The Tantra of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa
Purities

Then the blessed lady, Delusion Vajrī, said, “How can Sole Hero be actualized? Tell me, O supreme lord!” [F.327.a]

The lord then said:

Then the Blessed Lady said:

The lord then said:

“On that topic, the four corners are the four immeasurable states. The four doors are the four truths. The four gateways are the four concentrations. The eight pillars are the noble eightfold path. The single chamber is the one-pointedness of mind. The lotus is the vulva. Its various colors are the various emanations. The nine deities122 are the nine sections of scripture. The redness in the cardinal directions is the great affection. The colors yellow, dark-green, white, and black in the intermediary directions are the priestly, merchant, warrior, and peasant castes. The moon and the sun are semen and menstrual blood. The sword in the center is the emblem of Black Acala. The knives and double vajras in the cardinal directions represent their respective deities, starting with White Acala in the east. [F.327.b] In the intermediate directions, they represent their respective goddesses, starting with Delusion Vajrī in the southeast. These are the purities of the maṇḍala.

“Now the purities of meditation are described.

The syllable hūṁ is the consciousness in the intermediate state, in between the mother and the father. Akṣobhya is the father, Māmakī is the mother. Seeing their mutual passion, one feels aversion for the father and attraction for the mother. Because of delusion, one enters as the consciousness of a new being. One emerges from the womb as a newborn. One kills the father in order to take his place, and seizes the mother because of motherly love received in one’s former births, and also for the sake of exquisite pleasure. One, too, begets sons and daughters, who are, respectively, White Acala, Delusion Vajrī, and so forth. The sons, for their part, are patricides, wholly intent on fornication, and nothing but enemies. One should therefore kill them. As for the daughters, one should make love to them because of motherly love received in one’s former births, and also for the sake of exquisite pleasure.

“The sword is wisdom, and the noose is skillful means. Or the noose is wisdom, and the sword is skillful means. Their both being of the same essence is represented by the threatening gesture. The left-downward glance signifies protecting the seven underground paradises. The right-upward glance signifies protecting the seven egg-of-Brahmā worlds. The left knee resting on the ground signifies protecting the earth. The right foot thrust forward signifies frightening all the māras‍—Brahmā is the māra of the aggregates, Śiva is the māra of the afflictions, Viṣṇu is the māra of death, and Śakra is the māra of the divine son.

“Every mortal girl represents earth. A young man represents enjoyment. [F.328.a]The lotus seat signifies lasting for a long time. The sun-and-moon seat signifies being conceived in the womb. The male form born from sperm and menstrual blood is existence, whereas the female form is nonexistence. Blue Acala is consciousness, White is form, Yellow is sensation, Red is perception, and Green is formation.

“Alternatively Blue Acala is space, White is water, Yellow is earth, Red is fire, and Green is wind‍—as for the blessed lords, so too it is for the blessed ladies.

“Alternatively Blue Acala is the very pure wisdom of the sphere of phenomena, White is the mirror-like wisdom, Yellow is the wisdom of equality, Red is the wisdom of discrimination, and Green is the action-accomplishing wisdom.