One Hundred and Eight Names of Youthful Mañjuśrī Accompanied by His Dhāraṇī-Mantra
Toh 639
Degé Kangyur, vol. 91 (rgyud, ba), folios 118.b–122.a
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Table of Contents
Summary
One Hundred and Eight Names in Praise of Youthful Mañjuśrī Accompanied by His Dhāraṇī-Mantra is a text notably combining two genres of Buddhist literature: the dhāraṇī and the stotra or praise text. As a praise text, it may be further categorized within the subgenre of praises of one hundred and eight names. The text opens with homage and praise to the buddhas of the ten directions and two brief praises to Mañjuśrī. Then Mañjuśrī himself articulates a Sanskrit dhāraṇī, which precipitates miracles and prompts the assembled gods to praise him by way of reciting a litany of his hundred and eight names. Upon its conclusion, Mañjuśrī expresses his pleasure, whereupon the Tathāgata expounds the dhāraṇī’s benefits, blesses the gods who spoke the hundred and eight names in praise, and lastly explains in considerable detail the practice of the praise’s recitation and the benefits thereof.
Acknowledgements
This text was translated and introduced by David Mellins and Kaia Fischer under the auspices of the Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York. The translators would like to extend their special gratitude to Lama Lozang Jamspal of Ladakh, without whose instruction and guidance this translation would not have been possible.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Nathaniel Rich edited the translation and introduction, and Laura Goetz copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
Introduction
One Hundred and Eight Names in Praise of Youthful Mañjuśrī Accompanied by His Dhāraṇī-Mantra is a text that combines two genres of Buddhist literature: dhāraṇī and praise.1 As a praise it further belongs to a subgenre of praises in the Kangyur that list one hundred and eight names, or epithets, belonging to specific deities.2
The text opens with homage and praise to the buddhas of the ten directions, followed by two brief praises to Mañjuśrī—one to Youthful Mañjuśrī and one to Mañjughoṣa. Then Mañjuśrī himself articulates a Sanskrit dhāraṇī, attributed to Mañjughoṣa. In awe of the miracles that occur in the wake of the dhāraṇī’s enunciation, an assembly of gods recites one hundred and eight unique names in praise of Mañjuśrī that had been revealed to them by “the highest of the gods.” Upon its conclusion, Mañjuśrī expresses his pleasure, blesses the gods who spoke the praises, and provides assurance that in their devotion they need not fear him.
The text then introduces the figure of the Tathāgata, who is depicted as laughing. He turns his face to the east and proceeds to speak the remainder of the text, first explaining the benefits of reciting, contemplating, or simply hearing the dhāraṇī. These benefits range from the dispelling of suffering, the success of all one’s endeavors, and the purification of all one’s sins to the attainment of the various bodhisattva grounds and eventually buddhahood. He then proceeds to explain the benefits of reciting the one hundred and eight names: they invoke the masters of vidyāmantra, who offer their protection, as do the lords of the gods, the yakṣas and rākṣasas, and, most significantly, the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and “bearers of vajra weapons.” He furthermore states that persons of exceptional wisdom can attain buddhahood through daily recitation of the names, and finally, in a short benedictory passage, the Tathāgata praises the dhāraṇī itself.
The Tibetan translation lacks a colophon and hence offers no information regarding the transmission or translation of the text into Tibetan. However, Tibetan versions of the text were found at Dunhuang,3 indicating that the text had been translated and was in circulation by the late eighth or early ninth century.4
While no Sanskrit manuscript appears to be extant, a Sanskrit text can be partially reconstructed from Chinese transliterations of the dhāraṇī and the praise portions of the text as preserved in the Chinese canon. Two separate texts—Taishō 1177A and Taishō 1186—contain Chinese transliterations of the Sanskrit dhāraṇī of the present text.5 Taishō 1177A also preserves Sanskrit transliterations of the introductory and concluding material and appends an additional nine-section dhāraṇī and three mantras.6 It also includes a detailed preface stating that it was translated into Chinese by Vajrabodhi (671–741 ce) in 740. Vajrabodhi’s Korean disciple Hyecho is credited with assisting in this earlier Chinese translation.7 Taishō 1186 was translated in 996 ce and presents only the dhāraṇī portion of One Hundred and Eight Names in Praise of Youthful Mañjuśrī Accompanied by His Dhāraṇī-Mantra, with minor variations from the version preserved in Taishō 1177A. In addition to these two texts, Taishō 1177B preserves the litany of names of the Sanskrit text in Chinese transliteration.8 The Tibetan versions, however, transliterate only the dhāraṇīs.
This English translation is based on Toh 639 in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur recension. In several instances our translation was clarified through consultation with Rolf Giebel’s (2011) Sanskrit reconstructions of the transliterations found in the three Taishō texts referred to above. In addition, we have compared Toh 639 to its reiteration within the Dhāraṇī section of the Degé Kangyur (Toh 873). All major divergences have been recorded in the notes.
In the body of the translation, the dhāraṇī is rendered in Sanskrit diacritics based on the Tibetan transliteration found in Toh 639. In the provisional translation of the dhāraṇī, however, we have at times assumed emended readings derived from our consultations with the Comparative Edition and Phukdrak version, as well as with Giebel’s Sanskrit reconstructions.
Text Body
One Hundred and Eight Names of Youthful Mañjuśrī Accompanied by His Dhāraṇī-Mantra
The Translation
Homage to the perfectly and completely awakened buddhas of the ten directions, whose minds, utterly wondrous and pure, pervade the entire domain of knowable things.
Youthful Mañjuśrī, your heart is free of any stain or flaw, your body ornamented by an effulgent constellation of untainted virtues. Gods, humans, asuras, nāgas, and vidyādharas touch their topknots and the tips of their crowns to the lotus beneath your feet. Homage to you! [F.119.a]
Mañjughoṣa, great bodhisattva who vanquishes the various states9 of misery, we pay homage to you.10
tadyathā | oṃ bho11 mahā12maṇirucirakalāpa vicitramuktadāma-alaṃkṛtaśarīra paramasatvamocaka13 tathāgatamahā14dharma15koṣadhara pravaradharma labdha vijayasurata sambhogaupadeśaka16 kleśagara17praśamaka śūnyatā18svabhāva-anusvari mahābodhisatvavara varata19 varaṇadada20 21
oṃ mahāpāśa prasara asamasama anantasama22 samantabhadra23 samantasandhara24 samanta-ākara25 samantaprasara sara sara he he26 mañjurava27 mahāvajra mahākhaḍga28 29
cchinda cchinda bhinda bhinda viraja viraja karma-apagamaka30 kuru kuru dhuru dhuru suru suru muru muru31 dha dha dha dha32 dhu dhu dhu dhu mahā mahā mahā mahā33 mohaya mohaya bho bho bhīma bhīma34 nāda nāda35 sara sara mahābodhisatva36 mocaya37
mama nātham anusṛta38 apāya duḥkhaṃ39 sukham40 mahākāruṇikā41 anātho ’haṃ duḥkhito ’haṃ sarajo ’ham42 uva43druto44 ’haṃ avi45vikto ’haṃ kusi46dho ’haṃ mārana47dharmo ’haṃ tvana bhagavām48 duḥkhitānāṃ sukhaṃdadā49 anāthānāṃ sanātha50kara sarajasāṃ51 virajaskara52
upadruhā53nāṃ svara-upa54dravapra55śamaka avivikatānāṃ56 kuśala57sambhara paripūrayitā kusidhānām58 mahāviryadhatā59 māraṇa60dharmiṇa mama tipadādātā61 mama vibhagavān62 nātho bhava śaraṇam parāyaṇaṃ63 tratā64 65
sarvaduḥkhāni me praśamaya66 sarvakleśarajīṃsi67 mi68 avanaya69 sarvasaṃsāraupadravaduḥkhāni me nāśaya70 sarva71kuśaladharmaparipūram me72 kuru sarvakarma-āvaraṇakleśa73paravata74 me vikira75 mahābodhi76satvasibidhi77 vīryapāramitāyogam me sanniyojaya78 79
a80raṇadharma virāgaviraja sañjaha prajaha dhariṇi81sama khasama jalanidhisama merusama82 mahābodhisatva parada83 svāhā84
This concludes the noble “One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī Accompanied by His Dhāraṇī-Mantra.”
Notes
Note that there is a discrepancy between various databases for cataloging the Toh 879 version of this text within vol. 100 or 101 of the Degé Kangyur. See Toh 879, n.1, for details.
Bibliography
’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa’i mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa gzungs sngags dang bcas pa (Mañjuśrīkumārabhūtāṣṭottaraśatakanāmadhāraṇīmantrasahita). Toh 639, Degé Kangyur vol. 91 (rgyud, ba), folios 118.b–122.a.
’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa’i mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa gzungs sngags dang bcas pa (Mañjuśrīkumārabhūtāṣṭottaraśatakanāmadhāraṇīmantrasahita). Toh 879, Degé Kangyur vol. 100 (gzungs, e), folios 114.a–117.b.
’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa’i mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa gzungs sngags dang bcas pa. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 91, pp. 419–36; vol. 97, pp. 334–41.
’phags pa ’jam dpal gyi mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa gzungs sngags dang bcas pa. Phukdrak Kangyur vol. 116 (rgyud, tsha), folios 133.a–137.b.
’jam dpal gyi rtsa ba’i brgyud (Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa) [The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī]. Toh 543, Degé Kangyur vol. 88 (rgyud, na), folios 88.a–334.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020.
don yod pa’i zhags pa’i cho ga zhib mo’i rgyal po (Amoghapāśakalparāja) [The Sovereign Ritual of Amoghapāśa]. Toh 686, Degé Kangyur vol. 92 (rgyud, ma), folios 1.b–316.a; vol. 93 (rgyud, tsa), folios 1.b–57.b. English translation in Dharmacakra Translation Committee 2022.
lha mo sgrol ma’i mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad (Tārādevīnāmāṣṭaśataka) [The Hundred and Eight Names of the Goddess Tārā]. Toh 728, Degé Kangyur vol. 94 (rgyud, tsha), folios 219.a–222.a. English translation in Samye Translations 2022.
Buswell, Robert E., Jr., and Donald S. Lopez, Jr. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014.
Dalton, Jacob. “How Dhāraṇīs WERE Proto-Tantric.” In Tantric Traditions in Transmission and Translation, edited by David B. Gray and Ryan Richard Overbey, pp. 199–299. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Dasheng yujia jingang xing hai manshushili qian bi qian bo da jiao wang jing 大乘瑜伽金剛性海曼殊室利千臂千鉢大教王經 (Taishō 1177A). Translated by Vajrabodhi (671–741 ᴄᴇ) in 740. Reconstructed Sanskrit from Giebel 2011.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2020). The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, Toh 543). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.
———(2022). The Sovereign Ritual of Amoghapāśa (Amoghapāśakalparāja, Toh 686). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.
Giebel, Rolf W. “The One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī: The Sanskrit Version of the Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta-aṣṭottaraśatakanāma Based on Sino-Japanese Sources.” Indo Ronrigaku Kenkyū [Indian Logic] 3 (2011): 303–43.
Miao jixiang pusa tuoluoni 妙吉祥菩薩陀羅尼 (Taishō 1186). Reconstructed Sanskrit from Giebel 2011.
Samye Translations, trans. The Hundred and Eight Names of the Goddess Tārā (Tārādevīnāmāṣṭaśataka, Toh 728). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.
Wayman, Alex, trans. and ed. Chanting the Names of Mañjuśrī: The Mañjuśrī-nāma-samgīti; Sanskrit and Tibetan Texts. Boston: Shambhala, 1985.
Qian bo wenshu yibai ba ming zan 千鉢文殊一百八名讚 (Taishō 1177B). Reconstructed Sanskrit from Giebel 2011.
Glossary
Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language
Attested in source text
This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.
Attested in other text
This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.
Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.
Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.
Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.
Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.
Source unspecified
This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.
affliction
- nyon mongs
- ཉོན་མོངས།
- kleśa
Amoghavajra
- —
- —
- amoghavajra
asura
- lha min
- lha ma yin
- ལྷ་མིན།
- ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
- asura
Avalokiteśvara
- spyan ras gzigs
- སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས།
- avalokiteśvara
bodhisattva
- byang chub sems dpa’
- བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།
- bodhisattva
cakravartin
- ’khor los sgyur
- འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར།
- cakravartin
cataract
- rab rib
- རབ་རིབ།
- timira
Cloud of Dharma
- chos kyi sprin
- ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྤྲིན།
- dharmameghā
dhāraṇī
- gzungs
- གཟུངས།
- dhāraṇī
Eminence
- legs pa’i blo gros
- ལེགས་པའི་བློ་གྲོས།
- sādhumatī
Far Reaching
- ring du song
- རིང་དུ་སོང་།
- dūraṃgamā
god
- lha
- ལྷ།
- deva
great brahmā
- tshangs chen
- ཚངས་ཆེན།
- mahābrahmā
ground
- sa
- ས།
- bhūmi
Hyecho
- —
- —
- —
Immediacy
- mngon du gyur
- མངོན་དུ་གྱུར།
- abhimukhī
Immovable
- mi g.yo ba
- མི་གཡོ་བ།
- acalā
Invincible
- sbyang dka’
- སྦྱང་དཀའ།
- sudurjayā
Joyful
- rab dga’
- རབ་དགའ།
- pramuditā
Luminous
- ’od byed
- འོད་བྱེད།
- prabhākarī
Mañju
- ’jam pa
- འཇམ་པ།
- mañju
Mañjughoṣa
- ’jam pa’i dbyangs
- འཇམ་པའི་དབྱངས།
- mañjughoṣa
Mañjuśrī
- ’jam dpal
- འཇམ་དཔལ།
- mañjuśrī
mantra
- sngags
- སྔགས།
- —
Māra
- bdud
- བདུད།
- māra
mudrā
- phyag rgya
- ཕྱག་རྒྱ།
- —
nāga
- klu
- ཀླུ།
- nāga
Nārāyaṇa
- sred med bu
- སྲེད་མེད་བུ།
- nārāyaṇa
ojohāra
- mdangs ’phrog
- མདངས་འཕྲོག
- ojohāra
pledge-deity
- dam tshig can gyi lha
- དམ་ཚིག་ཅན་གྱི་ལྷ།
- —
praise text
- bstod pa
- བསྟོད་པ།
- stotra
Radiant
- ’od ’phro can
- འོད་འཕྲོ་ཅན།
- arciṣmatī
rākṣasa
- srin po
- སྲིན་པོ།
- rākṣasa
saṃsāra
- ’khor ba
- འཁོར་བ།
- saṃsāra
Stainless
- shin tu dri ma med
- ཤིན་ཏུ་དྲི་མ་མེད།
- vimalā
states of misery
- ngan song gi ’gro ba
- ngan ’gro
- ངན་སོང་གི་འགྲོ་བ།
- ངན་འགྲོ།
- durgati
tathāgata
- de bzhin gshegs pa
- དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
- tathāgata
ten strengths
- stobs bcu
- སྟོབས་བཅུ།
- daśabala
triple world
- ’jig rten gsum
- འཇིག་རྟེན་གསུམ།
- —
Vajrabodhi
- —
- —
- vajrabodhi
vidyādhara
- rig sngags ’chang
- རིག་སྔགས་འཆང་།
- vidyādhara
vidyāmantra
- rig sngags
- རིག་སྔགས།
- vidyā
- vidyāmantra
vidyārāja
- rig pa’i rgyal po
- རིག་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- vidyārāja
vighna
- bgegs
- བགེགས།
- vighna
vināyaka
- log ’dren
- ལོག་འདྲེན།
- vināyaka
wielder of vidyāmantra
- rig sngags ’chang
- རིག་སྔགས་འཆང་།
- vidyādhara
yakṣa
- gnod sbyin
- གནོད་སྦྱིན།
- yakṣa
Youthful Mañjuśrī
- ’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa
- འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུར་གྱུར་པ།
- mañjuśrīkumārabhūta