ཁྲོ་བོ་ཆེན་པོའི་རྒྱུད།
The Tantra of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa
Notes
Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantram
དཔལ་གཏུམ་པོ་ཁྲོ་བོ་ཆེན་པོའི་རྒྱུད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་དཔའ་བོ་གཅིག་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ།
dpal gtum po khro bo chen po’i rgyud kyi rgyal po dpa’ bo gcig pa zhes bya ba
The Glorious Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra “The Sole Hero”
Ekallavīrākhyaśrīcaṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantram
Toh 431
Degé Kangyur, vol. 80 (rgyud ’bum, nga), folios 304.b–343.a
ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ
- Trakpa Gyaltsen
Imprint
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2016
Current version v 2.28.25 (2025)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.26.1
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.
Warning: Readers are reminded that according to Vajrayāna Buddhist tradition there are restrictions and commitments concerning tantra. Practitioners who are not sure if they should read this translation are advised to consult the authorities of their lineage. The responsibility for reading this text or sharing it with others who may or may not fulfill the requirements lies in the hands of readers.
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Table of Contents
Summary
Written around the tenth or the eleventh century ᴄᴇ, in the late Mantrayāna period, The Tantra of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa represents the flowering of the Yoginītantra genre. The tantra offers instructions on how to attain the wisdom state of Buddha Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa through the practice of the four joys. The tantra covers a range of practices and philosophical perspectives of late tantric Buddhism, including the development stage, the completion stage, the use of mantras, and a number of magical rites and rituals. The text is quite unique with its tribute to and apotheosis of women and, in this regard, probably has few parallels anywhere else in world literature. It is written in the spirit of great sincerity and devotion, and it is this very spirit that mitigates, and at the same time empowers, the text’s stark imagery and sometimes shocking practices. This text certainly calls for an open mind.
Acknowledgments
This translation was produced by Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the text from the Sanskrit manuscripts, prepared the Sanskrit edition, and wrote the introduction. The translation was then compared against the Tibetan translation found in the Degé Kangyur by James Gentry, and edited by Andreas Doctor.
The Dharmachakra Translation Committee is also indebted to Professor Harunaga Isaacson and Dr. Péter Szántó for their help in obtaining facsimiles of some of the manuscripts, and to Professor Isaacson for making available some of his personal materials.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Text Body
The Translation
The Tantra of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa
Notes
Cf. Isaacson (2006).
The seventeenth mantra; see Dharmachakra (2016).
Cf. Isaacson (2010).
The Tibetan Kangyur contains eight Caryātantras, Toh 494–501.
Cf. Isaacson (2010).
Chap. 16 in de la Vallée Poussin (1897), and chaps. 1–8 in George (1974).
The palm leaf manuscript is held at the Royal Asiatic Society in London (ref. Cowell no. 46/31, dated Nepal Saṃvat 500, 1380 c.e.).
Dates according to the Buddhist Digital Resource Centre.
Page numbers included in the English translation refer to the Tibetan Degé block print.
George (1974).
Gäng (1981).
Skt. oṁ śrīcaṇḍamahāroṣaṇa sarvaparivārasahita āgaccha āgaccha jaḥ hūṁ vaṁ hoḥ atra maṇḍale adhiṣṭhānaṃ kuru hūṁ phaṭ svāhā.
Skt. oṁ kṛṣṇācala puṣpaṃ pratīccha hūṁ phaṭ, and so on.
Skt. oṁ dveṣavajri puṣpaṃ pratīccha hūṁ phaṭ, and so on.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
Tib. “Having brought my existence here to cessation, I shall become a refuge for all beings.”
Skt. oṁ āḥ sarvatathāgatābhiṣekasamayaśriye hūṁ.
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa āviśa āviśa asya hṛdaye hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ hana hana māraya māraya sarvaśatrūñ jñānakhaḍga hūṁ phaṭ.
“Great Truth” is an epithet of Yama.
Skt. oṁ gṛhṇa gṛhṇa kaṭṭa kaṭṭa sarvaduṣṭān pāśena bandha bandha mahāsatya te dharma te svāhā.
Skt. oṁ bhagavati āviśa āviśa asyā hṛdaye hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ karttike sarvamārāṇāṃ māṃsaṃ kartaya kartaya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ kapāla sarvaśatrūṇāṃ raktaṃ dhāraya dhāraya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ he śrīdveṣavajri siddhā tvaṃ hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. aho sukham.
Skt. oṁ śūnyatājñānavajrasvabhāvātmako 'ham.
Translated based on the Tibetan.
Translated based on the Tibetan.
“Wearing Five Braids of Hair” (pañcacīra) is an epithet of Mañjuśrī.
The “churning method” is explained in the commentary. It means that one mentally creates the deity out of the male and female sexual fluids mingled in the vagina of the consort.
It is not completely clear what “according to that” means; possibly that if the girl is of “red nature,” one should visualize oneself as Red Acala.
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ hrāṁ hrīṁ hrauṁ caṇḍarūpe caṭa caṭa pracaṭa pracaṭa kaṭṭa kaṭṭa prasphura prasphura prasphāraya prasphāraya hana hana grasa grasa bandha bandha jambhaya jambhaya stambhaya stambhaya mohaya mohaya sarvaśatrūṇāṃ mukhabandhanaṃ kuru kuru sarvaḍākinīnāṃ grahabhūtapiśācavyādhiyakṣānāṃ trāsaya trāsaya mara mara māraya māraya rurucaṇḍaruk rakṣa rakṣa devadattaṃ caṇḍamahāsenaḥ sarvam ājñāpayati. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. namaḥ sarvāśāparipūrakebhyaḥ sarvatathāgatebhyaḥ. sarvathācalakānanā naṭṭa naṭṭa moṭṭa moṭṭa saṭṭa saṭṭa tuṭṭa tuṭṭa tiṣṭha tiṣṭha āviśa āviśa āḥ mahāmattabālaka dhūṇa dhūna tiṇa tiṇa khāda khāda vighnān māraya māraya duṣṭān bhakṣa bhakṣa sarvaṃ kuru kuru kiri kiri mahāviṣavajra phaṭ hūṁ hūṁ hūṁ. trivalitaraṅgāvartaka hūṁ hūṁ hūṁ. acala ceṭa phaṭ sphāṭaya sphāṭaya hūṁ hūṁ asamantike trāṭ mahābala sāṭaya samānaya trāṁ māṁ hāṁ śuddhyantu lokāḥ. tuṣyatu vajrī namo 'stv apratihatabalebhyaḥ. jvālaya trāṭ asaha namaḥ svāhā.
Skt. namaḥ sarvāśāparipūrakebhyaḥ sarvatathāgatebhyaḥ sarvathā trāṭ. amoghacaṇḍamahāroṣaṇa sphāṭaya sphāṭaya hūṁ. bhramaya bhramaya hūṁ trāṭ hāṁ māṁ.
Skt. oṁ kṛṣṇācala hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ śvetācala hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ pītācala hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ raktācala hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ śyāmācala hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ vajrayogini hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ prajñāpāramite hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ vauheri hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ picu picu prajñāvardhani jvala jvala medhāvardhani dhiri dhiri buddhivardhani svāhā.
Skt. oṁ dveṣavajri hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ mohavajri hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ piśunavajri hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ rāgavajri hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ īrṣyāvajri hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ namo bhagavate śrīcaṇḍamahāroṣaṇāya devāsuramānuṣyatrāsanāya samastamārabalavināśanāya ratnamakuṭakṛtaśirase imaṃ baliṃ gṛhṇa gṛhṇa mama sarvavighnān hana hana caturmārān nivāraya nivāraya trāsa trāsa bhrāma bhrāma chinda chinda bhinda bhinda nāśa nāśa tāpa tāpa śoṣa śoṣa cheda cheda bheda bheda duṣṭasattvān mama viruddhacittakān bhasmīkuru kuru phaṭ phaṭ svāhā.
Translated based on the Tibetan.
According to the commentary, the juice from her mouth is phlegm from her throat.
In Indian culture, the sound sīt is expressive of sexual excitement or pleasure.
Translated based on the Tibetan.
This line is missing from the Tibetan. Instead, for this and the next three lines, it reads: “Therefore, having drawn out with one’s mouth / The semen and blood in the lotus / One should look at it again and again / Then consume it.”
Harunaga Isaacson suggested emending svedaṃ to śvetaṃ, in which case the translation would be “semen and blood.” The Tibetan also supports the reading śvetaṃ.
The Tibetan differs in these two lines. It reads: “The yogi, by virtue of his meditative equipoise / Should thus be possessed of altruism.” Neither the Sanskrit nor the Tibetan seems to fit the context very well.
Translated based on the Tibetan.
Translated based on the Tibetan.
These two lines are absent in the Tibetan.
Here the Tibetan reflects the reading rakta (rak+ta) rather than bhakta.
The Tibetan has kha chu here, which usually just means “saliva.” No “lumps” are mentioned.
The Tibetan differs: “A yogin should rest in equipoise / And only focus on the form of the innate.”
Kulatriṇī, which could not be identified, was rendered into the Tibetan as śabarī (a mountaineer/tribal woman).
The Tibetan transliterates hatriṇī, which could not be identified, as hāḍi (one of the outcaste groups).
The translation “house builder” is based on the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has kemālinī, which could not be identified.
Translated based on the Tibetan.
This and the next one-and-a-half verses up to “Through this very means” are absent in the Tibetan.
The Tibetan reads: “As long as one is afraid of worldly evil / One will not gain power.” The Sanskrit reading, however, is corroborated by the commentary.
The Sanskrit term kāmabhoga has been translated here as “the pleasure of sex.” However, other interpretations are also possible, for example that the text adds another body to the formative list of the three just mentioned.
Tib. “Wholly devoted to serving one’s guru.”
Literally “with the five joints.”
Instead of “the sons of the victorious ones,” the Tibetan seems to say that lust is the nature of the victorious ones.
Tib. “That was only for the sake of others.”
This verse and the entire section are missing from the Tibetan, which jumps from “The blessed lord then said” to “What boon shall I grant you?” below.
The Tib. reads “a vase, shoes” instead of “cloth shoes.”
Tib. “They will enable you to attain omniscience.”
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa āgaccha āgaccha hūṃ phaṭ.
Skt. amukaṃ me sādhaya.
Skt. amukaṃ hana hana.
Skt. sarvapāpaṃ me nāśaya.
Skt. rakṣa rakṣa mām.
The Tibetan has: “One should strike the ḍākinīs and so forth” (mkha’ ’gro ma la sogs pa rnams la brab par bya’o).
Skt. ḍākinyādikam apasāraya.
Skt. rakṣa rakṣa bālakam.
Skt. devadattasya mukhaṃ kīlaya.
Skt. devadattasya pādau kīlaya.
Skt. devadattasya hṛdayaṃ kīlaya.
“Withered thorn” is a translation of saṃkocakaṇṭaka. The meaning of saṃkoca is unclear. It is one of several possible names for saffron, but the saffron plant does not have thorns, as in this context. The Tibetan for this term (mtshon sbal) was in none of the available dictionaries.
Skt. devadattasyāṅgaṃ kīlaya.
Skt. devadattam uccāṭaya.
Skt. devadattam uccāṭaya.
Skt. devadattaṃ māraya. The Tibetan adds here: “If you add it, it will kill him.”
Skt. amukasyāmukarogaṃ nāśaya.
Skt. devadattasya viṣaṃ nāśaya.
Skt. amukaṃ vaśam ānaya.
Skt. amukam ākarṣaya.
Skt. puṣṭiṃ me kuru. The Tibetan adds here: “One will become enriched” (rgyas par ’gyur ro).
This could be the mantra given above: oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa āgaccha āgaccha hūṃ phaṭ (Oṁ, Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, come, come, hūṁ phaṭ!).
Skt. sarvajvarāṇi nāśaya.
Skt. hara harānantaṃ śīghraṃ varṣāpaya.
This could be: oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa āgaccha āgaccha hūṃ phaṭ (Oṁ, Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, come, come, hūṁ phaṭ!).
Skt. sarvavātavṛṣṭiṃ stambhaya. The Tibetan adds: “Then the rain will stop.”
The Tibetan says: “One should tie it to the head, forearm, back of the neck, or the left leg.”
Skt. idaṃ bhuktvā sarve jvarādayo 'pasarantu śīghraṃ bhagavān caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa evaṃ ājñāpayati. yadi nāpasariṣyatha tadā bhagavān kruddhas tīkṣṇena khaḍgena tilapramāṇaṃ kṛtvā chetsyati.
The Tibetan has: “Whoever’s toenail it touches will be enthralled.”
The third root mantra must be meant here: oṁ vauheri hūṁ phaṭ. This is where one inserts the target’s name, with instructions, between oṁ vauheri and hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa imaṃ baliṃ gṛhṇa gṛhṇa amukakāryaṃ me sādhaya hūṃ phaṭ.
This line is missing in the Tibetan.
Tib. “One should perform secret conduct with a twelve-year-old girl.”
Tib. “Engage in practice for half one’s lifetime.”
Tib. “Free of evil, of stainless mind.”
“Alone” in this context means, according to the commentary, that he is without a retinue of maṇḍala deities.
Translation based on the Tibetan; the word deities is missing from the Sanskrit.
Tib. “Then, one is born from the womb. By stopping the primary and secondary mental states associated with dying, there will be no mental anguish and turmoil of aging and death.”
For the two previous sentences, the Tibetan reads: Those who seek liberation will not be subject to the process of suffering, since the nature of the aggregates, such as ignorance, has ceased.
“An empty state” (śūnyatā) of a useless (tuccha) type is here a reference to the nirvāṇa as attained by the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, i.e. the state which results solely from the cessation of ignorance and the remaining eleven links of dependent origination. The view represented in this tantra, however, regards the inactivity of nirvāṇa as a worthless state (tucchatā).
The Tibetan reads: Due to emptiness and the insubstantial nature, they are not subject to suffering and come to possess the meaning of liberation.
The Tibetan reads: Thus, they have no thoughts of liberation, nor any thoughts of a lack of liberation.
The Tibetan reads: Therefore, they assume the form of great bliss, the union of means and insight that is devoid of independent reality.
The Tibetan reads “liberation” with the next sentence (“Liberation arises through passion…”).
The Tibetan is unclear here but appears to say: “Liberation arises through passion; the passion that is worldly passion, is neither extinct nor not extinct.” Tibetan: thar pa ni ’dod chags las skyes pa ste / ’jig rten pa’i ’dod chags zad pa dang zad pa ma yin par gyur.
The Tibetan reads: That mind, that supreme essence, which is the unique joy of the moon. (In tantric parlance “moon” stands for “semen,” so “the... joy of the moon” possibly refers to innate joy experienced during ejaculation.)
Translation based on the Tibetan.
The translation “tiny worms” is based on the Tibetan; the Sanskrit has “powder” (cūrṇa). The Tibetan reading makes better sense as coriander is a known vermicide.
The Tibetan implies that both coriander and honey should be drunk through the nose, that is, used as a sternutatory.
Tib. “Having cleansed away afflictions, later one should begin.”
Skt. oṁ caṇdamahāroṣaṇa idaṃ divyāmṛtaṃ me kuru hūṁ phaṭ.
Vāsya has not been identified.
Instead of “insert,” the Tibetan has “stroke/caress” (nyed).
Instead of “resin,” the Tibetan has “flour.”
Śevāla is probably Blyxa octandra. “Black hellebore” is here the translation of kaṭurohiṇī. In the Tibetan, however, kaṭurohiṇī is understood to be a compound of two names, kaṭu and rohiṇī. Each of these two can be a name of several plants.
Instead of “dung,” the Tibetan has “butter.”
The last sentence is unclear both in the Sanskrit and in the Tibetan. The Tibetan says: “By washing them with warm water, the engorgement declines, like the penis described above.”
Here “bastard rosewood” is the translation of gorakṣa, which could also be the name of other plants.
This can be a name of several plants.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
This paragraph is missing from the Tibetan text and is found only in the more recent Sanskrit manuscripts.
Śephālikā has not been identified.
Before this sentence, the Tibetan reads: “One should blend saffron extract, dūrvā grass extract, and pomegranate flower extract, and pour it through the nose. This will stop nose bleeding. With rice gruel and kāṣṭha udumvāra root, one will stop bleeding from the mouth.”
Translation based on the Tibetan.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
Bhūmividārī could not be identified with certainty. The name elements are synonymous with bhūmisphoṭa, which is the name of a field mushroom.
The procedure described here is not very clear.
The details of this recipe are far from clear. The Tibetan seems to be saying: “One should place in a crucible one tulā [sic] of quicksilver, a lump of śaliñca, and a lump of loṇiya, together with six or one [measures] of red arsenic, smeared with freshly churned butter. Having sealed the lid, one should cook it with sand inside a kiln.”
The plant sūrasūnna (also spelt surasunna and surasunnaka) could not be identified.
This whole paragraph is translated based on the Tibetan. The section is missing from the Sanskrit. Śmathai seems to be a corrupt Sanskrit word and could not be identified.
The Tibetan adds a line: “If one rubs the penis with it and makes love, she will be enthralled.”
Instead of the following line, the Tibetan has: “then apply vernonia, costus, and betel. The very same result will occur.”
The last sentence of this paragraph is missing from the Tibetan.
Instead of this, the Tibetan has: “If one soaks the calf’s tongue with the self-arisen flower from yellow orpiment and applies it as a tilak to the woman’s forehead, she will be enthralled.”
Viṣṇukrāntā, here translated as “dwarf morning glory,” could also be the name of butterfly pea.
The five impure substances, according to the commentary, are secretions from the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and the sexual organ.
A play on words may be intended here, as the word citta, which normally means “thought,” can also have the technical meaning of “semen.”
Skt. oṁ calacitte cili cili culu culu reto muñca muñca svāhā.
Skt. namaḥ caṇḍālī amukīṃ vaśīkuru svāhā.
Interpretive translation based on the commentary.
The northern root-branch of downy datura, extracted while facing north (cf. the commentary).
Tib. “Or one should fasten downy datura to one’s hips, having removed it while not wearing any clothing or undergarments and with one’s hair loosened.”
Instead of the last two lines, the Tibetan reads: “One should fasten the bone from the leg of a black cat. One will be able to retain semen. Or one should fasten the root of white śarapuṅṣā, and semen will also be retained.”
Again, the plant surasunnaka (also spelt surasunna and sūrasūnna) could not be identified.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
Tib. “One should make eye ointment in a lamp filled with pig fat and with a wick made of white thread of giant milkweed.”
After “oil,” the Tibetan adds: “in a lamp with a wick made from powdered earthworms.”
The Tibetan adds: “Having ground earthworms into a powder, one should cook it in safflower oil together with saffron oil and rub it on the feet. One will retain the semen.” This passage is then followed with: “One should mix toad’s grease and scorpion with goat’s milk, and rub the feet with it. Semen will be retained.”
Viṣṇukrāntā, here translated as “dwarf morning glory,” could also be butterfly pea.
This paragraph is missing from the Tibetan.
This paragraph is missing from the Tibetan.
We are not sure if “ox horn” is to be understood literally or as the name of a plant.
This sentence is not clear to us. The Tibetan just has: “One should repeat this two or three times.”
Oṣaṇī has not been identified.
Rāmadūtī has not been identified.
This passage seems to be corroborated by the Tibetan, but the commentary seems to refer to a slightly different content.
Skt. oṁ jvālākarālavadane hasa hasa halāhalavajre suvajre sphara sphara sphāraya sphāraya sarvameghavātavṛṣṭiṃ stambhaya stambhaya sphoṭaya sphoṭaya yaḥ yaḥ yaḥ sarvapānīyam śoṣaya śoṣaya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ phetkāra pheṁ pheṁ ha ha hā hā pheṭ.
Skt. oṁ sarvavidyādhipataye parayantramantranāśane sarvaaḍākinīnāṃ trāsaya trāsaya bandha bandha sukhaṃ kīlaya kīlaya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ hili hili phuḥ phuḥ.
Skt. oṁ hrīṁ baṭukanātha caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ yamāntaka hrīḥ strīḥ hūṁ hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ phaṭ trāsaya trāsaya caṇḍa pracaṇḍa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ yamamardane mardaya mardaya caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ krośaṇe saṃkrośaṇe bhedanāya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ trāsane mohanāya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ acale saṃcale amukasya mukhaṃ kīlaya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ sarvamārabhañjane amukasya pādau kīlaya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ vikṛtānana parabalabhañjane bhañjaya bhañjaya stambhaya stambhaya vajrapāśena amukaṃ sasainyaṃ bandha bandha hūṁ phaṭ khaḥ gaḥ hā hā hī hī pheṁ pheṁ. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ daha daha paca paca matha matha jvara jvara jvālaya jvālaya śoṣaya śoṣaya gṛhṇa gṛhṇa jvala jvala. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ svāhā.
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa amukaṃ jvareṇa gṛhṇāpaya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ jaya jaya parājaya nirjitayantre hī hī hā hā sphoṭaya sphoṭaya ucchādaya ucchādaya śīghraṃ karma kuru kuru. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa grasa grasa kha kha khāhi khāhi śoṣaya śoṣaya mara mara māraya māraya amukaṃ hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa amukam uccāṭaya hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ dveṣaṇe dveṣavajre amukaṃ amukena vidveṣaya. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
The Tibetan is unclear; it omits “One should draw the stool at its anus” and only says “One should perform controlling on its back.”
Instead of “throw it down at one’s feet,” the Tibetan has “wrap it in a rag with which one has washed one’s feet.”
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hrīṁ hrīṁ hroṁ ghorarūpe caṭa pracaṭa pracaṭa hana hana ghāṭaya ghāṭaya haha haha prasphura prasphura prasphāraya prasphāraya kīlaya kīlaya jambhaya jambhaya stambhaya stambhaya amukaṃ hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ cili mili lalite hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ cchrīṁ cchrīṁ cchrīṁ śoṣaya śoṣaya dhāraā?ṃ bandha bandha. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ vajriṇi vajraṃ pātaya surapatir ājñāpayati. jvālaya jvālaya. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. oṁ hrīṁ klīṁ traṁ yūṁ yamamathane ākaḍḍa ākaḍḍa kṣobhaya kṣobhaya sarvakāmaprasādhane hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā.
Skt. oṁ ākarṣa ākarṣa mohaya mohaya amukīṃ me vaśīkuru svāhā.
This pāda in the Tibetan is: “Two wings of a bee in flight” (’phur bzhin pa’i sbrang ma’i gshog pa dang).
The Tibetan has “limbs and feet” (yan lag dang rkang pa).
The Sanskrit has amended the Tibetan reading: oṁ śvetagṛdhṛṇi khāhi viṣaṃ ca ruṣaṃ ca khaḥ khaḥ ha ha saḥ saḥ. oṁ caṇḍamahāsena ājñāpayati svāhā. The Sanskrit manuscript B reads: oṁ śvetagṛṣiṇi gridhini khāhi viṣa ca ruṣiṇi khaḥ…, and so on.
Skt. oṁ saṃkāriṇi dhraṁ hāṁ hūṁ haṁ haḥ.
Instead of “a piece of paper placed at the door,” the Tibetan has: “if one ties an incanted piece of garment silk above the door of one’s house.”
Skt. oṁ nāgāri vāmanaharaḥ phaṭ.
The meaning of the phrase āṇe kāṇe is uncertain.
Skt. oṁ āṇe kāṇe amukiṃ vaśīkuru svāhā.
Skt. namo vītarāgāya maitreyasiṃhalocani (?) svāhā. This reading seems corrupt.
Skt. oṁ saphara khaḥ. The meaning of this is uncertain. In the Tibetan, the whole paragraph is transliterated.
Skt. ādityasya rathavegena vāsudevabalena ca garuḍapakṣapātena bhūmyāṃ gacchatu viṣaṃ svāhā.
Skt. oṁ cāmuṇḍe 'jite 'parājite rakṣa rakṣa svāhā.
Skt. oṁ jambhanī stambhanī mohanī sarvaduṣṭapraśamanī svāhā.
Skt. namaś caṇḍamahākrodhāya hulu hulu culu culu tiṣṭha tiṣṭha bandha bandha moha moha hana hana amṛte hūṁ phaṭ.
Skt. namo ratnatrayāya. oṁ ṭaḥ suvismare svāhā.
Skt. oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa sarvamāyādarśaka sarvamāyāṃ nidarśaya nirvighne hūṁ phaṭ.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
This passage is rather unclear.
The correct translation of citra is uncertain. Guessing from the context, this could be a variant spelling of śvitra (vitiligo).
Skt. oṁ kākakuhanī kruddhanī devadattaṃ kākena bhakṣāpaya svāhā.
After “woman,” the Tibetan adds: “who has given birth to progeny.”
Again the meaning of citra is uncertain.
muṇḍīrī and śevāla/sevāla could not be identified with reasonable certainty.
Oṣaṇī has not been identified.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
The meaning of utthānaka is not clear.
The Sanskrit of this paragraph is very unclear, and therefore the translation of this passage is guesswork. The Tibetan reads as follows: “With the garland mantra, one should soak the mustard seed with the blood of someone, douse it with the blood extracted by many weapons, and then visualize the uncleaned fluids, his ashes, and the drippings and fat from his bones. Then, having collected fat, the blood of a goat or the like, and other items in his skull, one should repeatedly enact protection and oblation rites, assiduously performing fumigation, annointment, and the like.”
This passage is also unclear in the Sanskrit. For this paragraph, the Tibetan just has: “One will become like him.”
Abhayākaragupta, in his Abhayapaddhati, assigns the three figures to the three metals in the reverse order (the weight of gold is thus three māṣas and seven-and-a-half guñjās…, and so forth).
Skt. oṁ ākaṭṭa ākaṭṭa mohaya mohaya amukīm ākarṣaya jaḥ svāhā.
Both vaṅga and āra can be names of several plants or substances.
Translation based on the Tibetan.
Laghu can be a name of several plant species.
Unidentified. The Tibetan transliterates ṛṇṭaka as dheNDu ka.
Unidentified. The Tibetan merely transliterates kuṇṭhīrā as kuNThi ra.
Tib. “When exhalation and inhalation have both taken place / One abides in the nature of the immovable. / This is because the circulation of air declines / For as long as one lives.”
This translation is uncertain; sarasa could mean “with resin” or it could be the name of a species of tree.
This translation is uncertain; sacala could be interpreted literally as “with movement” or it could be the name of a species of grass.
Tib. “Her left hand rests in the playful gesture, as per the treatise on love.”
For the last four lines, the Tibetan reads: “If one meditates, by means of sexual yoga / On the yoginī of Viśvavajri / Arisen from the gnosis of the syllable hūṁ / One will surely attain accomplishment.”
Skt. oṁ viśvavajri āgaccha āgaccha hūṁ svāhā.
Skt. oṁ vajrasarasvatī āgaccga āgaccha dhīḥ svāhā.
Skt. oṁ vajradhātvīśvarī āgaccha āgaccha vaṁ svāhā.
Skt. oṁ kurukulle āgaccha āgaccha hrīṁ svāhā.
Skt. oṁ tāre āgaccha āgaccha tāṁ svāhā.
There are two versions of ardhaparyaṅka posture—one sitting, the other dancing. The Tibetan reading suggests the former.
Translation based on the Tibetan. This verse is missing in the Sanskrit. From this point on until the end of this chapter, the verse numbers given here are out of step with the numbers in the Sanskrit text.
Tib. “One joins with the supreme lord, the husband / Of all women that dwell throughout the three realms.”
The Tibetan adds: “So what need is there to mention other humans. The mantra for this is as follows: oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa bhandha bhandha name hūṁ phaṭ.”
In the Tibetan, this verse reads: “One should meditate on being with the wisdom / Who has a white lotus in her left hand / By means of oneself as blue, red, or even black Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa.”
Instead of “deity practice,” the Tibetan has “practice of the goddesses.” The Sanskrit word used here, devatī (instead of the usual devatā), could in fact suggest female deities specifically.
This sentence is missing from the Tibetan. Instead the Tibetan colophon reads: “Due to the Mahākālacakra master Sherab Senge’s request and sponsorship, which in turn was based on the kindness of the great master Rinchen Gyaltsen—the spiritual guide of the pure Mahāyāna with immeasurable knowledge, love, and activity—this was translated to completion on the tenth day of the waxing moon in the tenth month of the year of the Snake at the great temple of glorious Sakya, by the translator Trakpa Gyaltsen as based on the oral teachings of the paṇḍita Ratnaśrī.”
tasyās tu] P; tasyāpi Mss.
paṭu°] B; paṭṭa G.
gaṇacakraṃ] B; bhakṣaṇacakraṃ G.
dhyāyān] B; dhyāyen G.
°puṇḍra° B, °kāṇṭa° G.
svapneneva] G, (supported also by T); svapnenaiva A, B.
Metrical shortening of °ātmakam.
devadattaṃ] B; sarvaṃ G.
mahāviṣa°] T; mahāviṣama° Mss.
°valita°] B; balita G.
°āgartaka] B; °āvartaka G.
asamantika] B; asamantike G.
sāṭaya] G; sātaya B.
samānaya] B; samānāya G.
sphāṭaya] B; sphoṭaya G.
nirbharam] A; nirbharām G.
vā] A; ceti G.
bhīṣayan] A; bhīṣayet G.
nāpi G; nadvi° (or naddhi°) B.
atyantakāminām] A; abhyantakāminām G.
saṃmukhīṃ] A; saṃmukhe G.
Īkṣayet seems to be used here with a passive meaning (cf. Edgerton, Grammar, § 37.17).
kheṭāsa°] A; kheṭasa° G.
dattvocitālaye] A; dattvā cittālaye G.
ānarghyam] G; ānarpyam A.
upāgataḥ] A; upāgatam G.
sampātya] A; sampāṭya G.
tasyai] A; tasmai G.
dolā°] Emended on the basis of subsequent spellings (dolācālanam) in manuscript A; dola° A, G.
In manuscript A, this looks more °vāpitam than °cāpitam.
bandhaḥ] A; bandha° G.
°baddhaṃ] A; °bandhaṃ G.
dolā°] em.; dola° A, G.
dolā°] A; dola° G.
vaktraṃ] A; vakraṃ G.
°dbhūtām] A; °dbhavam G.
idaṃ] A; iti G.
°rajjuḥ] em.; °rājuḥ A; °rjuḥ G.
°sītkṛtaiḥ] conj.; sotkṛtaiḥ A, P.
dhyāyakaṃ] B, G; dhyayakaṃ A.
śramaṃ jīrya tataḥ] A, B; śrame jīryati tat° G.
icchāyatu] A; icchayātu B, icchayet tu G.
samāhitam] A; samāhitaḥ G.
tallavaṃ] P; tadevaṃ A.
bhaktādiṃ] A; bhaktādi° G.
tadutsṛṣṭaṃ] A; taducchiṣṭaṃ G.
utsṛṣṭapattre] A; ucchiṣṭayantre G.
guda°] G; gudapada° A.
°bhāgena] A; °bhogena G.
ca vāpāpaṃ ca] A; na ca vā pāpaṃ G.
°yuto] A; yukto G.
tad° A; tath° G.
māraṇārthārthacintakāḥ] B, G; māraṇārtho 'rthacintakaḥ A.
yogināṃ] A, B; yoginā G.
śūdrī] A; śūdrā G.
kāyasthī] A; kāyastrī G.
ca tariṇī] G; cauriṇī (?) A.
kulatriṇī] G; kuruttinī (?) A.
nāpitī] A; nāpiṇī G.
khaṭakī G; khādukī A.
kāṇḍa°] G; kaṇḍa° A.
°aiṣiṇām] G; °aiṣiṇīm A.
MS “A” reads “yāvat.”.
°prabhavam] conj.; °prabham A, G.
vāme] em.; vāmo A.
°svabhāvataḥ] em.; svabhāvata A.
gatiḥ] em.; gatim Mss.
sarvaṃ] conj.; sarvā A, B.
vāpi] conj.; cāpi A, B.
labhyate] conj.; labhya A, B.
sulabhaṃ] conj. (on the authority of T); durlabhaṃ A.
dūrasthasya] conj.; dūrastasya A.
khaḍgapāśakarābhyāṃ] conj.; khaḍgasya svakarābhyāṃ A, B.
sarva ājñāṃ] conj.; sarvājñāṃ A.
°mayīṃ] em.; °mayaṃ A.
lambāpayet] em.; lambāvayet A.
°paṭalayor P, B; paṭayor A.
nirmañcayitvā] em.; nimañcayitvā A .
sarvavyādhiḍākinyādyupadrave ca balir deyaḥ] om. A.
°saṃvare] em. (on the basis of T); °saṃvaraṃ Mss.
'smin] conj. (based on T); caitat (unmetrical) Mss.
parastrīharaṇaṃ naiva] om. T.
The medial “m” is added for metrical reasons.
varṇabhedopatis] The “upati” here must be a metri causa contraction of “upapati.”.
ratnāder abhāvena] A; ratnādikaṃ sabhāvena….
°ārthā° conj. (influenced by T); °ārdhā° A.
°samayān] P; °samayāna A.
dhanva° or dhandha°?.
piṇḍayitvā] A; viśundhitvā Po.
upādāna°] Po; upādānaṃ A.
aduḥkhāsukhā] A; °sukhā.
vastūnāṃ] A; vastunā Po.
°bhilāpaḥ] conj. (on the authority of T); °bhilāṣaḥ A, Po.
°grāhiṇaś] em.; °grāhiṇaḥ A; °gāhinaḥ Po.
cittacaittā vijñānāni] em.; cittacaittāḥ vijñānāni A; cittacaittavijñānāni Po.
kakkhaṭatvam] A; vākyaṃ tattvam Po.
abhiṣyanditatvam] em.; abhisyanditatvam A; abhispanditvam Po.
°prasāraṇa°] A; °prāsaraṇa° Po.
yutā] conj.; yutaḥ A; yuktā Po.
°samāpattiḥ] A; °samāvarttaye Po.
tatprāpakaṃ] A; tataḥ prāpakaṃ Po.
upādānapañcaskandhalābhaḥ] A; upādānaṃ pañcaskandhalābhaḥ Po.
°cintayan] A; °cittaṃ yena Po.
paryeṣiteti] A; praveśiteti Po.
°upadrutaś] A; upadravataś Po.
evaṃ] A; eva Po.
yojayan] A; niyojanād Po.
daurmanasyī] em.; daurmasyī A; daurmanasī Po.
upadruta] A; upadravata Po.
yaj°] A; 'yaṃ Po.
sukhaduḥkhe] A; sukhaduḥkha° Po.
aduḥkhāsukha°] Po (chosen on the authority of T); duḥkhāsukhā° A.
kāmayate iti] A; kāmayatīti Po.
tata] A; tatrā° Po.
pañca°] A; pañca Po.
duṣṭhu° A; duḥkhāḥ Po.
pañca°] A; pañca Po.
avidyādi°] A; avidyā° Po.
skandhābhāvaḥ] A; pañcaskandhābhāvaḥ Po.
roma°] A; roga° some Mss.
aśva°] em.; akṣa° A.
yaṣṭi°] Some Mss; jaṣṭi° A.
strīmūtreṇa] Most Mss; strīsūtreṇa A.
kāñjikena] om. A.
kāṃse nighṛṣya mantraṃ] conj. (cf. CMT, chap. 18, v. 31); [[OK?]]kāṃsya nighṛghyāṃ Mss.
dantakīṭako] conj. (on the authority of T); dantakaṭakaṭī A.
ārdrakaṃ] conj. (based on T); madrakaṃ B.
raktātisāra°] conj.; raktāsāra° B.
°cūrṇaṃ] em.; °cūrṇa° Mss.
brahmī°] conj.; brahma° B.
The passage starting from °vāsakaṃ in the previous paragraph and ending with °harītakī° is missing from B.
piṣṭvā] conj.; pītvā Mss.
śuṇṭhīṃ] em.; śuṇṭhī° Mss.
punarnava°] conj. (based on T); pulinava° B.
aṅgulīṃ] em.; aṅgulī Mss.
gaṇḍaḥ] em.; gaṇḍā Mss.
snuhī°] conj. (on the authority of T); snehi° Mss.
°madya°] conj.; °madyo Mss.
°āva°] conj. based on the commentary; ca B.
°āṅgī] conj.; °āṅgīṃ B.
śvetagṛdhṛṇi] em.; śvetagriddhini T; śvetagṛṣiṇi gṛdhini B.
ruṣaṃ ca] T; ruṣiṇi B.
caurī na bhavati] A; caurībhavati B.
°nigati°] A; °gaḍita° Mss.
kuryāt] A; jayati Mss.
trilohaṃ] Gt; lohaṃ B.
Mā is here an abbreviation of māṣa and tī of raktī or rattī. The last two, probably derived from raktikā, are synonyms for guñjā.
vidarbhitaṃ] em.; vidarbhita Mss.
dhairyaśo] em.; dhairyaśa Mss.
bhājanaṃ] em.; bhājana Mss.
tyajeta] conj.; tyajita A.
niścalaḥ] em.; niścalā A .
kumbhakena] conj.; kumbhena (unmetrical) A.
nāsy°] B; nasy° A.
dṛṣṭir uccāṭanī] conj.; dṛṣṭi A.
°samāgame G: °samāgamo B.
This word is not the dictionary, but hañchi must be an onomatopeic for sneezing (cf. hañji).
dehāpamārjana°] conj.; dehāya mārjana° A.
nāsāgrādarśanāt] conj.; nāsāgradarśanāt A.
vā] em.; vātha (unmetrical) A.
nīlāṃ] em.; nīlā A.
sarvāḥ] em.; sarvā A.
rāmadevaṃ] conj. (on the authority of T and P); vāmavāmadevaṃ (unmetrical) A.
vāme] conj. (on the authority of T); vātma A.
yoginīdvaṃdva°] P; yogidvanda° (hypometrical) A.
devatā°] em.; devatī° A.
nirodha] B, P; nidha A.
mahāśramaṇaḥ] P; mahāśravaṇaḥ A, B.
Bibliography
Tibetan Manuscript of the Root Text
dpal gtum po khro bo chen po’i rgyud kyi rgyal po dpa’ bo gcig pa zhes bya ba. Toh 431, Degé Kangyur, vol. 80 (rgyud ’bum, nga), folios 304b–343a.
Sanskrit Manuscripts of the Root Text
Ekallavīranāmacaṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantram. London: Royal Asiatic Society. Ref.: Cowell 46/31.
Ekallavīranāmacaṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantram. Kathmandu: National Archives of Nepal. Ref.: NGMPP 3/687, Reel no. A 994/4.
Ekallavīratantram. Kathmandu: National Archives of Nepal. Ref.: NGMPP 5/170, Reel no. B 31/11.
Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantram. Göttingen: University of Göttingen Library. Ref.: Bandurski Xc 14/43–45.
Manuscripts of the Commentary
Mahāsukhavajra, Padmāvatīnāmā Pañjikā. Kathmandu: National Archives of Nepal. Ref.: NGMPP 3/502, Reel no. B 31/7.
Secondary Sources
de la Vallée Poussin, Louis. “The Buddhist ‘Wheel of Life’ from a New Source.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (New Series) 29, no. 3 (July 1897), pp 463–70.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee. The Tantra of Siddhaikavīra (Toh 544). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016.
Gäng, Peter, trans. Das Tantra des Grausig-Groß-Schreklichen. Berlin: Stechapfel, 1981.
George, Christopher S., trans. and ed. The Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra, Chapters I–VIII: A Critical Edition and English Translation. New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society, 1974.
Isaacson, Harunaga (2010). The Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantra. Handout. Kathmandu: Rangjung Yeshe Institute, February 17, 2010.
Isaacson, Harunaga (2006). Reflections on the Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantra. Handout. Kathmandu: Nepal Research Centre, August 25, 2006.
Snellgrove, David. Hevajra Tantra: A Critical Study. London: Oxford University Press, 1959.