The Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra
Chapter 12
Toh 747
Degé Kangyur, vol. 95 (rgyud ’bum, dza), folios 238.a–263.a
- Buddhākaravarma
- Chökyi Sherab
Imprint
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2020
Current version v 1.0.15 (2024)
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra is a Buddhist esoteric manual on magic and exorcism. The instructions on ritual practices that constitute its main subject matter are intended to give the practitioner mastery over worldly divinities and spirits. Since the ultimate controller of such beings is Vajrapāṇi in his form of Bhūtaḍāmara, the “Tamer of Spirits,” it is Vajrapāṇi himself who delivers this tantra in response to a request from Śiva. Notwithstanding this esoteric origin, this tantra was compiled anonymously around the seventh or eighth century ᴄᴇ, introducing for the first time the cult of its titular deity. Apart from a few short ritual manuals (sādhana), this tantra remains the only major work dedicated solely to Bhūtaḍāmara.
Acknowledgements
This translation was produced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the text from the Sanskrit manuscripts, prepared the Sanskrit edition, and wrote the introduction. Thomas Doctor then compared the translation against the Tibetan translation found in the Degé Kangyur and edited the text. Special thanks are owed to Dr. Péter-Dániel Szántó for making available his transcript of the manuscript, “Göttingen Xc 14/50 I,” which was our default source for the reconstruction of the Sanskrit text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Text Body
Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra
Chapter 12
Homage to the fierce Vajradhara!186
Next are the rituals of inviolable and utterly fierce sādhanas that accomplish every purpose.
“One should go to a place with a solitary Śiva liṅga, place one’s left foot upon it, and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Then Mahādeva will arrive. If he does not come, he will die instantly.
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Nārāyaṇa and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Nārāyaṇa will then swiftly arrive. If he does not come, his head will burst and he will die. By this method Nārāyaṇa187 will become enthralled and eager to serve.
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Brahmā and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Brahmā will then swiftly arrive. If he does not come, he will wither and die. When he arrives, he will be eager to serve.
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Indra and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Indra will then definitely arrive, [F.250.b] eager to serve. He will fetch Urvaśī and offer her. If he does not arrive his head will burst and he will be shattered into a hundred pieces. He will perish along with his family and clan.
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Kumāra and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Kumāra will then swiftly arrive, eager to serve. The spirits under his command that cause possession will become one’s servants. Kumāra can be induced to kill or preserve the life of anyone.
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Gaṇapati and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Gaṇapati will then swiftly arrive. If he does not come, he will die.188 All the obstacle-removing spirits will become one’s servants.
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Āditya and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Āditya will then swiftly arrive and give one a kingdom.189
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Candra and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Candra will then swiftly arrive and offer a hundred palas of gold.190 By this method Candra will become subject to one’s control.
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Bhairava and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Then, at night, one should prepare an elaborate pūjā, burn incense made with human flesh, offer food containing human flesh, and burn a lamp fueled with human fat. Then, at midnight, the Bhairava effigy will emit a great roar and will rise up, laughing loudly. Bhairava will say words such as “Hey you! Feed me!” One should not be afraid. If at any point fear arises, pronounce the syllable hūṁ and all will be well. Bhairava191 will submit to one’s control and will grant sovereignty over the triple universe. One will be able to destroy all worldly deities by merely pronouncing the syllable hūṁ.
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Narteśvara-Śiva and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. Narteśvara will arrive that very moment, eager to serve. [F.251.a] If he does not come, he will die.192
“One should place one’s left foot upon an effigy of Mahākāla and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times for seven days. He will then arrive surrounded by his retinue of spirits. If he does not arrive, he will die instantly.193 He will become one’s servant.194
“One should go to a shrine of the god Śiva in his four-faced form and, stepping on him with one’s left foot, recite the mantra ten thousand times for seven days. He will then arrive surrounded by his retinue. If he does not arrive, he will die.195 He will serve one in every way. Taking one upon his back, he will carry one as far as the heavenly realms. He will fetch and offer the goddess Urvaśī and will give one the divine elixir of immortality.”
So spoke the lord, the glorious Vajradhara, the supreme master Great Wrath.
This concludes the chapter from the great sovereign “Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra” that contains detailed instructions on the ritual procedures for acquiring servants.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations Used in the Sanskrit Appendix
Critical apparatus
| + | plus signs replace illegible text |
|---|---|
| ] | a right square bracket marks the lemma, i.e., the adopted reading for which variants are adduced |
| conj. | conjectured |
| em. | emended |
| om. | omitted |
| ° | an upper ring indicates truncation of a word |
| † | daggers enclose unintelligible text |
Sigla or acronyms of textual witnesses
Manuscripts
| A | Tokyo University Library (New 274 / Old 567) |
|---|---|
| B | Tokyo University Library (New 273 / Old 483) |
| G | Göttingen University Library (Göttingen Xc 14 / 50 I) |
Published Works
| SM | Sādhanamālā, the sādhana of Bhūtaḍāmara (sādhana no. 264) |
|---|---|
| Tib. | Tibetan text of the Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra in the Degé canon (Toh 747) |
Bibliography
Sanskrit and Tibetan Sources
Bhūtaḍāmaratantram. Rāya, Kṛṣṇa Kumāra, ed. Vārāṇasī: Prācya Prakāśana, 1933.
Bhūtaḍāmaratantra. University of Göttingen Library, Xc 14/50 I.
Bhūtaḍāmaramahātantrarāja. University of Tokyo Library, New 274/Old 567.
Bhūtaḍāmaramahātantrarāja. University of Tokyo Library, New 273/Old 483.
Bhattacharyya, Benoytosh, ed., Sādhanamālā (pp. 512−28). Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1968.
’byung po ’dul ba zhes bya ba’i rgyud kyi rgyal po chen po (Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra). Toh 747, Degé Kangyur vol. 95 (rgyud ’bum, dza), folios 238.a–263.a.
Secondary Sources
Bhattacharyya, Benoytosh. “The Cult of Bhūtaḍāmara.” Proceedings and Transactions of the Sixth All-India Oriental Conference: 349−70. Patna: Bihar and Orissa Research Society, 1933.
———. The Indian Buddhist Iconography Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Sanskrit Texts and Rituals. Calcutta: Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay, 1958.
Bühnemann, Gudrun. “Buddhist Deities and Mantras in the Hindu Tantras I: The Tantrasārasaṃgraha and the Īśānaśivagurudevapaddhati.” Indo-Iranian Journal 42:4 (1999): 303–34.
Cabezón, José Ignacio. The Buddha’s Doctrine and the Nine Vehicles. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Pal, Pratapaditya. Hindu Religion and Iconology According to the Tantrasāra. Los Angeles: Vichitra Press, 1981.