the base of an aśoka tree adorned with all her ornaments. She is yellow and wears a blue upper garment and shawl.19 Her head is crowned with a caitya, she is youthful, and her eyes look to the left. Following the aforementioned ritual procedure, gaze at the painting in front of you while reciting the heart mantra of the supreme sādhana, oṃ mārīcyai svāhā, one thousand times. This supreme heart mantra will certainly grant the highest siddhi, eliminate all fevers, and eliminate all illnesses.
Reciting the mantra along with a fire offering causes Mārīcī to increase one’s wealth. A fire offering of yogurt and dūrvā grass eliminates illness. A fire offering of honey and ghee enthralls kings. A fire offering of yogurt, rice, and molasses allows one to acquire a yakṣiṇī. One thousand fire offerings of mustard oil and leafy neem branches eliminates fever and illnesses. One should perform one thousand fire offerings using one’s own blood, a bone, poison,20 and black mustard, and the enemy will die. Perform the fire offering with milk, and it will be pacified.
If one recites the mantra continually, it neutralizes poison and easily subdues ḍākinīs. If one recites it one hundred and eight times each day one will develop a keen intellect.
Mārīcī’s heart mantra is oṃ varāli vadāli vattāli varāhamukhi21 sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha mukhaṃ svāhā.[F.159.b]
Blessed Mārīcī’s six-syllable secret heart mantra is oṃ mārīcyai svāhā.
This is the hand mudrā for the heart mantra: Hold the hands parallel with the palms either together or open. Draw the thumbs in slightly and make a circular shape with the two middle fingers touching each other. Sit with the legs crossed and rest the hands at the navel.22
When one recites Blessed Mārīcī’s name eight times23 one will be protected, given refuge, and defended.
tadyathā arkamasi markamasi urmamasi varamasi cīvaramasi mahācīvaramasi antardhānamasi24 namo ratnatrayāya tadyathā oṃ vadāli varāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ mukhaṃ bandha bandha svāhā
This ritual manual comes from the Vidyādhara Basket.25
Another application of her mantra is as follows: Visualize a golden boar, and visualize Mārīcī mounted on it wearing a white skirt. Her head is crowned with a caitya, and her left hand holds a blooming aśoka branch. When confronted with any of the great perils, one should visualize oneself surrounded by a pack of boars. One should hold the hem of the upper garment at one’s heart and chant the mantra seven times while making seven knots, and one will not be overcome by robbers and the like. Afterward, the knots should be untied.
This concludes “The Ritual Manual of Blessed Mārīcī.”26
One should imagine the syllable laṃ on the moon disk at one’s heart.27 One should recite it mentally and meditate on the fact that[F.160.a] all phenomena are devoid of identity. Then one should imagine oneself in space in the form of Vairocana seated on a teakwood throne in the center of a lotus with legs crossed in the vajra posture. He has a golden complexion and bears the hand mudrā of supreme awakening. He has attained meditative concentration, wears a crown of matted locks, and is peaceful. Perform the mental recitation with the syllable māṃ.
Mārīcī appears on a moon disk before you out of Vairocana’s light rays. While reciting the mantra oṃ mārīcyai svāhā, imagine that she is before you holding a golden needle and thread with which she sews shut the eyes and mouths of wicked beings. Recite the vidyā of the root mantra once over a protection cord with twenty-one threads spun by a young girl. Then recite the following mantra one hundred and eight times:
namo ratnatrayāya mārīcyai devatāyai28 hṛdayāvartayeṣu tadyathā oṃ vati tili pattali pattilivarāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ cakṣurmukhaṃ bandhāmi29 svāhā
To protect oneself, make seven knots in the protection cord while reciting the following mantra:
namo ratnatrayāya mārīcyai devatāyai30 tadyathā oṃ vattāli vatāli varāli varāhamukhi31 sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ granthibandhāmi svāhā
To do this for an associate, make a single knot while bearing their name in mind. A traveler should tie the cord to his waist and recite Mārīcī’s vidyā along with the introductory verses, and she will travel in front of him. If he does that, he will protect himself.
Make a moon disk at night and a sun disk during the day in one’s location according to the previous instructions.32 Then recite the following vidyā seven times just as it was taught:
namaḥ sarvabuddhabodhisatvebhyaḥ tadyathā oṃ ālo kālo tālo sacchalo saṃpamūrti33 rakṣa rakṣa māṃ sarvabhayeṣu svāhā
That is the vidyā called[F.160.b] she who possesses the Three Jewels.
This has been confirmed as a supreme heart mantra of Blessed Mārīcī:
tadyathā oṃ mārīcyai vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi34 sarvaduṣṭpraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha mukhaṃ svāhā
tadyathā oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha mukhaṃ svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai svāhā
This has been confirmed as a supreme heart mantra of Blessed Mārīcī:
oṃ mārīcyai padākramasi35 parākramasi uttayamasi nairamasi arkamasi markamasi urmamasi bandhamasi gulmamasi cīvaramasi36 mahācīvaramasi antardhānamasi namo ratnatrayāya tadyathā oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhāmukhi37 sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha mukhaṃ svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai svāhā
He should perform the recitation with the mantras:
oṃ mārīcyai padākramasi38 parākramasi uttayamasi nairamasi arkamasi markamasi urmamasi bandhamasi gulmamasi cīvaramasi39 mahācīvaramasi40 antardhānamasi namo ratnatrayāya tadyathā oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ bandha bandha svāhā
oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ cakṣurmukhaṃ bandhāmi41 svāhā
And:
oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi42 sarvaduṣṭapraduṣṭānāṃ granthiṃ bandhāmi43 svāhā
Any of the following mantras may be recited to protect oneself:44
oṃ arkamasi svāhā
oṃ markamasi svāhā
oṃ antardhānamasi svāhā
oṃ tejomasi svāhā
oṃ uttayamasi svāhā
oṃ gulmamasi svāhā
oṃ vanāmasi svāhā
oṃ cīvaramasi45 svāhā
oṃ vatākramasi svāhā
oṃ varākramasi svāhā
oṃ urmamasi svāhā
There are other rites as well. The supreme mantra oṃ mārīcyai svāhā can be used for rites of pacifying, increasing, enthralling, subjugating,[F.161.a] and attracting. To use it for oneself, imagine the heart mantra at the heart with the syllables tri and oṃ added to it. Imagine the target standing in a whirling firebrand and perform the attracting rite with the hook and noose mudrās.46 This will attract a divine woman who is within one hundred leagues.
Another application is as follows: Perform the following rite at sunrise. Recite the Kumārī mantra one hundred times and install her in a maṇḍala made with cow dung. Smear her body with white flowers and sandalwood,47 wash her thoroughly, dress her in a white robe, and perform an incense offering with bdellium. Smear the thumbs with red lac and black oil48 and recite the mantra one hundred and eight times, and this will show that one has been consecrated.49 Then invoke all the gods and the like with this king of mantras:
oṃ ciri ciri mu svāhā
Recite the mantra oṃ māḥ50 aloud one hundred and eight times to incant the lamp, present it to Kumārī, and, just as before, they will see you.51 Listen for an auspicious or inauspicious sign from the entire horde of mātṛs while reciting the mantra oṃ vatāli yaṃ muḥ ten thousand times, and it will be revealed.
If one wants an enemy to contract a fever, mix ground human bone, ashes from a charnel ground, and the soil of both banks of a river with soil from a footprint and make an effigy. Write the augmented mantra with poison, copper, black mustard, and gold mixed with milk on cloth from a charnel ground. Perform one hundred and eight recitations of the following mantra:
oṃ mārīcyai, infect [insert name] with fever—infect them! hūṁ phaṭ svāhā
If the cloth is hidden in the enemy’s house, they will contract a fever.
One can also write the enemy’s name on a skull with the aforementioned substances, place four a syllables inside it, and place it in a fire surrounded by the syllable māṃ. Then the wrathful one should heat it in a fire kindled with teakwood.52 Remove the skull53 and hide it in the enemy’s house, and they will immediately contract a fever. It can also be hidden in a charnel ground.
If one wants to kill an enemy,[F.161.b] one should write their name on a skull in the middle of the two syllables hūṁ and phaṭ with ink made of poison, salt, black mustard, and blood using a pen made of human bone, and they will be killed. One should surround it with the mantra oṃ mārīcyai hūṁ, kill [insert name], hūṁ. One should recite the mantra one thousand and eight times, and the target will die. If the mantra is written in a charnel ground, the target will die within three days.
If one wants to expel someone, one should hold a crow’s wing while reciting one thousand and eight times the mantra oṃ mārīcyai cala cala pracala pracala śīghraṃgamini, expel [insert name], hūṁ phaṭ. One should carefully hide it in the enemy’s house and visualize the target mounted on a camel, and they will be expelled immediately.
If one wants to sow discord, one should make sure that each effigy is made to look like the target using ash from a charnel ground, the soil of both banks of a river, and soil from a footprint and placed back-to-back.54 One should tie them with hair from the heads of a buffalo and a horse and smear their bodies with poison, black mustard, and salt. Then one should write the targets’ names, augmented with the syllable hūṁ, in the middle of four phaṭ syllables with buffalo and horse blood on a piece of cloth from a charnel ground, and one should surround this with the syllable māṃ. One should place the effigies in the center and recite the mantra while visualizing the two of them mounted on a buffalo and a horse as if they were fighting, and it will sow discord.
One should bury an effigy55 of Hara with Durgā in a hole in a charnel ground while reciting the mantra oṃ mārīcyai, sow discord between [insert name] and [insert name], hūṁ svāhā.
Another application is as follows: The images should be made on a buffalo’s horn and a horse’s bone, and the names should be written at the heart centers with buffalo and horse blood mixed with feces and white dūrvā grass seeds. Then, this should be thrown into a fire kindled with teakwood while reciting the mantra, and it will immediately sow discord. One can also hide them in the enemy’s house, and it will sow discord.
Now I will explain the instruction from The Great Tantra of Mārīcī’s Arising,56 which teaches the verses that should be recited to paralyze an enemy’s army. If trying to disrupt a king’s forces wherever they may be and bring an adversary’s kingdom to ruin, this rite should be performed and offering made right after the king arrives.[F.162.a] The ācārya should request permission from the king’s counselor and then enter meditative concentration with a benevolent attitude and love toward all beings. He should have a competent assistant provide him with all the necessary ritual implements and assist with the rite. He should set up the painting of Blessed Mārīcī, anoint the maṇḍala with white sandalwood, scatter white flowers on it, and present incense, perfume, flower garlands, and a bali offering. Then he should make offerings of yogurt, honey, and molasses while reciting the following mantra seven times:
oṃ mārīcyai arghaṃ57 pratīccha svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai gandha pratīccha svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai puṣpe pratīccha svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai dhūpe pratīccha svāhā
oṃ mārīcyai dīpaṃ pratīccha svāhā
He should perform the offering to Blessed Mārīcī and then recite the dedication. When she has been pleased, he should see himself in the form of Blessed Mārīcī and recite the mantra thirty thousand times with pride.58 That is the preliminary worshiping rite, and it will reveal any inauspicious sign.
After that, he should perform the fire offering. Following the aforementioned ritual instructions, he should light fire pits for all the ritual actions59 using butea, bodhi tree, and uḍumbara branches, and he should offer one thousand and eight individual pieces of dūrvā grass that have been dipped in yogurt, milk, and ghee. Then he can perform all the ritual actions.
The paralyzing mantra is oṃ vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi60 sarvaripusyaibhyaṃ staṃbhaya61 svāhā. This mantra can be used for any paralyzing ritual. The recitation and fire offering should be performed using this mantra.
After that, he should add the names of the king and royal priest who are the target of the mantra and write them on a piece of birch bark or cloth using red saffron or bovine bezoar. He should encircle it with the syllable māṃ, surround that with the four syllables oṃ, māṃ, vāṃ, and māṃ, and draw the mantra wheel surrounded on the outside by the letter va. If he touches the troops with this on the crown or throat, they will be protected in everything they do. When they go to battle, no weapon will pierce[F.162.b] their bodies, and they will win the battle.
Then the vajrācārya should mount the lead elephant or the lead chariot, face the battlefield, and hoist a yellow victory banner over an unfurled painting of Blessed Mārīcī. He should wear a lower robe of yellow cloth and a yellow turban, hold the ritual implements, vajra, and bell, and, with confidence, visualize himself as Mārīcī atop a chariot drawn by wild boar as before while reciting the following mantra:
oṃ mārīcyai vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi62 sarvaduṣṭaripusyaibhyaṃ staṃbhaya63 hūṃ phaṭ svāhā
He should recite this while visualizing the target surrounded by wild boar, and it will bring immediate victory over the enemy army.
This mantra wheel should be drawn with a liquid made of yellow arsenic or turmeric on a piece of cloth from the corpse of a person who was slain in battle or on a piece of cloth from a charnel ground. An effigy of the enemy’s general should be fashioned out of soil from both sides of a riverbank or soil from a mountaintop mixed with ash from a charnel ground and placed in the center of the mantra wheel. The image of a wild boar should be drawn using the same soil mixed with a liquid base of rice and turmeric, and the effigy of the enemy should be placed face down in the boar’s mouth. The boar should be placed inside of a vessel with a lid and left there, situated so that it faces the enemy army. He should perform a bali offering with boiled rice, fish, and raw meat, and he should strike and pierce the ground with an eight-inch teakwood dagger while reciting the mantra. He should recite the mantra one thousand and eight times with the power of vajrakrodha, and the enemy army will be paralyzed.
For another depiction of the mantra wheel, he should surround it with the syllables of the target’s name, and surround that with the syllable ca. He should make a circle between those two with the mantra garland that begins with vattāli, surround that with the syllable māṃ, and surround it again with the four syllables. He should mark the edge of the square boundary with vajras, and it will instantly paralyze and weaken the enemy army—let there be no doubt. This mantra wheel called supreme victory over the enemy army[F.163.a] should be learned from an ācārya’s instructions.
The following is another mantra wheel for performing paralyzing rites, rites to sow discord, and killing rites for protecting one’s close allies and getting rid of people who create obstacles. The wise one should prepare a spot in a charnel ground, carefully unfurl the painting, and make a maṇḍala of cow dung in front of it. The wrathful one should perform an offering using the five prescribed offerings, put on a black robe, wear a black turban, clasp the ritual implements, vajra, and bell, and visualize himself as Mārīcī as before.
He should imagine himself as Mārīcī with three boar faces that have three eyes and bare their fangs. Her tongue strikes fear like a flash of lightning. She shines and radiates a light equal to twelve suns. She wears a sapphire-blue lower robe, a blue jacket, and a multicolored upper garment and shawl. She is adorned with all her ornaments and has eight arms. She holds an arrow, vajra, needle, and hook in her right hands and a bow, noose, aśoka branch, and thread in her left hands. The hair on her head is like a caitya. She stands on a sun disk with her right leg extended. She is wrathful and tramples the target of the rite with her foot.
He should make the effigy out of soil from a riverbank, ground human bone, and ash from a charnel ground. He should write the mantra augmented with the target’s name with ink containing the three spices, poison, blood, salt, black mustard, and datura on a piece of cloth from a corpse, place it in the middle, and add the target’s name to the following mantra:
oṃ mārīcyai vattāli vadāli varāli varāhamukhi64 hūṁ kill [insert name] hūṁ phaṭ svāhā
He should make a pill with dried human flesh and bdellium, mix it with human fat, and perform one thousand and eight fire offerings[F.163.b] into a fire kindled with wood that has been used to burn a corpse. Then he should write65 the name of the king of the opposing army with black mustard oil. If he wants to kill him, he should make a smoke offering with it, and he will die. If he wants him to be paralyzed, he will be paralyzed. Or he can face the battlefield and perform a fire offering and mantra recitation with a mixture of ground human bone and human fat, and the enemy’s forces will instantly be paralyzed.
Another application of the mantra is as follows: If he wants to pacify jackals that are threatening livestock, he should go to the cattle pasture and write the mantra clearly on the arch of the pasture gate. He should place the mantra on top of a white victory banner and write the mantra on two boards, with the names of the eldest bull and the herders added to each respective board with an ink containing white sandalwood, red saffron, and bovine bezoar. Then he should hang the mantra wheel on the bull’s horns and around the herders’ necks. He should make the mantra wheel with the syllables oṃ, māṃ, vāṃ, and māṃ surrounded by the syllable va and then surrounded by the syllable cyai. It should be encircled on the outside with the syllable māṃ. He should wrap a teakwood dagger measuring eight fingers to the gate with five-colored thread and stab the gate with a dagger while reciting the following mantra seven times:
oṃ mārīcyai sarvavighnāṃ utsādhaya hūṁ phaṭ svāhā
That is the dagger mantra for dispelling vighnas.
After that, the wise one should carefully unfurl the painting of Blessed Mārīcī in the middle of the cattle pen so that it is facing east. He should dig a fire-offering pit in front of the painting in the shape of a square measuring one cubit across. He should set out vases for perfumed water on the four sides of the square and fill them with perfumed water and the five grains. They should be anointed with white sandalwood, tied with two strips of white cloth, and ornamented with leafy branches from the following five trees: banyan, bodhi tree, uḍumbara, mango, and giant milkweed. He should incant them with the mantra one hundred and eight times and then plant a teakwood dagger at each of the four sides of the fire pit while reciting the mantra explained above.
After that, he should make a maṇḍala66 with dung[F.164.a] and scatter upon it a bali offering of blood, a garland of red, blue, and white lotuses, and fragrant flowers. He should sprinkle it with perfume and sandalwood water and perform the deity food offering with a morsel that contains yogurt, honey, and molasses. He should decorate it with a row of butter lamps and hang a flower garland on the ornamental canopy. He should write the mantra at the top of a victory banner made of white cloth and plant it in the ground. Then he should make a smoke offering of bdellium.
When the offering to the blessed goddess Mārīcī has been properly performed and she is pleased, he should perform the mantra recitation with the mantra mentioned above while making all the requisite offerings.
In front of the painting, he should dig a square pit for the fire offering that is four cubits across. He should make an altar that is four fingers across, surrounded by vajras, and made to look like a lotus with the stalk attached. He should make the sign of a vajra in the middle of the lotus, make a maṇḍala with cow dung, and scatter flowers on it. Then the mantrin should bathe, purify himself, put on white clothes, wear the proper white turban, hold a vajra and bell, and begin with confidence.67
He should expel the vighnas in front of the fire pit with the mantra and plant teakwood daggers in the four corners on the outside of the fire pit. Then, just as above, he should sit on the east side of the fire pit facing west68 on a pile of kuśa grass while reciting the blessing with the mantra and hand mudrā. He should spread the kuśa grass on the four sides of the fire pit, incant all the implements with the mantra one hundred times, and place them on the right side. He should place a water bowl on the left side and set up a water-offering bowl filled with perfumed water and with flowers in front of it. He should set out the yogurt, molasses, and honey, place a fire in the fire pit that has been produced with a hearth stick, and kindle the fire with banyan, uḍumbara, and butea branches.
Then he should visualize that the syllable oṃ[F.164.b] transforms into a moon disk with the syllable raṃ on it, and that Agni appears out of that. He should invoke Agni with the following Agni invocation mantra:
oṃ ehy ehi mahābhūtadeva dvijaṛṣisattama parigṛhītvā āhuti mahārasmin sannihito bhava
Then he should recite the following Agni mantra:
oṃ agnaye dīvyadīpya āviśa mahāśriye havyakavyavāhanāya69 svāhā
He should imagine Agni seated on the moon disk with a round, white face, four arms, and three blazing eyes. Agni is beautiful and stainless, like the light of the autumn moon.70 He is peaceful and emits a stream of amṛta. He holds a staff, a water jar, and a rosary, and he displays the boon-granting hand mudrā. He should give him the water offering and offer three oblations of the fivefold offering in the aforementioned vessel into the deity’s mouth and sprinkle it again with water.71
The Sanskrit title of this work on the title page of this translation reflects the emended reading from the Tohoku catalog.
There are counterparts to many of the forms of Mārīcī described in these texts among the thirty-seven sādhanas for the goddess Mārīcī preserved in the Tengyur that were translated in the twelfth century, and it might be reasonable to assume that Toh 565 and Toh 566 were translated during the same period.
This matter might be settled by a close comparison of the Chinese and Tibetan translations of these works, which we have unfortunately not been able to complete for this publication.
Multiple Sanskrit witnesses are preserved among the Sanskrit manuscript collections at the University of Tokyo, Cambridge University, and the Kathmandu National Archive.
NE 1480/9 reads yāddṛstāpustakaṃ dṛstāstādṛsatvā [sic for yathādṛṣṭaṃ pustakaṃ tathā likhitaṃ?] mayā | yadi suddham asuddham vā mama dokho [sic for doṣo] na dīyate | śrī 3 śrī 3 vajrāccāryyaravṛndrabhadrare [sic for ravīndrabhadreṇa?] lekhyāko yo postakaḥ śubham. This fragment of the scribal colophon might be tentatively translated, “I have copied this down exactly as it appeared in the book. If it is pure or corrupted, the fault should not be placed on me. This was copied down by Śrī (3) srī (3) Vajrācārya Ravīndrabhadra. May there be prosperity and good fortune.” The identification of Ravīndrabhadra as the scribe for this text is traced to the NGMCP catalog card. Given the high honorific prefixes that precede this name in the scribal colophon, it is possible that the text was transcribed for (and not by) the Vajrācārya Ravīndrabhadra.
Following D rnam par snang mdzad kyi rgyal po chen pos yongs su gzung ba’o. S and Y read rnam par snang mdzad kyi rgyal po yongs su bzung ba’o, and NE 1480/9 reads vairocanī mahāmudrā samādhāya vicintayet. This translation is tentative, and it is not at all clear to whom this line refers. NE 1480/9 preserves a very different reading that might tentatively be translated, “[o]ne should enter samādhi and visualize the great consort Vairocanī.” While also problematic, the reading in NE 1480-9 makes better sense as the opening line of instructions on visualizing the goddess Mārīcī.
Following S, Y, and K zla ba dang nyi ma dag gi ’od zer las yongs su rdzogs bzhin pa’i lha mo ’od zer can ma. D reads zla ba dang nyi ma gnyis dag gi ’od zer las yongs su rdzogs bzhin pas lha mo ’od zer can ma, and NE 1480/9 reads candrasūryaraśmibhireva mārīcīdevatā niṣpādyamānāṃ vicintanīyā.
D reads dgu phrag gsum yin no, and NE 1480/9 reads tṛnavakāṃ (sic for trinavakāṃ) bhavati. This somewhat cryptic line refers to the group of nine qualities that the Buddha Śākyamuni uses to describe the goddess Mārīcī in The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī (Toh 544, 1.3; Toh 988, 1.3), which he enumerates three times in the text before reciting the first mantra that appears there. It is likely that the current work refers to a work titled The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī that is related to, but does not exactly match, the witness in the Degé Kangyur. This is supported by the fact that the opening narrative to The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī described here is not an exact match for the opening narrative in the version of the witness preserved in the Degé Kangyur, which enumerates eleven qualities.
D and S read dkon mchog gsum dang ldan pa zhes bya ba’i, and NE 1480/9 reads triratnarati nāmaḥ. The Sanskrit manuscript clears up a bit of ambiguity in the Tibetan: here it is clear that the Tibetan dkon mchog gsum dang ldan pa has dropped the feminine gender (which would read dkon mchog gsum dang ldan ma) and reads nāma (Tib. zhes bya ba) instead of namaḥ (Tib. phyag ’tshal lo). The Sanskrit therefore makes it clear that the object of this homage is in the feminine case and should be translated “homage to she who delights the Three Jewels.”
D and S read ba rA ha mu khi, and NE 1480/9 reads varāhamukhi. Despite some degree of variation in this term throughout the text, the witnesses appear to favor the spelling varāhamukhi, so this spelling has been adopted as the standard transliteration in this text.
This translation is tentative and follows the reading in D and S: bskul tshig bzhi bcu rtsa bzhi ni/ rgya mtsho gsum ni mtshan brjod pa’i oM dang bcas pa’i snying po dang / nyi shu rtsa gnyis pa dang / yi ge drug pa ni ’jigs pa thams cad las srung bar byed do. NE 1480/9 reads catvāriṁśaccodhāni vyaṣṭakam agraṃ vadati sapraśarava hṛdayadvāviṃśatikaṣadakṣara bhavati, preserving an alternate reading that, while corrupted, might tentatively be translated “one humbly (sic for sampraśrayaṃ?) recites the forty invocation-verses on the first day of the dark half of the month (sic for vyaṣṭakām?) and the twenty-two and six syllable heart mantras.”
Following D and S. D reads ang ga raga sngon po dang stod g.yogs sngon po dang, and S reads ang ga raga sngon po dang / stod g.yogs sngon po dang. NE 1480/9 reads nīlakañcakottarājñī (sic).
Tib. dug; Skt. viṣa. In contexts such as this, when the referent is a ritual substance, it is possible that what is being referred to is feces and not “poison.” Note that the Skt. viṣā can be equivalent to viṣ (“feces”).
Following S, Y, and K skyil mo krung du gnas pas lte ba’i phyogs su, which is supported by NE 1480/9 paryaṅkenaopaviṣṭena nābhideśe. D reads skyil mo krung du gnas pa’i lte ba’i phyogs su.
Following D and S mtshan brgyad brjod na. NE 1480/9 reads nāmāṣtaśatakaṃ paṭhitavyaṃ. The latter provides an alternate reading that may be more accurate and would be translated, “one should recite the name one hundred and eight times.”
D reads an+dard+hAM na ma si, S reads aM tard+ha na ma si, and NE 1480/9 reads anta [r]dhānamasi. This transliteration emends the reading in D to antardhānamasi, which reflects both the correct spelling of the Sanskrit term for “invisibility,” antardhāna, and is supported by the readings in S and NE 1480/9.
Following D and S rig pa ’dzin pa’i sde snod las phyung ba’i rtog pa ni ’di yin no. The reading in NE 1480/9, vidyādharapaṭalād udhṛto paṃ [sic for uddhṛta idaṃ] kalparājaḥ, suggests that the Tibetan rig pa ’dzin pa’i sde dnod translates the phrase vidyādharapaṭala, not vidyādharapiṭaka, but the Sanskrit terms piṭaka and paṭala are synonymous here and can both refer to a “basket.” It is also possible, of course, that the Sanskrit source text for the Tibetan witnesses originally read vidyādharapiṭaka.
D reads bcom ldan ’das ma ’od zer can gyi rtog pa rdzogs pa’o, S reads bcom ldan ’das ma ’od zer can gyi rtog pa rdzogs so, Y reads bcom ldan ’das ma ’od zer can gyi rtog pa rdzogs s+ho, and NE 1480/9 reads mārīcībhagavatyāḥ kalpaḥ samāpta. This is one of a handful of markers found throughout this text that indicate that this ritual manual is either a collection of shorter texts or, perhaps, that section headings such as this are relics from the larger source text for this ritual manual.
D and S read rang gi snying gar zla ba la laM rnam par bsams la, and NE 1480/9 reads svahṛdcandramaṇḍale āṃ [sic for oṃ?]kāraṃ vicintya. The translation “moon disk” for the Tibetan zla ba is informed by the reading candramaṇḍala in NE 1480/9. It is also worth noting that the seed syllable in NE 1480/9 appears to be āṃ, not laṃ.
Following S de va tA yai, which is grammatically correct. D reads mA rI ts+yai de ba dat+tA ye, and NE 1480/9 reads devatāyā.
Following NE 1480/9 devatāyai, which is grammatically correct. D reads de ba dat+tA ye, and S reads de ba tA ye.
D reads nub mo mdun du zla ba la/ nyin mo ni nyi ma’i dkyil ’khor la sngon du gsungs pa bzhin du rang gi gnas su bya’o, and NE 1480/9 reads rātrau candrasya devātan [sic] suryamaṇḍalasyāgrataḥ pūrvoktaṃ kārya svasthāne. The meaning of this verse is not entirely clear, but it likely refers to instructions for depicting the goddess Mārīcī. Unfortunately, since this text purportedly consists of excerpts from a larger text, it is not exactly clear which instructions the text is referring to here.
D reads saM pa mUr+ti, S reads sarba mUrd+hi, and NE 1480/9 reads sampra [?]muñcaṭi. This transliteration is based on the reading in D, but the readings in the Tibetan witnesses appear to be corrupted. The tentative reading sampramuñcati in NE 1480/9 might be translated “sets [them] free” (Skt. sampramuñcati). Mārīcī herself is most likely the implied subject of this verb, but because it is not clear what the opening terms ālo, kālo, and tālo mean, it is not in fact possible to determine the correct subject and object related to this verb with any degree of certainty.
D reads tsI ba rA ma si, S reads tsi va rA ma si, and NE 1480/9 omits. This transliteration is emended based on the precedent for spelling this term already set in this text, particularly in S, and based on the conventional Sanskrit spelling of the term cīvara. Unfortunately, the mantra section in NE 1480/9 does not contain the exact same repetitions of Mārīcī’s mantra that are preserved in the Tibetan witnesses, and this particular instance of the term cīvara appears to be omitted.
Following S ma hA cI va ra ma si. D reads ma hA tsI ba rA ma si, and NE 1480/9 omits. Unfortunately, the mantra section in NE 1480/9 does not contain the exact same repetitions of Mārīcī’s mantra that are preserved in the Tibetan witnesses, and this particular instance of the term cīvara appears to be omitted.
Following S ban d+hA mi, which is grammatically correct. D reads ban d+ha mi, and NE 1480/9 reads bandhami.
Following NE 1480/9 granthiṃ bandhami, which is supported in part by the readings in S (gaM d+ha baM d+hA mi), Y, and K (kan d+hi ban d+ha mi), as well as the reading of this phrase that has already appeared in this text. D reads ban d+ha ban d+ha mi. The reading bandhami is emended to the grammatically correct reading bandhāmi.
Both the Tibetan and Sanskrit contain quote markers after each of these short mantras. Rather than include literal translations of each of these quote markers, the phrase “any of the following mantras” has been added to the English translation to indicate that any of the individual mantras can be recited for one’s own protection.
Following NE 1480/9 cīvaramasi, which gives the correct spelling. D reads tsI va rA ma si, and S reads tsi va ra ma si.
D and S read mgal me’i ’khor lo la gnas pa lcags kyu dang zhugs pas dgug par bya ba, and NE 1480/9 reads alātacakrāruṭaṃ pāśāṅkuśenākarṣayanti vicintyā nayati. This translation is tentative and interprets the object of the phrase “standing in a whirling firebrand” to be the target of the rite. It is also possible to interpret the object of this phrase as the mantra that is in one’s own heart.
D reads tsan+dana dkar pos yan lag byugs la/ me tog dang, S reads tsan dana dkar pos yan lag byugs la/ me tog dang, and NE 1480/9 reads sitapuṣpacandanaliptā [ṃ?]. This translation is informed by the reading in NE 1480/9, where it is clear that the object of these actions is in the feminine, which means that they are being performed for the statue of Kumārī that is installed in the maṇḍala.
D reads mthe bong la rgya skyegs dang mar nag gis bskus la, S reads mthe bong la rgya skyegs dang mar nag gis bskus pa la, and NE 1480/9 reads aṅguṣṭarajitāla [sic for rañjitāṃ?]raktakena tailañca. The object of this sentence is ambiguous, and it may refer to the thumbs (or big toes) of either the person performing the rite or the goddess Kumārī.
D and S read sngags brgyad brgya bzlas te/ dbang bskur ba bstan par bya’o. NE 1480/9 reads aṣṭaśatajaptena [a]bhiṣiktaṃ da [r]śayati, which confirms the reading “consecrated” (abhiṣiktaṃ) for the Tibetan dbang bskur ba. Since it is declined in the masculine case, it refers to the officiant of the rite.
D reads sngon bzhin du mthong bar ’gyur ro, S reads sngon bzhin du mngon par ’gyur ro, and NE 1480/9 reads purvavan paśyanti, which clarifies that the verb is in the third person plural, letting us know that it is the plural “mātṛs” (mātraḥ) that see the one performing the rite.
Following NE 1480/9 khadirāgnaiḥ tāpayet. D and S read seng ldeng gi me la bdug par bya’o, which reflects a Sanskrit back-translation of *dhūpayet, meaning “should burn incense.” The reading tāpayet, translated here as “should heat up,” makes far more sense in this context.
Following S, Y, and K steng nas skye ba bcings pa’i thod pa, which is supported by NE 1490/8 urdhvahṛta [?]kapāle. D reads steng nas mgul pa bcings pa’i thod pa, which might tentatively be translated, “the skull, which is bound at the neck from the top.”
Following D and S rgyab sprad. NE 1480/9 reads parāmukhī kṛtvā. The Sanskrit parāmukhī literally means “facing away from each other.”
D and S read ’phrog byed dang / dka’ zlog ma dang bcas pas dur khrod du sa brkos la sba’o, and NE 1480/9 reads harasya durgāyā saha śmaśānaṃ nikhāniti. The instructions are a bit unclear here, but it appears that this is another brief rite for sowing discord.
D and S read ’od zer can chen po ’byung ba’i rgyud, and NE 1480/9 reads mahāmārīcyudbhave tantre. NE 1480/9 reads udbhave tantre, not jātatantra as it is rendered in the Tibetan transliteration of the Sanskrit title. Also, both the Sanskrit and Tibetan witnesses render the title of the work here as Mahāmārīcyudbhave, not Māyāmārīcyudbhave.
Following D arg+haM. S reads argaM, and NE 1490/8 reads raktaṃ. The reading raktaṃ suggests that this is a blood offering, which is highly unlikely at this stage of the ritual.
D and S read nga rgyal dang ldan pas, and NE 1490/8 reads sāhaṁkāreṇa. The Tibetan and Sanskrit witnesses both read simply “with pride,” but this should most likely be interpreted in terms of the pride associated with being the deity.
Following NE 1480/9 purvoktena vidhānena sarvakarmikakūṇḍeṣu, where “fire pits” is clearly in the plural (sic. kūṇḍeṣu). D and S read sngon du bstan pa’i cho gas las thams cad pa’i thab khung du, suggesting this is a single fire pit (thab khung du) that is suitable for any ritual action. The meaning of this line is not exactly clear. Since this chapter appears to be an excerpt from a larger (and currently unknown) work, we do not have a proper referent for the “aforementioned instructions.”
Following S sarba ri pu s+yai b+h+yaM staM b+ha ya. D reads sarba ri pu s+yai b+h+yaM staM b+hA ya, and NE 1480/9 reads sarvaripusainya [ṃ] stambhaya. The reading sarba ri pu s+yai b+h+yaM in the Tibetan sources is corrupt. The reading for this compound in NE 1480/9, sarvaripusainyaṃ, meaning “the entire enemy army,” is likely the correct one.
D reads sarba ri pu s+yai b+h+yaM staM b+hA ya, S reads sarba ri pu s+yai staM b+ha ya, and NE 1480/9 reads sarvaripusainya [ṃ] jambhaya [?] stambhaya. This transliteration emends the reading stambhāya in D to the reading stambhaya in S and NE 1480/9. The reading sarba ri pu s+yai b+h+yaM in the Tibetan sources is also corrupt. The reading for this compound in NE 1480/9, sarvaripusainyaṃ, meaning “the entire enemy army,” is likely the correct one.
This translation is tentative. D and S read bzung, Y and K read gzung, C reads bsrung, and NE 1480/9 reads grahāya. The verb translated as “write” here literally means “to grasp,” “seize,” or “hold.”
D and S read yang phyis ni lci bas mal nye bar byugs, and NE 1480/9 reads paścād gomayena maṇḍalakam uparipta [sic for upalipta]. The Sanskrit reveals that the Tibetan term mal is likely a scribal error for the Tibetan transliteration of maṇḍala.
Following C msnyems dang bcas pas ’jug par bya’o. D and S read bsnyen pa dang bcas pas ’jug par bya’o, and NE 1480/9 reads praviśya. The reading in the latter simply states that the mantrin “should begin,” and the reading in D is, tentatively, that the mantrin “should perform the rite along with the worshiping rite.”
The painting has been set up facing east, so to sit on the east side of the fire pit facing west means that he should face the painting.
D reads hA bya kA bya vA ha nA ya, S reads ha pya ka pya vA ha nA ya, and NE 1480/9 reads havyakavyavāhānāya. This transliteration emends the reading hA bya kA bya in D to havyakavya, based on the reading in NE 1480/9. This emended reading reflects the correct spelling of this compound describing Agni as the “vehicle” (vāhana) for “oblations to the ancestors” (havyakavya).
D and S read me lha bzang po ston ka’i zla ba’i ’od ’dra ba/ dri ma med pa, and NE 1480/9 reads divya [ṃ] śara [da]ṃ candrāgram iva ni [r]malam amṛtadhārāsravant [am]. This translation is informed by the reading in NE 1480/9, which makes it clear that the Tibetan dri ma med pa modifies Agni, not the amṛta that streams forth from Agni.
This translation is tentative and follows D yang chu bsangs la/ zhi ba la ni. S reads yang chu bsangs la zhi ba la ni, and NE 1480/9 reads punar udake nātyudāpayet [?]. The latter reading might be translated, “during the water offering (punar udake) one should make sure not to offer too much (na atyu [d]dāpayet?).”
This translation is tentative and follows the reading in the Tibetan witnesses: D reads ’bar ba’i me tog lha bzhengs pa lta bu gzhon nu ma ’gro ba la bdud rtsi’i rgyun gyis ’bab bzhin pa’i lha mo bsam la, and S reads ’bar ba’i me tog lha bzhengs pa lta bu gzhon nu ma ’gro ba la bdud rtsi’i rgyun gyis ’bab bzhin pa’i lha mo bsams la. NE 1480/9 reads jvalata [sic for jvalita]pāvaka itvotthitānta [?] mārīcīdevate ca pārāsubahuṇāvayamānā [?] vicintyā. While there are problems with the reading in the Sanskrit witness here as well, the Tibetan reading ’bar ba’i me tog lha, which suggests a Sanskrit back-translation *jvalitapuṣpakadeva, is most likely a corruption of the Sanskrit reading *jvalitapāvaka, or “blazing Pāvaka,” an epithet of the deity Agni. The Tibetan also reads the name of the goddess as gzhon nu ma (Skt. *kumārī) here instead of mārīcī. If we adopt these emended readings, this line might be translated, “Imagine the goddess Mārīcī emerges and sends forth a stream of amṛta for beings just like brilliant Pāvaka.”
Following S, Y, and K stong phrag brgyad sbyin sreg bya’o, which is supported by the reading in NE 1480/9, aṣṭasahasraṃ juhuyāt. D reads stong phrag brgya sbying sreg bya’o.
Following S, Y, and K ’o thug dang. D reads zho thug dang, and NE 1480/9 reads pāyaṃ. The Tibetan ’o thug is interpreted here as a translation of the Sanskrit *pāyasa, or “an oblation of milk, rice, and sugar,” which is supported in part by the reading in NE 1480/9.
This translation is tentative. D reads yang lha’i khang par bzhugs te, S reads yang lha’i khang par zhugs te, and NE 1480/9 reads puna devatā [gṛ]ha praviśya. It is not entirely clear whether this line refers to a temple or shrine dedicated to Mārīcī, but that is presumably the intended meaning.
This transliteration follows D and S b+hA ba. However, the reading in NE 1480/9, kha kha, is very likely correct.
Both the Tibetan and Sanskrit witnesses include the six-syllable Mārīcī mantra here without relating it to any specific set of ritual instructions. D and S read oM mA rI cyai swA hA, and NE 1480/9 reads oṃ mārīcyai svāhā.
D reads lte ba’i phyogs su bdug par bya’o, S reads te ba’i phyogs su gtug par bya’o, and NE 1480/9 reads nāya [sic for nābhiṃ?].
Following NE 1480/9 pāvakāgnidevatā. The form of Agni in D and S, which read mang sa be da’o zhes bya ba’i me lha, is unclear.
D and S read sgyu ma ’od zer can ’byung ba’i rgyud las phyung ba rtog pa’i rgyal po yang dag pa rnam par snang mdzad kyis gsungs pa ji lta ba bzhin du ji snyed pa rdzogs so, and NE 1480/9 reads māyāmāricyutbhavāt [sic for udbhavāt] tantrād vinirgataḥ kalparājo ’yaṃ samyagorocano bhāvito [sic for samyag vairocanabhāṣito?] yathālabdhaḥ samāpta iti. It is once again not entirely clear to whom the name Vairocana refers here, and this matter may not be adequately settled without access to the tantra that is allegedly the source text for this ritual manual.
A person who has mastered the mantras, maṇḍalas, and other elements of a particular deity and their ritual practices, usually through being consecrated by and receiving direct instructions from another master of that tradition.
The Vedic god of fire.
The divine nectar that prevents death.
The name of a form of the goddess Mārīcī.
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).
A common class of ritual activity (Skt. karman; Tib. las).
A food offering made to a deity or spirits; such an offering may be varied and elaborate, or it may be simple uncooked food.
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.
Derived from a term that signifies a depository of rules governing morality, the term literally means “bound by a boundary” and is used to denote the drawing of a boundary circle around an area where one is performing a ritual.
The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word, mchod rten, meaning “basis” or “recipient” of “offerings” or “veneration.” Pali: cetiya.
A caitya, although often synonymous with stūpa, can also refer to any site, sanctuary or shrine that is made for veneration, and may or may not contain relics.
A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.
A place where dead bodies are burned, buried, or left to decay.
A measure of length. One unit is the distance from the elbow to the tips of the fingers, about eighteen inches.
A class of powerful nonhuman female beings who play a variety of roles in Indic literature in general and Buddhist literature specifically. Essentially synonymous with yoginīs, ḍākinīs are liminal and often dangerous beings who can be propitiated to acquire both mundane and transcendent spiritual accomplishments. In the higher Buddhist tantras, ḍākinīs are often considered embodiments of awakening and feature prominently in tantric maṇḍalas.
The name of one of the most important goddesses in Hindu traditions.
Cynodon dactylon. A species of grass. Commonly known as Bermuda grass or Dhub grass.
A common class of ritual activity (Skt. karman; Tib. las).
The ritual offering of oblations into a fire.
The five types of grain are corn (dhānya), sesame (tila), mung beans (mudga), barley (yava), and white mustard (śvetasarṣapa) or māṣa beans (māṣa).
The name of the famous elephant-headed deity who is a protector deity common to Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions.
See “Mārīcī.”
A name for the Hindu god Śiva.
A term for the most important and often (but not always) the most simplified spell associated with a particular buddha, bodhisattva, or other being.
A common class of ritual activity (Skt. karman; Tib. las).
See “mantrin.”
The Sanskrit term kṛśara (or kṛsara) refers to a dish made of sesame together with a mixture of rice, peas, and spices. The Tibetan seems to understand this as a type of oil (Tib. mar) and appears to have preserved a corrupted reading that reflects the Sanskrit back-translation *trisara.
The name of a goddess.
Desmostachya bipinnata. A type of grass often used for religious ceremonies.
A measure of distance sometimes translated as “league,” but with varying definitions. The Sanskrit term denotes the distance yoked oxen can travel in a day or before needing to be unyoked. From different canonical sources the distance represented varies between four and ten miles.
An arrangement of mantra syllables, often (but not always) in a circular pattern that is used in a variety of ways for the performance of different ritual actions.
The term mantrin can refer to someone who has mastered or is otherwise qualified to employ mantra recitation, or it can refer to a counselor to a king.
Lit. “With Light Rays” or “Radiant One.” The name of a goddess, often associated with sunrise and moonrise.
“Mothers,” a class of female deities, typically seven or eight in number, who are common to both Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions. Sometimes considered dangerous.
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.
In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.
A seal, in both the literal and metaphoric sense. Mudrā is also the name given to an array of symbolic hand gestures, which range from the gesture of touching the earth displayed by the Buddha upon attaining awakening to the numerous gestures used in tantric rituals to symbolize offerings, consecrations, etc. Iconographically, mudrās are used as a way of communicating an action performed by the deity or a specific aspect a deity or buddha is displaying, in which case the same figure can be depicted using different hand gestures to signify that they are either meditating, teaching, granting freedom from fear, etc. In Tantric texts, the term is also used to designate the female spiritual consort in her various aspects.
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 common class of ritual activity (Skt. karman; Tib. las).
A common class of ritual activity (Skt. karman; Tib. las).
The name of a particular form of Agni in the Brāhmaṇas and Purāṇas. The relationship between the Tibetan for this term and the Sanskrit is unclear.
Often appearing in a set list of eight, this term describes the various potentially harmful situations from which buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other deities offer protection.
A class of nonhuman beings that, like several other classes of nonhuman beings, take spontaneous birth. Ranking below rākṣasas, they are less powerful and more akin to pretas. They are said to dwell in impure and perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh. This could account for the name piśāca, which possibly derives from √piś, to carve or chop meat, as reflected also in the Tibetan sha za, “meat eater.” They are often described as having an unpleasant appearance, and at times they appear with animal bodies. Some possess the ability to enter the dead bodies of humans, thereby becoming so-called vetāla, to touch whom is fatal.
One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.
They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance. Detailed descriptions of their realm and experience, including a list of the thirty-six classes of pretas, can be found in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma, Toh 287, 2.1281– 2.1482.
A cord that is incanted with a mantra and worn on the body to protect against attack from human and nonhuman beings.
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.
A term for the most important and often the most simplified spell associated with a particular buddha, bodhisattva, or other being.
A priest who officiates at a royal court.
Derived from the Sanskrit verb √sādh, “to accomplish,” the term sādhana most generically refers to any method that brings about the accomplishment of a desired goal. In Buddhist literature, the term is often specifically applied to tantric practices that involve ritual engagement with deities, mantra recitation, the visualized creation and dissolution of deity maṇḍalas, etc. Sādhanas are aimed at both actualizing spiritual attainments (siddhi) and reaching liberation. The Tibetan translation sgrub thabs means “method of accomplishment.”
Accomplishment or success in general, as well as any particular magical power or ability.
A common class of ritual activity (Skt. karman; Tib. las).
sgyu ma’i ’od zer can ’byung ba’i rgyud las phyung ba’i rtog pa’i rgyal po (Māyāmārīcījātatantrād uddhṛtakalparāja). Toh 565, Degé Kangyur vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pha), folios 158.b–165.b.
sgyu ma’i ’od zer can ’byung ba’i rgyud las phyung ba’i rtog pa’i rgyal po (Māyāmārīcījātatantrād uddhṛtakalparāja). 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. 482–507.
sgyu ma’i ’od zer can ’byung ba’i rgyud las phyung ba rtog pa’i rgyal po [colophon title]. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 104 (rgyud, pha), folios 133.a–143.a.
’phags ma ’od zer can gyi dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga (Āryamārīcīmaṇḍalavidhi) [The Maṇḍala Rites of Noble Mārīcī]. Toh 566, Degé Kangyur vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pha), folios 165.b–186.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2024b.
Abhayākaragupta. Niṣpannayogāvalī. Edited and translated by Lokesh Chandra and Nirmala Sharma. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, 2015.
Mārīcīkalpa. Nepalese-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project (NGMCP) no. E 1480/9. Kathmandu: Nepal National Archive.
Mārīcīkalpatantra. Institute for the Advanced Study of World Religions (IASWR) no. MBB-1973-112 (MBB II 112).
Bhattacharyya, Benoytosh, ed. Sādhanamālā. Vol. 1. Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1968.
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). The Collected Works of Bu-Ston. Edited by Lokesh Candra. 28 vols. Śata-piṭaka Series 41–68. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71.
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.
Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. 2 vols. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2004.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Lancaster, Lewis R. The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue. Accessed January 31, 2019.
Monier-Williams, Monier. A Sanskrit–English Dictionary Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2005.
Negi, J. S. Tibetan–Sanskrit Dictionary (bod skad dang legs sbyar gyi tshig mdzod chen mo). 16 vols. Sarnath: Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, 1993–2005.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies. University of Vienna. Accessed November 9, 2018.
Tarthang Tulku. The Nyingma Edition of the sDe-dge bKa’-’gyur/bsTan-’gyur: Research Catalogue and Bibliography. Vol. 2. Oakland, CA: Dharma Press, 1982.
Yoshimuri, Shyuki. bka’ bstan dkar chag ldan dkar ma/ dbu can bris ma/. Kyoto: Ryukoku University, 1950.
Bhattacharyya, Dipakchandra. “An Interesting Image of the Godess [sic] Marici.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress 26, part 1 (1964): 91–94.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2024a). The Mārīcī Dhāraṇī (Mārīcīnāmadhāraṇī, Toh 564). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2024b). Noble Mārīcī’s Maṇḍala Ritual (Āryamārīcīmaṇḍalavidhi, Toh 566). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Donaldson, Thomas Eugene. “Orissan Images of Vārāhī, Oḍḍiyāna Mārīcī, and Related Sow-Faced Goddesses.” Artibus Asiae 55, no. 1/2 (1995): 155–82.
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C Choné Kangyur
D Degé Kangyur
K Kangxi Kangyur
NE 1480/9 Mārīcīkalpa (NGMCP E 1480/9, Nepal National Archive, Kathmandu). This witness is identical to Mārīcīkalpatantra (IASWR MBB-1973-112 [MBB II 112]).
S Stok Palace Kangyur
Y Yongle Kangyur
