The Vidyā “Jāṅgulī” contains a vidyā or “spell” to neutralize poisons, especially from snakes, that was transmitted to the Buddha in a former lifetime by a goddess of that name.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. Adam C. Krug produced the translation and wrote the introduction. John Canti edited the translation and the introduction, and Ibby Caputo copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Vidyā “Jāṅgulī” begins in Śrāvastī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is staying with his monks. The Buddha begins by telling his monks about a vidyā goddess named Jāṅgulī, whom he encountered in a previous life when he was a bodhisattva living on the slopes of Mount Gandhamādana. The Buddha describes Jāṅgulī as a young girl adorned with snakes who beckoned to him and then gave him her vidyā for neutralizing poisons.
Jāṅgulī is one of several goddesses related to snakebites and the neutralization of poisons that are shared by Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions.1 The Vidyā “Jāṅgulī” is placed in the Degé Kangyur among the Action (kriyā) tantras belonging to the “mothers” of the Tathāgata family (Toh 571), and has a duplicate in the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (Toh 990). A complete Sanskrit version of the text with the title Āryajāṅgulīmahāvidyā survives in Benoytosh Bhattacharyya’s edition of A Garland of Sādhanas (Skt. Sādhanamālā).2
Unfortunately, the Tibetan translations do not include colophons that identify the translators of this text. The Denkarma3 and Phangthangma4 both list the title as ’phags pa dug sel gyi rig sngags (The Noble Vidyā ‘Jāṅgulī’), which indicates that a version of the text had been translated into Tibetan by the early ninth century. The text was translated into Chinese by Amoghavajra in 1246
This translation was prepared using the Tibetan translations preserved in the Tantra (rgyud ’bum) and Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus)66 sections of the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Kangyur and the Stok Palace Kangyur. These witnesses were read against the Sanskrit witness in Bhattacharyya’s edition of A Garland of Sādhanas, which was extremely helpful in resolving some of the difficulties with the Tibetan translation.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.7 The Blessed One addressed the monks, saying,[F.144.a] “Long ago, monks, when I was a bodhisattva,
tadyathā oṁ ilimitte tilimitte ilitilimitte dumve dumvāliye dusme dusmaliye tarke takaraṇe marme mare meraṇe kaśmīri kaśmīramugate aghe aghaṇe aghanaghaṇe ilī alīye akhā īe avyā ie śvete śataduṇḍe anurakte9 svāhā
“Monks, this Jāṅgulī vidyā that I possess is as effective as the sarvaśvetā herb.10 Anyone who hears this vidyā once will not be bitten by a snake for seven years. Their body will be impervious to poison. If a snake takes hold of them, it will burst into seven pieces just like the flowers of a wild basil plant. The words of this mantra should not be recited in the presence of poisonous snakes, because the snakes will die.
tadyathā, ilala cilalī cakravakko kauḍa koḍeḍi kuruta kuruḍati poḍāti purudā purudeti moḍeti nikuruḍe nikuruḍe nimamuruta nimamuruḍete purude phuttareha phutta phuttattaṇḍarahe nāgarāhe nagattadataṇḍarahe sarvarahe sarvatattadaraha acchi acchi puruṭata calaviṣe śrīte śrītā[F.144.b] bandhale mātāle halehale halahala halale ilale kipacale milale taṇḍi taṇḍi taṭa taṭa spuṭa sphuṭa phaṭ phaṭ11 haraviśva svāhā[F.199.a]
“Monks, these are the exact words of this vidyā just as Jāṅgulī pronounced them in the entire assembly of bhūtas. It is so and not otherwise. It is authentic, true, without error, and unfailing. May it render this poison no longer poisonous. May it return it to the one who dispensed it. May it return it to the biter.12 May that one be drowned. May it be burned. May it be buried. May it turn into a pillar. May it turn into a wall. May it turn into space. May it turn into earth. May it be at peace. Svāhā.”
When the Blessed One had spoken these words the monks rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.
This concludes The Noble Vidyā “Jāṅgulī.”
The Vidyā “Jāṅgulī” contains a vidyā or “spell” to neutralize poisons, especially from snakes, that was transmitted to the Buddha in a former lifetime by a goddess of that name.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. Adam C. Krug produced the translation and wrote the introduction. John Canti edited the translation and the introduction, and Ibby Caputo copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Vidyā “Jāṅgulī” begins in Śrāvastī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is staying with his monks. The Buddha begins by telling his monks about a vidyā goddess named Jāṅgulī, whom he encountered in a previous life when he was a bodhisattva living on the slopes of Mount Gandhamādana. The Buddha describes Jāṅgulī as a young girl adorned with snakes who beckoned to him and then gave him her vidyā for neutralizing poisons.
Jāṅgulī is one of several goddesses related to snakebites and the neutralization of poisons that are shared by Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions.1 The Vidyā “Jāṅgulī” is placed in the Degé Kangyur among the Action (kriyā) tantras belonging to the “mothers” of the Tathāgata family (Toh 571), and has a duplicate in the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (Toh 990). A complete Sanskrit version of the text with the title Āryajāṅgulīmahāvidyā survives in Benoytosh Bhattacharyya’s edition of A Garland of Sādhanas (Skt. Sādhanamālā).2
Unfortunately, the Tibetan translations do not include colophons that identify the translators of this text. The Denkarma3 and Phangthangma4 both list the title as ’phags pa dug sel gyi rig sngags (The Noble Vidyā ‘Jāṅgulī’), which indicates that a version of the text had been translated into Tibetan by the early ninth century. The text was translated into Chinese by Amoghavajra in 1246
This translation was prepared using the Tibetan translations preserved in the Tantra (rgyud ’bum) and Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus)66 sections of the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Kangyur and the Stok Palace Kangyur. These witnesses were read against the Sanskrit witness in Bhattacharyya’s edition of A Garland of Sādhanas, which was extremely helpful in resolving some of the difficulties with the Tibetan translation.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.7 The Blessed One addressed the monks, saying,[F.144.a] “Long ago, monks, when I was a bodhisattva,
tadyathā oṁ ilimitte tilimitte ilitilimitte dumve dumvāliye dusme dusmaliye tarke takaraṇe marme mare meraṇe kaśmīri kaśmīramugate aghe aghaṇe aghanaghaṇe ilī alīye akhā īe avyā ie śvete śataduṇḍe anurakte9 svāhā
“Monks, this Jāṅgulī vidyā that I possess is as effective as the sarvaśvetā herb.10 Anyone who hears this vidyā once will not be bitten by a snake for seven years. Their body will be impervious to poison. If a snake takes hold of them, it will burst into seven pieces just like the flowers of a wild basil plant. The words of this mantra should not be recited in the presence of poisonous snakes, because the snakes will die.
tadyathā, ilala cilalī cakravakko kauḍa koḍeḍi kuruta kuruḍati poḍāti purudā purudeti moḍeti nikuruḍe nikuruḍe nimamuruta nimamuruḍete purude phuttareha phutta phuttattaṇḍarahe nāgarāhe nagattadataṇḍarahe sarvarahe sarvatattadaraha acchi acchi puruṭata calaviṣe śrīte śrītā[F.144.b] bandhale mātāle halehale halahala halale ilale kipacale milale taṇḍi taṇḍi taṭa taṭa spuṭa sphuṭa phaṭ phaṭ11 haraviśva svāhā[F.199.a]
“Monks, these are the exact words of this vidyā just as Jāṅgulī pronounced them in the entire assembly of bhūtas. It is so and not otherwise. It is authentic, true, without error, and unfailing. May it render this poison no longer poisonous. May it return it to the one who dispensed it. May it return it to the biter.12 May that one be drowned. May it be burned. May it be buried. May it turn into a pillar. May it turn into a wall. May it turn into space. May it turn into earth. May it be at peace. Svāhā.”
When the Blessed One had spoken these words the monks rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.
This concludes The Noble Vidyā “Jāṅgulī.”
Taishō 1264, 觀自在菩薩化身蘘麌哩曳童女銷伏毒害陀羅尼經 (Guanzizai pusa huashenrang yuliye tongnu xiaofu duhai tuoluoni jing).
This text, Toh 990, and all those contained in this same volume (gzungs ’dus, waM), are listed as being located in volume 101 of the Degé Kangyur by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). However, several other Kangyur databases—including the eKangyur that supplies the digital input version displayed by the 84000 Reading Room—list this work as being located in volume 102. This discrepancy is partly due to the fact that the two volumes of the gzungs ’dus section are an added supplement not mentioned in the original catalog, and also hinges on the fact that the compilers of the Tōhoku catalog placed another text—which forms a whole, very large volume—the Vimalaprabhānāmakālacakratantraṭīkā (dus ’khor ’grel bshad dri med ’od, Toh 845), before the volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur, numbering it as vol. 100, although it is almost certainly intended to come right at the end of the Degé Kangyur texts as volume 102; indeed its final fifth chapter is often carried over and wrapped in the same volume as the Kangyur dkar chags (catalog). Please note this discrepancy when using the eKangyur viewer in this translation.
This translation follows the Tibetan witnesses, which do not provide further details about the audience for this teaching. The Sanskrit witness in Bhattacharyya’s edition of A Garland of Sādhanas, however, mentions that the Buddha was “accompanied by a great saṅgha of 1,500 monks together with many bodhisattva great beings and numerous human and nonhuman beings such as devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas” (mahatā bhikṣusaṅghena sārdhaṃ ardhatrayodaśabhirbhikṣuśataiḥ sabahulaiśca bodhisattvairmahāsattvairanekaiśca devanāgayakṣagandharvāsuragaruḍakinnaramahoragamanuṣyāmanuṣyaiśca sārdham).
The Tibetan renders this passage as four lines of verse, while the Sanskrit renders it in prose. The Sanskrit also makes clear that the Buddha is speaking of himself residing on Mount Gandhamādana, and that the Tibetan gzhon nu should be understood as a translation of the feminine Sanskrit form kumārī (Tib. gzhon nu ma) referring to Jāṅgulī: bhūtapūrvaṃ bhikṣavo bodhisattvabhūto viharāmi | himavantasyottarapārśve parvate gandhamādane [|] yasya parvatarājasya prāgbhare kumārīśatapuṇyalakṣanā (this reading amends the punctuation in the Sanskrit edition by moving the daṇḍa that follows the verb viharāmi to a position following the noun gandhamādane).
The Tibetan reads dge slong dag nga’i dug sel gyi rigs sngags ’di ni sbyin pa thams cad dkar po ste, whereas the Sanskrit in Bhattacharyya’s edition of A Garland of Sādhanas reads iyam asmākaṃ bhikṣavo vidyā sarvaśvetā sudakṣiṇā. In The Basket’s Display (Karaṇḍavyūhasūtra, Toh 116) the Sanskrit term sarvaśvetā refers to a mythical medicinal herb (see 2.9, 2.11, 2.14), informing the tentative rendering here “as effective as the sarvaśvetā herb.” However, the term sarvaśvetā is also identified as a species of venomous insect in the classical Āyurvedic work Suśrutasaṃhitā. This suggests that an alternative translation of this line might be: “extremely effective against the venomous sarvaśvetā insect.”
This transliteration follows the reading in the Stok Palace Kangyur: phaT phaT. Both versions in the Degé Kangyur read phaT Ta phaT Ta; the Sanskrit simply reads sphuṭatu.
These phrases presumably refer to the poison being returned to the snake, just as the phrases that follow seem to be about what happens to the snake, but the translation is tentative. The Tibetan reads sbyin par byed pa’i gan du song shig / ’dzin pa’i gan du song shig; the Sanskrit reads dātāraṃ gacchatu | daṣṭāraṃ gacchatu. An alternative translation of the first phrase might read: “may it go to the donor.”
This was an important early site for the Buddha’s growing community. Anāthapiṇḍada, a wealthy patron of the Buddha, purchased the park, located outside Śrāvastī, at great cost, purportedly covering the ground with gold, and donated it to the saṅgha. It was there that the Buddha spent several rainy seasons and gave discourses that were later recorded as sūtras. It was also the site for one of the first Buddhist monasteries. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
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).
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.
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.
In the most general sense the devas—the term is cognate with the English divine—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.
A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.
The name of a vidyā goddess encountered by the Buddha Śākyamuni in a former life.
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.
A legendary mountain north of the Himalayas, with Lake Anavatapta, the source of the world’s great rivers, at its base.
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 park in Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. It was owned by Prince Jeta, and the wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, bought it from him by covering the entire property with gold coins. It was to become the place where the monks could be housed during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It is therefore the setting for many of the Buddha's discourses.
Though often specifically reserved for the monastic community, this term can be applied to any of the four Buddhist communities—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—as well as to identify the different groups of practitioners, like the community of bodhisattvas or the community of śrāvakas. It is also the third of the Three Jewels (triratna) of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.
During the life of the Buddha, Śrāvastī was the capital city of the powerful kingdom of Kośala, ruled by King Prasenajit, who became a follower and patron of the Buddha. It was also the hometown of Anāthapiṇḍada, the wealthy patron who first invited the Buddha there, and then offered him a park known as Jetavana, Prince Jeta’s Grove, which became one of the first Buddhist monasteries. The Buddha is said to have spent about twenty-five rainy seasons with his disciples in Śrāvastī, thus it is named as the setting of numerous events and teachings. It is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh in northern India.
A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.
Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.
Bhattacharyya, Benoytosh, ed.
Denkarma (
Phangthangma (
84000. The Basket’s Display (
Slouber, Michael.
