The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1)
Chapter 14: The Precious Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Dhāraṇī
Toh 555
Degé Kangyur, vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 19.a–151.a
- Chödrup
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Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2023
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light has held great importance in Buddhism for its instructions on the purification of karma. In particular, much of the sūtra is specifically addressed to monarchs and thus has been significant for rulers—not only in India but also in China, Japan, Mongolia, and elsewhere—who wished to ensure the well-being of their nations through such purification. Reciting and internalizing this sūtra is understood to be efficacious for personal purification and also for the welfare of a state and the world.
In this sūtra, the bodhisattva Ruciraketu has a dream in which a prayer of confession emanates from a shining golden drum. He relates the prayer to the Buddha, and a number of deities then vow to protect it and its adherents. The ruler’s devotion to the sūtra is emphasized as important if the nation is to benefit. Toward the end of the sūtra are two well-known narratives of the Buddha’s previous lives: the account of the physician Jalavāhana, who saves and blesses numerous fish, and that of Prince Mahāsattva, who gives his body to a hungry tigress and her cubs.
Acknowledgements
This sūtra was translated into English by Peter Alan Roberts. Ling Lung Chen, Wang Chipan, Xiaolong Diao, Ting Lee Ling, and H. S. Sum Cheuk Shing were consultants for the Chinese versions of the sūtra. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Tracy Davis was the copyeditor. With thanks to Michael Radich for sharing his research on the sūtra.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Zhang Da Da.
Text Body
The Sublime Golden Light, the Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras
Chapter 14: The Precious Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Dhāraṇī
Then the Bhagavat, in the midst of the great assembly, said to Venerable Ānanda, “You should know this: the dhāraṇī called the precious wish-fulfilling jewel will cast all harm far away; it will prevent and dispel all harmful thunder and lightning. That is the teaching of the bhagavat841 arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas of the past. Therefore, I also will teach it to you, this great assembly, in order to benefit devas and humans, to care for the world, so that all will be protected and attain happiness.”
On hearing the Bhagavat’s words, Venerable Ānanda and everyone in the great assembly single-mindedly looked upon the Bhagavat’s face and listened to the vidyāmantra.
The Bhagavat said, “You should listen well. In the eastern direction from here, there is Āgata,842 the king of lightning; [F.101.a] to the south there is Śateru,843 the king of lightning; to the west there is Instantaneous Light,844 the king of lightning; and to the north there is Satamapati,845 the king of lightning.
“If a noble man or noble woman hears the names of these kings of lightning and knows their directions, then that individual will be free from anything that terrifies or frightens, and all sudden harms will cease.
“If the names of these kings of lightning in the four directions are written in the place where they are dwelling, then there will be no danger from lightning in that place where they dwell, and there will be no impediments from demons,846 obstacle makers, or calamities. All sudden, premature death will be cast far away.”
tadyathā | nimi nimi nimindhari indrestrai loka lokani śiriśolavati harakṣa harakṣa | May this place where I, [say your name], dwell be free from all fear and terror, from all harm from suffering, and from all thunder, lightning, hailstorms, and sudden death. Svāhā |847
Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara rose from his seat within that great assembly and, baring one shoulder, reverently placed his palms together and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I also, in the presence of the Bhagavat, will briefly teach a precious wish-fulfilling jewel dhāraṇī in order to benefit848 devas and humans, to care for the world, so that all will be protected and attain happiness, and so that they will have the strength of great might and their aspirations will be accomplished exactly as wished for.” [F.101.b]
tadyathā | kate vikate nikate pratyarthike pratyamitre śuddhe mukte vimale prabhāsvare aṇḍare paṇḍare śvete paṇḍaravāsini harikaṇḍari piṅgala849 akṣi dadhi mukhi rakṣa rakṣa | May this place where I, [your name], dwell be free from all fear and terror, from all harm from suffering, and from all thunder, lightning, hailstorms, and sudden death, May I never see any bad, sinful thing but always be looked upon by the bodhisattva Ārya Avalokiteśvara with the blessing of his great compassion and be completely protected! Svāhā |850
Then the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, the lord of secrets, rose from his seat, reverently placed his palms together, and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I851 also will teach the dhāraṇī called invincible in order to greatly benefit852 devas and humans, to care for the world, so that all will be protected and attain the power of great resplendence, and so that their aspirations will be accomplished exactly as wished for.”
tadyathā | muni muni muni nadhari muni mati mati sumati mahāmati hā hā hā hā ma bhayantīti pāpa vajrapāṇi āha drāviḍa svāhā |853
“Bhagavat, I will guard day and night any man or woman who single-mindedly possesses this dhāraṇī mantra called invincible, writes it out, reads it, recites it, and remembers it without omission, so that all terror and fear, and so on, up to all sudden death will be cast far away.”
Then Mahābrahmā, the lord of the Sahā trichiliocosm, rose from his seat, reverently placed his palms together, and said to the Bhagavat, [F.102.a] “Bhagavat, I also will teach the dhāraṇī that is a wonderful Dharma teaching in order to greatly benefit854 devas and humans, to protect the world from all harm, to attain the power of great magnificence, and so that their aspirations will be accomplished exactly as wished for.”
tadyathā | hili mili cili svāhā brahmapūre svāhā brahmasvare svāhā brahmabhisugarbhe puṣpasaṃstare svāhā |
“Bhagavat, this dhāraṇī mantra is called Brahmā’s punishment, and I will guard those who possess this dhāraṇī, so that all harm from misery and all bad actions will be cast far away and all sudden death will be cast away.”
Then Śakra, the lord of devas, rose from his seat, reverently placed his palms together, and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I also will teach a great dhāraṇī vidyāmantra called vajraśani in order to dispel all fear and terror, demons,855 obstacle makers, and so on, up to casting far away all sudden death, and to save them from suffering, bestowing happiness and benefit856 upon devas and humans.
tadyathā | nivarāni banddha mādantema857 titi titi gaurī gandhari caṇḍāli mātaṅgi pukkasi parṇale858 hinamadhyamadhariṇi malani dalamdade859 cakrāvākrī860 śavari śavari svāhā |
Then the deva king Vaiśravaṇa, the deva king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the deva king Virūḍhaka, and the deva king Virūpākṣa rose from their seats, reverently placed their palms together, and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, we861 also will teach a dhāraṇī called the gift to beings of freedom from fear in order to always defend them from being afflicted by suffering, and to obtain happiness, [F.102.b] to increase their lifespans, to have no illness, and so on, up to casting sudden death far away:
tadyathā | puṣpe supuṣpe dhumaparihāre āryapraśaste śānti nirmukte maṅgalya862 hiraṇyagarbhe stute stavite svāhā |
Then many nāga kings, such as the nāga king Sāgara,863 the nāga king Vidyutprabha, the nāga king Anavatapta, the nāga king Lightning Tongue, and the nāga king Śataraśmi, rose from their seats, reverently placed their palms together, and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, we also have a dhāraṇī called the precious wish-fulfilling jewel that prevents harmful lightning, dispels all fear and terror, brings vast benefit to devas and humans, defends the entire beloved world, has the power of great magnificence, accomplishes aspirations as wished for, and so on, up to casting premature death far away. It neutralizes poisons and dispels all conjured spirits, mantras, and inauspicious things. We offer this dhāraṇī mantra to the Bhagavat and ask that you regard us kindly through your compassion. We pray that you accept it so that we may become freed from existence as nāgas and forever cast away the desires of miserliness.
“Why is that? It is through this desire of miserliness that we experience many sufferings in saṃsāra. We wish to destroy the seed of the desire of miserliness, Bhagavat. We nāgas are miserly, and so our minds are encircled by miserliness.”864
tadyathā | acale865 amare amṛte akṣaye abhiye puṇyai paryavate sarvapāpaṃ praśamāniye svāhā āryapuṇyasopākiye866 svāhā |
“Bhagavat, if a noble man or noble woman recites this vidyāmantra [F.103.a] or writes it out and makes a text and carries it and possesses it, or reads and recites it, or reverently makes offerings to it, then lightning and thunderbolts will not fall. Fear, terror, the affliction of suffering, misery, illness, and so on, up to sudden death will all be cast far away. There will be no harm from poison, conjured spirits,867 or tigers, lions, wolves, or poisonous snakes that attack humans, nor from flies, mosquitoes, and so on.”
The Bhagavat then said to the great assembly, “Well done! Well done! All of these dhāraṇī mantras have great power, so that all the things wished for in the minds of beings will be perfectly obtained, exactly as they wanted. They will bring a vast benefit as long as the mind is one-pointed. Do not have any doubt!”
Then the large assembly, having heard the words of the Bhagavat, were overjoyed, had conviction, and correctly retained the teaching.
This concludes “The Precious Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Dhāraṇī,” the fourteenth chapter of “The Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.”
Bibliography
Primary Sources in Tibetan and Chinese
gser ’od dam pa’ i mdo. Toh 555, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 19.a–151a.
gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 556, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 151.b–273.a. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) 2024.
gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 557, Degé Kangyur vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pha), folios 1.a–62.a. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) 2024.
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Other References in English and Other Languages
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Translations
Emmerick, R. E. The Sūtra of Golden Light. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 2004.
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Sutra of Golden Light, 21-Chapter.
Nobel, Johannes. Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, Das Goldglanz-Sutra, ein Sanskrittext des Mahayana Buddhismus. I-Tsing’s chinesische Version und ihre Übersetzung. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1958.