The Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra
Chapter 18
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 18
Next Vajrapāṇi, the lord of guhyakas, said, “If the yakṣiṇīs276 do not abide by their commitments, the practitioner should recite the following wrathful mantra to summon them:
“He should recite the above wrathful mantra one thousand times. The yakṣiṇī will swiftly arrive. If she does not arrive with haste, her forehead will burst and she will die that very moment. She will fall into one of the eight great hells.
“The description of the mudrā of Great Wrath:
“Holding your fists together, enclose both little fingers and extend both index fingers, bending them slightly. This is the inviolable mudrā of the hook of Great Wrath. With this king of mudrās one can even summon the triple universe.
“Aligning the palms of the hands, turn your middle fingers backwards. Your ring fingers, positioned horizontally, should point outward and the index fingers inward. Your little fingers should be in the center.278 This is the ultimate root mudrā of all yakṣiṇīs. As soon as this mudrā is formed, all the yakṣiṇīs will arrive.
“Forming exactly the same mudrā, the practitioner invites the yakṣiṇīs with his right thumb. The accompanying mantra is ‘Oṁ, hrīḥ! Come, [F.257.a] come! Svāhā to all the yakṣiṇīs!’279
“Forming the same mudrā, the practitioner should dismiss the yakṣiṇīs with his left thumb. The accompanying mantra is ‘Oṁ, hrīḥ! Go, go! Svāhā to the swift return of the yakṣiṇīs!’280
“The mudrā that brings all the yakṣiṇīs face-to-face with the practitioner:
“Hold your fists together and extend your middle fingers. The accompanying mantra is ‘Oṁ, O great yakṣiṇī, fond of sexual pleasure! Svāhā!’281
“Hold your fists together and extend your little fingers, bending them slightly. The accompanying mantra is ‘Oṁ, the goddess of sensual enjoyment! Svāhā!’282
“Hold your fists together and extend your index and middle fingers. The corresponding mantra is ‘Oṁ, you who captivate everyone’s mind! Svāhā!’ ”285
This concludes the chapter from the great sovereign “Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra” that contains detailed instructions on the sādhanas of the yakṣiṇīs.286
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.