གསེར་འོད་དམ་པའི་མདོ།
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2)
Notes
Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra
འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མདོ་སྡེའི་དབང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light”
Āryasuvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra
Toh 556
Degé Kangyur, vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 151.b–273.a
Imprint
First published 2024
Current version v 1.0.8 (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.
This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative Commons license.
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.
This is the second-longest version of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light preserved in the Kangyur. It comprises twenty-nine chapters and was translated into Tibetan primarily from Sanskrit.
Acknowledgements
This text was translated by Peter Alan Roberts, who translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. Ling Lung Chen and Wang Chipan were consultants for the Chinese versions of the sūtra. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Tracy Davis was the initial copyeditor. 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. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, and Xiaolong Diao, Ting Lee Ling, and H. S. Sum Cheuk Shing checked the translation against the Chinese sources. Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text, and Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of E E, May-E, Minda, and Chung-Da Ho.
Text Body
The Translation
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light
The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light
Notes
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, Toh 557).
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, Toh 555).
dbu ma rin po che’i sgron ma (Madhyamakaratnapradīpa), Toh 3854.
(1) The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, Toh 543), 2.129; (2) ral pa gyen brdzes kyi rtog pa chen po byang chub sems dpa’ chen po’i rnam par ’phrul pa le’u rab ’byams las bcom ldan ’das ma ’phags ma sgrol ma’i rtsa ba’i rtog pa (Ūrdhvajaṭā-mahākalpamahābodhisattvavikurvaṇapaṭalavisarā bhagavatī āryatārāmūlakalpa), Toh 724, folio 238.a; (3) dkyil ’khor thams cad kyi spyi’i cho ga gsang ba’i rgyud (Sarvamaṇḍalasāmānyavidhiguhyatantra), Toh 806, folio 152.b.
(1) Vinayadatta, sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga bla ma’i zhal snga’i man ngag (Gurūpadeśanāmamahāmāyāmaṇḍalopāyikā), Toh 1645, folio 209.a; (2) Bhavyakīrti, sgron ma gsal bar byed pa dgongs pa rab gsal zhes bya ba bshad pa’i ti ka (Pradīpoddyotanābhisaṃdhiprakāśikānāmavyākhyāṭīkā), Toh 1793, folio 201.a; (3) Pramuditākaravarman, gsang ba ’dus pa rgyud kyi rgyal po’i bshad pa zla ba’i ’od zer (Guhyasamājatantrarājaṭīkācandraprabhā), Toh 1852, folio 169.b; (4) Vitapāda, gsang ba ’dus pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi sgrub pa’i thabs rnam par bshad pa (Guhyasamājamaṇḍalopāyikāṭīkā), Toh 1873, folio 209.a; (5) Ānandagarbha, rdo rje dbyings kyi dkyil ’khor chen po’i cho ga rdo rje thams cad ’byung ba (Vajradhātumahāmaṇḍalopāyikāsarvavajrodaya), Toh 2516, folio 50.a; (6) Anonymous,’jam pa’i rdo rje ’byung ba’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga sems can thams cad kyi bde ba bskyed pa (Mañjuvajrodayamaṇḍalopāyikāsarvasattvahitāvahā). Toh 2590; (7) Kāmadhenu, ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba cho ga zhib mo’i rgyal po chen po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Sarvadurgatipariśodhanatejorājanāmamahākalparājaṭīkā), Toh 2625; (8) Ānandagarbha, de bzhin gshegs pa dgra bcom pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba’i bshad pa (Sarvadurgatipariśodhanatejorājatathāgatārhatsamyaksaṃbuddhanāmakalpaṭīkā), Toh 2628, folio 73.a; (9) Sthiramati, rgyan dam pa sna tshogs rim par phye ba bkod pa (Paramālaṃkāraviśvapaṭalavyūha), Toh 2661, folio 322.b; (10) Sahajalalita, kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par blta ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa (Samantamukhapraveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣaprabhāsasarvatathāgatahṛdayasamayavilokitanāmadhāraṇīvṛtti), Toh 2688, folio 292.b.
(1) Bodhisattva, kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba’i gzungs bklag cing chod rten brgya rtsa brgyad dam mchod rten lnga gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las btus pa (Samantamukhapraveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣaprabhāsadhāraṇīvacanasūtrāntoddhṛtāṣṭottaraśatacaityāntarapañcacaityanirvapaṇavidhi), Toh 3068, folios 145.a, 151.b, 153.b; (2) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba (Ratnakaraṇḍodghāṭanāmamadhyamakopadeśa), Toh 3930, folios 99.a, 115.a; (3) Śāntideva, bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya), Toh 3940, folios 3.a–194.b, 90.a–91.b, 122.a–123.b; (4) Vairocanarakṣita, bslab pa me tog snye ma (Śikṣākusumamañjarī), Toh 3943, folio 200.a; (5) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, byang chub lam gyi sgron ma’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhimārgapradīpapañjikā), Toh 3948, folio 20.b.
(1) Anonymous, gser ’od dam pa mdo sde dbang po’i smon lam (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrapraṇidhāna), Toh 4379; (2) Anonymous, rgyal po gser gyi lag pa’i smon lam (Rājasuvarṇabhujapraṇidhāna), Toh 4380.
(1) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, mngon par rtogs pa rnam par ’byed pa (Abhisamayavibhaṅganāma), Toh 1490, folio 201.a; (2) Āryadeva, spyod pa bsdud pa’i sgron ma (Caryāmelāpakapradīpa), Toh 1803, folio 106.a; (3) Mañjuśrīkīrti,’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśrināmasaṃgītiṭīkā), Toh 2534, folio 217.b; (4) Haribhadra, shes rab kyi pha tol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i bshad pa mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi snang ba (Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāvyākhyānābhisamayālaṃkārāloka), Toh 3791, folio 84.b; (5) Dharmakīrtiśrī, shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i ’grel pa rtogs par dka’ ba’i snang ba zhes bya ba’i ’grel bshad (Abhisamayālaṃkāranāmaprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstravṛttidurbodhālokanāmaṭīkā), Toh 3794, folio 152.b; (6) Dharmamitra, shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i ’grel bshad tshig rab tu gsal ba (Abhisamayālaṃkārakārikāprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstraṭīkāprasphuṭapadā), Toh 3796, folio 104.a.
(1) Ekādaśanirghoṣa, rdo rje ’chang chen po’i lam gyir rim pa’i man ngag bdud rtsi gsang ba (Mahāvajradharapathakramopadeśāmṛtaguhya), Toh 1823, folio 274.a; (2) Yeshé Dé, lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan (Laṅkāvatāranāmamahāyānasūtravṛttitathāgatahṛdayālaṃkāra), Toh 4019, folios 29.a, 29.b, 152.b, 279.b, 302.a.
Termed the Navadharma (“Nine Dharmas”) or Navagrantha (“Nine Texts”), these works are (1) Prajñāpāramitā, (2) Gaṇḍavyūha, (3) Daśabhūmi, (4) Samādhirāja, (5) Laṅkāvatāra, (6) Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, (7) Lalitavistara, (8) Suvarṇaprabhāsa, and (9) Tathāgatagūhya. See Lewis 1993, p. 327, n. 15.
The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 248.
Emmerick 2004, p. xxi.
Emmerick 2004, p. xii.
The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 1028.
Tyomkin 1995, p. 30.
Paltsek, gsung rab rin po che’i gtam rgyud dang śākya’i rabs rgyud, Toh 4357, folios 273.a and 331.b.
Yeshe Dé, lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan (Laṅkāvatāranāmamahāyānasūtravṛttitathāgatahṛdayālaṃkāra), Toh 4019, folios 29.a, 29.b, 152.b, 279.b, 302.a.
This is his name as given in The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (p. 996). His name is variously given elsewhere as Wonchuk, Wen Tsheg, Yuance, Yuan Tso, and in Tibetan translation as Dzoksal (rdzogs gsal).
The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 189.
No Sanskrit title is given since this version was translated from the Chinese. The rendering of the Chinese title varies in different editions of the Kangyur. The Degé has tā shin kyin kwang myutsa’i shin wang kyin. The Yongle has ta’i ching gim gom mang dza’i shing wang gyi. The Kangxi has ta’i ching gin grom ming dza’i shing wang gying. The Narthang reads de’i shing ki ma kwang med dzwa’i shing wang kyang. The Lhasa version has tā shin kyin kwang mya ru tsa’i shin wa da kyin. These appear to be variants as a result of differing regional pronunciations and scribal corruptions of what would now be written as Da cheng jin guang ming zui sheng wang jing 大乘金光明最勝王經. Zhiyi 智顗 (538–97), a.k.a. Tiantai zhizhe dashi 天台智者大師, writing in his commentary on this sūtra titled Jin guang ming jing xuan yi 金光明經玄義, cited Paramārtha (a.k.a. Zhendi 真諦) in giving the Sanskrit pronunciation of the title of the sūtra as Xiu ba na po po po yu do mo yin tuo luo zhe yue na xiu duo luo 修跋拏婆頗婆欝多摩因陀羅遮閱那修多羅, presumably transcribing Suvarṇaprabhāsottamarājasūtraṃ. The CBETA collection appears to concur.
There have been two ways to interpret this traditional beginning of a sūtra, with such Indian masters as Kamalaśīla claiming that both are equally correct. The alternative interpretation is “Thus did I hear: at one time the Bhagavān …” and so on. The various arguments, both traditional and modern, for either side are given by Brian Galloway in “Thus Have I Heard: At one time…” Indo-Iranian Journal 34, Issue 2 (April 1991): 87–104.
Toh 555 has “ten million times ninety-eight thousand.”
Toh 555 has “a quintillion.”
Toh 555 has Dharmabala.
Toh 555 has Viśuddhaprajña.
Toh 555 has Ascetic Effort.
Toh 555 has Noble Joy.
Toh 555 has Great Cloud Dharma Protector.
Toh 555 has Great Cloud Limitless Renown.
Toh 555 has Great Cloud Precious Qualities.
Toh 555 has Great Cloud Wisdom Rain Thoroughly Equal.
Toh 555 states that there were “eight hundred thousand times a hundred thousand.”
According to the Narthang and Lhasa versions of Toh 556 and to Toh 555.
dri. Toh 555 has bri (“write”).
Toh 557 has “To the supreme bodhisattvas, / Who are pure and immaculate.”
The Sanskrit has four lines of verse: “I will teach that which is blessed, / Which is the supreme domain of good fortune, / Which has the purpose of annihilating all evil / And which brings to an end all evil.” Because of Tibetan syntax, the first line of this verse in English occurs at the end of the following verse in Tibetan.
The Sanskrit has tridaśendra (“Lords of the Thirty”), referring to the Trāyastriṃśa paradise on the summit of Meru. It is ruled by Indra, who is often referred to as “Devendra, lord of devas.” The Sanskrit is in the plural, which is not evident in the Tibetan. This line refers to Brahmā and Indra, but in the plural it apparently refers to a number of such principal deities from other worlds.
In the Sanskrit, the last three lines of this verse read: “With the greatly powerful lords of the kinnaras, / And similarly with the lords of the garuḍas / And the hosts of yakṣas, gandharvas, and pannas (serpents, i.e., nāgas).” According to the Tibetan gnod byin. The Sanskrit has guhya (“secret ones”).
According to the Tibetan gnod byin. The Sanskrit has guhya (“secret ones”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has sarva (“all”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit for Toh 557 has “purified by perfume.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has atandrita (“without sleepiness or lethargy”).
According to the Sanskrit svāgatam (literally, “well come”), which was translated into Tibetan as legs par ’ongs. This could be interpreted as “come well among humans.” Toh 555 interprets this as meaning a good rebirth among humans.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “will easily attain a human result,” which presumably means the result of becoming human.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit translates as “enters.”
lhag par bya bar byas pa. Toh 557 has bsnyen bkur byas pa.
yang dag par blangs te gnas par gyur. Toh 557 has yang dag par blangs par gyur.
cher na. Toh 557 has tha na.
This obscure compound, in Sanskrit tathāgatavigrahaṃ (“tathāgata form” or “tathāgata beauty”), with no indication as to whether tathāgata is singular or plural, was translated into Tibetan here with interpolation as de bzhin gshegs pas kha dog bsgyur ba (“color transformed by the Tathāgata”). In Sanskrit, it is evident that this is an adjective for the house. The Tibetan does at times use kha dog to translate varṇa when it does not mean color specifically but form and shape. In Toh 555, it has been interpreted to mean that the house has the appearance of a buddha realm through the blessing of the Buddha.
From the Tibetan phrugs. The Sanskrit paryaṅgka could mean a “seat” or “cushion.”
From the Sanskrit divyaratnapuṣpapatraiḥ. The Tibetan has the less specific bcos bu’i rin po che’i phrugs.
According to the Sanskrit teṣu. The Tibetan has las (“from”), apparently in error for la.
This obscure compound—in Sanskrit tathāgatavigraha (“tathāgata form” or “tathāgata beauty”)—was translated into Tibetan with interpolation as de bzhin gshegs pas kha dog [bsgyur ba] (“colors [transformed by] the Tathāgata”). Toh 555 interprets this to mean “their sizes were in proportion to those of the tathāgatas.”
rnam par g.yengs pa. Toh 557 has g.yengs ba.
skom pa rnams ni skom dang phrad par gyur. Toh 557 has skom pa dag ni skom ngoms par gyur (“the thirsty had their thirst quenched”).
The Sanskrit here has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”
The plural is according to the Tibetan. It is singular in the available Sanskrit.
According to Toh 557 and the Sanskrit. Here “cause” is repeated.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has saṃkhya (“numbers”) instead of asaṃkhya (“countless”).
This line shows significant variation across sources and is difficult to interpret precisely. Toh 556 and 557 render this figure’s name as slob dpon lung ston pa bram ze kauN+Di n+ya, which can be interpreted to mean “the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa.” The extant Sanskrit reads ācāryavyākaraṇaprāptaḥ kauṇḍinyo nāma brāhmaṇaḥ, which could be taken to mean “the brahmin named Kauṇḍinya who had obtained a prophecy from a/the Dharma master.” The Sanskrit line includes the term “obtained” (prāpta), which is not attested in the Chinese or Tibetan sources. The translation here follows the Chinese text that is the basis of Toh 555 in regarding kauṇḍinya as the brahmin’s family name (姓). This brahmin is then “named (名曰) the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa (法師授記).” The Tibetan sources for Toh 555 appear to take kauṇḍinya as the brahmin’s proper name and treat the rest of the phrase as descriptive, reading “The brahmin named Kauṇḍinya who was prophesied by a/the Dharma master (bram ze kauN+Di n+ya chos kyi slob dpon gyis lung bstan pa). To further complicate matters, the Degé version of Toh 555 also declines kauṇḍinya in the instrumental, which would result in the reading “the brahmin prophesied by the Dharma master Kauṇḍinya.” The Kangxi, Lhasa, Narthang, Stok Palace, and Yongle versions of Toh 555 lack this instrumental declension.
In this instance, the Sanskrit version of that paradise’s name is tridaśa (“thirty” instead of “thirty-three”).
This paragraph may be a remnant of the Licchavī youth’s response to the brahmin, which is here assigned to the brahmin instead. Although missing in both Toh 556 and Toh 557, the Licchavī’s response was evidently once present as can be seen from the brahmin’s response to it, where he refers to “such characteristics and qualities.” This paragraph is present in Toh 555: “The youth then said to the brahmin, ‘If you wish to be reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa paradise and enjoy the perfect ripening of karma, then you should listen, with single-pointed mind, to The Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. This sūtra is supreme among all sūtras, and therefore it is difficult to know and to penetrate. Therefore, the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are unable to comprehend it. This sūtra gives rise to the limitless ripening of the results of merit and accomplishes that until the attainment of the highest enlightenment. Today I have taught you just a little portion of that subject.’ ”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has samācāra (“perfect conduct”).
Vaidya’s Sanskrit has vaṇa, apparently in error for varṇa.
According to the Sanskrit and bcom ldan ’das in Toh 557.
The Sanskrit has nirmitakāya, which is synonymous with nirmāṇakāya. Both are translated in Tibetan as sprul pa’i sku.
According to the Tibetan bdag gis, presumably from the Sanskrit mayā. The available Sanskrit has mune (“from the Muni” or “of the Muni”).
This verse is absent in Toh 555.
Toh 556 has sgra skad mthun par. Toh 557 has sgra dbyangs gcig tu.
From the meaning of the BHS vibhajati, translated into Tibetan literally as rnam par dbye ba (“divide,” “differentiate”).
According to tshol ba in the Yongle, Narthang, and Choné versions of Toh 556, and in Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 556 has tshor ba (“sensation”).
According to tshol ba in Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 556 has tshor ba (“sensation”).
According to Toh 555, which has mdzad pa. Toh 556 has bzod pa (“patience”).
Toh 555 has “in order that bodhisattvas will attain realization.”
Toh 555 has “space.”
Toh 555 has “space.”
According to Toh 555 and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions. The Degé of Toh 556 has “nirvāṇa because of not dwelling.”
According to Toh 555 mdun rol (literally “in front of”), while Toh 556 has snga rol (“before” in the sense of time), which would not fit this context.
According to Toh 555 and the Chinese 二無所有 (“What is nonduality?”). Toh 556 has only “duality.”
From the Tibetan spros pa. Toh 555 has rtso pa (“dispute with,” “argue with,” or “debate with”).
Toh 555 has ’dre srin. The Degé version of Toh 556 has yi dwags (“preta”).
The Sanskrit translates as “he saw a bherī drum made of gold.”
According to the Sanskrit atandrena. The Tibetan translates this as g.yel ba med pa, which usually means “undistracted,” although that does not appear to be the meaning here.
According to the Sanskrit yāmaloka, which denotes the realm of the pretas. This is normally translated into Tibetan as gshin rje’i ’jig rten (“the world of the lord of death”). Apparently due to a lack of space in the verse, the Tibetan omitted ’jig rten (“world”).
sgra. Toh 557 has dbyangs.
This line is not in the Sanskrit or Toh 557, nor is it in the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, or Choné versions of Toh 556.
Literally “thousands of ten millions.”
tshe rabs. Toh 557 has skye ba.
According to the Sanskrit tāruṇya, which matches the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556, which have gzhon pa. The Degé version has bzhon pa (“steed” or “vehicle”).
This verse is absent in the Sanskrit and Chinese, but it is present in the Tibetan and quoted as being from this sūtra by Śāntideva in his Śikṣāsamuccaya.
mchod par shog. Toh 557 has mchod par bgyi (“I will make offerings”).
’jig rten. Toh 557 has sems can (“beings”).
’god par shog. Toh 557 has ’god par bgyi (“I will bring”).
spyod par shog. Toh 557 has spyad par bgyi (“I will be active”).
ston gyur cig. Toh 557 has bstan par bgyi (“I will teach”).
According to the Tibetan byang byed pa. Toh 557 has byang bgyid pa. The Sanskrit has kṣaya (“eliminate”).
According to the Tibetan byang ba. The Sanskrit has vrajantu (“destroy”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has deśayiṣye imāṃ dharmāṃ svarṇaprabhāmanuttarām | ye śṛṇvanti śubhāṃ teṣāṃ saṃyāntu pāpasaṃkṣayam (“I will teach this Dharma, / The Sublime Golden Light, / And those who listen to this goodness / Will have their bad karma eliminated”).
gnas par shog. Toh 557 has gnas par bgyi (“I will dwell”).
Although the Tibetan translates this as “a source of jewels,” the Sanskrit ratnākara could also mean “form of jewels,” “shape of jewels,” or “multitude of jewels.” In the translation of this verse in Toh 555, it was interpreted to mean that the ten bhūmis are “the most perfect of jewels.” None of the versions of this sūtra translate ratna as dkon mchog, which would mean the “Three Jewels” of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha.
Toh 557 has “I will cause the qualities of a buddha to appear / And liberate others from the ocean of existence.”
rdzogs par shog. Toh 557 has rdzogs par bgyi (“I will have the perfection”).
’gyur bar shog. Toh 557 has ’gyur bar bgyi (“I will become”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has the equivalent of these four lines in three, with the fourth line translating as “and free me from fear.”
Toh 557 translates as “whatever I do.” Toh 555 translates as “the four kinds of physical actions.”
According to the Tibetan, apparently translating from mala. The Sanskrit has phala (“the result”)
thugs rje. Toh 557 has snying rje.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has cāpalyamadanacitta (“fickle, passionate mind”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has dveṣamohatamasaṃkaṭair (“the deep darkness of ignorance and anger”).
According to the Tibetan ngal ba, presumably translating from the Sanskrit āyāsa. The available Sanskrit has akṣaya (“unceasing”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has suvarṇavarṇānavabhāsitadigantān (“who are golden in color, illuminating to the ends of the directions”).
According to the Tibetan skoms. The Sanskrit has saṃtāraya (“to bring across” or “to liberate from”).
According to the Sanskrit, Toh 555, and rga in the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556. The Degé version of Toh 557 has rgal (“cross over”).
According to the Lithang and Kangxi versions of Toh 556 and to Toh 555, Toh 557, and the Sanskrit. The Degé version of Toh 556 omits pha mthar (“to the end”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit translates as “meritorious good actions.”
The Sanskrit has kurāja (“bad kings”).
According to the Tibetan zas skom, presumably translating from anna. The available Sanskrit has śānta (“peace”).
From the Sanskrit udāra, which has been translated into Tibetan as rgya chen (“vast”).
According to the Tibetan gos. The Sanskrit has dhūpa (“incense”).
According to the Tibetan. In the Sanskrit the final line has dharmasya bodhipratisaṃsthitasya (“to the Dharma that is established in enlightenment”).
According to the Tibetan dal ba’i rgyal po, presumably translating from jihyarāja. The available Sanskrit has jinarājamurti (“meeting the king of jinas”).
The Sanskrit translates as “lion thrones.”
kun (as in the Sanskrit sarva). Toh 557 has su (“who”).
In Toh 557, the fourth line translates as “and may they quickly be freed from suffering.” The Sanskrit has upajā (“may they eventually be liberated”).
From the Tibetan rtag dag, apparently translating prasanna.
According to the Sanskrit and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné versions. The Narthang and Degé versions have ma yin instead of pa yin, which would translate as “not in the presence of…”
From this point onward until just prior to the end of the chapter matches exactly Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations (Toh 219), which is an identical translation by the same translators.
This differs from the usual list of paradises in which there are only three Brahmā paradises and Brahmapariṣadya is a synonym for Brahmakāyika. This list comes from a Vibhajyavāda (“distinctionist”) tradition, which held views on the existence of phenomena that differed from those of the Sarvāstivāda tradition, which is the early tradition primarily transmitted into Tibet.
This paradise occurs only in the Vibhajyavāda cosmology. The corresponding passage in Toh 555, which was translated from the Chinese version, accords with the more general Buddhist cosmology.
The order in the more common cosmology (which is followed in Toh 555) is Avṛha, Atapa, Sudṛśa, and Sudarśana.
According to Toh 555. Here, the negative is missing with yin, apparently in error for min.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Toh 555 has Amitāyus (tshe dpag tu med pa).
seng ge; Toh 555 has Singhaprabha (seng ge’i ’od).
rin chen tog.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to translate caraṇa as “feet.”
Literally “a hundred thousand ten-millions.”
The Tibetan could be interpreted to mean “in” instead of “beyond.”
This is the point where the otherwise identical Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations concludes. See Toh 219, 1.82.
In Toh 555 instead of Akṣayamati, this is the bodhisattva Blazing Light Rays of Unhindered Traits of Lions (seng ge’i mtshan thogs pa med pa’i ’od zer ’bar ba).
According to the Tibetan, which presumably translates prabhūta. The Sanskrit has prabhāsita (“shines with a golden color”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has surāsurasusvara (“the lovely sounds of the suras and asuras”).
According to the Sanskrit keśa. The Tibetan has dbu (“head”) with “hair” in the next line.
According to the Tibetan, with “peacock” presumably translating mayūra. The Sanskrit has maula (“essential,” “intrinsic”) in the compound ṣaṭpadamaulamahīruhakeśa (“hair like a bee, essential, and teak”).
From the Sanskrit kuñcita. The Tibetan translates as lcang lo, often used for “long locks of hair,” but presumably here meaning “short curls.”
According to the Tibetan, which transliterates caśa (correctly, cāṣa). The Sanskrit has kaśanikāśa, which is translated by Emmerick as “blue jay.”
According to the Tibetan, presumably translating from prabhūta. The Sanskrit has prabhāsita (“always shines like gold”).
According to the Tibetan zer ba, perhaps translating mukha. The Sanskrit has mukhābhasa (“shining face” or “shining blossom”).
According to the Sanskrit mṛṇāla. The Tibetan has just pad+ma (“red lotus”).
According to the Sanskrit syntax. The Tibetan of Toh 557 translates as “the Muni’s moon is slender.”
Here Toh 557 translates as “the Muni’s body has a navel as…”
The Sanskrit has mramarā in error for bhramarā. The Tibetan simply has bung ba. The carpenter bee has a glossy black abdomen in contrast to the bumblebee.
Toh 557 here translates as “He has a prominent nose that is always gleaming.”
According to the Sanskrit sunāsa. Tibetan has ro mchog (“perfect taste”), obviously translating from surāsa, which was a corruption in the Sanskrit manuscript. The Tibetan and Toh 556 have ro (“taste”) while Toh 555 has ri (“mountain”), a further corruption from ro.
According to the Tibetan, presumably translating from pūrvita. The available Sanskrit has pūjita (“offered”).
According to the Tibetan bde gshegs in all three versions of the sūtra. The Sanskrit has saumya, which means “being happy” and “lunar.” In Toh 556 and in Toh 557 it appears to have been used as an adjective for the moon.
From the Sanskrit niśākara, literally “night maker,” which is also a synonym for the moon. The Tibetan should be mtshan byed as is found in the Yongle, Lithang, and Kangxi versions. The Degé has mtshan byad, while the Choné has mtshan phyed.
According to the Sanskrit, where the verb is optative.
Literally “day makers.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit translates as “his hands are beautified by stainless signs.”
The Sanskrit here has “buddhas.”
The Sanskrit has jinatva, which literally translates as “jinahood.” This is rendered in Tibetan simply as rgyal ba.
The Sanskrit specifies that it is a bherī drum.
According to the Sanskrit kamalākara and the Tibetan elsewhere. Here the Tibetan has pad+ma ’byung rgyal instead of pad+ma ’byung gnas.
Here Toh 556’s ’gran zla med matches the Sanskrit asarthyam. Toh 555 has dgra med (“without an enemy”), which is probably a scribal error for ’gran med.
According to the Sanskrit sukha and to the Yongle, Kangxi, and Narthang versions of Toh 556, which have bde ba. The Degé has dge ba (“virtue,” “goodness”).
According to the Tibetan here and in Toh 557. If following the syntax of the Sanskrit and of Toh 555, the verse would be: “May my ocean of merit become complete. / May the ocean of my wisdom be pure. / Through the power of the light of stainless wisdom, / May there be an ocean of all qualities.”
The Sanskrit has bodhiguṇair guṇaratnaprapūrṇā (“Through the qualities of enlightenment, may the precious qualities be complete”). The Tibetan has no instrumental particle after “qualities of enlightenment.”
Here the Sanskrit and Toh 555 would translate as “may I have the light of merit.”
This line is absent in the Sanskrit but included in all three Tibetan versions.
The distribution of the lines of the Tibetan verses does not perfectly match up with the Sanskrit from this point onward.
Two Sanskrit verses are here compressed into one verse of five lines.
These last three verses are not in the Sanskrit or Toh 557.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit translates as “for the sake of the arising of compassion for beings.”
According to the Sanskrit ṣaḍgrāma and the earlier verse in Toh 555. The Narthang and Lhasa versions have rkun drug, which would translate as “six thieves.” The Degé has rgyal po drug (“six kings”). Here the Tibetan has “an army,” presumably translating from a corruption of the Sanskrit saṃgrāma.
According to the earlier Sanskrit ṣaḍgrāma (in this verse it is saṃgrāma) and the earlier verse in Toh 555, which has no specific term in this verse. The Tibetan translates as “an army,” presumably derived from a corruption of the Sanskrit saṃgrāma.
According to the Tibetan. In the Sanskrit there is a negative, and thus the line translates as “the nature of knowing does not become the sense faculty.”
According to the Yongle, Kangxi, and Narthang versions. The Degé omits grong (“village”). The Sanskrit has cauragrāmantāḥ (“outside the village of thieves”); gzhan is thus taken here to mean “other than the village”—in other words, “outside the village” instead of “other villages.”
According to the Tibetan ngan skyugs. The Sanskrit has śakṛnmūtra (“urine and feces”).
There is a play on words here that does not translate into English. “Elements” are called mahābhūta, which can be translated as “great occurrences.” In Tibetan, this is rendered ’byung ba chen po.
According to the Tibetan. This line in Sanskrit is avidyamānā na kadāci vidyate (“no one in ignorance can know this”). In Toh 555 the line translates as “therefore I teach that the nature of the great elements is empty.”
This line is absent in the Sanskrit.
The Sanskrit translates as “the good city.”
The Sanskrit specifies the bherī drum.
The first two lines and the fourth are absent in the Sanskrit but included in Toh 555.
An epithet for buddhas. The Sanskrit has nākyaka. The Tibetan has ’dren pa.
Literally “the supreme limb.”
The Sanskrit is shorter, forming only the first half of the verse: “If all the lords of the forest trees / In the billion worlds were cut down.”
According to the Sanskrit and the version in Toh 555. Toh 556 translates as “one could divide it into three parts.”
The single verse in Sanskrit is equivalent to two in the Tibetan, possibly because of the loss of some lines in the Sanskrit.
This verse is in prose in Toh 555.
According to the Yongle, Kangxi, Lithang, and Choné versions of Toh 556. The Degé has ma yin pa (“not another”).
According to Toh 555 and the Narthang and Lhasa versions of Toh 556. The Degé has “wise in methods.”
Literally “ten thousand times three thousand.” In Toh 555, the number is three hundred million (literally “a hundred thousand times three thousand”).
In Toh 555 the number is “eight hundred million.”
In Toh 555 the number is five million (literally “fifty times a hundred thousand”).
The Degé here has dga’ (“joy”) in error for dka’ (“difficult”).
In Toh 555, the name is King Who Is Ornamented by the Arrangement of Prayers (smon lam gyi bkod pas brgyan pa’i rgyal po).
According to the Tibetan dgongs pa. The Sanskrit has samanvāgataḥ (“provided by”).
From the Sanskrit kāntāra. The Tibetan translates as its other meaning dgon pa (“wilderness”). Toh 555 has dus ngan (“bad times”).
From the Sanskrit kāntāra. The Tibetan translates as its other meaning dgon pa (“wilderness”). Toh 555 has sdug bsngal (“suffering”).
According to the Tibetan, presumably translating from graha or possibly pramathana. The Sanskrit has jñānaprakāśakaḥ (“it manifests wisdom”). Toh 555 has ltas ngan (“bad omens”).
This sentence is absent in the Sanskrit, though a version of it is included in Toh 555.
From the Sanskrit svasti. The Tibetan translates as bde legs.
The Sanskrit has “all human kings.”
The last half of this paragraph and the first half of the next are absent in the Sanskrit version.
The preceding chapter, this chapter, and the following chapter form one chapter in Toh 557.
This phrase is absent in Toh 557 and in the Sanskrit.
At this point the Degé version of Toh 557 translates as “saved them from attack,” which is absent in the Sanskrit and in the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 557. However, this phrase does appear in a later repetition of the list in the Sanskrit.
Absent in the Sanskrit and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 557.
The Sanskrit has rājakula (“royal family”) and the Tibetan has pho brang ’khor (“palace entourage”).
The Sanskrit has only “listens to.”
The Sanskrit has rājakula (“royal family”) and the Tibetan has pho brang ’khor (literally “palace entourage”).
The Sanskrit has rājakula (“royal family”) and the Tibetan has pho brang ’khor (literally “palace entourage”).
The text from here until “that human king should wash his body” is absent in the Sanskrit.
The Sanskrit has rājakula (“royal family”) and the Tibetan has pho brang ’khor (literally “palace entourage”).
According to the Tibetan in Toh 556 and in Toh 555. The Sanskrit translates as “I have gained great might.”
The Sanskrit translates as “auspicious jewels” or “precious articles.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit translates as “I have liberated beings.”
According to the Tibetan yang dag shes and other occurrences of the name. The Sanskrit has samjaya.
The Sanskrit and Toh 555 translate as “tathāgatas in many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms.”
Rather than translating as “explains it,” the Sanskrit here translates as “writes it” or “has it written.”
Here “the twelve forms” refers to the twelve aspects of a buddha’s speech.
According to the Sanskrit cakra and the Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, and Lhasa versions of Toh 556, which have ’khor lo. The Degé version of Toh 556 has ’khor ba.
The Sanskrit has “tathāgatas” rather than “buddhas.”
According to the Sanskrit rājakulaṃ. This seems to have been translated into Tibetan as khang pa brtsegs pa, which is usually the translation for kūṭāgāra.
According to the Sanskrit. There appears to be an unintended omission in the Tibetan, possibly from an omission in the Sanskrit manuscript from which it was translated: kalyāṇa[mitra] sahāyakasya; dge ba’i [bshes gnyen gyis] grogs bgyid pa.
The Sanskrit has rājakula (“royal family”) and the Tibetan has pho brang ’khor (literally “palace entourage”).
At this point the Tibetan also has dngogs pa, as do the Yongle, Narthang, and Choné versions of Toh 557, which appears to be a scribal corruption. The Degé of Toh 557 has rdzogs pa (“perfect,” “complete”), which also appears to be a scribal corruption. There does not appear to be a Sanskrit equivalent in this passage.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “comet-like colors.”
According to the Sanskrit kāryāṇi and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions, which have dgos pa. The Degé has dgongs pa (“intention,” “thought”).
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions, which have ’dir. The Degé has ’di.
According to the Sanskrit, Choné, and Urga versions, and to other instances of the title in this sūtra. The Degé here omits “king.”
The Sanskrit translates as “show them the buddha realms.”
In Toh 557, at this point the Four Mahārājas rise from their seats and recite verses of praise together. Here this is preceded by the section where Vaiśravaṇa teaches a mantra, which does not appear in Toh 557.
In Toh 555 at this point there is the Tibetan instruction to state your name.
This would translate as “Homage to Vaiśravaṇa Mahārāja. It is thus: rara rara kuno kuno khuno khuno ruṇo ruṇo saba saba kara kara great courage, great courage, great black one, protect, protect me and all beings svāhā.”
Toh 555 translates as “the benefit will be that demons will be unable to find them.”
Camphor is not in the list in Toh 555.
Agarwood is not in the list in Toh 555.
In Toh 555 at this point there is the Tibetan instruction to state your name.
Toh 556 has paryeśvara and Toh 555 has parayeśvara, where it appears ye is in error for me, both very similar in dbu med script.
This would translate as “Homage to Vaiśravaṇa, the giver of great wealth the lord of wrath. Come, unconquered one, lord of wrath, one with the highest compassion, one who wishes to benefit all beings, supreme lord, bring to me the increase of my wealth svāhā.”
According to the Narthang version of Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 555 has manorathaparipūraya, while the Degé of Toh 556 has manorathaparipuraya.
This would translate as: “Homage to the Three Jewels. Homage to Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa. It is thus: simi simi sumu sumu caṇḍa caṇḍa cara cara sāra sāra kara kara kili kili kuru kuru muru muru curu curu sandhāya ātmanām nitatyan antardhātu svāhā. Homage to Vaiśravaṇa svāhā. To the bestower of wealth svāhā. To the fulfiller of the mind’s wishes svāhā.”
The Degé has dzi nar sha bha, which appears to be transliterating Jinarśabha, but this may well be the result of scribal corruption. The Yongle and Kangxi versions have ’dzin nar sha bha. The Degé of Toh 555 has Śaniśi. The Yongle, Lithang, and Kangxi have Śanaśi. The Narthang has Śinaśi.
In Toh 555, the Tibetan is sbyin (“generosity”), which is in error for spyin, usually meaning “glue.” This was traditionally mixed with pigments in India, though it could be used to size cloth before being painted. Toh 556 has kapita as a transliteration of kapitya. The BHS version is kāpittha, and the Pali is kapittha or kapiṭṭha. In the Mahāvyutpatti it appears as kapittha, with kapita being the Tibetan equivalent in a list of pigments. It is the name of the wood-apple tree (Limonia acidissima). Other names are bael, Bengal quince, golden apple, or stone apple, fruit that has seeds contained in a sac that is an adhesive, transparent mucilage that solidifies on drying, so this may be what is referred to. Otherwise, glue derived from animals was used in pigments for painting. The sticky layer around the unripe seeds is a household glue that also finds use in jewelry-making. The glue, mixed with lime, waterproofs wells and cements walls. The glue also protects oil paintings when added as a coat on the canvas.
Toh 555 has muktikālaṃkrta, observing the rules of sandhi or “euphonic combination.”
According to Toh 555. Toh 556 has sarvasatvā.
Not in the list in Toh 555.
At this point the section absent in Toh 557 concludes.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit translates as “like the moon in the sky.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit translates as “who is like the moon on high.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit does not have “has no impediment.”
The first three lines of the Sanskrit verse form the entire four lines in Tibetan, with “Jambudvīpa” repeated and the fourth Sanskrit line occurring in the following Tibetan verse.
Three lines of Sanskrit here form four lines in the Tibetan.
According to the Narthang and Lhasa versions of Toh 556 and the Lithang, Kangxi, Choné, and Urga versions of Toh 557, which have tshe. The Degé version of Toh 557 has che (“great”), while the Degé of Toh 556 has de.
The Sanskrit translates as “recite.”
The Toh 557 chapter concludes at this point.
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Choné, and Lhasa (śā ra dwa ti’i bu). The Degé omits the long vowel: Śaradvatiputra (śa ra dwa ti’i bu). The Narthang has both śā ra dra ti’i bu and śa ra drā ti’i bu.
Toh 555 translates as “it is not composite, and it is not noncomposite.”
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556. Toh 555 has abhivayahāra. The Degé version of Toh 556 has abhivyahāra. The Narthang version of Toh 556 has abhivyahara.
Toh 555 has suniśrita.
Toh 555 has a concluding sentence: “At that time, Śāriputra and the entire great assembly became extremely joyful on hearing those words, so that they all wished to possess that dhāraṇī.”
The Toh 555 version reads: 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.
Toh 555 has piṅgala.
The Toh 555 version reads tadyathā kate vikate nikate pratyarthike pratyamitre śuddhe mukte vimale prabhāsvare aṇḍare paṇḍare śvete paṇḍaravāsini harikaṇḍari piṅgala akṣi dadhi mukhi rakṣa rakṣa | 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. 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.
Toh 555 has tadyathā | muni muni muni nadhari muni mati mati sumati mahāmati hā hā hā hā ma bhayantīti pāpa vajrapāṇi āha drāviḍa svāhā.
In Toh 555 this is followed by pukkasi.
Toh 555 has paraṇale.
Toh 555 has dalamadade.
Toh 555 has cadrāvākrī.
From the Degé lce (“tongues [of flames]”). The Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have rje (“lord”). Toh 555 has the obscure transliteration vajraśani.
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 555 and Toh 556. The Degé of Toh 556 has āryapuśaste.
Toh 555 has maṃgalya.
Toh 555 has acale.
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556 and to Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 556 has varyavate.
The Degé version of Toh 556 has āryapuṇyasopākīye. The Yongle and Narthang versions have āryapuṇyasobākīye. The Urga has āryapuṇyasobhākīye. The Lhasa has āryapuṇyasaupākīye. Toh 555 reads āryapuṇyasobākiye.
Toh 556 has shes pa, Toh 557 has ye shes, and the Sanskrit has jñāna.
Toh 556 has ci nas. The Degé version of Toh 557 has de ltar. The Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have ji ltar. The Sanskrit has yathā.
The Sanskrit translates as “will have no misfortune in life,” which is absent in the Tibetan.
This line is absent in the Sanskrit.
Following Toh 557. The Sanskrit has kuśala. The Degé version of Toh 556 has rab tu mkhas pa (“perfectly learned”).
According to Toh 556, the Sanskrit, and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné of Toh 557. The Degé version of Toh 557 has rab tu ’thob (“completely attain”).
According to the Tibetan phun sum tshogs pa. The Sanskrit has jñā (“knowledge”).
The Sanskrit here has dhāraṇīṃ cānupradāsyāmi smṛtyasaṃpramoṣaṇāya, “bestow on him the power of mental retention for preservation of memory.” It occurs further on in the Tibetan in both Toh 556 and 557.
In the Tibetan, the order of medicines in this line differs from the Sanskrit.
This identification is based on the Sanskrit feminine noun mahābhāgā (“great good fortune”) and that myrobalan (the standard Sanskrit word is harītakī) has many such hyperbolic synonyms and is the principal herb in Āyurveda but does not otherwise appear in the list.
The Tibetan has gi wang, which was also at the beginning of the list (where it is translated here as “cow bezoar”). The Sanskrit had goroconā earlier and here has sarocanā (Bagchi has a corrupt samocaka). As gorocanā includes the word “cow,” presumably the previous term referred to that obtained from a cow and the second term is the bezoar obtained from an elephant.
According to the Degé versions of Toh 555 and Toh 556. The Yongle, Kangxi, and Narthang versions of Toh 556 have sute tekṛ. Toh 557 and the Sanskrit have sukṛte.
According to the Degé version of Toh 556. The Yongle and Kangxi versions of Toh 556 have kamatāli nalijānakarate. The Lithang and Choné versions of Toh 556 have kamatāle nalejñanakarate. The Narthang version of Toh 556 has kamatali nalijanakarate. Toh 555 has kamatali nalejanakarte. The Degé of Toh 557 has kṛtakamala nīlajinakarate. The Yongle version of Toh 557 has kṛtakama linalijanakarate. The Kangxi version of Toh 557 has kritakamalinalijanagarte. The Lithang and Choné versions of Toh 557 has kṛtakamali nalajinakarate. The Sanskrit has karajātabhāge.
According to the Degé versions of Toh 555, 556, and 557. The Kangxi and Yongle of Toh 557 have indrajālini. The Sanskrit has indrajāla.
According to Toh 555 and 556. The Degé version of Toh 557 has vaśaddre. The Choné version has vaśaddri.
The Lithang and Choné versions of Toh 556 have śīlamate.
The Yongle and Kangxi versions of Toh 556 have sadyasthite.
The Nobel version reads sukṛte kṛtakamalijanakarate haṃkarāte indrajāli śakad drepaśaddre abartaksike na kutraku kapalakapimalamati śīlamati sandhidhudhumamabati śiri śiri satyasthite svāhā. The Bhagji version reads sukṛte karajātabhāge haṃsaraṇḍe indrajālamalilaka upasade avatāsike kutra kukalavimalamati śīlamati saṃdhibudhamati śiśiri satyasthita svāhā.
This may refer to musical instruments such as the vīṇā (Indian lute), the mṛdaṃga (drum), the muraja (tambourine), the ghaṭa (pot), the violin, and the bamboo flute. Those instruments are characteristic of South Indian music, particularly that of Karnataka, which retains the features of ancient Indian classical music while the north has been influenced by traditions from outside India. Alternatively, there are the five tempos, or number of strokes per beat, of South Indian music, as in The White Lotus of Compassion and The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Sanskrit: pañcāṅgika; Tibetan: yan lag lnga dang ldan pa).
The Bhagji edition has ane nayane hili hili gili khile svāhā.
“It is thus: O one who has gone well, who has departed, who has departure! svāhā.” The Bhagji edition has sugate vigate vigatāvati svāhā. The Nobel edition has sagaṭe bigaṭe bigaṭābati svāhā. Va is transliterated into Tibetan as ba, reflecting the north Indian dialect, as recorded in the Nobel edition.
According to the Sanskrit.
The Bhagji edition has same viṣame svāhā | sugate svāhā | sāgarasaṃbhūtāya svāhā | skandhamātrāya svāhā| nīlakaṇṭhāya svāhā | aparāhitavīryāya svāhā | himavatsaṃbhūtāya svāhā | animiṣacakrāya svāhā | namo bhagavatyai brāhmaṇyai | namaḥ sarasvatyai devyai | sidhyantu mantrapadāstaṃ brahma namasyantu svāhā. The Nobel edition has śame biṣame svāhā | sagaṭe vigaṭe svāhā | sukhatinate svāhā | sāgarasaṃbhūtāya svāhā | skandhamātrāya svāhā | nīlakaṇṭhāya svāhā | aparājitabīryāya svāhā | himabatsaṃbhūtāya svāhā | animilabaktrāya svāhā | namo bhagabate brāhmaṇe | namaḥ sarasvatyai debyai | sidhyantu mantrapadā taṃ brahmānumanyatu svāhā.
According to the Sanskrit vikhyātā. The Tibetan in Toh 556 and Toh 557 appears to have the scribal error grangs (“number”) instead of grags. Toh 555 has grags.
In contrast with other verses, the Tibetan translates the Sanskrit ślokas as two long lines of verse. Here they are presented as four lines for consistency.
The Bhagji edition has śubhavastra (“beautiful clothes”).
The Tibetan transliterates this phrase as syād yathedan.
The Yongle and Kangxi versions have hiṅgule. The Lithang, Choné, and Urga have hegule. The Lhasa has hiphule. The Bhagji edition has sure vire araje arajavati hi gule.
The Yongle and Kangxi versions of Toh 555, 556, and 557 have miṅgule. The Bhagji edition has piṅgale.
Toh 555 has piṅgalavat. The Narthang version of Toh 556 and 557 has piṅgalavati. The Yongle and Kangxi versions have biṅgalavati. The Bhagji edition has piṅgale vati.
The Yongle has miṅguśe. The Kangxi has maṅguśe. The Narthang has miṃguśe. The Bhagji edition has mukhe.
The Yongle and Kangxi versions have citira. The Lithang has citara. The Narthang has catara. The Lhasa has cihara. The Bhagji edition reads marīci sumati diśamati agrāmagrī talavitale.
The Yongle version has lokajeṣṭhe. The Lithang and Choné versions have lokajyeṣṭha. The Kangxi has lokajyeśṭhe. The Narthang has lokaśeṣṭhe. The Bhagji edition has lokajyeṣṭha.
The Yongle has siddhaphrite. The Narthang has siddhaprite. The Lhasa has siddhiprete. The Bhagji edition has siddhivrate.
The Lithang, Choné, and Lhasa versions have apratehate.
The Narthang and Urga versions have apratihatabuddhe. The Lhasa version has apratehate buddhe. The Bhagji edition has apratihatabuddhi.
The Yongle, Kangxi, and Narthang versions have mahādevi.
The Yongle version has pratigrinanamaskarana. The Lithang and Choné versions have pratigṛhnanamaskarana. The Kangxi version has pratigrihanamaskarana. The Urga version has pratigṛhnanamaskaroṃ.
The Bhagji edition has sure vire araje arajavati hi gule piṅgale piṅgale vatimukhe marīcisumati diśamati agrāmagrītalavitale ca vaḍivicarī mariṇipāṇaye lokajyeṣṭhake priyasiddhivrate bhīmamukhiśacivarī apratihate apratihatabuddhi namuci namuci mahādevi pratigṛhṇa namaskāra.
According to the Tibetan. The Bhagji edition has “all beings.”
According to the Sanskrit vidyā, which the Tibetan translates as rig sngags (“vidyāmantra”).
According to 557. Toh 556 has a genitive particle, resulting in the translation “tantras in verse.”
The Lithang and Choné versions have mahāprabhava.
The Bhagji and Nobel editions have mahāprabhāve hili hili mili mili.
In the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions, hili hili is absent. The Narthang has hili mili. The Bhagji edition has kadārake yuvati hili mili. The Nobel edition has karaṭe keyūre keyūrabati hili mili hili mili hili mili.
In the Yongle version, hili hili is absent. The Kangxi has hasa hasa.
The Bhagji edition has hili hili mili.
The following section is absent in Toh 557.
According to Toh 555, which has bres. Toh 556 has bre.
From dga’ mo in Toh 555, and from the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions. The Degé has rgan mo (“old woman”).
This refers to the four Vedas.
According to Toh 555, which has rlabs. The Yongle and Lithang versions of Toh 556 have ldud, the Kangxi and Choné versions have ltung ltad, and the Degé has lud.
According to Toh 555, which has ’dra, and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556, which have bzhin dag la dbang. The Degé has spyin bdag la dgongs.
According to Toh 555 and Toh 556, which have ring. The Degé has ri (“mountain”).
Here the narrative resumes in Toh 557.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has ratnamaṇi (“precious jewels”), which makes the Tibetan appear to have brygad rnams kyis (“by eight”) in error for brgyan rnams kyis (“by jewelry,” “by ornaments”). However, Toh 555 goes on to list the eight articles held in the eight hands.
Sanskrit has namaḥ (“homage”) svāhā.
According to the Sanskrit ahaṃ (“I”). The Tibetan has bdag cag (“we”).
The Sanskrit translates as “and all beings.”
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions. The Degé here has an apparently superfluous de.
Toh 555 has “the four continents,” which seems more fitting.
The Degé version has pe ma. The Yongle, Kangxi, and Narthang versions have pe mo. These are assumed to be scribal corruptions, through dictation from pad ma or pad mo, both of which are used to translate Padmā.
The Degé has Hiri.
This refers to Hārītī, who abducted and killed children to feed the hundreds she had. The Buddha miraculously hid her youngest son under his bowl, and when she asked for help, he demonstrated the suffering she was causing. As a result, she became a protector of children and women in childbirth.
According to the Sanskrit svastha and to the Narthang of Toh 557, which reads brtan. The Yongle and Kangxi versions of Toh 557 have rtag (“permanent”). The Degé version has brtas (“increased”).
According to the Sanskrit mayā (“by me”) and Toh 555, which precedes this with “I remember when” and the concluding response from the Buddha. In Toh 556 and 557 the following passage is given in the third person.
The Sanskrit appears to associate the following “through the power of the great goddess Śrī” with beings receiving all requisites.
The Sanskrit has “and lamps.”
According to the Sanskrit, the Yongle, Lithang, and Choné versions of Toh 556, and Toh 557. The Degé version of Toh 556 omits lha (“deities”).
This translates as “Sublime Lotus Golden Banner.” In the Sanskrit and Toh 557, there is only Suvarṇadhvaja (“Golden Banner”). Toh 555 does not mention her residence.
From this point on, the great goddess Śrī speaks of herself in the third person.
According to the Sanskrit and the Kangxi version of Toh 556.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has samantagate.
According to Toh 555 and Toh 557. Toh 556 has sattvā artha.
According to Toh 555, 556, and 557. The Sanskrit has mahābhāgine.
According to the Sanskrit and Toh 557. Toh 555 and Toh 556 have mahāmaitri.
According to the Yongle, Kangxi, and Narthang. The Sanskrit has ṛṣisaṃgṛhīte. The Degé has saṃgrahītete.
The Sanskrit has samayānupālane.
Toh 555 has “seven days and nights.”
According to the Sanskrit girikandara. Toh 557 has ri’i sman ljongs (“land of mountain herbs”)
According to the Sanskrit. This is made into the subsequent sentence in the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit vega. In the Sanskrit, the adjective “great” is clearly meant to refer to this entire list of qualities.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan may have suffered an omission as it could be read literally as “any class of deities within the Trāyastriṃśa class of deities.”
The standard list of desire-realm paradises has only six. Perhaps this is meant to include the realm of the asuras or may be simply an error. Toh 555 has six paradises.
At this point the chapter in Toh 557 and in the Sanskrit concludes.
According to Toh 555. In Toh 556, the second pūderi does not have the long ū vowel.
According to the Sanskrit girikandara. Toh 557 has ri’i sman ljongs (“land of mountain herbs”).
According to the Sanskrit girikandara. Toh 557 has ri’i sman ljongs (“land of mountain herbs”).
According to Sanskrit, the Degé version of Toh 556, and Toh 557. The Degé version of Toh 556, the Yongle, and the Kangxi omit this phrase.
According to the Sanskrit and to Toh 557. Toh 556 omits this phrase.
This name can be translated in many ways, one of which could be “that which is to be understood.”
From Toh 557, which has rigs. Toh 556 has gnas (“basis”).
The Sanskrit has loka (“light”)
The chapter ends at this point in Toh 557.
According to Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 556 has atiṣṭhahe.
According to Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 556 has saṃvidjñāye.
The width of the palm or its four fingers.
According to the Narthang and Lhasa versions of Toh 556 and to Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 556 has just “practitioner.”
Toh 557 has Balaketu. The Sanskrit has Baladaketu.
Following Toh 556, which has dbang po’i tog. Toh 555 has Foremost Power of Knowledge (shes pa’i stobs kyi gtso bo). Toh 557 has Varendraketu.
This verse is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit, to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné versions of Toh 556, and to Toh 557, which all read rgyal po. The Degé version of Toh 556 has rgyal por (“blessed by the devas as a king”).
According to the Sanskrit, to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné versions of Toh 556, and to Toh 557, which all read rgyal po. The Degé version of Toh 556 has rgyal por (“blessed by the devas as a king”).
The plural is in accordance with the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit, “wealth that has been accumulated” would be included in the previous sentence as being destroyed by invading enemies instead of being stolen through dishonesty.
The Sanskrit does not have the second half of this verse.
According to the Sanskrit rājā. The Tibetan has just rgyal.
The Sanskrit has the country being destroyed by unrighteousness and weapons.
In the Sanskrit and Toh 557 the order is reversed: “cherished minster and cherished elephant.”
The Sanskrit and Toh 555 have “horses and camels.”
The Sanskrit translates as “kill.”
These two lines in the Sanskrit edition are an extra two lines for verse 36.
According to Tibetan shin tu rid pa. The Sanskrit has sudurbala (“very weak”).
In the Sanskrit this is one of the results, and it appears at the end of the verse.
According to the Sanskrit plural genitive (and not instrumental) and to the Degé version of Toh 556 and the Yongle and Kangxi versions of Toh 557.
This extra line appears in the Degé version of Toh 556 but not in the Sanskrit, in Toh 557, or in the Yongle version of Toh 556.
Toh 557 has “become angry.” The Sanskrit prakupyanti could have either meaning.
According to the Degé and Narthang versions of Toh 556, which have nyes mgon (“lord of evil”), presumably from pāpapati. Toh 555 has mi dge grogs (“sinful companions”). The Sanskrit has pāpapatitaḥ (“fallen into sin”). The Degé version of Toh 557 and the Lithang version of Toh 556 have nye ’khon (“hold a grievance”). The Choné version of Toh 556 has nye ’khor (“attendants”). The Yongle and Kangxi versions of Toh 556 and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 557 have nye mkhon (“bias,” “partiality”). Emmerick translates this as “should not take sides.”
According to the Tibetan bstan. The Sanskrit has dharmeṇa śāsyate rāṣṭraṃ (“the kingdom is ruled through righteousness”).
According to the Sanskrit sukṛte and to Toh 557, which has legs par byed. Toh 556 has legs par byung (“well arisen”).
According to the Sanskrit and to the Yongle, Kangxi, and Narthang versions of Toh 556 and Toh 557, which have dang. The Degé version of Toh 556 has dad (“faith”).
According to the Sanskrit praśāsyate. Toh 557 translates according one of its other meanings, ston (“teach”). Toh 555 has btul (“subjugated”).
The Sanskrit has “in the middle of a sun.” Toh 557 has gnyid (“sleep”), which could be a scribal error from dictation for nyi (“sun”). However, Toh 556, which appears to usually be a direct copy from Toh 557, has replaced “middle of sleep” with “in a dream,” even though that phrase is already in the preceding line (“dream”). This appears to be a translation from a manuscript that had svapna, which can be rendered as either gnyid (“sleep”) or rmi lam (“dream”) instead of sūrya.
According to the Sanskrit jinasya, and also to Toh 555, which has “buddhas.” Toh 557 and 556 have rgyal po’i (“the king’s”) instead of rgyal ba’i.
According to the Sanskrit sāla and Toh 557 sā la’i. In this instance Toh 556 has sa la, which could be translated as “on the ground,” though this is probably an error for sā la.
According to the Sanskrit, the Lithang and Choné versions of Toh 556, and Toh 557. The Degé version of Toh 556 has nor bu rin po che’i (“precious jewels”) instead of nor ni chen po yi.
The order is in accord with the Sanskrit, the Narthang and Lhasa versions of Toh 556, and Toh 557. The Degé version of Toh 556 translates as “food, clothing, and drink.”
The buddha of that time whose teachings Ratnoccaya follows.
According to the Tibetan of Toh 555, 556, and 557. The Sanskrit translates as “the three worlds.”
According to the Sanskrit praśantamānasai and to yid zhir in the Yongle version of Toh 557. The Degé of Toh 557 and Toh 556 have yid bzhin.
According to Toh 556 and to the Yongle, Kangxi and Choné versions of Toh 557. Toh 555 translates as “made offering to.” The Sanskrit has ārāgitā, while the Degé version of Toh 557 has brnyes, both of which would translate as “attained” with reference to the ten strengths.
According to the Sanskrit idam. The Tibetan has dam pa (“the sublime”).
According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan could be translated as “many oceans of suffering.”
According to the Sanskrit and also to Toh 556 and the Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné versions of Toh 557, which have kyi. The Degé version of Toh 557 has kyis.
Toh 555 omits the second half of this verse.
According to the Tibetan, which appears to have translated from a manuscript that had buddhadarśanam instead of buddhaśāsanam. It should otherwise have been “the Buddha’s teaching will be praised.”
Here Toh 556 has dpal yon, while Toh 557 has ’bru dang (“grains and”). The Sanskrit is dhanyai, which can mean both grain and opulence.
This line, the next verse, and the first three lines of the following verse are absent in the Sanskrit and Toh 555.
This line forms the last line in verse 19 in the Sanskrit.
Here Toh 556 and Toh 557 briefly diverge in the order of the lines of verse.
The first two lines of this verse and the last two lines of the preceding verse appear to have switched places when compared to Toh 557 and the Sanskrit, which appear to preserve the original order of the lines.
The Sanskrit has mahādhipa.
This third line, which would have been the fourth in the Sanskrit, is missing from the Sanskrit version, which jumps instead to the last line of the verse after next.
This verse is absent in the Sanskrit.
Only the last line of the Sanskrit—the third line in this translation—is present in the Sanskrit version.
According to the Sanskrit instrumental plural for “yakṣa lords” and the nominative dual case for the compound of the two following names.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan syntax appears to list Saṃjñeya as distinct from the twenty-eight yakṣas.
According to the Sanskrit and to Toh 557. The Tibetan has just nag po, which translates from the Sanskrit kāla.
According to the Sanskrit, meaning “sun friend.” Toh 556 and Toh 557 are corrupt in all editions, probably because the original was nyi bshes. The Degé version of Toh 556 and the Choné and Urga versions of Toh 557 have gnyen bshes (“friend-friend”), while the Lithang and Kangxi versions of Toh 556 and the Degé version of Toh 557 have gnyis bshes (“two-friend”). The Yongle version of Toh 557 has gnyi bshes (“two-friend”). Toh 555 has nyi ma’i gnyen (“sun-friend”).
According to the Sanskrit. Both the Tibetan and the Chinese appear to have translated from a manuscript that had Nārāyaṇa, though he has already been mentioned in the list.
According to the Tibetan ra ro. Emmerick, from Nobel’s Sanskrit, has “standing.” The Bhagji edition has a corrupt saptamātṛsthitani (“seven mothers standing”), with sapta (“seven”) from supta (“sleep”). Possibly the translation was made from a manuscript with matta (“intoxicated”) where Bhaji has mātṛ (“mother”). Toh 555 has “whether asleep or awake.”
The Bhagji edition has dantī, which would have been translated as so can.
In Emmerick translated as a description of the previous goddesses, but the Bhagji edition of the Sanskrit and also the Tibetan present this as a singular name.
Toh 556 has gzi byin ldan. Toh 557 has mdangs dang ldan.
Toh 556 and 557 appear to have only three lines where the Sanskrit and Toh 555 have four. The third and fourth lines in the Sanskrit translate as “they will be delighted by bliss / and satisfied by many flavors.” The last line appears to have been transposed to the next verse.
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556 and to Toh 557, which have mdzes. The Degé version of Toh 556 has dgyes (“spreading”).
According to the Sanskrit jambūnada. The Tibetan has ’dzam bu’i gling (“Jambudvīpa”).
The Degé version of Toh 556 has sim pa (“have pleasure” or “dissolve”). The Narthang version of Toh 556 has tshim pa (“satisfied,” “satiated”), as does Toh 557. The Sanskrit has ātapayate (“heated,” “warmed”).
The Sanskrit has bodhisattvasamuccayā.
This refers to the eightfold path, with wisdom being the right view and conduct being the other seven aspects of the path.
The Sanskrit daraka can mean “son” as well as “boy.” In Toh 555, the Tibetan specifies that Rūpyaketu is Ruciraketu’s son.
This line is absent in Toh 557.
“Seats” is not in the list in Toh 557.
Toh 557 does not have “and all requisites.”
Absent in the previous list and the Sanskrit.
According to the BHS meaning of citrikara. The Tibetan translates literally according to the classical Sanskrit meaning of “making a drawing.”
The Yongle version of Toh 556 has the error ’jig rten (“world”). Toh 555 has lus ni ’jigs pa (“destruction of the body”). The Degé version of Toh 557 has ’dzin, while the Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné versions of Toh 557 have ’jig (“destroyed”). ’jig may be a translation of the Sanskrit kṣīyate. The Bhagji edition has lakṣyante (“identified,” “discerned”).
According to the Sanskrit agni and to Toh 555, which has me. Toh 556 and 557 have mi (“human”).
The six seasons, each two months in length, are vasanta (“spring”), grīṣma (“heat”), varṣā (“monsoon”), śarad (“autumn”), hemanta (“winter”), and śiśira (“cool”).
The Sanskrit varṣā literally means “the rains,” meaning the wet monsoon months.
The Sanskrit grīṣma means “the time of heat,” before the coming of the monsoon rains.
According to the traditional translation of these Āyurvedic terms. The Sanskrit translates as “astringent, pungent, and bitter.” The Tibetan would more closely yield in this case “harsh, warm, and hot.” The Toh 556 Degé has tshwa (“salty”) in error for tsha (“hot”).
Absent in the Sanskrit.
Toh 557 does not have khon khong (“empty”).
Toh 557 does not have khon khong (“empty”).
Toh 557 does not have khon khong (“empty”).
In Sanskrit, jala means “water” and vāhana can mean “to carry” or “to bring.” The first meaning is translated as ’bebs in Tibetan, (literally “to send down”) and the second meaning is translated as sbyin (“give”). If translating from Sanskrit this would be more like “because you carry water and because you bring water.”
Toh 557 does not have khon khong (“empty”).
Toh 557 does not have khon khong (“empty”).
In Emmerick translating from Nobel’s Sanskrit and in Toh 555 this is the name of the lake rather than its description, as it is translated in Toh 556 and Toh 557 in the following passage.
The Sanskrit is in the singular. Toh 555 has “many fishermen.”
Toh 556 has grog. Toh 557 has g.yangs sa (“cliff”).
According to the Sanskrit viṣaye. The Degé version of Toh 557 and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné versions of Toh 556 have chab ’og. The Yongle and Kangxi versions of Toh 557 and the Degé of Toh 556 have chags. Toh 555 has mnga’ ris.
The Sanskrit svakaṃ could mean “my” or “our.” Toh 557 translates as “my,” which does not seem to fit the context as well as “our.” Toh 556 translates as “our.” Toh 555 has neither, just “go home.”
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556 and to Toh 557, all of which have de dag dang bdag gi mthus. The Degé version of Toh 556 omits dang, resulting in “they, through my power...” “And my” is according to the Tibetan, which is not present in the Sanskrit so that it is “through their power.” This sentence is absent in Toh 555.
The phrasing varies slightly from Toh 557.
According to the Sanskrit and Toh 555. Toh 556 and 557 appear to have translated it as meaning “obtained the name Vyākaraṇa (‘prophecy’).”
Although this is presented as a narration by the Buddha, he is described in the third person.
According to the Sanskrit, the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556, and Toh 557. The Degé version of Toh 556 has ba instead of sa.
The Sanskrit also has “having attained the five kinds of vision.”
According to the Tibetan lnga lan pa and in Toh 555 the transliterated pañcala. The Bhagji edition has prañcala.
According to the Sanskrit hita. The Tibetan has sman (“medicine”), which is a common scribal error for phan (“benefit”).
According to thar in the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 557 and Toh 556. The Degé version of Toh 557 has mthar (“the end”). This passage is in verse in the Tibetan but in prose in the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit (literally “one who has as his essence the benefit of beings”) sattvārthasaram (in the accusative case). The Tibetan has sems can mchog gi snying po (“the essence of a supreme being”).
From the Sanskrit visṛta and Toh 556, which has ’od ’phro ba. The Degé version of Toh 557 and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556 have ’phra.
This is in spite of Ānanda stating there was only one. The Sanskrit is specifically in the singular.
In verse in Tibetan but in prose in the Bhagji edition of the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. “Supreme understanding” is absent in the Sanskrit but included in Toh 555.
According to Toh 556 and the Sanskrit. In Toh 557 “patience” has an instrumental particle.
This follows the syntax of Toh 556 with reference to the Sanskrit.
According to the Degé version of Toh 556. Not present in the Sanskrit, in the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556, in Toh 555, or in Toh 557.
The Sanskrit terms tarakṣu and rkṣa mean “hyena” and “bear” respectively. Toh 555 translates as “jackals and wolves.”
This sentence appears in verse in the Sanskrit and is the third verse.
The Sanskrit has a longer conversation between the brothers, including two verses that do not appear here.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is in the plural.
In the Sanskrit this prose is in verse form and appears as the seventh verse.
In the Sanskrit this prose is in verse form and appears as the eighth verse.
In the Sanskrit this prose is in verse form and appears as the ninth verse.
“Great” is absent in the Sanskrit and Toh 557.
According to the Sanskrit avekṣya and to Toh 555, Toh 556, and the Narthang version of Toh 557. The Degé version of Toh 557 has bldags (“licked”).
From the Sanskrit saṃtrastahṛdaya (“alarmed heart”). Translated into Tibetan as snying myos (“heart crazed”). Toh 555 translates as sems la shin tu skrag (“very frightened in the mind”).
From the vocative Sanskrit devi, as an address to a female monarch. The Tibetan translates as bzang mo (“good one”).
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to read “those without children and dead, or humans who have living sons.”
They are said to be particularly grief-stricken when separated from their offspring and are therefore often used as an analogy.
The Sanskrit translates as “and the attendants.”
According to the Sanskrit mohamupagatāḥ and Toh 555 dran pa stor bas shes pa ci yang med par gyur. Toh 556 and 557 translate as myos par gyur (“became crazed”)
In the Bhagji edition, this verse and the previous verse occupy six lines each.
According to the Yongle, Kangxi, and Lhasa versions of Toh 556, which have mang por ngas. The Degé has mang po rangs because of an error in the placement of the tsheg, or syllable-separating dot.
According to the Sanskrit, Toh 556, and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 557. The Degé has dpung instead of spun.
In the preceding prose, in Toh 556, and in TWC and BG, there is no mention of leaping from a cliff. However, the preceding prose in Toh 555 and in YJ (the Chinese version on which Toh 555 was based) have him leaping from a mountain, and the Chinese only adds that a great many gods or goddesses caught and carried him in their hands so that he was not hurt by his fall. However, while Toh 555 and YJ do not mention this leap from a mountain at this point in the verse, they do state the forest was on the side of a steep mountain, and later in the verse, a minister states that Mahāsattva leapt from a mountain.
According to the Sanskrit vriduta and to Toh 557 and the Yongle, Kangxi, and Urga versions of Toh 556, which have mthor. The Degé version of Toh 556 has mthong.
The contents of the thirty-second verse in the Sanskrit are spread over two verses in the version translated into Tibetan. The Sanskrit translates as: “They saw the blood-soaked limbs of the tigers. / Nothing but hair, bones, and skin, / Fallen and scattered over the ground, / Only that of him remaining fallen on the ground.”
According to the Sanskrit and Toh 557 and the Degé version of Toh 556. The Comparative Edition of the Degé has rngul (“sweat”) instead of rdul (“dirt” or “dust”).
A traditional gesture of grief after the death of a family member.
According to Toh 557 and the Kangxi, Narthang, and Lhasa versions of Toh 556. The Degé version of Toh 556 has rig in error for reg.
This is usually taken to refer to the first five pupils of Śākyamuni, but Toh 555 specifies that two of them are Maudgalyāyana and Śāriputra, the Buddha’s two principal followers.
Only the first line of this verse is included in the Sanskrit.
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné rgyal ba. The Degé has rgyal ba’i.
According to the Sanskrit. Although amṛta in the first line was translated as “deathlessness,” it appears that in the second line it was translated as amṛta (bdud rtsi), which is “the nectar of deathlessness.”
From the Sanskrit udāra, which the Tibetan has translated as rgya che (“vast”).
According to the Sanskrit akula and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556, which have gang ba. The Degé version has dang ba (“clear”).
According to the Tibetan and Nobel’s Sanskrit. The Bhagji edition has ratna (“jewel”).
The Sanskrit and Tibetan have only “beryl,” but from context this appears to be “white beryl.” Toh 555 makes it clear that this is the ūrṇā hair between the Buddha’s eyebrows.
The Sanskrit translates as “beings are in extreme thirst.”
According to the Sanskrit prahladyet and Toh 557, which has sim. Toh 556 has tshim (“satisfy”).
The Sanskrit has mahānta. The Tibetan translates as tshe dang ldan pa, the usual translation of āyuṣman.
The Khotanese Sanskrit and Toh 555 have additional verses at this point.
The Sanskrit here translates as “great goddesses.”
This reform of the spelling of written Tibetan—which included, for example, eliminating the secondary suffix da—was made in 816, during the reign of King Ralpachen (born ca. 806, r. 815–38).
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. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) 2023.
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.
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.
Hebu jin guangming 合部金光明經. Taishō 664 (CBETA, SAT). (Translation of Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra by Bao Gui 寶貴).
Jin guangming jin 金光明經. Taishō 663 (CBETA, SAT). (Translation of Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra by Dharmakṣema, a.k.a. Tan Wuchen 曇無讖).
Jin guangming zuisheng wang jin 金光明最勝王經. Taishō 665 (CBETA, SAT). (Translation of Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra by Yijing 義淨).
Secondary References—Kangyur
dkyil ’khor thams cad kyi spyi’i cho ga gsang ba’i rgyud (Sarvamaṇḍalasāmānyavidhiguhyatantra). Toh 806, Degé Kangyur vol. 96 (rgyud, wa), folios 141.a–167.b.
’jam dpal gyi rtsa ba’i rgyud (Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa). Toh 543, Degé Kangyur vol.88 (rgyud, na), folios 105.a–351.a. English translation The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī 2020.
’od srung kyi le’u zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Kāśyapaparivartanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 87, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 119.b–151.b.
ral pa gyen brdzes kyi rtog pa chen po byang chub sems dpa’ chen po’i rnam par ’phrul pa le’u rab ’byams las bcom ldan ’das ma ’phags ma sgrol ma’i rtsa ba’i rtog pa zhes bya ba (Ūrdhvajaṭāmahākalpamahābodhisattvavikurvaṇapaṭalavisarā bhagavatī āryatārāmūlakalpanāma). Toh 724, Degé Kangyur vol. 93 (rgyud, tsa), folios 205.b–311.a, and vol. 94 (rgyud, tsha), folios 1.a–200.a.
blo gros mi zad pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Akṣayamatiparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 89, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 175.b–182.b.
lang kar gshegs pa’i theg pa chen po’i mdo (Laṅkāvatāramahāyānasūtra). Toh 107, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, ca), folios 56.a–191.b.
las kyi sgrib pa gcod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karmāvaraṇapratipraśrabdhināmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 219, Degé Kangyur vol. 62 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 297.b–307.a. English translation Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations 2024.
Secondary References—Tengyur
Ajitaśrībhadra. dga’ ba’i bshes gnyen gyi rtogs pa (Nandamitrāvadāna). Toh 4146, Degé Tengyur vol. 269 (’dul ba, su), folios 240.a–244.b.
Ānandagarbha. rdo rje dbyings kyi dkyil ’khor chen po’i cho ga rdo rje thams cad ’byungs ba (Vajradhātumahāmaṇḍalopāyikāsarvavajrodaya). Toh 2516, Degé Tengyur vol. 62 (rgyud, ku), folios 1.a–50.a.
Anonymous. rgyal po gser gyi lag pa’i smon lam (Rājasuvarṇabhujapraṇidhāna). Toh 4380, Degé Tengyur vol. 309 (sna tshogs, nyo), folios 309b–310a.
Anonymous. ’jam pa’i rdo rje ’byung ba’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga sems can thams cad kyi bde ba bskyed pa (Mañjuvajrodayamaṇḍalopāyikāsarvasattvahitāvahā). Toh 2590, Degé Tengyur vol. 65 (rgyud, ngu), folios 225.a–274.a.
Anonymous. gser ’od dam pa mdo sde dbang po’i smon lam (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrapraṇidhāna). Toh 4379, Degé Tengyur vol. 309 (sna tshogs, nyo), folios 304.b–309.b.
Āryadeva. spyod pa bsdud pa’i sgron ma (Caryāmelāpakapradīpa). Toh 1803, Degé Tengyur vol. 65 (rgyud, ngi), folios 57.a–106.b.
Bhavya. dbu ma rin po che’i sgron ma (Madhyamakaratnapradīpa). Toh 3854, Degé Tengyur vol. 199 (dbu ma, tsha), folios 259.b–289.a.
Bhavyakīrti. sgron ma gsal bar byed pa dgongs pa rab gsal zhes bya ba bshad pa’i ti ka (Pradīpoddyotanābhisaṁdhiprakāśikānāmavyākhyāṭīkā). Toh 1793, Degé Tengyur vols. 32–33 (rgyud, ki), folios 1.b–292.a, and (rgyud, khi), folios 1.b–155.a.
Bodhisattva. kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba’i gzungs bklag cing chod rten brgya rtsa brgyad dam mchod rten lnga gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las btus pa (Samantamukhapraveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣaprabhāsadhāraṇīvacanasūtrāntoddhṛtāṣṭottaraśatacaityāntarapañcacaityanirvapaṇavidhi). Toh 3068, Degé Tengyur vol. 74 (rgyud, pu), folios 140.a–153.a.
Buddhānandagarbha. de bzhin gshegs pa dgra bcom pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba’i bshad pa (Sarvadurgatipariśodhanatejorājatathāgatārhatsamyaksaṃbuddhanāmakalpaṭīkā). Toh 2628, Degé Tengyur vol. 68 (rgyud, ju), folios 1.a–97.a.
Dharmakīrtiśrī. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i ’grel pa rtogs par dka’ ba’i snang ba zhes bya ba’i ’grel bshad (Abhisamayālaṃkāranāmaprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstravṛttidurbodhālokanāmaṭīkā). Toh 3794, Degé Tengyur vol. 86 (sher phyin, ja), folios 140.b–254.a.
Dharmamitra. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i ’grel bshad tshig rab tu gsal ba (Abhisamayālaṃkārakārikāprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstraṭīkāprasphuṭapadā). Toh 3796, Degé Tengyur vol. 87 (sher phyin, nya), folios 1.a–110.a.
Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba (Ratnakaraṇḍodghāṭanāmamadhyamakopadeśa). Toh 3930, Degé Tengyur vol. 212 (dbu ma, ki), folios 96.b–116.b.
Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. byang chub lam gyi sgron ma’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhimārgapradīpapañjikā). Toh 3948, Degé Tengyur vol. 213 (mdo ’grel, khi), folios 241.a–293.a.
Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. mngon par rtogs pa rnam par ’byed pa zhes bya ba (Abhisamayavibhaṅganāma). Toh 1490, Degé Tengyur vol. 22 (rgyud, zha), folios 186.a–202.b.
Ekādaśanirghoṣa. rdo rje ’chang chen po’i lam gyi rim pa’i man ngag bdud rtsi gsang ba (Mahāvajradharapathakramopadeśāmṛtaguhya). Toh 1823, Degé Tengyur vol. 35 (rgyud, ngi), folios 267.b–278.a.
Haribhadra. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i bshad pa mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi snang ba (Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāvyākhyānābhisamayālaṃkārāloka). Toh 3791, Degé Tengyur vol. 85 (sher phyin, cha), folios 1.a–341.a.
Kāmadhenu. ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba cho ga zhib mo’i rgyal po chen po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Sarvadurgatipariśodhanatejorājanāmamahākalparājaṭīkā). Toh 2625, Degé Tengyur vol. 666 (rgyud, cu), folios 231.a–341.a.
Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgītiṭīkā). Toh 2534, Degé Tengyur vol. 63 (gyud, khu), folios 115.b–301.a.
Paltsek (dpal brtsegs). gsung rab rin po che’i gtam rgyud dang shA kya’i rabs rgyud. Toh 4357, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 239.a–377.a.
Paltsek (dpal brtsegs). pho brang stod thang lhan dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 308 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Pramuditākaravarman. gsang ba ’dus pa rgyud kyi rgyal po’i bshad pa zla ba’i ’od zer (Guhyasamājatantrarājaṭīkācandraprabhā). Toh 1852, Degé Tengyur vol. 41 (rgyud, thi), folios 120.a–313.a.
Sahajalalita. kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par blta ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa (Samantamukhapraveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣaprabhāsasarvatathāgatahṛdayasamayavilokitanāmadhāraṇīvṛtti). Toh 2688, Degé Tengyur vol. 71 (rgyud, thu), folios 269.a–320.b.
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
Sthiramati. rgyan dam pa sna tshogs rim par phye ba bkod pa (Paramālaṃkāraviśvapaṭalavyūha). Toh 2661, Degé Tengyur vol. 68 (rgyud, ju), folios 317.a–339.a.
Vairocanarakṣita. bslab pa me tog snye ma (Śikṣākusumamañjarī). Toh 3943, Degé Tengyur vol. 213 (dbu ma, khi), folios 196.a–217.a.
Various authors. bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa [chen po] (Mahāvyutpatti*). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.a–131.a.
Various authors. sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa. Toh 4347, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 131.b–160.a.
Vinayadatta. sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga bla ma’i zhal snga’i man ngag (Gurūpadeśanāmamahāmāyāmaṇḍalopāyikā). Toh 1645, Degé Tengyur vol. 25 (rgyud, ya), folios 290.a–309.a.
Vitapāda. gsang ba ’dus pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi sgrub pa’i thabs rnam par bshad pa (Guhyasamājamaṇḍalopāyikāṭīkā). Toh 1873, Degé Tengyur vol. 43 (rgyud, ni), folios 178.b–219.a.
Wönch’ük (Wen tsheg). dgongs pa zab mo nges par ’grel pa’i mdo rgya cher ’grel pa (Gambhīrasaṁdhinirmocanasūtraṭīkā). Toh 4016, Degé Tengyur vol. 220 (mdo ’grel, ti), folios 1.b–291.a; vol. 221 (mdo ’grel, thi), folios 1.b–272.a; and vol. 222 (mdo ’grel, di), folios 1.b–175.a.
Yeshe Dé (ye shes sde). lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan (Laṅkāvatāranāmamahāyānasūtravṛttitathāgatahṛdayālaṃkāra), Toh 4019, Degé Tengyur vol. 224 (mdo ’grel, pi), folios 1.a–310.a.
Other References in Tibetan
Kalzang Dolma (skal bzang sgrol ma). lo tsA ba ’gos chos grub dang khong gi ’gyur rtsom mdo mdzangs blun gyi lo tsA’i thabs rtsal skor la dpyad pa. In krung go’i bod kyi shes rig, vol. 77, pp. 31–53. Beijing: krung go’i bod kyi shes rig dus deb khang, 2007.
Lotsawa Gö Chödrup (lo tsā ba ’gos chos grub). In gangs ljongs skad gnyis smra ba du ma’i ’gyur byang blo gsal dga’ skyed, pp. 17–18. Xining: kan lho bod rigs rang skyong khul rtsom sgyur cu’u, 1983.
Ngawang Lobsang Choden (nga dbang blo bzang chos ldan). ’phags pa gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po’i ’don thabs cho ga (A Rite That Is a Method for Reciting the Noble Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light), s.n. s.l. n.d.
Pema Karpo (pad ma dkar po). gser ’od dam pa nas gsungs pa’i bshags pa. In The Collected Works of Kun-mkhyen padma dkar po, vol. 9 (ta), pp. 519–24. Darjeeling: kargyu sungrab nyamso khang, 1973–74.
Other References in English and Other Languages
Bagchi, S., ed. Suvarṇaprabhāsasūtram. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1967. Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon.
Banerjee, Radha. Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra. London: British Library, 2006. http://idp.bl.uk/downloads/GoldenLight.pdf.
Buswell Jr., Robert E., and Donald Lopez Jr. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press, 2014.
Di, Guan. “The Sanskrit Fragments Preserved in Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Peking University.” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo Soka University, 2014): 109–18.
Lewis, Todd T. “Contributions to the Study of Popular Buddhism: The Newar Buddhist Festival of Guṃlā Dharma.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 16, no. 2 (Winter 1993): 309–54.
Nanjio Bunyiu, Idzumi Hokei. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra: A Mahāyāna Text Called “The Golden Splendour.” Kyoto: The Eastern Buddhist Society, 1931.
Nobel, Johannes (1937). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Nach den Handschriften und mit Hilfe der tibetischen und chinesischen Übertragungen. Leipzig: Harrassowitz.
Nobel, Johannes (1944). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetischen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Nobel, Johannes (1944, 1950). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetishcen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. 2 vols. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Radich, Michael (2014). “On the Sources, Style and Authorship of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇaprabhasa-sūtra T644 Ascribed to Paramārtha (Part 1).” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo Soka University, 2014): 207–44.
Radich, Michael (2016). “Tibetan Evidence for the Sources of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇa-prabhāsottama-sūtra T 664 A Ascribed to Paramārtha.” Buddhist Studies Review 32.2 (2015): 245–70. Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing.
Tanaka, Kimiaki. An Illustrated History of the Mandala From Its Genesis to the Kālacakratantra. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018.
Tyomkin, E. N. “Unique Sanskrit Fragments of ‘The Sūtra of Golden Light’ in the Manuscript Collection of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies.” In Manuscripta Orientalia vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1995): 29–38. St. Petersburg: Russian Academy of Sciences.
Yuama, Akira. “The Golden Light in Central Asia.” In Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2003 (Tokyo: Soka University, 2004): 3–32.
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.