This brief discourse is identified more precisely in its colophon as a supplementary chapter from The Great Cloud on “the array of winds that bring down rainfall.” It describes a visit from the Buddha Śākyamuni to the realm of the nāgas. The assembly of nāgas pays homage to the Buddha with a grand panoply of magically emanated offerings, and their king asks him to explain how the nāgas can eliminate their own suffering and aid sentient beings by causing timely rain to fall. The Buddha, in response, extols the benefits of loving-kindness and then teaches them a dhāraṇī that when accompanied by the recitation of a host of buddha names will dispel the nāgas’ suffering and cause crops to grow. At the nāga king’s request, the Buddha then teaches another long dhāraṇī that will cause rain to fall during times of drought. The discourse concludes with instructions for constructing an altar and holding a ritual rainmaking service.
This translation was produced by Joshua Capitanio for the Mahamegha translation team. It was further revised by the 84000 editorial team after comparing it with the available Sanskrit sources.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
This text is a short dhāraṇī-sūtra that may be regarded as an addendum to the longer sūtra called The Great Cloud (Toh 232)1 and seems to have been intended for ritual and recitation purposes. The longer discourse is a Mahāyāna scripture that emphasizes bodhisattva conduct and the teaching that the Buddha does not pass into parinirvāṇa. Among the many benefits listed for those who uphold The Great Cloud, timely rainfall is mentioned, and thus the sūtra came to be associated with rainmaking among Indian Buddhists. This short text, which circulated independently of the longer sūtra called The Great Cloud, is presented as the “sixty-fourth chapter” of that longer sūtra, which in all its extant versions contains only thirty-eight chapters.
The dhāraṇī-sūtra centers on an assembly of nāgas who receive a visit from the Buddha in their own palace. The assembled nāgas pay homage to the Buddha with a grand panoply of magically emanated offerings, and vow to support the Buddhist teachings. A visiting great nāga king asks him to explain how the nāgas can eliminate their own suffering and aid sentient beings by causing rain to fall and crops to grow. The Buddha, in response, extols the benefits of loving-kindness and then teaches them a dhāraṇī that when accompanied by the recitation of a host of buddha names will pacify the nāgas’ suffering and cause crops to grow. At the nāga king’s request, the Buddha then teaches another long dhāraṇī that will assist sentient beings by providing timely rain and in particular cause rain to fall during times of drought, thereby nourishing sentient beings. The Buddha then presents several dhāraṇīs and lists of buddha names that, when recited, should bring about their specified results. The text concludes with brief instructions for constructing an altar and holding a ritual to be performed when reciting these dhāraṇīs for the purpose of bringing rainfall.
The text appears to have circulated widely and enjoyed considerable popularity, as evidenced by the fact that it was translated into Chinese four different times between the sixth and eighth centuries. Two Tibetan translations of this text exist. Toh 234 is a shorter version entitled The Essence of All Nāgas, The Great Cloud Chapter on the Array of Winds (Mahāmeghavāyumaṇḍalaparivartasarvanāgahṛdaya). The slightly longer text translated here (Toh 235) is simply titled The Great Cloud, but in the colophon the title is similarly given as The Sixty-Fourth Chapter of The Great Cloud “The Array of Winds That Send Down Rainfall” Together With its Ritual Manual. This text is also included in the Tantra and Dhāraṇī sections of the Degé Kangyur, where it appears as Toh 657 and Toh 1063, respectively. The text is included in the Tibetan Kangyur collections of different periods and is also recorded in the Denkarma2 catalog of Tibetan imperial translations (but not in the Phangthangma catalog). Thus, it appears likely that it was first translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan by the early ninth century, as the compilation of the Denkarma is usually dated to 812
The English translation presented here was based primarily on the Tibetan Degé edition, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript edition. The Tibetan was compared with the available Sanskrit manuscripts, and cases where there was significant divergence or where the Sanskrit presented a clearer reading have been noted in the endnotes.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was at the home of the nāga kings Nanda and Upananda, a lavish palace made of jewels and gems within a great multitude of clouds,5 together with a great assembly of bhikṣus, a great assembly of bodhisattvas, and a great host of nāga kings.
There were the nāga kings Nanda, Upananda, Sāgara, Anavatapta, Manasvin, Varuṇa, Takṣaka, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Vāsuki, Mucilinda, Airāvaṇa, Pauṇḍra, Śrītejas, Śrībhadra, Vidyunmālin, Precious Jewel Crest,6 Cūḍāmaṇidhara, Avabhāsanaśikhin, and Indrāyudhaśikhara. There were also the nāga kings Indradhvaja, Indrayaṣṭi, Jambudhvaja, Svastika, Mahāmaṇḍalika, Mahābhujaṃga, Jyotīrasa, Śaśitejas, Noble Intelligence,7 and Somadarśana, and there were the nāga kings Sudarśana, Supratiṣṭhita, Maṇikaṇṭha, Meghasambhava, Varṣadhāra, Prasphoṭaka, Visphoṭaka, Visphūrjita, Mahāphaṇaka, and Gambhīranirghoṣa. There were also the nāga kings Mahānirnādanādin, Vinardita, Utpalaka, Mahāvikrama,[F.251.a] Īṣādhāra, Citrasena, and Mahāpāśa, the nāga king Elāpattra, All Illuminating,8 Kharakarṇa, Śaṅkha, Dardara, the nāga king Upadardara, Kṣemaṃkara,9 Bhujaṃgama,[F.216.b] Mahābhujaṃgama, Mahābala,10 Soarer,11 Apalāla, Lambura, Kṛmiśa, and Kṛṣṇa. There were also the nāga kings Indrasena, Naḍa, Upanaḍa, Kambudhāra, Dramiḍa, Sundara, Elephant’s Trunk,12 Tīkṣṇaka,[F.163.b] Piṅgala, Vidyujjvāla, Mahāvidyujjvāla, Baladeva, and Kambala.13 There were also the nāga kings Bharukaccha, Amṛta, Tīrthaka, Vaiḍūryaprabha, Suvarṇakeśa,14 Kanakaprabha, Śaśiketuprabha, Sūryaprabha, Udayana, and Gaveśīrṣa.15 There were also the nāga kings Śvetaka, Kālaka, Yama, Śrāmaṇa, Toad,16 Saṃhatana,17 Nimindhara, Dharaṇiṃdhara, Sahasraśīrṣa, and Maṇicūḍa. There were also the nāga kings Amoghadarśana, Balāhaka, Suṣeṇa, Gopāla, Naradatta, Vinīta, Jarāyana, Kumbhīra, Kumbhīramukha, and Viṣaṃdhara. There were also the nāga kings Āśīviṣa, Padmaka, Lāṅgula, Pralamba, Bhīṣaṇa, Sutejas, Pañcaśīrṣa, Ballira, and Victorious Chariot.18 There were also the nāga kings Uttaraka, Dīrghapuccha, Sphāraśīrṣa, Bimbika, Vitara,19 and Aśvaka, the nāga kings Triśīrṣa, Nāgasena, Mahātejas, and Naladatta, and the nāga kings Bhīmaka, Dīptaprabha, Saptaśīrṣa, Bṛhaddruma, Priyadarśana, Mahāpracaṇḍa, Vimalatejas, Sunetra, Mahāghora, and Arciḥskandha. There were also the nāga kings Fierce,20[F.251.b] Ugrakrodha, Ratnāmbuda, Mahāmeghāmbuda, Indraprabha, Pādapa, Meghacandra,[F.217.a] Sāgaramegha, Mahāgandhakusuma, and Kumudākara. There were also the nāga kings Ratnanetra, Mahāketudhvaja, Mahāmeghagarbha, Himavat, Śrīgarbha, Meghaśaktika, Rajaniṃdhara, Ambuda, and Great Water-Giver21 and the nāga kings Vaiśvānaratejas, Megheśvararāja, Vigatakrodha, Earth Vase,22 Nāgaśūra, Jalaṃdhara, Meghacchatra, Aṅgiramukha, Tejasvin, and Meghasphuṭita.23 There were also the[F.164.a] nāga kings Anantakrama, Suṣeṇa, Mahāśarīra, Vṛkodara, Śāntin, Vīra, Kākanāda,24 Uddhura, Viṣogra, and Sughoṣa. There were also the nāga kings Amṛtasāra, Mahāpravarṣaka, Completely Quaking,25 Saṃghaṭṭaśabda, Dundubhisvara, Amṛtadhāra, Nandika, Garjasphoṭaka, Śūrasena, Nārāyaṇa, and Vaḍabāmukha, and there was the nāga king Deceiver.26
Those and other great nāga kings,27 altogether eighty-four septillions nāgas, gathered, sat down, and stayed there together. At this point, all those nāga kings, together with their retinues, arose from their seats, draped their robes over one shoulder, knelt with their right knees on the ground, joined their palms, and saluted the Bhagavān. Showing great respect and honor to the teacher, they made offerings to the Bhagavān of various, supremely beautiful flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, ointments, powders, clothes, parasols, victory banners, banners, silk tassels,28 music,29 cymbals,30 small cymbals, songs, jeweled flowers, jeweled tassels,31 pearl necklaces,[F.217.b] nāga flowers, and supremely beautiful pearl-adorned nets.[F.252.a] They then32 circumambulated the Bhagavān and stood to one side.
Having stood to one side, they made a vow together: “With oceans of bodies as numerous as all the atomic particles in all the oceans of world-systems, we make offerings33 to all oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas with their retinues. Within each and every atomic particle of earth, water, fire, and wind and all the atomic particles of apparent forms within all the infinite oceans of world-systems lie oceans of clouds of bodies that are beyond countless, unfathomable, inconceivable,[F.164.b] unparalleled, immeasurable, inexpressible, and more numerous than all numerable oceans. Upon each and every one of these bodies are emanated immeasurable, countless oceans of clouds of hands, from which are emanated oceans of clouds of all manner of offerings, distinct and radiating continuously in all directions. With these, we will make offerings to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.”
Thinking thus, they continued: “We will fill the sky with unfathomable, countless, inconceivable, immeasurable, incalculable, inexpressible, distinct emanations of bodies engaging in the perfect conduct of Samantabhadra, with oceans of clouds of bodhisattva bodies, and likewise with a multitude of oceans of clouds of all manner of jewels, densely arrayed rays of light, and bodies of all suns and moons, together with oceans of clouds of jeweled garlands and flowers;[F.218.a] oceans of clouds of great mansions made from the essence of all brilliant jewels; oceans of clouds of storehouses of all manner of powders and trees; oceans of clouds of incenses, perfumes,[F.252.b] and all manner of apparent forms; oceans of clouds of the sounds of instruments resounding with all manner of music; and oceans of clouds of all manner of trees used for incense. We will fill the sky with these emanations, with oceans of cloud of all manner of offerings that are unfathomable, countless, inconceivable, immeasurable, incalculable, inexpressible, and distinct. Having done all this, we will proceed to pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them,[F.165.a] and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of kings of jewels within which all the arrayed realms of existence are illuminated. Having done so, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of arrayed kings of jewels that shower down a rain of all-illuminating gemstones; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels blazing with the light of all gemstones, resounding with the melodic sounds of the attainment of buddhahood; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels filling everywhere with the universal resounding of the melodies of all the Dharma teachings of the buddhas; oceans of clouds of emanated buddha bodies illuminated by jeweled light radiating from all directions; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels that display the appearance of all the arrays of distinct retinues; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels whose brilliant lamp-like rays of light enter into all buddha realms; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels[F.218.b] that display the appearances of all the immeasurable palaces of the tathāgatas in all the inconceivable buddhafields; and oceans of clouds of kings of jewels that illuminate the display of the bodies of the buddhas of the three times within the atomic particles of all variety of gemstones. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas.[F.253.a] We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of distinct multistoried palaces of sundry jewels, incense, and flowers; oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces completely adorned with kings of jewels of an infinite variety of colors; oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces with jeweled lamps and radiant incense; oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces thoroughly bedecked with all manner of pearls; oceans of clouds of the anthers of all manner of flowers; and oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces beautifully adorned with infinite jewel garlands. We will then fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces that completely contain an adornment of all essences whose brilliance illuminates the ten directions; oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces that appear completely ornamented everywhere with adornments of fine particles of all manner of jewels;[F.165.b] oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces overflowing with adornments of all manner of decorations; and oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces with flowered arches at each doorway hung with lattices of bells. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing necklaces of gold and various jewels and jeweled chokers;[F.219.a] oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing various brilliant flowers; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing various lotus flowers with the blue34 color of the indranīla jewel and the golden hue of the Jambu River; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing precious jeweled lotus lamps; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing brilliantly bejeweled lotus victory banners; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing various lotus flowers adorned with jewels;[F.253.b] oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers decorated with indranīla jewels and blazing with golden light; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers endowed with inexhaustibly brilliant blazing light; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers that produce all manner of blazing jewels; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers that produce all manner of supremely sublime blazing jewels; and distinct oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers endowed with the light rays of the sound of the Buddha’s speech. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of trees festooned with all manner of gemstones; oceans of clouds of incense trees wreathed all over with leaves[F.166.a] that emanate clouds of joined palms; oceans of clouds of trees that appear as an infinite array of all forms of trees; oceans of clouds of trees draped with clouds of all manner of flowers; oceans of clouds of trees endowed with infinite troves that produce all manner of adornments; oceans of clouds of trees completely illuminated by multitudes of all radiant jewels;[F.219.b] oceans of clouds of trees that manifest busts of bodhisattva bodies made from all manner of sandalwood powders; oceans of clouds of trees endowed with the brilliant solar light of the storehouse of all manner of precious clothing of the infinite tree spirits adorning all seats of awakening with inconceivable brilliant light; and oceans of clouds of trees emitting pleasing tones that resound with all manner of melodies.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of35 oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing infinite jewel-colored lotus flowers;[F.254.a] oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing the brilliant, multifaceted kings of jewels; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing adornments of all manner of ornamentation; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing garlands of lamps that radiate the brilliant light of various jewels; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing the source of a universally resounding rainfall of jewels; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing precious garlands of all manner of incense, flowers, and lotus flowers; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing the kings of jewels that completely manifest the adornments of the seats of all buddhas; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing clouds of jewels and completely adorned with railed arches draped with garlands of all manner of adornments; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing trees with precious jeweled branches and stores of incense powders;[F.166.b] and oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing adornments of nets festooned with various incenses and jeweled bells as bright as the sun. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.[F.220.a]
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of immeasurable palaces formed from all manner of wish-fulfilling kings of jewels; oceans of clouds of canopies adorned with all manner of flowers with indranīla anthers; oceans of clouds of canopies with all manner of incenses and gemstones; oceans of clouds of canopies formed like lamps radiating jewel light; oceans of clouds of canopies of kings of jewels resounding with melodies appearing from the Buddha’s magical display; oceans of clouds of canopies that display the appearance of being completely adorned with bejeweled cloth; oceans of clouds of canopies of precious jewels that shine with a blazing flood of flowers;[F.254.b] oceans of clouds of canopies of nets of sundry bells that fill everywhere with their sounds; oceans of clouds of canopies of nets of lotus flowers having the essence of gemstones, resplendent with the brightness of infinite variegated blazing lotus flowers; oceans of clouds of canopies of victory banners that shine with the brilliant light rays of golden anthers; and oceans of clouds of canopies bedecked with an inconceivable amount of brilliant, radiant adornments. With these, we will pay homage to all the vast oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of parasols with all manner of various precious jewels; oceans of clouds of parasols of flowers adorned with the ten precious jewels, which radiate brilliant light; oceans of clouds of parasols containing stores of pearls in an infinite variety of colors; oceans of clouds of parasols of the kings of jewels that resound with the teachings on compassion of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas;[F.167.a] oceans of clouds of parasols with radiant garlands of various jewels; oceans of clouds of parasols hung with nets of bells completely decorated with brilliant jewel dust; oceans of clouds of parasols adorned with tree branches made from all manner of gemstones;[F.220.b] oceans of clouds of parasols with the radiant kings of jewels that shine profusely like the sun and with all manner of incenses and perfumes; oceans of clouds of parasols imbued with stores of sandalwood powder spreading everywhere; and oceans of clouds of parasols imbued with all manner of adornments, filling everywhere and illuminating the vast, great domain of the buddhas. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with oceans of clouds of multitudes of the splendor of all jewels; distinct oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light of the forms of all radiant jewels;[F.255.a] oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light that illuminates clouds of flowers; oceans of clouds of light rays of all jewels endowed with multitudes of light emanated by the Buddha; oceans of clouds of multitudes of light that pervades all buddhafields with light; oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light of jeweled branches that resound in the buddha realms in all directions; oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light of the light rays of beryl, precious substances, and all the kings of precious jewels; oceans of clouds of multitudes of light that, in a single instant of thought, fully display the infinite forms of sentient beings; oceans of clouds of multitudes of light endowed with pleasing emitted sounds arisen from the aspirations of all the buddhas; and oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light of the kings of jewels that possess the melodies that tame sentient beings in all assemblies—with these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas.[F.167.b] We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.[F.221.a]
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of the light rays of stores of all gemstones; oceans of clouds of light rays of the forms, voices, scents, tastes, and sensations of all the buddhas; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all precious jewels; oceans of clouds of light rays that fill everywhere with the sounds of the Dharma of all the buddhas; oceans of clouds of light rays that illuminate the entire array of buddhafields; oceans of clouds of the light rays of all multistoried palaces of flowers; oceans of clouds of the light rays of the particles of all jewels; oceans of clouds of light rays possessing the roar of the entire succession of buddhas arising within a single eon, which brings sentient beings to maturation;[F.255.b] displays of inexhaustible jewels; oceans of clouds of light rays of the anthers of all flowers; and distinct oceans of clouds of light rays emitted from the array of all thrones. With these we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of distinct oceans of clouds of the infinitely colored radiant light of precious jewels; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all-illuminating kings of jewels; oceans of clouds of radiant light that illuminates the great, vast array of all buddhafields; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all manner of incenses; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all manner of adornments; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of the emanations of all buddhas; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of the anthers of trees of various jewels; and oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all manner of clothes.[F.221.b] With these we will pay homage to all the vast oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas.[F.168.a] We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of inconceivable oceans of clouds of the adornments of all manner of various incenses and flowers; oceans of clouds of lotus nets of all manner of radiant jewels; oceans of clouds of stores of pearls endowed with the colors of all manner of jewels; oceans of clouds of powders made from all manner of jewels, incenses, and sandalwoods; oceans of clouds of parasols with all manner of jewels; oceans of clouds possessing pleasing kings of jewels and beautifying melodies; oceans of clouds of garlands with hosts of gemstones possessing the brilliance of the sun; oceans of clouds of infinite stores of jewels; and oceans of clouds of distinct bodies that are perfect in every way.[F.256.a] With these, we will pay homage to all the vast oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.”
With such words, they made this aspiration. At this point, all the nāga kings circumambulated the Bhagavān three times and prostrated, touching his feet. With the Bhagavān’s permission, they each took their seats.
At that time, possessing the strength of irreversible aspiration, the great lord of the nāgas in the trichiliocosm called Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja came to this Jambudvīpa continent in order to listen to the Dharma and make offerings, pay homage, and venerate the Tathāgata. Then, the nāga lord36 Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja arose from his seat,[F.222.a] draped his robe over one shoulder, touched his right knee to the ground with joined palms, and addressed the Bhagavān, asking,[F.168.b] “If the Bhagavān might find time to grant an explanation in response to my inquiry, I would ask a question of the bhagavān, tathāgata, arhat, complete and perfect Buddha.”
The Bhagavān replied to Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, “Nāga lord, ask whatever you wish, and I will give you an explanation that will delight your mind.”
The nāga lord37 Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, how can all the suffering specific to nāgas be eliminated?[F.256.b] How can they become happy and joyful? How can abundant rains be sent here to the continent of Jambudvīpa, time after time?38 How can all manner of grasses, trees, medicinal herbs, and forests to come to arise? How can all grains come to grow? How can all beings to come grow? How can all people here in the continent of Jambudvīpa attain happiness?”
The Bhagavān replied to the nāga lord39 Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, “Nāga lord, excellent. It is excellent that you have thought to ask this question of the Tathāgata, in order to benefit all sentient beings and establish them in happiness.[F.222.b] Nāga lord, I will explain this to you—listen well and bear my words in mind. Nāga lord, if you possess this unique Dharma teaching, all the suffering specific to nāgas of all the nāgas will be eliminated, and they will become joyful. What is that unique Dharma teaching? It is loving-kindness. Nāga lord, gods and humans who abide in that loving-kindness will not be harmed by fire.[F.169.a] They will not be harmed by weapons. They will not be swept away by water. They will not be harmed by poison. They will not be overcome by enemy troops. They will sleep happily and wake happily. They will always be protected by their own merit and become brilliant with the splendor of great merit. They will be unconquerable by the world with its gods. They will become beautiful and pleasing to behold. They will be unobstructed on all paths. They will cut off all suffering and become utterly joyful. Having gained all manner of happiness and realized the most unexcelled Dharma among humans, they will take birth in the Brahmā world after their body passes away.
“Nāga lord, these are the benefits for gods and humans who abide in loving-kindness. Therefore, Nāga lord, you should abide with your body, speech, and mind engaged in actions of loving-kindness.[F.257.a] Nāga lord, moreover, you should proclaim the dhāraṇī known as bestowing all happiness. This dhāraṇī will eliminate all the suffering specific to nāgas of all the nāgas, bestow all happiness, send abundant rains again and again here to the continent of Jambudvīpa, and cause all grasses, trees, medicinal herbs, forests, and crops to grow. Nāga lord, how does the dhāraṇī called bestowing all happiness go?
tadyathā || dhāraṇi dhāraṇi uddhāraṇi sampratiṣṭhite vijaya varna satyapratijñāsaradā jñānavati utpadani vināmani abhiśecani abhivyāhāra śubhavati jīmatu[F.223.a] ehi kumabālan vaha hara kleśāna dhuna pāvama śodhaya mārgan nirāhikadharmātā śuddhāloka vitimirarājasa dukkha śamana sarva buddha avalokana adhiṣṭhite prajñā jñānabhe svāhā ||40
“Nāga lord, the words of this dhāraṇī can accomplish all purposes. They involve the Dharma body. They are blessed by all the buddhas. They bestow all manner of happiness.[F.169.b] You should uphold and proclaim them.41 Nāga lord, furthermore, you should uphold and bear in mind the names of the tathāgatas who manifest emanations with the brilliant essence of all the blessings arisen from the family of clouds, who possess a glorious multitude of water-holding clouds of banners of gnosis,42 and whose lineage and family arise from a single portion of the tip of a hair of golden Vairocana. These names will eliminate all the suffering of the nāgas and fulfill all the provisions of happiness for all nāgas, all nāga families, all nāga lineages, all nāga paternal lines,43 all nāga origins, all nāga birthplaces, all nāga kings, all nāga daughters, and all nāga servants. What are these names? They are as follows:
“Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Vairocanagarbhamahāmegha.[F.257.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Nāgakulodbhavameghavirājita. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Water-Holding Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Splendor of Glorious Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Arising. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud That Vanquishes All Arrays of Wind.[F.223.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Unfathomable Space. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud’s Host of Blazing Lightning. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Powerful Great Cloud Hero. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Beautiful Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Thick Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata[F.170.a] Great Multitude of Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud Light.
“Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Lion. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Parasol. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Pleasant Appearance Great Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Filled with Great Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Resounding of the Drum Tones Pervading All Ten Directions of the Brilliant Maṇḍala Arisen from Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cooling Cloud’s Deep Roar That Vanquishes Unhappiness. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Expansive Great Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Ganges Water Cloud.[F.258.a] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Powerful Cloud-Like Hero. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Dragon’s Roar Resounding. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Display of All Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Expanse.
“Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Dripping Cloud.[F.224.a] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud-Like Resounding. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud-Like Exaltation. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Wearing Cloud-Like Garments. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud-Born Harvest. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Abiding in the Cloud Abode. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Rain Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud Gatherer.[F.170.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Abundant Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Utpala. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Incense Body. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Exaltation. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Lord. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Illuminator. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Bestowal. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Like a Cloud of Great Precious Jewels. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud-Like Victory.
“Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud River. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Collected Clouds.[F.258.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Vanquishing Untimely Clouds and Lightning. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud-Like Vision Appearing and Resounding in Space. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Emitting Sound.[F.224.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Producing Rainfall. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud Fulfilling Equanimity’s Splendor. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud’s Great Water Endowed with Six Flavors. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Spray. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Clouds Filling the Ocean. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Complete Cloud Coverage in Times of Drought. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Infinite Cloud Forms. Homage to all the bhagavān, tathāgata, foe-destroyer, complete and perfect buddhas[F.171.a] of the great cloud, who possess the brilliance of the cloud that illuminates all the clouds in the continent of Jambudvīpa with glorious, splendid radiance.
“Nāga lord, by proclaiming the names of these tathāgatas, you can eliminate all the suffering specific to nāgas of all the nāgas, bestow happiness, send abundant rains again and again here to continent of Jambudvīpa, and cause all grasses, trees, medicinal herbs, forests, and crops to grow.”
Then Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, lord of the all the nāgas in the trichiliocosm, addressed the Bhagavān, asking, “Bhagavān, in future times and future seasons when rain is not falling here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, what words can be spoken so that a great rain can be made to fall? I beg you to pronounce the words of such a secret-mantra dhāraṇī44 that can utterly pacify all plague, hostility, and harm when one is terrified,[F.259.a] when harm arises, when one is drawn into conflict with lawless people, when plague and harm arise, when one is sick or dying, and when the constellations are in inauspicious abodes.[F.225.a] I beg you to bless us with the blessings of the Buddha.
“I beg the Bhagavān, with your supreme compassion and concern for the welfare of all sentient beings, to pronounce the words of such a secret-mantra dhāraṇī45 that can exhort all the nāgas, bring joy to all the gods, vanquish all māras,46 destroy all sentient beings’ fears, turn back all harm,47 produce peace and auspiciousness, pacify the effects of all inauspicious constellations, clear away all five obstacles to rainfall spoken by the Bhagavān, and cause excellent rain to fall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa. Bhagavān, this I beg of you.”[F.171.b]
The Bhagavān replied to Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, “Nāga lord, it is excellent, excellent, that you have asked this question of the Tathāgata for the sake of all sentient beings’ welfare, benefit, and happiness. Nāga lord, in that case, you should listen well and bear my words in mind. There is a dhāraṇī called the crest of heroic majesty endowed with the great roar of thunder that arises from great compassion. For the sake of all sentient beings’ welfare, benefit, and happiness, all the buddhas spoke this dhāraṇī, blessed it,[F.259.b] rejoiced in it, and explained it. When there is no rain, it can cause a great rainfall.[F.225.b] When there is great rain, it can cause it to stop. It can completely pacify all fatal harm, exhort all the nāgas, please all the gods, vanquish all māras, and bring all manner of happiness to all sentient beings:
tadyathā || mahājñāna avabhāsāni śrītejolakṣmi vṛṣṭivikrama vajra siṁhatane paramavirāja nirmalaguṇa ketusūryaprabhe vimalāṇgayaṣṭi bhara bhara sambhara sambhara dudumbu hana hana mahāprabhe vibhūta mahā maho andhakāre prajñāgraśuddhe paripūrṇṇamaitri maitri viraṇaskandha maitrāmabuddhare jala jala jala jala jalam buddhare bodhyaṅgakusume daśabale caturveśvaradhe aṣṭādaśa apanigabuddhadharme śubhamadi puṇyarāśi śukladharmasamanvite gambhāre virajase vimale viśiṣaprāpte nirāsrapadharme sarvalokajyaiṣṭha jeṣṭhaparapravare anuttare asaṇge dhara dhara dhiri dhiri dhuru dhura śāntamahe śāntavege cara cara cara cara ciri ciri curu curu[F.172.a] paramabuddhānumate mahāprajñāpāramite svāhā ||48
Homage to the tathāgata Vairocana, endowed with oceans of gnosis. Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas. To make a great rain fall here on the continent of Jambudvīpa, I will proclaim the essential mantra of all the nāgas. By the verity of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, all five obstacles to rainfall will be cleared away.49
syād yathedam || sara sara50 siri siri suru suru nāgā nāgā java java51 jivi jivi juvu juvu ||
Great nāgas, come quickly! By the verity of the Buddha, send down a great rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa!
cara cara52 ciri ciri curu curu
Great nāgas, come quickly! By the verity of the Buddha, send down a great rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa!
vara vara53[F.260.a] viri viri vuru vuru
By the verity of the Buddha, all nāgas are summoned. With minds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, through the great blessings, verity, and kindness of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, great nāgas, come quickly! Remember the Buddha’s Dharma and the qualities of the bodhisattvas![F.226.a]
bhara bhara54 bhiri bhiri bhuru bhuru
With minds of loving-kindness, all you great wriggling attendants who hold the water of the great rivers and clouds, come quickly! Remember the teacher’s sublime teachings!
ghaḍa ghaḍa55 ghiḍi ghiḍi ghuḍu ghuḍu
With minds of loving-kindness, all you fierce, wrathful, powerful poison-tongued ones, come quickly! By the verity of all the tathāgatas, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā!
taṭa taṭa56 tiṭi tiṭi tuṭu tuṭu
All you with your emanated poisonous bodies bearing great jeweled crowns, remember the blessings of the Three Jewels![F.172.b] By the verity of Vajrapāṇi, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā!
kala kala57 kili kili kulu kulu
All you who dwell in the great waters and ride mounted on chariots of stacked clouds, come quickly! With minds of loving-kindness, send down a flow of rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa! You are commanded by Vajrapāṇi, by the verity and blessings of the Tathāgata!
rala rala58 rili rili rulu rulu
All you slitherers, abandon your sleep, and through the power of the tathāgatas of the three times:
ghama ghama59 ghimi ghimi ghumu ghumu svāhā
All nāgas, you are summoned![F.226.b] With minds of loving-kindness, generating the preliminary mind of awakening:
nara nara60 niri niri nuru nuru svāhā[F.260.b]
All you great powerful mahoragas with a thousand different crooked heads, red heads, and red eyes, you are summoned! Hey, hey, you great slitherers, remember the tathāgatas, who possess supreme compassion, blaze with the splendor of all merit, and are free from the afflictions!
gaṭa gaṭa61 giṭi giṭi guṭu guṭu svāhā
All you powerful vanquishers, endowed with unobstructed brilliance, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa!
śara śara62 śiri śiri śuru śuru svāhā
Hey, hey, great nāgas, remember your own families and your paternal lineages, and without delay, through the blessings of the verity of all gods, send down flowing rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā. Through the blessings of the verity of Brahmā, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā. By the verity of Śakra, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā. By the verity of the Four Great Kings, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the eight ones, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the stream enterers,[F.173.a] send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the once-returners, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the non-returners, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the worthy ones, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the pratyekabuddhas, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity and blessings of all the tathāgatas, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.[F.227.a]
By the verity of all gods, pacify all harm, svāhā.[F.261.a]
By the verity of all nāgas, send rainfall down here to the great earth, svāhā.
By the verity of all yakṣas, protect all sentient beings, svāhā.
By the verity of all gandharvas, remove all conflict and harm among people, svāhā.
By the verity of all asuras, turn back all malignant constellations, svāhā.
By the verity of all garuḍas, make all the nāgas act with loving-kindness and send down a great flow of rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
By the verity of all kinnaras, pacify all evil and satisfy all sentient beings, svāhā.
By the verity of all mahoragas, send down a broad and vast flow of rainfall and seize the five hindrances to rainfall, svāhā.
By the verity of all humans, completely protect all people, svāhā.
kara kara kiri kiri kuru kuru dara dara diri diri duru duru naṭa naṭa niṭi niṭi nuṭu nuṭu
Lady Swift Departure, Lady Bearer of Great Clouds’ Water, Lady Possessed of Clouds, Lady Possessed of Great Clouds, Lady Great Cloud Water Bearer, Lady Bright Cloud, Lady Cloud Born, Lady Seasonal Cloud,[F.173.b] Lady Cloud Source, Lady Cloud Roar, Lady Cloud Dweller, Lady with a Cloud Crown, Lady Cloud Garland Wearer, Lady Adorned by Clouds, Lady Cloud Mount, Lady Cloud Home, Cloud Essence, Cloud Locks, Cloud Light, Having a Retinue of Clouds, Lady Who Abides in Vast Clouds, Lady Holding Clouds as Offerings, Lady Bringing Harvest, Lady Mountain Dweller, Nāga Mother Bhagavatī, Great Cloud with the Glorious Color of Stars, Lady Cool, Lady Whose Domain Is a Great Storm,[F.227.b] Lady Who Manifests the Great Nāgas, Bhagavatī, Lady Who Holds the Six Extracted Essences—by the verity of the Buddha, please send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
ghara ghara63 ghiri ghiri ghuru ghuru ghiriṇi ghiriṇi ghuma ghuma[F.261.b] ghuma ghuma ghuma ghuma ghuma ghuma ghumari
Lady Endowed with Nine Heads, Lady Endowed with a Great Cloud Garland, Lady with a Garland of Lightning, Lady Who Holds All Slitherers, Lady Wearing Cloud-Like Raiment, Lady with the Domain of All Strong Poisons, Lady Mounted on Arrayed Clouds, Lady Dragon’s Roar, Lady Roar, Lady Who Incites Nāgas, Goddess Possessing a Garland of Great Clouds—exhort all the nāgas, saying, ‘Without delay, through the blessings of the Tathāgata, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa,’ svāhā.64
yara yara yiri yiri yuru yuru jara jara jiri jiri juru juru jhara jhara gutu gutu gugutu gaṭa gaṭa giṭi giṭi hara hara hili hili mulu mulu tala tala tili tili tulu tulu hana hana daha daha paca paca gṛhṇa gṛhṇa marda marda pramarda pravarśa vignan maitreya ājñāpayati svāhā65
buddhe buddhe bubuddhe subuddhe hara pāpana sarva satvānān adhiṣṭhayapuṇyama sarva buddhanān dharini dhare śubhamate guṇāgraprāpane mahājñānolake śukladharme sadyapratijñā mahāyānādhyuṣite lokajyeṣṭhabhagavati buddhamaitreyayuvuraya sarva kṣetrāni śukleśvetvama paradāre[F.174.a] panaṭaravasini dhudhure dhudhuru śama śama śāntamānase
May you completely clear away all hindrances to rainfall, svāhā.66
By the verity of all the tathāgatas of the three times, who engage in perfect conduct with minds of loving-kindness and possess flawless minds of austerity, we exhort all the great nāgas.[F.228.a]
Great nāga king Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga kings Nanda and Upananda, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Sāgara, we exhort you—[F.262.a] send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Anavatapta, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Manasvin, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Varuṇa, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Takṣaka, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Vāsuki, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Mucilinda, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Airāvaṇa, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Nuta, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Śrītejas, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Śrībhadra,[F.174.b] we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Vidyunmālin, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.[F.228.b]
Great nāga king Mahāmaṇicūḍa, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Cūḍāmaṇidhara, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Avabhāsanaśikhin, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
These and all other nāga kings, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
nāge nāge mahānāge ghoramānase nāgahṛdaya[F.262.b] dhuma kule ugraroṣe pracaṇḍatejo viṣogre āśāviśe atighore kṛṣṇapiṇgale canacale lolajihve mahāphanakare kālapāśe raudravāsani ṭuṭumāve ghaṇa ghaṇa śikhini kaṇa kaṇa gaṇa gaṇa mahāgaṇagaṇe para para piri piri puru puru visphurjane bhuru bhuru mahābhoge maṇidhari phiri phiri phuru phuru phara phara varṣa varṣa jalāmbudhare ṣambu ṣambu vataḍutampe dhud dhud dhud dhumve meghaprabhe meghavātine ḍhaka ḍhaka ḍhaka ḍhu ḍhumve ghaṇā ghaṇā śikini kana kana gaṇa gaṇa mahānāgagane nirātraṇya vajra dakāri mahānāgādhivataye ghuma ghuma ghuma payāstika jāṅgārighujaṃśame pikatasaṅkate ghoravisphurjani vijṛmabhante
All nāgas, you are summoned. Through the blessings of all buddhas and the word and minds of loving-kindness of all the tathāgatas of the three times, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.67
namaḥ sarvabuddhebhyaḥ sidhyantu mantrapadāni svāhā”68
From the hundred thousand lines69 of the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Great Cloud,” this is the sixty-fourth chapter, entitled “The Array of Winds That Send Down Rainfall.”
One who desires to produce a great rainfall[F.175.a] should first go to an open, clean area and erect a blue canopy, decorating it with blue pennants.[F.229.a] The Dharma practitioner should bathe their body, abide by the eightfold precepts, and don clean blue garments. Having anointed themselves with pleasant-smelling incense, they should consume the three white foods and seat themselves upon a blue cushion, facing east. After supplicating all the tathāgatas, they should read aloud this chapter on the array of winds from The Great Cloud, day and night without interruption.
They should set out four vases filled with blue water, together with as much offering cakes, incense, and flowers as they can gather. The Dharma practitioner should then use liquified cow dung to draw figures in the four directions.[F.263.a] In the eastern direction they should use cow dung to draw a three-headed nāga king, three cubits tall, with a retinue of various nāga attendants. In the southern direction they should draw a five-headed nāga king, five cubits tall, with a retinue of various nāga attendants. In the western direction they should draw a seven-headed nāga king, seven cubits tall, with a retinue of various nāga attendants. In the northern direction they should draw a nine-headed nāga king, nine cubits tall, with a retinue of various nāga attendants. The Dharma practitioner should guard their own body, abiding in loving-kindness, and establish an attitude of compassion toward all sentient beings. Then, they should supplicate all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and share the virtuous roots with the nāgas. This is the ritual procedure.
If one reads aloud this chapter on the array of winds from The Great Cloud during a time of drought, then within one full day, two full days, or up to seven full days, it is certain that rain will fall. The ocean may recede with the tides, but this ritual for bringing rainfall, the speech of the Great Sage, will never change. That being the case, however, one must abide in discipline and virtuous qualities and abandon lax discipline, meat, fish, and the like. One should consume rice gruel, curds, milk,[F.175.b] rice with sugar, the three sweets, and so forth.[F.229.b] In this fashion, the ritual will be successful. As this was spoken by the King of Sages, there should be no doubts about this.
From the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Great Cloud,” this is the sixty-fourth chapter “The Array of Winds That Send Down Rainfall” together with its ritual manual.
Translated, revised, and finalized according to the new terminology by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Śīlendrabodhi and the great editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.
This brief discourse is identified more precisely in its colophon as a supplementary chapter from The Great Cloud on “the array of winds that bring down rainfall.” It describes a visit from the Buddha Śākyamuni to the realm of the nāgas. The assembly of nāgas pays homage to the Buddha with a grand panoply of magically emanated offerings, and their king asks him to explain how the nāgas can eliminate their own suffering and aid sentient beings by causing timely rain to fall. The Buddha, in response, extols the benefits of loving-kindness and then teaches them a dhāraṇī that when accompanied by the recitation of a host of buddha names will dispel the nāgas’ suffering and cause crops to grow. At the nāga king’s request, the Buddha then teaches another long dhāraṇī that will cause rain to fall during times of drought. The discourse concludes with instructions for constructing an altar and holding a ritual rainmaking service.
This translation was produced by Joshua Capitanio for the Mahamegha translation team. It was further revised by the 84000 editorial team after comparing it with the available Sanskrit sources.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
This text is a short dhāraṇī-sūtra that may be regarded as an addendum to the longer sūtra called The Great Cloud (Toh 232)1 and seems to have been intended for ritual and recitation purposes. The longer discourse is a Mahāyāna scripture that emphasizes bodhisattva conduct and the teaching that the Buddha does not pass into parinirvāṇa. Among the many benefits listed for those who uphold The Great Cloud, timely rainfall is mentioned, and thus the sūtra came to be associated with rainmaking among Indian Buddhists. This short text, which circulated independently of the longer sūtra called The Great Cloud, is presented as the “sixty-fourth chapter” of that longer sūtra, which in all its extant versions contains only thirty-eight chapters.
The dhāraṇī-sūtra centers on an assembly of nāgas who receive a visit from the Buddha in their own palace. The assembled nāgas pay homage to the Buddha with a grand panoply of magically emanated offerings, and vow to support the Buddhist teachings. A visiting great nāga king asks him to explain how the nāgas can eliminate their own suffering and aid sentient beings by causing rain to fall and crops to grow. The Buddha, in response, extols the benefits of loving-kindness and then teaches them a dhāraṇī that when accompanied by the recitation of a host of buddha names will pacify the nāgas’ suffering and cause crops to grow. At the nāga king’s request, the Buddha then teaches another long dhāraṇī that will assist sentient beings by providing timely rain and in particular cause rain to fall during times of drought, thereby nourishing sentient beings. The Buddha then presents several dhāraṇīs and lists of buddha names that, when recited, should bring about their specified results. The text concludes with brief instructions for constructing an altar and holding a ritual to be performed when reciting these dhāraṇīs for the purpose of bringing rainfall.
The text appears to have circulated widely and enjoyed considerable popularity, as evidenced by the fact that it was translated into Chinese four different times between the sixth and eighth centuries. Two Tibetan translations of this text exist. Toh 234 is a shorter version entitled The Essence of All Nāgas, The Great Cloud Chapter on the Array of Winds (Mahāmeghavāyumaṇḍalaparivartasarvanāgahṛdaya). The slightly longer text translated here (Toh 235) is simply titled The Great Cloud, but in the colophon the title is similarly given as The Sixty-Fourth Chapter of The Great Cloud “The Array of Winds That Send Down Rainfall” Together With its Ritual Manual. This text is also included in the Tantra and Dhāraṇī sections of the Degé Kangyur, where it appears as Toh 657 and Toh 1063, respectively. The text is included in the Tibetan Kangyur collections of different periods and is also recorded in the Denkarma2 catalog of Tibetan imperial translations (but not in the Phangthangma catalog). Thus, it appears likely that it was first translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan by the early ninth century, as the compilation of the Denkarma is usually dated to 812
The English translation presented here was based primarily on the Tibetan Degé edition, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript edition. The Tibetan was compared with the available Sanskrit manuscripts, and cases where there was significant divergence or where the Sanskrit presented a clearer reading have been noted in the endnotes.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was at the home of the nāga kings Nanda and Upananda, a lavish palace made of jewels and gems within a great multitude of clouds,5 together with a great assembly of bhikṣus, a great assembly of bodhisattvas, and a great host of nāga kings.
There were the nāga kings Nanda, Upananda, Sāgara, Anavatapta, Manasvin, Varuṇa, Takṣaka, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Vāsuki, Mucilinda, Airāvaṇa, Pauṇḍra, Śrītejas, Śrībhadra, Vidyunmālin, Precious Jewel Crest,6 Cūḍāmaṇidhara, Avabhāsanaśikhin, and Indrāyudhaśikhara. There were also the nāga kings Indradhvaja, Indrayaṣṭi, Jambudhvaja, Svastika, Mahāmaṇḍalika, Mahābhujaṃga, Jyotīrasa, Śaśitejas, Noble Intelligence,7 and Somadarśana, and there were the nāga kings Sudarśana, Supratiṣṭhita, Maṇikaṇṭha, Meghasambhava, Varṣadhāra, Prasphoṭaka, Visphoṭaka, Visphūrjita, Mahāphaṇaka, and Gambhīranirghoṣa. There were also the nāga kings Mahānirnādanādin, Vinardita, Utpalaka, Mahāvikrama,[F.251.a] Īṣādhāra, Citrasena, and Mahāpāśa, the nāga king Elāpattra, All Illuminating,8 Kharakarṇa, Śaṅkha, Dardara, the nāga king Upadardara, Kṣemaṃkara,9 Bhujaṃgama,[F.216.b] Mahābhujaṃgama, Mahābala,10 Soarer,11 Apalāla, Lambura, Kṛmiśa, and Kṛṣṇa. There were also the nāga kings Indrasena, Naḍa, Upanaḍa, Kambudhāra, Dramiḍa, Sundara, Elephant’s Trunk,12 Tīkṣṇaka,[F.163.b] Piṅgala, Vidyujjvāla, Mahāvidyujjvāla, Baladeva, and Kambala.13 There were also the nāga kings Bharukaccha, Amṛta, Tīrthaka, Vaiḍūryaprabha, Suvarṇakeśa,14 Kanakaprabha, Śaśiketuprabha, Sūryaprabha, Udayana, and Gaveśīrṣa.15 There were also the nāga kings Śvetaka, Kālaka, Yama, Śrāmaṇa, Toad,16 Saṃhatana,17 Nimindhara, Dharaṇiṃdhara, Sahasraśīrṣa, and Maṇicūḍa. There were also the nāga kings Amoghadarśana, Balāhaka, Suṣeṇa, Gopāla, Naradatta, Vinīta, Jarāyana, Kumbhīra, Kumbhīramukha, and Viṣaṃdhara. There were also the nāga kings Āśīviṣa, Padmaka, Lāṅgula, Pralamba, Bhīṣaṇa, Sutejas, Pañcaśīrṣa, Ballira, and Victorious Chariot.18 There were also the nāga kings Uttaraka, Dīrghapuccha, Sphāraśīrṣa, Bimbika, Vitara,19 and Aśvaka, the nāga kings Triśīrṣa, Nāgasena, Mahātejas, and Naladatta, and the nāga kings Bhīmaka, Dīptaprabha, Saptaśīrṣa, Bṛhaddruma, Priyadarśana, Mahāpracaṇḍa, Vimalatejas, Sunetra, Mahāghora, and Arciḥskandha. There were also the nāga kings Fierce,20[F.251.b] Ugrakrodha, Ratnāmbuda, Mahāmeghāmbuda, Indraprabha, Pādapa, Meghacandra,[F.217.a] Sāgaramegha, Mahāgandhakusuma, and Kumudākara. There were also the nāga kings Ratnanetra, Mahāketudhvaja, Mahāmeghagarbha, Himavat, Śrīgarbha, Meghaśaktika, Rajaniṃdhara, Ambuda, and Great Water-Giver21 and the nāga kings Vaiśvānaratejas, Megheśvararāja, Vigatakrodha, Earth Vase,22 Nāgaśūra, Jalaṃdhara, Meghacchatra, Aṅgiramukha, Tejasvin, and Meghasphuṭita.23 There were also the[F.164.a] nāga kings Anantakrama, Suṣeṇa, Mahāśarīra, Vṛkodara, Śāntin, Vīra, Kākanāda,24 Uddhura, Viṣogra, and Sughoṣa. There were also the nāga kings Amṛtasāra, Mahāpravarṣaka, Completely Quaking,25 Saṃghaṭṭaśabda, Dundubhisvara, Amṛtadhāra, Nandika, Garjasphoṭaka, Śūrasena, Nārāyaṇa, and Vaḍabāmukha, and there was the nāga king Deceiver.26
Those and other great nāga kings,27 altogether eighty-four septillions nāgas, gathered, sat down, and stayed there together. At this point, all those nāga kings, together with their retinues, arose from their seats, draped their robes over one shoulder, knelt with their right knees on the ground, joined their palms, and saluted the Bhagavān. Showing great respect and honor to the teacher, they made offerings to the Bhagavān of various, supremely beautiful flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, ointments, powders, clothes, parasols, victory banners, banners, silk tassels,28 music,29 cymbals,30 small cymbals, songs, jeweled flowers, jeweled tassels,31 pearl necklaces,[F.217.b] nāga flowers, and supremely beautiful pearl-adorned nets.[F.252.a] They then32 circumambulated the Bhagavān and stood to one side.
Having stood to one side, they made a vow together: “With oceans of bodies as numerous as all the atomic particles in all the oceans of world-systems, we make offerings33 to all oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas with their retinues. Within each and every atomic particle of earth, water, fire, and wind and all the atomic particles of apparent forms within all the infinite oceans of world-systems lie oceans of clouds of bodies that are beyond countless, unfathomable, inconceivable,[F.164.b] unparalleled, immeasurable, inexpressible, and more numerous than all numerable oceans. Upon each and every one of these bodies are emanated immeasurable, countless oceans of clouds of hands, from which are emanated oceans of clouds of all manner of offerings, distinct and radiating continuously in all directions. With these, we will make offerings to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.”
Thinking thus, they continued: “We will fill the sky with unfathomable, countless, inconceivable, immeasurable, incalculable, inexpressible, distinct emanations of bodies engaging in the perfect conduct of Samantabhadra, with oceans of clouds of bodhisattva bodies, and likewise with a multitude of oceans of clouds of all manner of jewels, densely arrayed rays of light, and bodies of all suns and moons, together with oceans of clouds of jeweled garlands and flowers;[F.218.a] oceans of clouds of great mansions made from the essence of all brilliant jewels; oceans of clouds of storehouses of all manner of powders and trees; oceans of clouds of incenses, perfumes,[F.252.b] and all manner of apparent forms; oceans of clouds of the sounds of instruments resounding with all manner of music; and oceans of clouds of all manner of trees used for incense. We will fill the sky with these emanations, with oceans of cloud of all manner of offerings that are unfathomable, countless, inconceivable, immeasurable, incalculable, inexpressible, and distinct. Having done all this, we will proceed to pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them,[F.165.a] and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of kings of jewels within which all the arrayed realms of existence are illuminated. Having done so, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of arrayed kings of jewels that shower down a rain of all-illuminating gemstones; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels blazing with the light of all gemstones, resounding with the melodic sounds of the attainment of buddhahood; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels filling everywhere with the universal resounding of the melodies of all the Dharma teachings of the buddhas; oceans of clouds of emanated buddha bodies illuminated by jeweled light radiating from all directions; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels that display the appearance of all the arrays of distinct retinues; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels whose brilliant lamp-like rays of light enter into all buddha realms; oceans of clouds of kings of jewels[F.218.b] that display the appearances of all the immeasurable palaces of the tathāgatas in all the inconceivable buddhafields; and oceans of clouds of kings of jewels that illuminate the display of the bodies of the buddhas of the three times within the atomic particles of all variety of gemstones. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas.[F.253.a] We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of distinct multistoried palaces of sundry jewels, incense, and flowers; oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces completely adorned with kings of jewels of an infinite variety of colors; oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces with jeweled lamps and radiant incense; oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces thoroughly bedecked with all manner of pearls; oceans of clouds of the anthers of all manner of flowers; and oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces beautifully adorned with infinite jewel garlands. We will then fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces that completely contain an adornment of all essences whose brilliance illuminates the ten directions; oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces that appear completely ornamented everywhere with adornments of fine particles of all manner of jewels;[F.165.b] oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces overflowing with adornments of all manner of decorations; and oceans of clouds of multistoried palaces with flowered arches at each doorway hung with lattices of bells. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing necklaces of gold and various jewels and jeweled chokers;[F.219.a] oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing various brilliant flowers; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing various lotus flowers with the blue34 color of the indranīla jewel and the golden hue of the Jambu River; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing precious jeweled lotus lamps; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing brilliantly bejeweled lotus victory banners; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing various lotus flowers adorned with jewels;[F.253.b] oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers decorated with indranīla jewels and blazing with golden light; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers endowed with inexhaustibly brilliant blazing light; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers that produce all manner of blazing jewels; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers that produce all manner of supremely sublime blazing jewels; and distinct oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing lotus flowers endowed with the light rays of the sound of the Buddha’s speech. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of trees festooned with all manner of gemstones; oceans of clouds of incense trees wreathed all over with leaves[F.166.a] that emanate clouds of joined palms; oceans of clouds of trees that appear as an infinite array of all forms of trees; oceans of clouds of trees draped with clouds of all manner of flowers; oceans of clouds of trees endowed with infinite troves that produce all manner of adornments; oceans of clouds of trees completely illuminated by multitudes of all radiant jewels;[F.219.b] oceans of clouds of trees that manifest busts of bodhisattva bodies made from all manner of sandalwood powders; oceans of clouds of trees endowed with the brilliant solar light of the storehouse of all manner of precious clothing of the infinite tree spirits adorning all seats of awakening with inconceivable brilliant light; and oceans of clouds of trees emitting pleasing tones that resound with all manner of melodies.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of35 oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing infinite jewel-colored lotus flowers;[F.254.a] oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing the brilliant, multifaceted kings of jewels; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing adornments of all manner of ornamentation; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing garlands of lamps that radiate the brilliant light of various jewels; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing the source of a universally resounding rainfall of jewels; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing precious garlands of all manner of incense, flowers, and lotus flowers; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing the kings of jewels that completely manifest the adornments of the seats of all buddhas; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing clouds of jewels and completely adorned with railed arches draped with garlands of all manner of adornments; oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing trees with precious jeweled branches and stores of incense powders;[F.166.b] and oceans of clouds of lion thrones containing adornments of nets festooned with various incenses and jeweled bells as bright as the sun. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.[F.220.a]
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of immeasurable palaces formed from all manner of wish-fulfilling kings of jewels; oceans of clouds of canopies adorned with all manner of flowers with indranīla anthers; oceans of clouds of canopies with all manner of incenses and gemstones; oceans of clouds of canopies formed like lamps radiating jewel light; oceans of clouds of canopies of kings of jewels resounding with melodies appearing from the Buddha’s magical display; oceans of clouds of canopies that display the appearance of being completely adorned with bejeweled cloth; oceans of clouds of canopies of precious jewels that shine with a blazing flood of flowers;[F.254.b] oceans of clouds of canopies of nets of sundry bells that fill everywhere with their sounds; oceans of clouds of canopies of nets of lotus flowers having the essence of gemstones, resplendent with the brightness of infinite variegated blazing lotus flowers; oceans of clouds of canopies of victory banners that shine with the brilliant light rays of golden anthers; and oceans of clouds of canopies bedecked with an inconceivable amount of brilliant, radiant adornments. With these, we will pay homage to all the vast oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of parasols with all manner of various precious jewels; oceans of clouds of parasols of flowers adorned with the ten precious jewels, which radiate brilliant light; oceans of clouds of parasols containing stores of pearls in an infinite variety of colors; oceans of clouds of parasols of the kings of jewels that resound with the teachings on compassion of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas;[F.167.a] oceans of clouds of parasols with radiant garlands of various jewels; oceans of clouds of parasols hung with nets of bells completely decorated with brilliant jewel dust; oceans of clouds of parasols adorned with tree branches made from all manner of gemstones;[F.220.b] oceans of clouds of parasols with the radiant kings of jewels that shine profusely like the sun and with all manner of incenses and perfumes; oceans of clouds of parasols imbued with stores of sandalwood powder spreading everywhere; and oceans of clouds of parasols imbued with all manner of adornments, filling everywhere and illuminating the vast, great domain of the buddhas. With these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with oceans of clouds of multitudes of the splendor of all jewels; distinct oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light of the forms of all radiant jewels;[F.255.a] oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light that illuminates clouds of flowers; oceans of clouds of light rays of all jewels endowed with multitudes of light emanated by the Buddha; oceans of clouds of multitudes of light that pervades all buddhafields with light; oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light of jeweled branches that resound in the buddha realms in all directions; oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light of the light rays of beryl, precious substances, and all the kings of precious jewels; oceans of clouds of multitudes of light that, in a single instant of thought, fully display the infinite forms of sentient beings; oceans of clouds of multitudes of light endowed with pleasing emitted sounds arisen from the aspirations of all the buddhas; and oceans of clouds of multitudes of the light of the kings of jewels that possess the melodies that tame sentient beings in all assemblies—with these, we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas.[F.167.b] We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.[F.221.a]
“We will fill the sky with emanations of oceans of clouds of the light rays of stores of all gemstones; oceans of clouds of light rays of the forms, voices, scents, tastes, and sensations of all the buddhas; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all precious jewels; oceans of clouds of light rays that fill everywhere with the sounds of the Dharma of all the buddhas; oceans of clouds of light rays that illuminate the entire array of buddhafields; oceans of clouds of the light rays of all multistoried palaces of flowers; oceans of clouds of the light rays of the particles of all jewels; oceans of clouds of light rays possessing the roar of the entire succession of buddhas arising within a single eon, which brings sentient beings to maturation;[F.255.b] displays of inexhaustible jewels; oceans of clouds of light rays of the anthers of all flowers; and distinct oceans of clouds of light rays emitted from the array of all thrones. With these we will pay homage to all the oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of distinct oceans of clouds of the infinitely colored radiant light of precious jewels; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all-illuminating kings of jewels; oceans of clouds of radiant light that illuminates the great, vast array of all buddhafields; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all manner of incenses; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all manner of adornments; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of the emanations of all buddhas; oceans of clouds of the radiant light of the anthers of trees of various jewels; and oceans of clouds of the radiant light of all manner of clothes.[F.221.b] With these we will pay homage to all the vast oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas.[F.168.a] We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.
“We will fill the sky with emanations of inconceivable oceans of clouds of the adornments of all manner of various incenses and flowers; oceans of clouds of lotus nets of all manner of radiant jewels; oceans of clouds of stores of pearls endowed with the colors of all manner of jewels; oceans of clouds of powders made from all manner of jewels, incenses, and sandalwoods; oceans of clouds of parasols with all manner of jewels; oceans of clouds possessing pleasing kings of jewels and beautifying melodies; oceans of clouds of garlands with hosts of gemstones possessing the brilliance of the sun; oceans of clouds of infinite stores of jewels; and oceans of clouds of distinct bodies that are perfect in every way.[F.256.a] With these, we will pay homage to all the vast oceans of buddhas and bodhisattvas. We will exalt them, honor them, and make offerings to them.”
With such words, they made this aspiration. At this point, all the nāga kings circumambulated the Bhagavān three times and prostrated, touching his feet. With the Bhagavān’s permission, they each took their seats.
At that time, possessing the strength of irreversible aspiration, the great lord of the nāgas in the trichiliocosm called Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja came to this Jambudvīpa continent in order to listen to the Dharma and make offerings, pay homage, and venerate the Tathāgata. Then, the nāga lord36 Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja arose from his seat,[F.222.a] draped his robe over one shoulder, touched his right knee to the ground with joined palms, and addressed the Bhagavān, asking,[F.168.b] “If the Bhagavān might find time to grant an explanation in response to my inquiry, I would ask a question of the bhagavān, tathāgata, arhat, complete and perfect Buddha.”
The Bhagavān replied to Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, “Nāga lord, ask whatever you wish, and I will give you an explanation that will delight your mind.”
The nāga lord37 Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, how can all the suffering specific to nāgas be eliminated?[F.256.b] How can they become happy and joyful? How can abundant rains be sent here to the continent of Jambudvīpa, time after time?38 How can all manner of grasses, trees, medicinal herbs, and forests to come to arise? How can all grains come to grow? How can all beings to come grow? How can all people here in the continent of Jambudvīpa attain happiness?”
The Bhagavān replied to the nāga lord39 Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, “Nāga lord, excellent. It is excellent that you have thought to ask this question of the Tathāgata, in order to benefit all sentient beings and establish them in happiness.[F.222.b] Nāga lord, I will explain this to you—listen well and bear my words in mind. Nāga lord, if you possess this unique Dharma teaching, all the suffering specific to nāgas of all the nāgas will be eliminated, and they will become joyful. What is that unique Dharma teaching? It is loving-kindness. Nāga lord, gods and humans who abide in that loving-kindness will not be harmed by fire.[F.169.a] They will not be harmed by weapons. They will not be swept away by water. They will not be harmed by poison. They will not be overcome by enemy troops. They will sleep happily and wake happily. They will always be protected by their own merit and become brilliant with the splendor of great merit. They will be unconquerable by the world with its gods. They will become beautiful and pleasing to behold. They will be unobstructed on all paths. They will cut off all suffering and become utterly joyful. Having gained all manner of happiness and realized the most unexcelled Dharma among humans, they will take birth in the Brahmā world after their body passes away.
“Nāga lord, these are the benefits for gods and humans who abide in loving-kindness. Therefore, Nāga lord, you should abide with your body, speech, and mind engaged in actions of loving-kindness.[F.257.a] Nāga lord, moreover, you should proclaim the dhāraṇī known as bestowing all happiness. This dhāraṇī will eliminate all the suffering specific to nāgas of all the nāgas, bestow all happiness, send abundant rains again and again here to the continent of Jambudvīpa, and cause all grasses, trees, medicinal herbs, forests, and crops to grow. Nāga lord, how does the dhāraṇī called bestowing all happiness go?
tadyathā || dhāraṇi dhāraṇi uddhāraṇi sampratiṣṭhite vijaya varna satyapratijñāsaradā jñānavati utpadani vināmani abhiśecani abhivyāhāra śubhavati jīmatu[F.223.a] ehi kumabālan vaha hara kleśāna dhuna pāvama śodhaya mārgan nirāhikadharmātā śuddhāloka vitimirarājasa dukkha śamana sarva buddha avalokana adhiṣṭhite prajñā jñānabhe svāhā ||40
“Nāga lord, the words of this dhāraṇī can accomplish all purposes. They involve the Dharma body. They are blessed by all the buddhas. They bestow all manner of happiness.[F.169.b] You should uphold and proclaim them.41 Nāga lord, furthermore, you should uphold and bear in mind the names of the tathāgatas who manifest emanations with the brilliant essence of all the blessings arisen from the family of clouds, who possess a glorious multitude of water-holding clouds of banners of gnosis,42 and whose lineage and family arise from a single portion of the tip of a hair of golden Vairocana. These names will eliminate all the suffering of the nāgas and fulfill all the provisions of happiness for all nāgas, all nāga families, all nāga lineages, all nāga paternal lines,43 all nāga origins, all nāga birthplaces, all nāga kings, all nāga daughters, and all nāga servants. What are these names? They are as follows:
“Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Vairocanagarbhamahāmegha.[F.257.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Nāgakulodbhavameghavirājita. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Water-Holding Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Splendor of Glorious Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Arising. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud That Vanquishes All Arrays of Wind.[F.223.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Unfathomable Space. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud’s Host of Blazing Lightning. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Powerful Great Cloud Hero. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Beautiful Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Thick Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata[F.170.a] Great Multitude of Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud Light.
“Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Lion. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Parasol. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Pleasant Appearance Great Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Filled with Great Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Resounding of the Drum Tones Pervading All Ten Directions of the Brilliant Maṇḍala Arisen from Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cooling Cloud’s Deep Roar That Vanquishes Unhappiness. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Expansive Great Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Ganges Water Cloud.[F.258.a] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Powerful Cloud-Like Hero. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Dragon’s Roar Resounding. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Display of All Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Expanse.
“Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Dripping Cloud.[F.224.a] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud-Like Resounding. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud-Like Exaltation. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Wearing Cloud-Like Garments. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud-Born Harvest. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Abiding in the Cloud Abode. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Rain Cloud. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud Gatherer.[F.170.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Abundant Clouds. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Utpala. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Incense Body. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Exaltation. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Lord. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Illuminator. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Bestowal. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Like a Cloud of Great Precious Jewels. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud-Like Victory.
“Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud River. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Collected Clouds.[F.258.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Vanquishing Untimely Clouds and Lightning. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud-Like Vision Appearing and Resounding in Space. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Emitting Sound.[F.224.b] Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Producing Rainfall. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud Fulfilling Equanimity’s Splendor. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Cloud’s Great Water Endowed with Six Flavors. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Cloud Spray. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Great Clouds Filling the Ocean. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Complete Cloud Coverage in Times of Drought. Homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Infinite Cloud Forms. Homage to all the bhagavān, tathāgata, foe-destroyer, complete and perfect buddhas[F.171.a] of the great cloud, who possess the brilliance of the cloud that illuminates all the clouds in the continent of Jambudvīpa with glorious, splendid radiance.
“Nāga lord, by proclaiming the names of these tathāgatas, you can eliminate all the suffering specific to nāgas of all the nāgas, bestow happiness, send abundant rains again and again here to continent of Jambudvīpa, and cause all grasses, trees, medicinal herbs, forests, and crops to grow.”
Then Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, lord of the all the nāgas in the trichiliocosm, addressed the Bhagavān, asking, “Bhagavān, in future times and future seasons when rain is not falling here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, what words can be spoken so that a great rain can be made to fall? I beg you to pronounce the words of such a secret-mantra dhāraṇī44 that can utterly pacify all plague, hostility, and harm when one is terrified,[F.259.a] when harm arises, when one is drawn into conflict with lawless people, when plague and harm arise, when one is sick or dying, and when the constellations are in inauspicious abodes.[F.225.a] I beg you to bless us with the blessings of the Buddha.
“I beg the Bhagavān, with your supreme compassion and concern for the welfare of all sentient beings, to pronounce the words of such a secret-mantra dhāraṇī45 that can exhort all the nāgas, bring joy to all the gods, vanquish all māras,46 destroy all sentient beings’ fears, turn back all harm,47 produce peace and auspiciousness, pacify the effects of all inauspicious constellations, clear away all five obstacles to rainfall spoken by the Bhagavān, and cause excellent rain to fall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa. Bhagavān, this I beg of you.”[F.171.b]
The Bhagavān replied to Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, “Nāga lord, it is excellent, excellent, that you have asked this question of the Tathāgata for the sake of all sentient beings’ welfare, benefit, and happiness. Nāga lord, in that case, you should listen well and bear my words in mind. There is a dhāraṇī called the crest of heroic majesty endowed with the great roar of thunder that arises from great compassion. For the sake of all sentient beings’ welfare, benefit, and happiness, all the buddhas spoke this dhāraṇī, blessed it,[F.259.b] rejoiced in it, and explained it. When there is no rain, it can cause a great rainfall.[F.225.b] When there is great rain, it can cause it to stop. It can completely pacify all fatal harm, exhort all the nāgas, please all the gods, vanquish all māras, and bring all manner of happiness to all sentient beings:
tadyathā || mahājñāna avabhāsāni śrītejolakṣmi vṛṣṭivikrama vajra siṁhatane paramavirāja nirmalaguṇa ketusūryaprabhe vimalāṇgayaṣṭi bhara bhara sambhara sambhara dudumbu hana hana mahāprabhe vibhūta mahā maho andhakāre prajñāgraśuddhe paripūrṇṇamaitri maitri viraṇaskandha maitrāmabuddhare jala jala jala jala jalam buddhare bodhyaṅgakusume daśabale caturveśvaradhe aṣṭādaśa apanigabuddhadharme śubhamadi puṇyarāśi śukladharmasamanvite gambhāre virajase vimale viśiṣaprāpte nirāsrapadharme sarvalokajyaiṣṭha jeṣṭhaparapravare anuttare asaṇge dhara dhara dhiri dhiri dhuru dhura śāntamahe śāntavege cara cara cara cara ciri ciri curu curu[F.172.a] paramabuddhānumate mahāprajñāpāramite svāhā ||48
Homage to the tathāgata Vairocana, endowed with oceans of gnosis. Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas. To make a great rain fall here on the continent of Jambudvīpa, I will proclaim the essential mantra of all the nāgas. By the verity of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, all five obstacles to rainfall will be cleared away.49
syād yathedam || sara sara50 siri siri suru suru nāgā nāgā java java51 jivi jivi juvu juvu ||
Great nāgas, come quickly! By the verity of the Buddha, send down a great rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa!
cara cara52 ciri ciri curu curu
Great nāgas, come quickly! By the verity of the Buddha, send down a great rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa!
vara vara53[F.260.a] viri viri vuru vuru
By the verity of the Buddha, all nāgas are summoned. With minds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, through the great blessings, verity, and kindness of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, great nāgas, come quickly! Remember the Buddha’s Dharma and the qualities of the bodhisattvas![F.226.a]
bhara bhara54 bhiri bhiri bhuru bhuru
With minds of loving-kindness, all you great wriggling attendants who hold the water of the great rivers and clouds, come quickly! Remember the teacher’s sublime teachings!
ghaḍa ghaḍa55 ghiḍi ghiḍi ghuḍu ghuḍu
With minds of loving-kindness, all you fierce, wrathful, powerful poison-tongued ones, come quickly! By the verity of all the tathāgatas, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā!
taṭa taṭa56 tiṭi tiṭi tuṭu tuṭu
All you with your emanated poisonous bodies bearing great jeweled crowns, remember the blessings of the Three Jewels![F.172.b] By the verity of Vajrapāṇi, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā!
kala kala57 kili kili kulu kulu
All you who dwell in the great waters and ride mounted on chariots of stacked clouds, come quickly! With minds of loving-kindness, send down a flow of rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa! You are commanded by Vajrapāṇi, by the verity and blessings of the Tathāgata!
rala rala58 rili rili rulu rulu
All you slitherers, abandon your sleep, and through the power of the tathāgatas of the three times:
ghama ghama59 ghimi ghimi ghumu ghumu svāhā
All nāgas, you are summoned![F.226.b] With minds of loving-kindness, generating the preliminary mind of awakening:
nara nara60 niri niri nuru nuru svāhā[F.260.b]
All you great powerful mahoragas with a thousand different crooked heads, red heads, and red eyes, you are summoned! Hey, hey, you great slitherers, remember the tathāgatas, who possess supreme compassion, blaze with the splendor of all merit, and are free from the afflictions!
gaṭa gaṭa61 giṭi giṭi guṭu guṭu svāhā
All you powerful vanquishers, endowed with unobstructed brilliance, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa!
śara śara62 śiri śiri śuru śuru svāhā
Hey, hey, great nāgas, remember your own families and your paternal lineages, and without delay, through the blessings of the verity of all gods, send down flowing rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā. Through the blessings of the verity of Brahmā, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā. By the verity of Śakra, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā. By the verity of the Four Great Kings, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the eight ones, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the stream enterers,[F.173.a] send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the once-returners, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the non-returners, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the worthy ones, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of the pratyekabuddhas, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāgas, by the verity and blessings of all the tathāgatas, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.[F.227.a]
By the verity of all gods, pacify all harm, svāhā.[F.261.a]
By the verity of all nāgas, send rainfall down here to the great earth, svāhā.
By the verity of all yakṣas, protect all sentient beings, svāhā.
By the verity of all gandharvas, remove all conflict and harm among people, svāhā.
By the verity of all asuras, turn back all malignant constellations, svāhā.
By the verity of all garuḍas, make all the nāgas act with loving-kindness and send down a great flow of rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
By the verity of all kinnaras, pacify all evil and satisfy all sentient beings, svāhā.
By the verity of all mahoragas, send down a broad and vast flow of rainfall and seize the five hindrances to rainfall, svāhā.
By the verity of all humans, completely protect all people, svāhā.
kara kara kiri kiri kuru kuru dara dara diri diri duru duru naṭa naṭa niṭi niṭi nuṭu nuṭu
Lady Swift Departure, Lady Bearer of Great Clouds’ Water, Lady Possessed of Clouds, Lady Possessed of Great Clouds, Lady Great Cloud Water Bearer, Lady Bright Cloud, Lady Cloud Born, Lady Seasonal Cloud,[F.173.b] Lady Cloud Source, Lady Cloud Roar, Lady Cloud Dweller, Lady with a Cloud Crown, Lady Cloud Garland Wearer, Lady Adorned by Clouds, Lady Cloud Mount, Lady Cloud Home, Cloud Essence, Cloud Locks, Cloud Light, Having a Retinue of Clouds, Lady Who Abides in Vast Clouds, Lady Holding Clouds as Offerings, Lady Bringing Harvest, Lady Mountain Dweller, Nāga Mother Bhagavatī, Great Cloud with the Glorious Color of Stars, Lady Cool, Lady Whose Domain Is a Great Storm,[F.227.b] Lady Who Manifests the Great Nāgas, Bhagavatī, Lady Who Holds the Six Extracted Essences—by the verity of the Buddha, please send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
ghara ghara63 ghiri ghiri ghuru ghuru ghiriṇi ghiriṇi ghuma ghuma[F.261.b] ghuma ghuma ghuma ghuma ghuma ghuma ghumari
Lady Endowed with Nine Heads, Lady Endowed with a Great Cloud Garland, Lady with a Garland of Lightning, Lady Who Holds All Slitherers, Lady Wearing Cloud-Like Raiment, Lady with the Domain of All Strong Poisons, Lady Mounted on Arrayed Clouds, Lady Dragon’s Roar, Lady Roar, Lady Who Incites Nāgas, Goddess Possessing a Garland of Great Clouds—exhort all the nāgas, saying, ‘Without delay, through the blessings of the Tathāgata, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa,’ svāhā.64
yara yara yiri yiri yuru yuru jara jara jiri jiri juru juru jhara jhara gutu gutu gugutu gaṭa gaṭa giṭi giṭi hara hara hili hili mulu mulu tala tala tili tili tulu tulu hana hana daha daha paca paca gṛhṇa gṛhṇa marda marda pramarda pravarśa vignan maitreya ājñāpayati svāhā65
buddhe buddhe bubuddhe subuddhe hara pāpana sarva satvānān adhiṣṭhayapuṇyama sarva buddhanān dharini dhare śubhamate guṇāgraprāpane mahājñānolake śukladharme sadyapratijñā mahāyānādhyuṣite lokajyeṣṭhabhagavati buddhamaitreyayuvuraya sarva kṣetrāni śukleśvetvama paradāre[F.174.a] panaṭaravasini dhudhure dhudhuru śama śama śāntamānase
May you completely clear away all hindrances to rainfall, svāhā.66
By the verity of all the tathāgatas of the three times, who engage in perfect conduct with minds of loving-kindness and possess flawless minds of austerity, we exhort all the great nāgas.[F.228.a]
Great nāga king Anantaparikarasāgarameghavyūhatejomaṇḍalachartākārarāja, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga kings Nanda and Upananda, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Sāgara, we exhort you—[F.262.a] send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Anavatapta, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Manasvin, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Varuṇa, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Takṣaka, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Vāsuki, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Mucilinda, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Airāvaṇa, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Nuta, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Śrītejas, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Śrībhadra,[F.174.b] we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Vidyunmālin, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.[F.228.b]
Great nāga king Mahāmaṇicūḍa, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Cūḍāmaṇidhara, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
Great nāga king Avabhāsanaśikhin, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
These and all other nāga kings, we exhort you—send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.
nāge nāge mahānāge ghoramānase nāgahṛdaya[F.262.b] dhuma kule ugraroṣe pracaṇḍatejo viṣogre āśāviśe atighore kṛṣṇapiṇgale canacale lolajihve mahāphanakare kālapāśe raudravāsani ṭuṭumāve ghaṇa ghaṇa śikhini kaṇa kaṇa gaṇa gaṇa mahāgaṇagaṇe para para piri piri puru puru visphurjane bhuru bhuru mahābhoge maṇidhari phiri phiri phuru phuru phara phara varṣa varṣa jalāmbudhare ṣambu ṣambu vataḍutampe dhud dhud dhud dhumve meghaprabhe meghavātine ḍhaka ḍhaka ḍhaka ḍhu ḍhumve ghaṇā ghaṇā śikini kana kana gaṇa gaṇa mahānāgagane nirātraṇya vajra dakāri mahānāgādhivataye ghuma ghuma ghuma payāstika jāṅgārighujaṃśame pikatasaṅkate ghoravisphurjani vijṛmabhante
All nāgas, you are summoned. Through the blessings of all buddhas and the word and minds of loving-kindness of all the tathāgatas of the three times, send down rainfall here in the continent of Jambudvīpa, svāhā.67
namaḥ sarvabuddhebhyaḥ sidhyantu mantrapadāni svāhā”68
From the hundred thousand lines69 of the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Great Cloud,” this is the sixty-fourth chapter, entitled “The Array of Winds That Send Down Rainfall.”
One who desires to produce a great rainfall[F.175.a] should first go to an open, clean area and erect a blue canopy, decorating it with blue pennants.[F.229.a] The Dharma practitioner should bathe their body, abide by the eightfold precepts, and don clean blue garments. Having anointed themselves with pleasant-smelling incense, they should consume the three white foods and seat themselves upon a blue cushion, facing east. After supplicating all the tathāgatas, they should read aloud this chapter on the array of winds from The Great Cloud, day and night without interruption.
They should set out four vases filled with blue water, together with as much offering cakes, incense, and flowers as they can gather. The Dharma practitioner should then use liquified cow dung to draw figures in the four directions.[F.263.a] In the eastern direction they should use cow dung to draw a three-headed nāga king, three cubits tall, with a retinue of various nāga attendants. In the southern direction they should draw a five-headed nāga king, five cubits tall, with a retinue of various nāga attendants. In the western direction they should draw a seven-headed nāga king, seven cubits tall, with a retinue of various nāga attendants. In the northern direction they should draw a nine-headed nāga king, nine cubits tall, with a retinue of various nāga attendants. The Dharma practitioner should guard their own body, abiding in loving-kindness, and establish an attitude of compassion toward all sentient beings. Then, they should supplicate all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and share the virtuous roots with the nāgas. This is the ritual procedure.
If one reads aloud this chapter on the array of winds from The Great Cloud during a time of drought, then within one full day, two full days, or up to seven full days, it is certain that rain will fall. The ocean may recede with the tides, but this ritual for bringing rainfall, the speech of the Great Sage, will never change. That being the case, however, one must abide in discipline and virtuous qualities and abandon lax discipline, meat, fish, and the like. One should consume rice gruel, curds, milk,[F.175.b] rice with sugar, the three sweets, and so forth.[F.229.b] In this fashion, the ritual will be successful. As this was spoken by the King of Sages, there should be no doubts about this.
From the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Great Cloud,” this is the sixty-fourth chapter “The Array of Winds That Send Down Rainfall” together with its ritual manual.
Translated, revised, and finalized according to the new terminology by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Śīlendrabodhi and the great editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.
Mahamegha Translation Group, trans., The Great Cloud (1) (Mahāmegha), Toh 232 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022).
Bendall 1880 and Moriguchi 1980. We have also consulted a parallel passage in the manuscript of the Mahāpratyaṅgīrā Mahāvidyārājñī dhāraṇī (British Library, ref. EAP676/16/2).
Translated based on the Sanskrit śrīmaṇiratnagarbhamahāmeghamaṇḍalakūṭāgāra. The Tibetan could be rendered as “a palace made of a great multitude of śrīgarbha jewel clouds.”
Here the Sanskrit gives the name Śrīmat (“Fortunate” or “Eminent”), the Tibetan presumably reading śrīmati.
Here the Tibetan gives the name Great Scent or Great Stain (dri ma chen po), presumably reading mahābala as mahāmala.
Following the Sanskrit. The Tibetan gives the name chu stobs (“Water Power”), perhaps reading udakambala.
The Tibetan gives the name gser mdog sgra (“Golden Voice”), presumably a corruption of gser mdog skra (“Golden Hair”), which would match the Sanskrit.
Following the Sanskrit, which means “Cow’s Head.” The Tibet reads bla glang mgo (“Elephant Head”), presumably reading gajaśīrṣa.
Following the Sanskrit. The Tibetan reads ngang pa’i gzi brjid, perhaps reading haṃsa (“duck” or “goose”) for saṃha (saṃhata meaning “solid” or “compact”).
Here the Sanskrit gives the name Jaradratha, which should perhaps be emended to the more plausible Jayadratha, which accords with the Tibetan.
Here the Sanskrit gives the name Kakuba, which is puzzling. Kakubha means something like “Space Region” or “Sky Quarter” but could also suggest a nāga who lives in a kakubha tree.
Following the Sanskrit (“Crow’s Cawing”). The meaning of the Tibetan gser ngad can is not clear.
Here the Sanskrit gives the name Vikaṭa (“Monstrous,” implying an unusual or frightening appearance due to size or unusual body features).
Here the Sanskrit reads, “Headed by these, the most prominent among all nāga kings” (pramukhaiḥ sarvamahānāgarājapūrvaṃgamaiś).
The Sanskrit either omits this item (Tib. sil snyan) or combines it with the next (Skt. tāḍāvacāra).
The Sanskrit adds here “with murmuring and rumbling sounds, with gusts of wind, with loud sounds, making pleasing sounds of Dharma…” (garjanto guḍuguḍāyamāna mahāvātāṃ pravāyanto mahānādaṃ nadanto ramaṇīyamś ca dharmanādaṃ nadantaḥ).
The Sanskrit repeats here “the great lord of the nāgas in the trichiliocosm” (trisāhasramahāsāhasriko mahānāgādhipatiḥ).
The Sanskrit repeats here “the great lord nāgas in the trichiliocosm” (trisāhasramahāsāhasriko mahānāgādhipatiḥ).
Here the Sanskrit reads “how can one eliminate all the sufferings specific to nāgas of all the nāgas and send, with joy and happiness, abundant rains to the continent of Jambudvīpa, time after time?” (sarvanāgānāṃ sarvanāgaduḥkāni pratipraśraṃbhyeyuḥ praharṣitāḥ sukhasamanvitāśceha jambudvipe kālānukālaṃ varṣadhāra utsṛjeyuḥ).
The Sanskrit repeats here “the great lord nāgas in the trichiliocosm” (trisāhasramahāsāhasriko mahānāgādhipatiḥ).
Based on the Tibetan transcript, on Bendall’s and Moriguchi’s editions of the Sanskrit text, and on the parallel passage in the manuscript of the Mahāpratyaṅgīrā Mahāvidyārājñī, this dhāraṇī could be conjecturally reconstructed as dharaṇidhāraṇi uttāraṇi sampratiṣṭhite vijayavarṇasatyapratijñāsahā jñānavati utpādani vināśani abhiśecani abhivyāhāra śubhāvati jīmūta ehi kavārāṇi vaha hara kleśān dhuna pāpaṃ śodhaya mārgān nirīhikadharmatā-śuddhāloka-vitimirarājasa-duḥkhaśamana-sarvabuddhāvalokana-adhiṣṭhite prajñājñānābhe svāhā. This could be rendered into English as “O maintainer of the earth, O savioress who stands firm. You appear [in the garb of] victory. With your courage, you are true to your promises. O possessor of gnosis! You are the creator and you are the destroyer. You who release showers, please make your [thunderous] sound. O beautiful cloud, please come, bring forth the lotuses, remove afflictive emotions, destroy what is evil, and clear up the paths. You who are empowered by the gaze of all the buddhas—the gaze that removes suffering with its pure light of the effortless dharmatā, free from the darkness of passion—you who shine with the light of insight-gnosis, svāhā!”
In the Sanskrit this clause reads “…who are a multitude of clouds of shining banners of gnosis, who swiftly bring on prosperity…”
The Sanskrit adds here “stop all killing of all sentient beings” (sarvasattvānaṃ sarvaghātanāḥ … nivāraya).
Based on the Tibetan transcript and Bendall’s partial edition (only the first couple of lines) of the Sanskrit text and on the parallel passage in the manuscript of the Mahāpratyaṅgīrā Mahāvidyārājñī, this dhāraṇī could be conjecturally reconstructed as mahājñānāvabhāsani śrītejolakṣmi ḍṛḍhavikramavajrasaṁhatane paramavirājanirmalaguṇaketusūryaprabhe vimalāṅgayaṣṭi bhara bhara sambhara sambhara dudumbu hana hana mahāprabhe vibhūtamahāmaho ʼndhakāre prajñāgraśuddhe paripūrṇamaitri maitriviraṇaskandhamaitrāmbudhare jala jala jala jala jalāmbudhare bodhyaṅgakusume daśabale caturvaiśāradye aṣṭādaśāveṇikabuddhadharme śubhamati puṇyarāśi śukladharmasamanvite gambhīre virajase vimale viśeṣaprāpte nirāsravadharme sarvalokajyaiṣṭhajyeṣṭhaparapravare anuttare asaṇge dhara dhara dhiri dhiri dhuru dhuru śāntamate śāntavege cara cara cara cara ciri ciri curu curu paramabuddhānumate mahāprajñāpāramite svāhā. This dhāraṇī seems to be addressing a cloud filled with lightning, identified, because of its splendor, first with the goddess Lakṣmī and then with Prājñāpāramitā. It could be rendered into English as “O Lakṣmī of brilliant splendor, you shine with the light of great gnosis. Your thunderclaps steadily roll on. You are a supremely bright banner of qualities, as dazzling as the sun. Endowed with stainless wand-like limbs, maintain, maintain! Provide, provide! Make thundering sounds! Strike, strike! Intensely bright, you manifest your great power in the midst of darkness. Purified by your sharp insight, you are completely filled with love. O loving receptacle of water, you are the shoulder supporting the sounds of love. Water, water, water, water, O receptacle of water, you are the flower of the limbs of awakening. You are endowed with the ten powers, the four confidences, and the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha. With a sublime mind, you are a heap of merit, richly endowed with virtuous qualities. You are profound, stainless, and immaculate. You have attained excellence, and your dharmas are free from karmic inflows (āsrava). You are preeminent among those who are the most excellent among the excellent. You are the unsurpassed one free from attachment. Hold, hold! Be firm, be firm! Be unswerving, be unswerving! Your mind is peaceful and you quell agitation. Act, act! Ciri ciri curu curu! O great perfection of wisdom, beloved by the supreme Buddha, svāhā!”
Sara sara means “move, move!” Here, and all the way up to and including the paragraph at 1.47, only the first pair of the Sanskrit words is translatable. The subsequent two pairs are added for alliterative effect. Thus, in the phrase sara sara siri siri suru suru, only sara sara has a meaning. Siri siri and suru suru are alliterative variations of sara sara with (presumably) the same meaning.
The meaning of ghaḍa ghaḍa could not be determined. It possibly means “Cover, cover!” or “Spread over, spread over!”
Ghara ghara means “Sprinkle, sprinkle!” whereas the remaining words, apart from ghiriṇi ghiriṇi, which means “O sprinkler, sprinkler!” are just alliterative variations of ghara ghara.
In the parallel passage of the Mahāpratyaṅgīrā Mahāvidyārājñī, the preceding is not a list of independent names of goddesses, as it appear to be in the Tibetan, but all are epithets of one and the same deity, who is addressed in the vocative. The dhāraṇī would thus begin “O swift flowing one, the bearer of great clouds…” Here we have followed the Tibetan, as it presents divergences in this and other ways from the Sanskrit passage.
After amending pravarśa vignan to pramarda vighnān, the part daha daha … svāhā could be translated as “strike, strike, burn, burn, cook, cook, seize, seize, crush, crush, grind, grind the obstacle makers! So commands Maitreya, svāhā!”
In the Sanskrit text in the parallel passage in the manuscript of the Mahāpratyaṅgīrā Mahāvidyārājñī, this line is an unbroken continuation of the same dhāraṇī that starts with buddhe buddhe. It reads in Sanskrit sarvavarṣavighnaviṣkambhiye svāhā, which phrase should be appended after śāntamānase at the end of the previous paragraph. However, since the this passage is translated in the Tibet text, we have accordingly translated it into English here. According to the Sanskrit, this dhāraṇī could be conjecturally reconstructed as buddhe buddhe bubuddhe subuddhe hara pāpaṃ sarvasattvānām adhitiṣṭha puṇyaṃ sarvabuddhānāṃ dhariṇidhare śubhamate guṇāgraprāpaṇe mahājñānolke śukladharme satyapratijñā mahāyānādhyuṣite lokajyeṣṭhabhagavati buddhamaitre āpūraya sarvakṣetrāṇi śukleśvetāmbāre pāṇḍaravāsini dhudhure dhudhuru śama śama śāntamānase sarvavarṣavighnaviṣkambhiye. The dhāraṇī seems to be addressing a cloud that is bright with lightning and identified with the goddess Pāṇḍaravāsinī, the consort of Amitābha. It could be translated as “O realized one, utterly and profoundly realized! Remove what is evil and bless (invest?) all beings with the merit of all the buddhas. O maintainer (sustainer?) of the earth with a pure mind, you have attained the very best of qualities. O firebrand (meteor?) of great gnosis, your dharmas are white. You are true to your promises. You are a receptacle for the Great Vehicle. You are the most exalted lady(?) (bhagavatī) in the world. O rumbling one, make your rumbling sounds! Pacify, pacify, O tranquil-minded one who clears away all hindrances to rainfall.”
In the parallel passage in the manuscript of the Mahāpratyaṅgīrā Mahāvidyārājñī, this line is an unbroken continuation of the same dhāraṇī that starts with nāge nāge. Since this dhāraṇī is more corrupt than the previous ones, the reconstruction that follows is tentative. It is not completely clear whether the deity being addressed is female or male. Based on the Tibetan transcript and the parallel passage in the manuscript of the Mahāpratyaṅgīrā Mahāvidyārājñī, this dhāraṇī could be conjecturally reconstructed as nāge nāge mahānāge ghoramānase nāgahṛdayadhūmākule ugraroṣaṇe pracaṇḍatejoviṣāgre āśīviśe atighore kṛṣṇapiṇgale cañcale lalajihve mahāphaṇakare kālapāśe raudravāśini ḍuḍumbe mahāghane ghanaśikhini kaṇa kaṇa gaṇa gaṇa mahāgaṇagaṇe para para piri piri puru puru visphūrjane bhuru bhuru mahābhoge maṇidhare phiri phiri phuru phuru phara phara varṣa varṣa jalāmbudhare śambhu śambhu varaṭutame dhuddhu dhuddhumbe meghaprabhe meghavāhine ḍhaka ḍhaka ḍhaka ḍhuḍhumbe ghanaghanaśikhini kana kana gaṇa gaṇa mahānāgagaṇe †nirātraṇyavajradakāri† mahānāgādhipatnīye ghuma ghuma ghuma pāyasike jāṅgāribhujaṃgame vikaṭasaṅkate ghoravisphūrjani vijṛmbhante āvāhayāmi sarvanāgagaṇān sarvabuddhādhiṣṭhāna-sarvatryadhvagatathāgatasatyena mahāmaitramatinā pravarṣatha jambudvīpe svāhā. It could be translated, somewhat freely given the Sanskrit uncertainties, as “O nāga, nāga, great nāga with a vehement disposition! The essence of nāgas, surrounded by smoke and fiercely enraged! Your supreme venom has terrible potency. O supremely dreadful āśīviṣa snake, black and yellow, with a swaying [body], a quivering tongue, and a great hood! You [resemble] a black noose. You howl wildly and make thunderous sounds. O heavy cloud, with a streak of light amidst the dark, kaṇa kaṇa gaṇa gaṇa! You have many hosts of followers, para para piri piri puru puru! O thundering one, bhuru bhuru! You with the mighty coils and hood, adorned with a jewel, phiri phiri phuru phuru phara phara! Send rain, send rain, O receptacle of water! O kind one, kind one, the best †ṭutamā†! Make thunderous dhuddhu sounds, O thundering one! O cloud-colored bringer of clouds, ḍhaka ḍhaka ḍhaka! Make your thunderous ḍhuḍhu sounds. O heavy cloud, with a streak of light amidst the dark, kana kana gaṇa gaṇa! You with a great retinue of nāgas, †nirātraṇyavajradakāri†! O great lady-ruler of nāgas, ghuma ghuma ghuma. You are fond of milk, O slitherer in the jungle! With your huge form, you are pose a great danger. O terrible thunderer with a gaping mouth! I am summoning all the nāga hosts. By the blessing of all the buddhas, by the verity of all the tathāgatas of the three times, by their loving thoughts, do send rain in Jambudvīpa, svāhā!”
The Tibetan does not specify what is counted in this number, and although the intended meaning may possibly be chapters, we have taken it as referring to ślokas, “text units” consisting of thirty-two syllables, the same number found in anuṣṭubh verse, even though some parts of the sūtra are in prose—hence “lines” and not “verses” or “stanzas.” This is analogous to the numbers that identify the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras (also mostly in prose) according to their length.
A tathāgata.
A tathāgata.
The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (moha). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.
Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,” “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
Lord of the nāgas in the trichiliocosm.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A class or powerful nonhuman beings, sometimes called demigods, who are often portrayed as the enemies of the devas. One of the six classes of beings.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A tathāgata.
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
A goddess.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns—like other ascetics of the time—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.
In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
One of the celestial realms belonging to the form realm, it is ruled over by the god Brahmā.
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A world that has been transformed and blessed by a buddha. Similar to a “buddhafield.”
A world that has been transformed and blessed by a buddha. Similar to a “buddha realm.”
A nāga king present in the assembly of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
A goddess.
A tathāgata.
A tathāgata.
A goddess.
A tathāgata.
A goddess.
A tathāgata.
A tathāgata.
A tathāgata.
A tathāgata.
A tathāgata.
sprin chen po (Mahāmegha). Toh 235, Degé Kangyur, vol. 64 (mdo sde, wa), folios 250.b–263.a.
sprin chen po (Mahāmegha). Toh 657, Degé Kangyur vol. 91 (rgyud, ba), folios 163.a–175.b.
sprin chen po (Mahāmegha). Toh 1063, Degé Kangyur vol. 101 (gzungs, waM), folios 216.a–229.b.
sprin chen po (Mahāmegha). Toh 232, Degé Kangyur vol. 64 (mdo sde, wa), folios 113.a–214.b. English translation in Mahamegha Translation Group 2022.
sprin chen po rlung gi dkyil ’khor gyi le’u klu thams cad kyi snying po (Mahāmeghavāyumaṇḍalaparivartasarvanāgahṛdaya). Toh 234, Degé Kangyur, vol. 64 (mdo sde, wa), folios 246.a–250.b.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan[/lhan] dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Bendall, Cecil. “The Megha-Sūtra.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, new series, 12, no. 2 (1880): 286–311.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Mahamegha Translation Group, trans. The Great Cloud (1) (Mahāmeghasūtra, Toh 232). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.
Moriguchi Mitsutoshi. “Mahā-megha-sūtra P.64.1.” Taishō daigaku sōgō bukkyō kenkyūjō nenpō 2 (1980): 178–161.
Paramārthanāma Vinirgata Mahāpratyaṅgīrā Mahāvidyārājñī. British Library, ref. EAP676/16/2.
