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Tib. omits the three sentences starting with “One should write…” and ending with “evil designs, etc.”
In the Tibetan, the sentence “One will also stop torrential rain” appears in the next paragraph.
Except for the beeswax, the Tibetan omits the details of how the mantra should be written and wrapped.
Translation based on the Tibetan. The Sanskrit reads, “The mantra should then be adorned with the double vajra and placed in the abdomen of a Gaṇapati made of beeswax.”
Translation based on the Tibetan. The Sanskrit reads, “one will arrest vision,” possibly meaning, “one will stabilize vision.”
Tib. has instead, “one will pacify the teeth of bipeds and quadrupeds,” which makes little sense, as the teeth of bipeds seldom constitute a cause of fear.
The Devanāgarī letter ṭha has the shape of a circle, and it can therefore be drawn around objects or shapes.
We have a play on words here, as darpaṇa can mean “mirror” as well as be the name of the mountain of Kubera. Both of these meanings are required for the context that follows.
According to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s commentary, “well washed” means “washed with water from the jar.”
The translation is based on the Tibetan. The Sanskrit suggests that, rather than the head, one will not see the neck.
According to the Tibetan, the ghee, honey, and sugar are inside the two leaves. The Sanskrit, however, seems to reflect the standard way of placing the yantra between the three sweet things.
In the Tibetan the last sentence is transcribed as a Sanskrit mantra. In the Sanskrit, however, it is impossible to take it as such.
The translation “the speech of Sarasvatī” is based on emended Sanskrit reading (sarasvatīṃ vāṇīm to sarasvatīvāṇīm).
Instead of “in the center of a sun disk of the color of red lotus,” the Tibetan has “in the navel of the goddess.”
Instead of “well prepared Sarasvatī’s…” the Tibetan seems to be saying, “in order to accomplish Sarasvatī.” The epithet sārasvata is again used to qualify ghee in the section of the forty-sixth mantra below.
The translation “born from a lotus” is based on the Tibetan and on the emended Sanskrit reading (°āmbujāyāḥ to °āmbujajāyāḥ).
Grahaṇāyāgamanāyākramaṇāya is a conjectured reading. In the manuscripts we have grahaṇīyāgamanāyākramaṇīya.
Perhaps a metaphor is intended here: it is the function of the god of comets and planets to control the seizing (i.e., eclipsing), coming, and traversing of heavenly bodies, but here he is meant to apply this function to the “movements” of happiness. The grammar, however, is not very clear.
Based on the Tibetan, which is glossed by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo: “An intelligent person who takes pleasure in benefitting others, knowing merely from reading [this text] the mantras that are to be found in it, should practice them with respect.” The Sanskrit could be interpreted as, “When they see things accomplished, skillful ones should feel respect.”
Goddess invoked to help win a girl.
One of the “four sisters of victory.”
“Immortal One,” epithet of Jīvantī in the mantra of long life.
Deity invoked to remove fear.
One of the “four sisters of victory.”
Emanation of Mañjuśrī, invoked to obtain the gift of speech, memory, sharp intellect, and learning.
“Having the nimbus of the sun,” epithet of Mahāsarasvatī, one of the four retinue goddesses of Siddhaikavīra.
One of the eight great yakṣiṇīs who form the retinue of Vasudharā.
One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.
Ritual oblation offered into the fire.
Along with Tārā, a female deity visualized in the sādhana of Lavaṇāmbha.
Level of the realization of a bodhisattva. Typically there are ten bhūmis, sometimes thirteen.
Goddess of fortune invoked in divination and soothsaying.
Deity invoked to destroy evil and to grant protection.
One of the eight great yakṣiṇīs who form the retinue of Vasudharā.
One of the four retinue deities of Arapacana.
One of the eight great yakṣas who form the retinue of Jambhala.
Type of homa where chaff fire is used or chaff is offered. Sometimes mixed with clarified butter.
Epithet of Calā.
Epithet of Calā.
Goddess who reveals hidden facts in one’s sleep.
One of the eight great yakṣiṇīs who form the retinue of Vasudharā.
One of the eight great yakṣiṇīs who form the retinue of Vasudharā.
One of the eight great yakṣas who form the retinue of Jambhala.
The famed Indian scholar who spent twelve years in Tibet from 1042–1054. Also known as Atīśa.
Two crossed vajras.
Effigy of the target used in magical rites.
Eight “ordinary” accomplishments attained through practice: (1) eye medicine (añjana, mig sman); (2) swift-footedness (jaṅghākara, rkang mgyogs); (3) magic sword (khaḍga, ral gri); (4) travel beneath the earth (pātāla, sa ’og spyod); (5) medicinal pills (gulikā, ril bu); (6) travel in the sky (khecara, mkha’ spyod); (7) invisibility (antardhāna, mi snang ba); and (8) elixir (rasāyana, bcud len). (From Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s commentary).
A practitioner of mantra; a follower of the Mantra Vehicle.
Epithet of Ganeśa; sometimes of other deities.
One of the three translators responsible for the canonical translation of the SEV.
Deity invoked to release a prisoner from bondage.
One of the eight great yakṣiṇīs who form the retinue of Vasudharā.
Ritual oblation offered into the fire. Unlike bali, homa in a tantric ritual is a repetitive act performed a prescribed number of times.
In this context, a ritual object used in rituals of enthrallment.
One of the four retinue deities of Arapacana, also called Sūryaprabha.
Deity invoked to make a person lovable; also to fulfill one’s wishes.
God of riches.
“Snapper.” This seems to be an epithet of Locanā.
One of the “four sisters of victory.”
“Giver of the Boon of Life,” epithet of a goddess (Tārā?) invoked to give an easy delivery of a child.
“Ever Alive,” goddess invoked in the mantra of long life.
“Tongue of Flames,” goddess invoked to pacify disputes, quash fires, and stop epidemics.
“Son of Mount Meru,” god invoked in divination and soothsaying (Kubera?).
One of the names of Lakṣmī.
“Possessor of lotus blossoms,” epithet of Lakṣmī.
“Demoness of the Ear,” female spirit who reveals hidden facts or the future by whispering them into one’s ear; very likely another name for Śravaṇapiśācī.
A unit of weight equal to 280 grains troy, or, sometimes, 176 grains troy.
One of the eight great yakṣas who form the retinue of Jambhala.
dpa’ bo gcig pu grub pa zhes bya ba’i rgyud kyi rgyal po chen po (Siddhaikavīramahātantrarāja). Toh 544, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 1b–13a.
dpa’ bo gcig pu grub pa zhes bya ba’i rgyud kyi rgyal po chen po. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006-2009, vol. 89, pp 3-44.
Bhattacharyya, Benoytosh, ed. Sādhanamālā. 2nd edition. Gaekwad’s Oriental Series, nos. 26, 41. Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1968.
Otsuka, Nobuo (Mikkyo Seiten Kyekyūkai), ed. “Siddhaikavīratantra.” In Taisho Daigaku Sogo-Bukkyo-Kenkyujo-Kiyo, vol. 15, pp (1)–(18). Tokyo: Taisho University Press, 1995.
Pandey, Janardan, ed. Siddhaikavīramahātantram. Rare Buddhist Texts Series, no. 20. Sarnath: Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies, 1998.
Khyentse, Jamyang — Wangpo (’jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse’i dbang po). “sna tshogs pa’i las rab tu ’byung ba ’jam dpal dpa’ bo gcig pu grub pa’i rgyud ’grel man ngag dang bcas pa.” In Compendium of Methods for Accomplishment (sgrub pa’i thabs kun las btus pa dngos grub rin po che’i ’dod ’jo), vol. 7, folios 1.a–39.a (pp 1–77). Edited by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Loter Wangpo (blo gter dbang po). Dehra Dun: G. Loday, N. Gyaltsen and N. Lungtok, 1970.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (tr.). The Practice Manual of Kurukullā (Toh 437). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2011-2016. (read.84000.co).
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (tr.). The Tantra of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa (Toh 431). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016. (read.84000.co).
The Tantra of Siddhaikavīra is a tantra of ritual and magic. It is a relatively short text extant in numerous Sanskrit manuscripts and in Tibetan translation. Although its precise date is difficult to establish, it is arguably the first text to introduce into the Buddhist pantheon the deity Siddhaikavīra—a white, two-armed form of Mañjuśrī. The tantra is primarily structured around fifty-five mantras, which are collectively introduced by a statement promising all mundane and supramundane attainments, including the ten bodhisattva levels, to a devotee who employs the Siddhaikavīra and, presumably, other Mañjuśrī mantras. Such a devotee is said to become a wish-fulfilling gem, constantly engaged in benefitting beings. Most of the mantras have their own section that includes a description of the rituals for which the mantra is prescribed and a brief description of their effects. This being a tantra of the Kriyā class, the overwhelming majority of its mantras are meant for use in rites of prosperity and wellbeing.
This translation was produced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the text from the Sanskrit, and Andreas Doctor compared the translation against the Tibetan translation contained in the Degé Kangyur and edited the text.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Despite what its title might suggest, the Siddhaikavīratantra (hereafter SEV) is not a tantra of Siddhaikavīra in the same way that, for example, the Hevajratantra is a tantra of Hevajra. Siddhaikavīra is not the main subject, and indeed, excluding the chapter colophons, his name is mentioned in the tantra only three times—and, interestingly, never in a mantra. Nevertheless, Siddhaikavīra is awarded prominence in the text in a short preamble that introduces the SEV and points out the soteriological nature of the mantra of Siddhaikavīra-Arapacana, the forty-first mantra of the fifty-five in this text and the only one that invokes him, setting this mantra somewhat apart from other mantras, most of which have magical and practical applications. The ritual related to this particular mantra requires the visualization of Siddhaikavīra, but even then he is invoked not by the name Siddhaikavīra but as Arapacana. Only one other mantra, addressed to Arkamālinī (Mahāsarasvatī), involves the visualization of Siddhaikavīra.
The deity that can be distilled from the SEV is in essence Mañjuśrī; he is addressed in the traditional homage at the beginning of the tantra under his name of Mañjughoṣa; it is he, under his name Mañjuvajra, who delivers the SEV at the bodhisattva Vajradhara’s request; and Siddhaikavīra, likewise, is none other than Mañjuśrī. In the paragraph following the forty-first mantra, Siddhaikavīra is equated with both Arapacana and Mañjuvajra. Thus, the distribution and juxtaposition of these names throughout the text implies that all these deities are one and the same: Mañjuśrī. One of the lesser-known forms of Mañjuśrī, Siddhaikavīra is also the subject of four sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā (Bhattacharyya 1968) where some of his descriptions correspond in detail to the visualizations given in the SEV—he is a white figure with a blue lotus in his left hand and displaying a boon-granting gesture with his right. In two of these sādhanas he is called Siddhaikavīramañjughoṣa, confirming that he is identical to the deity mentioned in the homage at the beginning of the SEV, Mañjughoṣa.
Being a collection of mantras and their rituals, the SEV introduces the reader to the enchanted world of magical powers that can affect the daily reality of people’s lives and, ultimately, deliver them from the miseries of cyclic existence. Since, however, the SEV is a Kriyā tantra, it is the mantras of magic that predominate in this text. These mantras testify to the richness and versatility of the Buddhist pantheon in this formative period of the Buddhist tantra. The deities being invoked are given a range of evocative names and epithets—the glossary of the names found in this tantra contains more than 100 entries. The appearance in this text of some deities, including Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa and Kurukullā, could be the first anywhere in literary sources, making the SEV a historically important text.
The date of the SEV is very uncertain. As a Kriyā tantra, it could date from as early as the beginning of the Common Era. At the opposite end, its terminus ante quem is set by the date of the Tibetan translation by the great paṇḍit Atīśa (980–1054). It might be not unreasonable to guess, however, that the SEV dates to somewhere between the 7th and the 9th centuries. This tantra is extant in both Sanskrit and in Tibetan. The Sanskrit text has been preserved in many manuscripts held in the National Archives in Kathmandu as well as in several libraries around the world; it has also been edited and published twice, by Janardan Pandey (1998) and then by Nobuo Otsuka (1995). The Tibetan canonical translation found in the Kangyur (Toh 544) is attributed to Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (Atīśa) and Géwai Lodrö. It is also included, together with a commentary by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), in the 19th century collection of practice materials, the Druptap Küntü (sgrub thabs kun btus). That it was the subject of commentary as late as the 19th century indicates that the SEV, despite being a Kriyā tantra, never lost its popularity over time.
The SEV is divided into four chapters of decreasing length. Chapter 1, the longest, contains a mixture of mantras with a variety of applications. They are grouped by their applications and include mantras for controlling weather, warding off enemies, averting disasters, removing fear, pacifying disputes, stopping fires, preventing epidemics, curing diseases, safely delivering a child, releasing one from imprisonment, obtaining long life, and curing leprosy, as well as more general applications for protecting humans and animals from all kinds of trouble, destroying evil, and fulfilling one’s wishes. The deities invoked in this chapter range in their origin from flesh-eating demons, or piśācas, such as Parṇaśabarī, to sambhogakāya deities such as Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa.
Chapter 2 contains two groups of mantras. The first group concerns divination and soothsaying. At the beginning, the qualities of a person to whom the contents of this chapter can be revealed are described and, pertinently, the value and sacredness of truth is stressed. As we read in the invocation to Vimalacandra, one of the gods of divination (2.2-3):
- The world is sustained by truth;
- It is preserved by truth;
- Through truth, it abides in Dharma;
- Truth is eternal as Brahman.
- Truth is the Buddha, the Dharma and the Saṃgha;
- It is the ocean of qualities.
- By these words of truth
- May you swiftly enter the mirror [of divination].
In the original Sanskrit we have a play on words, as the word used for “mirror,” darpaṇa, can also be another name for the mountain of Kubera, itself associated with divination. The rites and methods described aim at ascertaining facts that are normally outside one’s sphere of perception, like possible good or bad outcomes of a particular undertaking, or even the time of someone’s death. The requested knowledge can be revealed in a mirror, in one’s sleep, or in some other way. The deities invoked in divination mantras range from piśācas, such as Karṇapiśācī, to sambhogakāya deities such as Mañjuśrī. The name “Karṇapiśācī” suggests a piśācī who whispers into one’s ear (karṇa), and as may be expected, her mantra requests her to whisper her answers into one’s ear. Other divination deities can have equally suggestive names or epithets, such as Siddhalocanā (Accomplished Vision), Satyavādinī (Speaker of Truth), or Svapnavilokinī (One Who Can See Dreams).
The other group of mantras in this chapter is concerned with obtaining desired things, be it a lover, wealth, or even a kingdom. First is the mantra of mighty Aditi, who, if propitiated in the prescribed manner, can help one obtain a girl, riches, or power. Interestingly, we find a touch of realism here, as the text tells us that one can obtain a kingdom only if one is of royal descent; otherwise one will only obtain “great splendor.” The deities invoked in this section range from yakṣa spirits, such as those in the retinues of Jambhala or Vasudharā, to the mighty Mahālakṣmī or the two deities just mentioned.
Chapter 3 is dedicated to the mantras of deities mainly invoked to increase powers of eloquence, intelligence, memory, and learning. The first two mantras invoke two manifestations of Mañjuśrī, Siddhaikavīra (even though, as discussed above, the mantra invokes him by the name Arapacana) and Vākya. The rituals of the latter can also bestow longevity and other boons. The next few mantras are dedicated to Mañjuśrī’s consort, Mahāsarasvatī; their benefits are the same as those mentioned above. Mahāsarasvatī, here identified with Tārā, is visualized in the form of a young girl whose body has the nature of great compassion and appears “in all the fresh beauty of budding youth.” She can grant all siddhis. The chapter closes with the mantras invoking, again, various forms of Mañjuśrī.
Chapter 4 contains only four mantras—all four used mainly for enthralling. The first two are addressed to the mysterious deity Lavaṇāmbha (Salty Water), whom the SEV associates with Avalokiteśvara. Invoked in the magic of love and seduction, his name could be a metaphor for the thirst that his rituals produce—thirst that can only be quenched by union with the desired person. Next is the mantra of Kurukullā, the goddess with an arrow and bow well known for her enthralling powers. The collection ends with an obscure mantra whose grammar is ambiguous and open to different interpretations. The content of the mantra also seems somewhat inconsistent with the ritual subsequently described. The mantra seems to be addressed to a male deity who governs the movements of the planets and is responsible for timely rain and for bringing prosperity and happiness, and yet the ritual in which it is employed is used to summon a desired woman or man.
As well as being divided into four chapters, the tantra can also be divided into fifty-five sections, each containing one mantra. The content of each section fits a particular pattern. Typically, a section starts with the mantra and is followed by a statement of the mantra’s application and effects, with a description of one or more ritual procedures required to achieve a particular result. To reflect this structure and for easy navigation and reference, we have numbered the mantras in our translation.
There is no clear dividing line in the SEV between Buddhist and Hindu pantheons. Some deities, such as Lakṣmī, would normally be regarded as Hindu, while others, such as Sarasvatī or Kubera, have been shared to a great extent by both religions. Many are exclusively Buddhist. Because of the non-denominational spirit in this world of magic, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether a deity is actually meant to be Buddhist or not, as for example in the case of Gaṇapati, whose form seems to be the favorite for making ritual effigies in some rites, such as the rite for stopping an onslaught by a hostile army.
When translating the names of deities, particularly the names found in mantras, it is not easy to decide whether a given appellation should be interpreted as a proper name or an epithet. When faced with such ambiguities, our translation tends to leave the borderline cases untranslated, with the literal meaning given in the glossary. In some mantras, the deity is addressed only by an epithet or epithets, and we can do no more than guess who this could be. Only the context suggests Tārā, Sarasvatī, etc. In cases where we find a group of names in grammatical apposition, our uncertainty regarding which names in the group are proper names and which are merely epithets is sometimes further confounded by uncertainty about whether a particular mantra addresses one or more deities. We were also faced with many difficulties due to the specific mantra jargon itself, with its strong vernacular influence. Mantric syllables and words that could not be identified have been printed in italics.
As the ritual jargon of the SEV is often incompatible with modern English in terms of semantics and usage, the reader will find that certain English words in our translation have been used in somewhat unconventional ways. For example, the direct object of the verb “to incant,” in our translation, can be not only the mantra but also the object over which the mantra is to be recited, such as a flower, a substance, or a diseased body part. This latter usage was common in English until the mid-20th century, and despite a precedent in modern English as well (the Harry Potter novels), to many readers it may still seem “incorrect.”
Two editions of the Sanskrit text have been used for our translation: Otsuka 1995 and Pandey 1998, as well as the Tibetan text (Toh 544) from the Degé edition of the Kangyur. Folio numbers given in square brackets and preceded by an F refer to the Degé Kangyur, and numbers given in square brackets preceded by an S refer to the page numbers in Pandey’s edition of the Sanskrit.
[S1] Oṁ, homage to Mañjughoṣa!
oṁ kālumelu kālumelu stambhaya śilāvarṣaṃ tuṣāravarṣaṃ ca lucca i lucca i svāhā |
Oṁ, kālumelu kālumelu, stop the hailstorm and snowfall, stop, stop! Svāhā!
This king of mantras, when correctly recited, will stop a hailstorm. Merely to remember it, using incanted ashes, can stop snow falling, or make it fall wherever one wishes. In the same way, one can also stop lightning, hurricanes, thunderbolt strikes, etc. [S2]
oṁ garuḍa haṃsa he he cala cala svāhā |
Oṁ, garuḍa! Swan! Hey, hey! Move, move! Svāhā!
The mere thought of this king of mantras will stop a hailstorm. By inscribing it on a kettle drum with chalk and chanting over the drumstick, one can then use the sound of the drum to stop a hailstorm. The same can be done with the sound of a conch, etc.
oṁ he he tiṣṭha tiṣṭha bandha bandha dhāraya dhāraya nirundhaya nirundhaya devadattam ūrṇāmaṇe svāhā |
Oṁ, hey, hey! Remain, remain! Bind, bind! Hold, hold! Restrain such-and-such, restrain! O Ūrṇāmaṇi, svāhā!
One should write the name of the enemy, in combination with this mantra, on a palm leaf, and place it in the burrow of a crab. That will bind the enemy’s mouth. It will also stop others’ evil designs, etc. This king of mantras, when recited 100,000 times according to the procedure of the preliminary practice, will bring success. By merely remembering this mantra one will be able to stop lightning, wind, thunderbolt strikes, hail, snow, and so forth. One will also stop torrential rain.
By using incanted ashes and mustard seeds, one will bind the snouts of mice, the stylets of mosquitoes, etc. This will also stop attacks on a garden or field by birds, worms, locusts, and other pests. One should inscribe this mantra on a rag that has been discarded in a charnel ground, together with the name of a pregnant woman, enclose it in beeswax, place it in a charnel ground in a pot, seal it, and bury it. This will make the woman unable to give birth. Digging it up again, rinsing it with milk, and floating it on water will alleviate the problem.
One should write this mantra on birchbark or cloth with turmeric or yellow orpiment. One should make an effigy using clay from an anthill, and place the mantra, enclosed in beeswax, in the effigy’s heart. One should fill its mouth with ash and bury it. In case of a dispute, one will be able to paralyze the mouth of one’s opponent. Also, in case of a lawsuit, one should incant the tongue of the effigy seven times and pierce it with seven thorns. That will bind the opponent’s mouth.
One should write this mantra on a clay pot with chalk, fill the pot with ashes, seal it, and bury it—that will paralyze the mouths of slanderers. With clay wiped off the hand of a potter, one should make an effigy of a ram, and place in its heart this mantra inscribed on birchbark with turmeric or yellow orpiment, tied up with a yellow string, and enclosed in beeswax. That will put an end to their anger and paralyze their mouths.
When this mantra is written with saffron and worn on one’s neck or arm, one will be able to stop the enemy’s weapons in battle. This king of mantras, placed at the feet of an effigy of Gaṇapati made of clay from an anthill and buried at a crossroads, [S3] will stop all coming and going. It will interrupt all daily activities. When this king of mantras, written on birchbark or cloth and enclosed in beeswax, is put in the Gaṇapati’s abdomen and placed in a new jar filled with cool water, it will stop all daily activities.
While traveling, one will stop thieves and the like by tying a knot on the border of one’s upper garment and recalling the mantra. In a forest, one will stop animals with horns, or those with fangs. By throwing a lump of clay, incanted with this mantra seven times, into water, one will bind the teeth of water animals.
One should write this mantra on a rag from a charnel ground, in combination with the names of the commanders of an opposing army, in the center of a double vajra. Outside the double vajra, one should write eight laṁ syllables, and around the outside of these, one should draw a double maṇḍala of Indra. The mantra should then be placed in the abdomen of a Gaṇapati made of beeswax who is adorned with the double vajra. When it is buried next to an opposing army, it will stop that army.
One should place this mantra, enclosed at both ends by a syllable oṁ flanked by two ṭha syllables, adorned by eight laṁ syllables, covered with a maṇḍala of Indra, and embellished with a double vajra, in the abdomen of the effigy of Gaṇapati made of clay from an anthill. One should then place it in a cremation urn and bury this urn in a cemetery. That will stop an opposing army.
If a city is on fire, one should offer a chaff homa and, facing the fire, throw on seven double handfuls of water, having first incanted it with the mantra. One will then be able to protect any house one wishes.
By tying ashes to one’s neck, one will put an end to vomiting. One should pronounce the mantra while firmly pressing the tip of one’s little finger; that will stop hiccups. With incanted ash one can cure blindness.
When afflicted with blistering leprosy, one should draw a cirikā on a piece of cloth. Placed at any doorstep, it will prevent diseases such as blistering leprosy in that house.
Outside a village one should offer a great bali of fish, meat, alcohol, sour gruel, etc. In the center of the village, one should prepare a fire pit for the rite of pacifying, with five types of sacrificial wood and five types of grain smeared with ghee, and perform a homa offering. This will stop all death-causing demons and accidents. A village, etc., can be protected from being handed over to another owner by simply reciting the mantra.
By reciting the mantra continuously, one will become unassailable by gods, demi-gods, humans, and nāgas.
This king of mantras emerged from the ūrṇā hair between the eyebrows of the venerable lord Buddha at the time of his awakening in order to conquer the four māras. It is therefore called the jewel of the ūrṇā.
To drive away snakes one should scatter gravel that has been incanted, or write the mantra on the wall of a house with incanted chalk. Alternatively, one should engrave the mantra with a chisel on a stone tablet and bury it. That will bind the teeth of wild animals and poisonous snakes in a house, village, or town for [S4] as long as one desires. One breaks the spell by digging it up. This mantra accomplishes all endeavors even when it has not been fully mastered.
All mantras should be written, together with the name of the intended person, in the center of the double vajra surrounded by a maṇḍala of Indra.
By hiding eight splinters from a funeral pyre, incanted seven times, above an entrance door, one will interrupt the livelihood of all who live there. One can break the spell by taking the splinters out.
oṁ nihi nicule abhayaṃkari elu velu śila pa ḍa i jahaṃ pelu āgāsapantharate ha attaṃdhari khili mo ḍi them bhi jakāre jā hi ṭhakāre hi ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ svāhā |
Oṁ nihi, O Niculā who grants fearlessness! Elu velu śila pa ḍa i jahaṃ pelu āgāsapantharate ha attaṃdhari khili mo ḍi them bhi jakāre jā hi ṭhakāre hi ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ svāhā!
This king of mantras accomplishes all the previously mentioned acts even if it is not fully mastered. Moreover, it will accomplish all other tasks that may be desired by the mantrin. Making a homa offering of salt and black mustard, or a chaff homa will certainly put an opposing army to flight.
oṁ ambāsimbāka pyāsu jom mo phe ḍa i du pyāsu |
Oṁ, Ambāsimbāka, pyāsu jom mo phe ḍa i du pyāsu!
This king of mantras will remove all fear in all those who constantly recite it, even before it is fully mastered. By making a tika on one’s forehead with vajra water incanted seven times, one will confuse all of one’s adversaries and appease their anger. If one is imprisoned, constant recitation of it will set one free. When one meets with misfortune, one will be without fear.
eṣotthito hulu hulu jvālājihve hulu hulu yatraivotthito hulu hulu tatraiva pratigacchatu hulu hulu svāhā |
It has arisen; destroy it, destroy! Jvālājihvā, destroy it, destroy! Wherever it has arisen—destroy it, destroy—there you should go—destroy it, destroy! Svāhā! [S5]
This king of mantras brings peace to all those afflicted by the scourge of quarrels and disputes, even when recited just once. Performing a chaff homa will pacify everything. By reciting this mantra over whatever flowers one may find and letting them float on water, one will surely pacify all and gain victory. If a city is on fire, one should stand facing the blaze, incant seven double-handfuls of water and throw them into the fire. Thus one will be able to protect any house one wishes by keeping it safe from the flames. By offering a chaff homa one will pacify epidemics among bipeds and quadrupeds.
oṁ padme padmākṣi padmasubhage phura phura phura |
Oṁ, O lotus-eyed Padmā! You with the beauty of a lotus! Flicker, flicker, flicker!
Having incanted some ash with this mantra, one should apply it to the eyes, making a dressing with it; by wiping the eyes, one will remove blindness. By gazing at an angry person with an eye incanted seven times, one will appease him. To have everybody’s adoration, one should rinse one’s face with water incanted seven times. By writing this mantra, interspersed with the beneficiary’s name, on a wall with chalk, one will cure all eye diseases.
In a place where there are no people, one should one-pointedly incant one’s eyes seven times and stand with a one-pointedly focused mind. In the case of a man, if the left eye throbs, it foretells the successful accomplishment of a task according to his wishes. If the right eye throbs, it announces something bad.
oṁ mocani mocaya mokṣaṇi mokṣaya jīvaṃvarade svāhā |
Oṁ, Mocanī, release! O Mokṣaṇī, set free! O Jīvaṃvaradā, svāhā!
When a pregnant woman’s birth canal is anointed with incanted sesame oil, she will give birth with ease.
Facing a bound person, one should throw seven double-handfuls of incanted water toward him in the three periods of the day. The bound person will then become free from his bondage. One should write this mantra with saffron or bovine orpiment on birchbark, and tie it to the head of someone who is bound; it will release him from bondage.
oṁ harimarkaṭanāmasahasrabāhur devadattaṃ bandhanād mocaya svāhā |
Oṁ, O thousand-armed one called Grey Monkey, please release such-and-such from bondage! Svāhā!
Having incanted a piece of chalk, one should repeatedly write this mantra on the ground and rub it out in the opposite direction. Then a bound person will be freed from bondage. Alternatively, one should write the mantra and the person’s name on a slip of birchbark and wear it on one’s head. Then a bound person will be freed from bondage.
oṁ tāraṇi tāraya mocani mocaya mokṣaṇi mokṣaya jīvaṃvarade svāhā |
Oṁ, Tāraṇī, liberate! Mocanī, release! Mokṣaṇī, set free! Jivaṃvaradā, svāhā! [S6]
This king of mantras, correctly recited, will accomplish all actions.
One should anoint a pregnant woman’s birth canal with sesame oil incanted seven times. Then she will give birth with ease. A pregnant woman will also give birth easily after drinking a handful of water incanted seven times. By reciting the mantra continuously, one will free oneself and others from bondage. Wearing a leaf with the mantra on one’s neck or arm will release one from bondage.
oṁ tāre tu tāre ture mokṣaya jīvaṃvarade svāhā |
Oṁ, Tārā, powerful Tārā, please liberate! O Jivaṃvaradā, svāhā!
This king of mantras accomplishes all previously mentioned actions. One should write this mantra, interwoven with the beneficiary’s name, with saffron on a piece of birchbark, surround it with beeswax, place it inside a new jar filled with scented water, and worship it in the three periods of the day with offerings of fragrant flowers and so forth. The person whose name has been interwoven with the mantra will be victorious in all quarrels and disputes.
One should give the messenger who has arrived a drink of three handfuls of water incanted with this mantra seven times. Then the pregnant woman will give birth with ease.
oṁ amaraṇi jīvantīye svāhā |
Oṁ, Amaraṇī! Svāhā to Jīvantī!
This king of mantras, duly recited, can accomplish all endeavors. After water incanted with it has been drunk, blisters will not appear.
One should incant turmeric, yellow myrobalan, costus, etc., and rub it into a wound caused by a venomous spider, a monkey, or skin eruptions. Then one will become well. At the onset of any type of illness, one will become well by tying a mantra knot.
A person who is about to die will, by reciting the mantra continuously, live one hundred years. By offering a homa of [incanted] sesame and ghee, one will pacify all ailments. By drinking an herbal remedy incanted with this mantra, one will become free from all diseases.
One should besmear an ailing body part with [incanted] butter, clarified one hundred times. Then the part will become well. If one has a headache, one should incant sesame oil and rub it onto one’s head. One will become well.
One should make a dressing of [incanted] water over a festering wound and it will heal. In the case of enlargement of the spleen, one should split an eggplant with an [incanted] machete. This will make the enlargement disappear.
One should bring together a root of the five-leaved chaste tree, a root of the margosa tree, and a peacock’s feather, and incant them one hundred and eight times and add incense. This will cure fevers—a one-, two-, three-, or four-day fever, etc. It will also chase away ghosts, spirits of the deceased, ghouls, gods, and demons.
A woman whose child has died can bring that child back to life by bathing it from a jar incanted with the mantra one hundred and eight times. [S7] A woman who carries this mantra, written on birchbark, on her waist or arm will have her fetus protected.
When one recalls this mantra in battle, one will meet with victory.
By using the mantra for cleansing one will remove all diseases.
oṁ pādacalane svāhā |
Oṁ, Pādacalanā, svāhā!
This king of mantras, when fully mastered, will accomplish all endeavors after the prescribed preliminary practice. When one is in danger of developing the blisters of leprosy, one should drink water incanted with it and the leprosy will not appear. If this mantra is written on a leaf and placed by the door, the leprosy will not come. In all dangers, a homa oblation of sesame mixed with ghee will afford great protection.
One should incant a crow’s wing, holding it in one’s hand. Throwing it onto the roof of any house will then drive out its owner.
oṁ piśācī parṇaśabari sarvopadravanāśani svāhā |
Oṁ, demoness Parṇaśabarī! Remover of all misfortunes, svāhā!
This great mantra removes all misfortunes that afflict bipeds and quadrupeds and accomplishes all endeavors, even when it has not been fully mastered.
A homa offering, mantra recitation, meditation, a mantra knot, a drink of incanted water, or cleansing with incanted water will remove all diseases.
One should write the mantra with turmeric on birchbark and wear it on one’s arm or neck. Thus one will obtain success in business transactions. One will be cured even of the quartan fever and other recurring fevers. One will be rid of the danger of rākṣasas, etc. One will be victorious in quarrels and disputes. One will become invisible to tigers, alligators, mahoragas, thieves, etc. By reciting it non-stop, one will be adored by everyone.
oṁ adya tṛtīyā amukasya cakṣuḥ stambhaya ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ svāhā |
Oṁ, now you are the third. Stabilize the vision of such-and-such a person! Ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ! Svāhā!
On whichever lunar day one’s sight deteriorates, the name of that day should be written with chalk on a wall or a tablet. It should be enclosed three times with three ṭhaḥ syllables. The visual problem will be cured.
oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ |
Oṁ Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, hūṁ phaṭ!
This king of mantras, pronounced once, burns all evil. It affords protection in every way. One will remove the danger of spirits, etc., by pelting them with beans, etc.
Having written this mantra with chalk on a platter, one should hang it by the door. [S8] This will protect newborn babies.
One should make a beeswax effigy, four fingers long, and insert this mantra, written along with the name of the person targeted, into its heart. If one pierces its mouth with a thorn the opponent’s mouth will be nailed. If one pierces its feet, one will stop him moving. If one pierces its heart, it will quell his anger. Whichever body parts one seizes and pierces with a splinter of human shinbone or an iron nail, his equivalent body parts will decay. If one buries the effigy under an enemy’s door, one will drive him out. One can also drive an enemy out by throwing incanted ashes from a charnel ground on the lintel of his door.
Incanting one’s sword will bring victory if one goes into battle.
To fulfil any need need, one should offer a bali, and that need will be fulfilled. Whatever the follower of Mantrayāna desires, whether wholesome or unwholesome, he will accomplish it all merely by reciting the mantra.
oṁ kāśe syanda kuśe syanda syanda tvaṃ śūnyaveśmani mama tvaṃ tathā syanda yathā syandasi vajriṇaḥ svāhā |
Oṁ, flow into the kāśa grass, flow into the kuśa grass, flow into an empty house! Flow for me as you flow for the possessor of the vajra! Svāhā!
For conjunctivitis, relief will come after wiping the eyes.
oṁ jambhe mohe hṛdayahṛdayāvartani hūṁ phaṭ svāhā |
Oṁ, Jambhā, Mohā! You who make one heart turn toward another heart! Hūṁ phaṭ! Svāhā!
By rinsing one’s face with water incanted seven times with this king of mantras early in the morning before crows start to caw, one will be adored by everyone.
When the moon is in the asterism of Puṣya, one should take some lampblack with a garland of white lotuses and cow’s ghee and incant it 108 times. Anyone whose eyes have been anointed with this substance will steal the hearts of all wanton women.
One should blend sandalwood with the root of adhaḥpuṣpikā and make a tika with this substance. When the mantra is incanted 108 times, a capable practitioner will be able to appease others’ anger, and will be victorious in disputes and quarrels. One who recites the mantra continuously according to the ritual will be able to make a city tremble.
oṁ stambhani stambhaya jambhani jambhaya mohani mohaya rakṣaṇi rakṣaya māṁ varade siddhalocane svāhā |
Oṁ, Stambhanī, immobilize! Jambhanī, destroy! Mohanī, delude! Rakṣaṇī, protect me! Varadā, Siddhalocanā, svāhā!
This heart mantra of Locanā will remove all fear.
This was the first chapter in the “Great Sovereign Tantra of Siddhaikavīra.” [S9]
As here follows:
oṁ sara sara siri siri suru suru merumandarapratīkāśa āviśa āviśa kailāsakūṭaputrāya namaḥ svāhā |
Oṁ, run, run! Move, move! Go, go! Become like Mount Meru, become! Homage to the Kailāsakūṭaputra! Svāhā!
Early in the morning, in a clean place, one should draw a maṇḍala, set up a jar, and make generous offerings to the god Vimalacandra. One should incant the mirror and show it to a boy or girl who is well washed, dressed in very clean clothes, anointed with white sandalwood paste and wearing a necklace of sweet-smelling flowers, and uncorrupted by “villagers’ dharma.” Then the mirror will reveal without error what should be done as regards the intended task.
In the evening, one should wipe the top surface of the maṇḍala disk and make generous offerings to the god, lord Vimalacandra. Having made an offering 108 times, one should go to sleep without speaking. The beneficial and harmful results of the task one has in mind will be revealed. To those who recite the mantra continuously, the events taking place in the three worlds will be revealed.
oṁ śravaṇapiśācini muṇḍe svāhā |
Oṁ, Śravaṇapiśācī, Muṇḍā, svāhā! [S10]
If one stands under a belleric myrobalan tree or under a banyan tree and silently recites the mantra 100,000 times, one will attain success. Muṇḍā, whispering in one’s ear, will recount all that is happening in the three worlds. Alternatively, bathed and dressed in clean clothes, one should recite it 10,000 times in a secluded place. Then one will attain success.
At night, one should incant costus root 108 times. Then, having anointed one’s face and feet with it, one should go to sleep without speaking. It will then be revealed in one’s sleep what will be beneficial and what will not.
oṁ namaḥ saptānāṃ samyaksaṃbuddhakoṭīnām | tadyathā | oṁ cale cule cunde mahāvidye satyavādini varade kathaya kathaya svāhā |
Oṁ, homage to the seven koṭis of perfectly awakened buddhas! Just as here follows, Oṁ, Calā, Culā, Cundā, Mahāvidyā, Satyavādinī, Varadā, speak, speak! Svāhā!
If one follows here the same procedure described for the previous mantra, Calā will reveal things in a mirror, a conch, a candle, or a dish of water. One who recites the mantra silently, after washing his face with water incanted 108 times, will perceive in his sleep what is beneficial and what is not.
oṁ mucili svāhā | mohani svāhā | dantili svāhā |
Oṁ, Mucilī, svāhā! Mohanī, svāhā! Dantilī, svāhā!
This mantra can be mastered by reciting it 10,000 times. One should make generous offerings to the blessed noble lord Avalokiteśvara, wash one’s face with water incanted 108 times, and recite the mantra, having set one’s mind on the task to be accomplished. If one goes to sleep without speaking, one will behold the lord as one’s own body and learn what will be beneficial and what will not.
oṁ prajvala hūṁ phaṭ |
Oṁ, Prajvala! Hūṁ, phaṭ!
This mantra is the heart essence of Lord Lokanātha. One will attain success by reciting it one million times. If one follows here the same ritual described for the previous mantra, it will be revealed in one’s dreams what is beneficial and what is not.
oṁ namaḥ saptānāṃ buddhānām apratihataśāsanānām | tadyathā | oṁ kumārarūpeṇa darśaya darśaya ātmano vibhūtiṃ samudbhāvaya svapnaṃ nivedaya yathābhūtaṃ hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā |
Oṁ, homage to the seven buddhas whose teachings are inviolable! As here follows: Oṁ, show yourself in the form of the Youthful One, show! Manifest your power! Send me a dream to reveal the way things are! Hūṁ, hūṁ! Phaṭ, phaṭ! Svāhā! [S11]
One should make offerings, according to one’s ability, in front of a painting or a statue of venerable Mañjuśrī, or by a memorial that contains his body relics. If one recites the mantra seven hundred times, one will oneself behold the lord in a dream and show him to others, too.
oṁ karṇapiśāci karṇe me kathaya hūṁ phaṭ |
Oṁ, Karṇapiśācī, whisper into my ear! Hūṁ phaṭ!
Beneath a tree inhabited by piśācas, one should observe silence and sit absorbed in the samādhi of conquering the three worlds. Then, one should incant meat, fish, and black plum, and with them prepare a bali. One should recite the mantra in the three periods of the day. On the first day Karṇapiśācī will give a sign. Later, she will come, and one will attain success. From then on, whispering into one’s ear, she will recount all that is happening in the three worlds. After twenty-one days, one will succeed even in killing Brahmā.
oṁ caturbhuja ṣaṇmukha vikṛtānana karṇapiśācīm ākarṣaya hūṁ phaṭ |
Oṁ, the four-armed and six-faced one! You with a contorted face! Please summon Karṇapiśācī! Hūṁ phaṭ!
One should recite [this mantra] in a charnel ground in front of a painting of Yamāntaka. After twenty-one days, Karṇapiśācī will be in one’s control.
oṁ buddha curu curu mārge svāhā |
Oṁ, Buddha! Curu, curu on the path! Svāhā!
In a memorial containing his relics, or in front of the venerable Buddha, one should recite the mantra 10,000 times as preliminary practice. Later, one should make offerings according to one’s ability. At bedtime, one should recite the mantra eight hundred times. One should go to sleep with the following question in one’s mind: “What was my past existence, and what will my future existence be?” In one’s sleep, one will perceive one’s past and future births, there is no doubt.
If one is to die within six months, then in one’s dream one will not be able to see one’s own head or those of others. Similarly, a boy or a girl whom one sees in an incanted mirror with his or her head invisible will die within six months.
One should make an unguent from malachite and the root of white agastya tree, incant it 108 times, and smear it on one’s eyes. One will distinctly see without heads all those who are going to die within six months, whether humans or animals.
oṁ svapnavilokini siddhalocane svapnaṃ me kathaya svāhā |
Oṁ, Svapnavilokinī! Siddhalocanā! Interpret my dream for me! Svāhā! [S12]
This king of mantras works with all the methods previously described.
oṁ aditi devadattāṃ me dehi dadāpaya svāhā |
Oṁ, Aditi, give me such-and-such a girl! Please give! Svāhā!
If one recites this mantra surrounded by water, one will be given the girl one has in mind.
One should recite the mantra 100,000 times for each syllable. By offering a homa of priyaṅgu flowers or palāśa flowers one will obtain great splendor.
If one recites this mantra at night while performing a homa using the wood of a milk tree, one will obtain any village for which one performs the homa and recitation.
By performing 100,000 homa rituals with lotuses or bilva fruits, one born into a royal family will obtain the kingdom. Others will obtain great splendor.
When one offers 700,000 homa rituals with any type of flowers, one will obtain inexhaustible wealth.
oṁ jaye vijaye ajite aparājite svāhā |
Oṁ, Jayā, Vijayā, Ajitā, Aparājitā, svāhā!
Reciting this king of the heart mantras of the four sisters 400,000 times, following the same procedures as described previously, will accomplish all the rituals described previously.
oṁ megholkāya svāhā |
Oṁ, svāhā to Megholka!
By offering a homa with flowers of the palāśa tree 100,000 times, using, as an option, firewood from the same tree, one will obtain 100,000 pieces of gold. One who wishes for a girl will soon obtain the one he desires.
oṁ kamalavikāsini kamale mahālakṣmi rājyaṃ me dehi varade svāhā |
Oṁ, Kamalavikāsinī, Kamalā, Mahālakṣmī, give me the kingdom! You who grant boons, svāhā!
This mantra is the essence of Mahālakṣmī. When recited continuously, it will bring enormous glory. By offering a homa of whatever flowers are available, one will obtain great splendor and any girl one desires. By offering 100,000 homas of bdellium pills the size of a kernel of a cotton tree, smeared with the three sweet substances, or 100,000 homas of lotuses, one will obtain a kingdom.
oṁ nandini varade kiṇi kiṇi khiṇi khiṇi śriyaṃ me dada vauṣaṭ |
Oṁ, Nandinī! You who grant boons! Kiṇi, kiṇi! Khiṇi, khiṇi! Give me splendor! Vauṣaṭ!
This king of mantras is the heart essence of Nandinī. It accomplishes all the previously described activities. [S13]
oṁ jambhe mohe svāhā |
Oṁ, Jambhā! Mohā! Svāhā!
This king of mantras brings the fulfillment of wishes when one makes offerings of oleander flowers to the venerable Tārā and recites the mantra 100,000 times for each syllable.
oṁ vasudhāriṇi svāhā | oṁ śrīvasu svāhā | oṁ vasuśriye svāhā | oṁ vasumukhi svāhā | oṁ vasumatiśriye svāhā |
Oṁ, Vasudharā, svāhā! Oṁ, Śrīvasu, svāhā! Oṁ, Vasuśrī, svāhā! Oṁ, Vasumukhī, svāhā! Oṁ, Vasumatiśrī, svāhā!
One should imagine oneself in the form of Jambhala, and visualize in one’s heart, in the center of a moon disk, the goddess Vasudharā, who is of golden color, has two arms, and is adorned with all adornments. In the four directions, starting with the east, she is surrounded by four goddesses. Her right hand is in a boon-granting gesture, and in her left she is holding grain and a cluster of blossoms. Visualizing her like this will bring fulfillment of one’s wishes.
One should draw a four-sided maṇḍala with cow dung, two hands in diameter, and offer sweet-smelling flowers in the three periods of the day. When one has done 4,000 recitations, one’s wishes will become fulfilled within six months.
By offering 400,000 homas of whatever flowers may be available, one will obtain great splendor. By reciting the mantra 100,000 times for each syllable, one will ensure great splendor. After offering 100,000 homas of bdellium pills, one’s wishes will come true.
oṁ vasudhāriṇi amukīṃ kanyāṃ me dehi dadāpaya svāhā |
Oṁ, Vasudharā, give such-and-such girl to me! Cause her to be given to me! Svāhā!
Observing one’s minor vows, one should bathe and, while in the water, recite this mantra 400,000 times. Then one will obtain the girl one desires.
At night, one should do a homa offering 100,000 times with the wood of a milk tree, including [in the mantra] the name of a village. Then one will obtain that village.
oṁ vasudhāriṇi svāhā | oṁ candrakāntyai svāhā | oṁ dattāyai svāhā | oṁ vasudattāyai svāhā | oṁ āryāyai svāhā | oṁ subhadrāyai svāhā | oṁ guptāyai svāhā | oṁ devyai svāhā | oṁ sarasvatyai svāhā |
Oṁ Vasudharā, svāhā! Oṁ, svāhā to Candrakāntī! Oṁ, svāhā to Dattā! Oṁ, svāhā to Vasudattā! Oṁ, svāhā to Āryā! Oṁ, svāhā to Subhadrā! Oṁ, svāhā to Guptā! Oṁ, svāhā to Devī! Oṁ, svāhā to Sarasvatī!
One should draw Vasudharā on a gold, silver, or copper leaf in the center of an eight-petaled lotus. On its petals, starting from the east, one should draw the great yakṣiṇīs, Candrakāntī, and so forth. One should then enclose it in two leaves and place it in between ghee, honey, and sugar. By following the same procedures as previously described, one will accomplish the tasks previously described. [S14]
oṁ jambhalajalendrāya svāhā |
Oṁ, svāhā to Jambhala, the lord of the waters!
oṁ maṇibhadrāya svāhā | oṁ pūrṇabhadrāya svāhā | oṁ dhanadāya svāhā | oṁ vaiśravaṇāya svāhā |
Oṁ, svāhā to Maṇibhadra! Oṁ, svāhā to Pūrṇabhadra! Oṁ, svāhā to Dhanada! Oṁ, svāhā to Vaiśravaṇa!
The Tantra of Siddhaikavīra is a tantra of ritual and magic. It is a relatively short text extant in numerous Sanskrit manuscripts and in Tibetan translation. Although its precise date is difficult to establish, it is arguably the first text to introduce into the Buddhist pantheon the deity Siddhaikavīra—a white, two-armed form of Mañjuśrī. The tantra is primarily structured around fifty-five mantras, which are collectively introduced by a statement promising all mundane and supramundane attainments, including the ten bodhisattva levels, to a devotee who employs the Siddhaikavīra and, presumably, other Mañjuśrī mantras. Such a devotee is said to become a wish-fulfilling gem, constantly engaged in benefitting beings. Most of the mantras have their own section that includes a description of the rituals for which the mantra is prescribed and a brief description of their effects. This being a tantra of the Kriyā class, the overwhelming majority of its mantras are meant for use in rites of prosperity and wellbeing.
This translation was produced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the text from the Sanskrit, and Andreas Doctor compared the translation against the Tibetan translation contained in the Degé Kangyur and edited the text.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Despite what its title might suggest, the Siddhaikavīratantra (hereafter SEV) is not a tantra of Siddhaikavīra in the same way that, for example, the Hevajratantra is a tantra of Hevajra. Siddhaikavīra is not the main subject, and indeed, excluding the chapter colophons, his name is mentioned in the tantra only three times—and, interestingly, never in a mantra. Nevertheless, Siddhaikavīra is awarded prominence in the text in a short preamble that introduces the SEV and points out the soteriological nature of the mantra of Siddhaikavīra-Arapacana, the forty-first mantra of the fifty-five in this text and the only one that invokes him, setting this mantra somewhat apart from other mantras, most of which have magical and practical applications. The ritual related to this particular mantra requires the visualization of Siddhaikavīra, but even then he is invoked not by the name Siddhaikavīra but as Arapacana. Only one other mantra, addressed to Arkamālinī (Mahāsarasvatī), involves the visualization of Siddhaikavīra.
The deity that can be distilled from the SEV is in essence Mañjuśrī; he is addressed in the traditional homage at the beginning of the tantra under his name of Mañjughoṣa; it is he, under his name Mañjuvajra, who delivers the SEV at the bodhisattva Vajradhara’s request; and Siddhaikavīra, likewise, is none other than Mañjuśrī. In the paragraph following the forty-first mantra, Siddhaikavīra is equated with both Arapacana and Mañjuvajra. Thus, the distribution and juxtaposition of these names throughout the text implies that all these deities are one and the same: Mañjuśrī. One of the lesser-known forms of Mañjuśrī, Siddhaikavīra is also the subject of four sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā (Bhattacharyya 1968) where some of his descriptions correspond in detail to the visualizations given in the SEV—he is a white figure with a blue lotus in his left hand and displaying a boon-granting gesture with his right. In two of these sādhanas he is called Siddhaikavīramañjughoṣa, confirming that he is identical to the deity mentioned in the homage at the beginning of the SEV, Mañjughoṣa.
Being a collection of mantras and their rituals, the SEV introduces the reader to the enchanted world of magical powers that can affect the daily reality of people’s lives and, ultimately, deliver them from the miseries of cyclic existence. Since, however, the SEV is a Kriyā tantra, it is the mantras of magic that predominate in this text. These mantras testify to the richness and versatility of the Buddhist pantheon in this formative period of the Buddhist tantra. The deities being invoked are given a range of evocative names and epithets—the glossary of the names found in this tantra contains more than 100 entries. The appearance in this text of some deities, including Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa and Kurukullā, could be the first anywhere in literary sources, making the SEV a historically important text.
The date of the SEV is very uncertain. As a Kriyā tantra, it could date from as early as the beginning of the Common Era. At the opposite end, its terminus ante quem is set by the date of the Tibetan translation by the great paṇḍit Atīśa (980–1054). It might be not unreasonable to guess, however, that the SEV dates to somewhere between the 7th and the 9th centuries. This tantra is extant in both Sanskrit and in Tibetan. The Sanskrit text has been preserved in many manuscripts held in the National Archives in Kathmandu as well as in several libraries around the world; it has also been edited and published twice, by Janardan Pandey (1998) and then by Nobuo Otsuka (1995). The Tibetan canonical translation found in the Kangyur (Toh 544) is attributed to Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (Atīśa) and Géwai Lodrö. It is also included, together with a commentary by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), in the 19th century collection of practice materials, the Druptap Küntü (sgrub thabs kun btus). That it was the subject of commentary as late as the 19th century indicates that the SEV, despite being a Kriyā tantra, never lost its popularity over time.
The SEV is divided into four chapters of decreasing length. Chapter 1, the longest, contains a mixture of mantras with a variety of applications. They are grouped by their applications and include mantras for controlling weather, warding off enemies, averting disasters, removing fear, pacifying disputes, stopping fires, preventing epidemics, curing diseases, safely delivering a child, releasing one from imprisonment, obtaining long life, and curing leprosy, as well as more general applications for protecting humans and animals from all kinds of trouble, destroying evil, and fulfilling one’s wishes. The deities invoked in this chapter range in their origin from flesh-eating demons, or piśācas, such as Parṇaśabarī, to sambhogakāya deities such as Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa.
Chapter 2 contains two groups of mantras. The first group concerns divination and soothsaying. At the beginning, the qualities of a person to whom the contents of this chapter can be revealed are described and, pertinently, the value and sacredness of truth is stressed. As we read in the invocation to Vimalacandra, one of the gods of divination (2.2-3):
- The world is sustained by truth;
- It is preserved by truth;
- Through truth, it abides in Dharma;
- Truth is eternal as Brahman.
- Truth is the Buddha, the Dharma and the Saṃgha;
- It is the ocean of qualities.
- By these words of truth
- May you swiftly enter the mirror [of divination].
In the original Sanskrit we have a play on words, as the word used for “mirror,” darpaṇa, can also be another name for the mountain of Kubera, itself associated with divination. The rites and methods described aim at ascertaining facts that are normally outside one’s sphere of perception, like possible good or bad outcomes of a particular undertaking, or even the time of someone’s death. The requested knowledge can be revealed in a mirror, in one’s sleep, or in some other way. The deities invoked in divination mantras range from piśācas, such as Karṇapiśācī, to sambhogakāya deities such as Mañjuśrī. The name “Karṇapiśācī” suggests a piśācī who whispers into one’s ear (karṇa), and as may be expected, her mantra requests her to whisper her answers into one’s ear. Other divination deities can have equally suggestive names or epithets, such as Siddhalocanā (Accomplished Vision), Satyavādinī (Speaker of Truth), or Svapnavilokinī (One Who Can See Dreams).
The other group of mantras in this chapter is concerned with obtaining desired things, be it a lover, wealth, or even a kingdom. First is the mantra of mighty Aditi, who, if propitiated in the prescribed manner, can help one obtain a girl, riches, or power. Interestingly, we find a touch of realism here, as the text tells us that one can obtain a kingdom only if one is of royal descent; otherwise one will only obtain “great splendor.” The deities invoked in this section range from yakṣa spirits, such as those in the retinues of Jambhala or Vasudharā, to the mighty Mahālakṣmī or the two deities just mentioned.
Chapter 3 is dedicated to the mantras of deities mainly invoked to increase powers of eloquence, intelligence, memory, and learning. The first two mantras invoke two manifestations of Mañjuśrī, Siddhaikavīra (even though, as discussed above, the mantra invokes him by the name Arapacana) and Vākya. The rituals of the latter can also bestow longevity and other boons. The next few mantras are dedicated to Mañjuśrī’s consort, Mahāsarasvatī; their benefits are the same as those mentioned above. Mahāsarasvatī, here identified with Tārā, is visualized in the form of a young girl whose body has the nature of great compassion and appears “in all the fresh beauty of budding youth.” She can grant all siddhis. The chapter closes with the mantras invoking, again, various forms of Mañjuśrī.
Chapter 4 contains only four mantras—all four used mainly for enthralling. The first two are addressed to the mysterious deity Lavaṇāmbha (Salty Water), whom the SEV associates with Avalokiteśvara. Invoked in the magic of love and seduction, his name could be a metaphor for the thirst that his rituals produce—thirst that can only be quenched by union with the desired person. Next is the mantra of Kurukullā, the goddess with an arrow and bow well known for her enthralling powers. The collection ends with an obscure mantra whose grammar is ambiguous and open to different interpretations. The content of the mantra also seems somewhat inconsistent with the ritual subsequently described. The mantra seems to be addressed to a male deity who governs the movements of the planets and is responsible for timely rain and for bringing prosperity and happiness, and yet the ritual in which it is employed is used to summon a desired woman or man.
As well as being divided into four chapters, the tantra can also be divided into fifty-five sections, each containing one mantra. The content of each section fits a particular pattern. Typically, a section starts with the mantra and is followed by a statement of the mantra’s application and effects, with a description of one or more ritual procedures required to achieve a particular result. To reflect this structure and for easy navigation and reference, we have numbered the mantras in our translation.
There is no clear dividing line in the SEV between Buddhist and Hindu pantheons. Some deities, such as Lakṣmī, would normally be regarded as Hindu, while others, such as Sarasvatī or Kubera, have been shared to a great extent by both religions. Many are exclusively Buddhist. Because of the non-denominational spirit in this world of magic, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether a deity is actually meant to be Buddhist or not, as for example in the case of Gaṇapati, whose form seems to be the favorite for making ritual effigies in some rites, such as the rite for stopping an onslaught by a hostile army.
When translating the names of deities, particularly the names found in mantras, it is not easy to decide whether a given appellation should be interpreted as a proper name or an epithet. When faced with such ambiguities, our translation tends to leave the borderline cases untranslated, with the literal meaning given in the glossary. In some mantras, the deity is addressed only by an epithet or epithets, and we can do no more than guess who this could be. Only the context suggests Tārā, Sarasvatī, etc. In cases where we find a group of names in grammatical apposition, our uncertainty regarding which names in the group are proper names and which are merely epithets is sometimes further confounded by uncertainty about whether a particular mantra addresses one or more deities. We were also faced with many difficulties due to the specific mantra jargon itself, with its strong vernacular influence. Mantric syllables and words that could not be identified have been printed in italics.
As the ritual jargon of the SEV is often incompatible with modern English in terms of semantics and usage, the reader will find that certain English words in our translation have been used in somewhat unconventional ways. For example, the direct object of the verb “to incant,” in our translation, can be not only the mantra but also the object over which the mantra is to be recited, such as a flower, a substance, or a diseased body part. This latter usage was common in English until the mid-20th century, and despite a precedent in modern English as well (the Harry Potter novels), to many readers it may still seem “incorrect.”
Two editions of the Sanskrit text have been used for our translation: Otsuka 1995 and Pandey 1998, as well as the Tibetan text (Toh 544) from the Degé edition of the Kangyur. Folio numbers given in square brackets and preceded by an F refer to the Degé Kangyur, and numbers given in square brackets preceded by an S refer to the page numbers in Pandey’s edition of the Sanskrit.
[S1] Oṁ, homage to Mañjughoṣa!
oṁ kālumelu kālumelu stambhaya śilāvarṣaṃ tuṣāravarṣaṃ ca lucca i lucca i svāhā |
Oṁ, kālumelu kālumelu, stop the hailstorm and snowfall, stop, stop! Svāhā!
This king of mantras, when correctly recited, will stop a hailstorm. Merely to remember it, using incanted ashes, can stop snow falling, or make it fall wherever one wishes. In the same way, one can also stop lightning, hurricanes, thunderbolt strikes, etc. [S2]
oṁ garuḍa haṃsa he he cala cala svāhā |
Oṁ, garuḍa! Swan! Hey, hey! Move, move! Svāhā!
The mere thought of this king of mantras will stop a hailstorm. By inscribing it on a kettle drum with chalk and chanting over the drumstick, one can then use the sound of the drum to stop a hailstorm. The same can be done with the sound of a conch, etc.
oṁ he he tiṣṭha tiṣṭha bandha bandha dhāraya dhāraya nirundhaya nirundhaya devadattam ūrṇāmaṇe svāhā |
Oṁ, hey, hey! Remain, remain! Bind, bind! Hold, hold! Restrain such-and-such, restrain! O Ūrṇāmaṇi, svāhā!
One should write the name of the enemy, in combination with this mantra, on a palm leaf, and place it in the burrow of a crab. That will bind the enemy’s mouth. It will also stop others’ evil designs, etc. This king of mantras, when recited 100,000 times according to the procedure of the preliminary practice, will bring success. By merely remembering this mantra one will be able to stop lightning, wind, thunderbolt strikes, hail, snow, and so forth. One will also stop torrential rain.
By using incanted ashes and mustard seeds, one will bind the snouts of mice, the stylets of mosquitoes, etc. This will also stop attacks on a garden or field by birds, worms, locusts, and other pests. One should inscribe this mantra on a rag that has been discarded in a charnel ground, together with the name of a pregnant woman, enclose it in beeswax, place it in a charnel ground in a pot, seal it, and bury it. This will make the woman unable to give birth. Digging it up again, rinsing it with milk, and floating it on water will alleviate the problem.
One should write this mantra on birchbark or cloth with turmeric or yellow orpiment. One should make an effigy using clay from an anthill, and place the mantra, enclosed in beeswax, in the effigy’s heart. One should fill its mouth with ash and bury it. In case of a dispute, one will be able to paralyze the mouth of one’s opponent. Also, in case of a lawsuit, one should incant the tongue of the effigy seven times and pierce it with seven thorns. That will bind the opponent’s mouth.
One should write this mantra on a clay pot with chalk, fill the pot with ashes, seal it, and bury it—that will paralyze the mouths of slanderers. With clay wiped off the hand of a potter, one should make an effigy of a ram, and place in its heart this mantra inscribed on birchbark with turmeric or yellow orpiment, tied up with a yellow string, and enclosed in beeswax. That will put an end to their anger and paralyze their mouths.
When this mantra is written with saffron and worn on one’s neck or arm, one will be able to stop the enemy’s weapons in battle. This king of mantras, placed at the feet of an effigy of Gaṇapati made of clay from an anthill and buried at a crossroads, [S3] will stop all coming and going. It will interrupt all daily activities. When this king of mantras, written on birchbark or cloth and enclosed in beeswax, is put in the Gaṇapati’s abdomen and placed in a new jar filled with cool water, it will stop all daily activities.
While traveling, one will stop thieves and the like by tying a knot on the border of one’s upper garment and recalling the mantra. In a forest, one will stop animals with horns, or those with fangs. By throwing a lump of clay, incanted with this mantra seven times, into water, one will bind the teeth of water animals.
One should write this mantra on a rag from a charnel ground, in combination with the names of the commanders of an opposing army, in the center of a double vajra. Outside the double vajra, one should write eight laṁ syllables, and around the outside of these, one should draw a double maṇḍala of Indra. The mantra should then be placed in the abdomen of a Gaṇapati made of beeswax who is adorned with the double vajra. When it is buried next to an opposing army, it will stop that army.
One should place this mantra, enclosed at both ends by a syllable oṁ flanked by two ṭha syllables, adorned by eight laṁ syllables, covered with a maṇḍala of Indra, and embellished with a double vajra, in the abdomen of the effigy of Gaṇapati made of clay from an anthill. One should then place it in a cremation urn and bury this urn in a cemetery. That will stop an opposing army.
If a city is on fire, one should offer a chaff homa and, facing the fire, throw on seven double handfuls of water, having first incanted it with the mantra. One will then be able to protect any house one wishes.
By tying ashes to one’s neck, one will put an end to vomiting. One should pronounce the mantra while firmly pressing the tip of one’s little finger; that will stop hiccups. With incanted ash one can cure blindness.
When afflicted with blistering leprosy, one should draw a cirikā on a piece of cloth. Placed at any doorstep, it will prevent diseases such as blistering leprosy in that house.
Outside a village one should offer a great bali of fish, meat, alcohol, sour gruel, etc. In the center of the village, one should prepare a fire pit for the rite of pacifying, with five types of sacrificial wood and five types of grain smeared with ghee, and perform a homa offering. This will stop all death-causing demons and accidents. A village, etc., can be protected from being handed over to another owner by simply reciting the mantra.
By reciting the mantra continuously, one will become unassailable by gods, demi-gods, humans, and nāgas.
This king of mantras emerged from the ūrṇā hair between the eyebrows of the venerable lord Buddha at the time of his awakening in order to conquer the four māras. It is therefore called the jewel of the ūrṇā.
To drive away snakes one should scatter gravel that has been incanted, or write the mantra on the wall of a house with incanted chalk. Alternatively, one should engrave the mantra with a chisel on a stone tablet and bury it. That will bind the teeth of wild animals and poisonous snakes in a house, village, or town for [S4] as long as one desires. One breaks the spell by digging it up. This mantra accomplishes all endeavors even when it has not been fully mastered.
All mantras should be written, together with the name of the intended person, in the center of the double vajra surrounded by a maṇḍala of Indra.
By hiding eight splinters from a funeral pyre, incanted seven times, above an entrance door, one will interrupt the livelihood of all who live there. One can break the spell by taking the splinters out.
oṁ nihi nicule abhayaṃkari elu velu śila pa ḍa i jahaṃ pelu āgāsapantharate ha attaṃdhari khili mo ḍi them bhi jakāre jā hi ṭhakāre hi ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ svāhā |
Oṁ nihi, O Niculā who grants fearlessness! Elu velu śila pa ḍa i jahaṃ pelu āgāsapantharate ha attaṃdhari khili mo ḍi them bhi jakāre jā hi ṭhakāre hi ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ svāhā!
This king of mantras accomplishes all the previously mentioned acts even if it is not fully mastered. Moreover, it will accomplish all other tasks that may be desired by the mantrin. Making a homa offering of salt and black mustard, or a chaff homa will certainly put an opposing army to flight.
oṁ ambāsimbāka pyāsu jom mo phe ḍa i du pyāsu |
Oṁ, Ambāsimbāka, pyāsu jom mo phe ḍa i du pyāsu!
This king of mantras will remove all fear in all those who constantly recite it, even before it is fully mastered. By making a tika on one’s forehead with vajra water incanted seven times, one will confuse all of one’s adversaries and appease their anger. If one is imprisoned, constant recitation of it will set one free. When one meets with misfortune, one will be without fear.
eṣotthito hulu hulu jvālājihve hulu hulu yatraivotthito hulu hulu tatraiva pratigacchatu hulu hulu svāhā |
It has arisen; destroy it, destroy! Jvālājihvā, destroy it, destroy! Wherever it has arisen—destroy it, destroy—there you should go—destroy it, destroy! Svāhā! [S5]
This king of mantras brings peace to all those afflicted by the scourge of quarrels and disputes, even when recited just once. Performing a chaff homa will pacify everything. By reciting this mantra over whatever flowers one may find and letting them float on water, one will surely pacify all and gain victory. If a city is on fire, one should stand facing the blaze, incant seven double-handfuls of water and throw them into the fire. Thus one will be able to protect any house one wishes by keeping it safe from the flames. By offering a chaff homa one will pacify epidemics among bipeds and quadrupeds.
oṁ padme padmākṣi padmasubhage phura phura phura |
Oṁ, O lotus-eyed Padmā! You with the beauty of a lotus! Flicker, flicker, flicker!
Having incanted some ash with this mantra, one should apply it to the eyes, making a dressing with it; by wiping the eyes, one will remove blindness. By gazing at an angry person with an eye incanted seven times, one will appease him. To have everybody’s adoration, one should rinse one’s face with water incanted seven times. By writing this mantra, interspersed with the beneficiary’s name, on a wall with chalk, one will cure all eye diseases.
In a place where there are no people, one should one-pointedly incant one’s eyes seven times and stand with a one-pointedly focused mind. In the case of a man, if the left eye throbs, it foretells the successful accomplishment of a task according to his wishes. If the right eye throbs, it announces something bad.
oṁ mocani mocaya mokṣaṇi mokṣaya jīvaṃvarade svāhā |
Oṁ, Mocanī, release! O Mokṣaṇī, set free! O Jīvaṃvaradā, svāhā!
When a pregnant woman’s birth canal is anointed with incanted sesame oil, she will give birth with ease.
Facing a bound person, one should throw seven double-handfuls of incanted water toward him in the three periods of the day. The bound person will then become free from his bondage. One should write this mantra with saffron or bovine orpiment on birchbark, and tie it to the head of someone who is bound; it will release him from bondage.
oṁ harimarkaṭanāmasahasrabāhur devadattaṃ bandhanād mocaya svāhā |
Oṁ, O thousand-armed one called Grey Monkey, please release such-and-such from bondage! Svāhā!
Having incanted a piece of chalk, one should repeatedly write this mantra on the ground and rub it out in the opposite direction. Then a bound person will be freed from bondage. Alternatively, one should write the mantra and the person’s name on a slip of birchbark and wear it on one’s head. Then a bound person will be freed from bondage.
oṁ tāraṇi tāraya mocani mocaya mokṣaṇi mokṣaya jīvaṃvarade svāhā |
Oṁ, Tāraṇī, liberate! Mocanī, release! Mokṣaṇī, set free! Jivaṃvaradā, svāhā! [S6]
This king of mantras, correctly recited, will accomplish all actions.
One should anoint a pregnant woman’s birth canal with sesame oil incanted seven times. Then she will give birth with ease. A pregnant woman will also give birth easily after drinking a handful of water incanted seven times. By reciting the mantra continuously, one will free oneself and others from bondage. Wearing a leaf with the mantra on one’s neck or arm will release one from bondage.
oṁ tāre tu tāre ture mokṣaya jīvaṃvarade svāhā |
Oṁ, Tārā, powerful Tārā, please liberate! O Jivaṃvaradā, svāhā!
This king of mantras accomplishes all previously mentioned actions. One should write this mantra, interwoven with the beneficiary’s name, with saffron on a piece of birchbark, surround it with beeswax, place it inside a new jar filled with scented water, and worship it in the three periods of the day with offerings of fragrant flowers and so forth. The person whose name has been interwoven with the mantra will be victorious in all quarrels and disputes.
One should give the messenger who has arrived a drink of three handfuls of water incanted with this mantra seven times. Then the pregnant woman will give birth with ease.
oṁ amaraṇi jīvantīye svāhā |
Oṁ, Amaraṇī! Svāhā to Jīvantī!
This king of mantras, duly recited, can accomplish all endeavors. After water incanted with it has been drunk, blisters will not appear.
One should incant turmeric, yellow myrobalan, costus, etc., and rub it into a wound caused by a venomous spider, a monkey, or skin eruptions. Then one will become well. At the onset of any type of illness, one will become well by tying a mantra knot.
A person who is about to die will, by reciting the mantra continuously, live one hundred years. By offering a homa of [incanted] sesame and ghee, one will pacify all ailments. By drinking an herbal remedy incanted with this mantra, one will become free from all diseases.
One should besmear an ailing body part with [incanted] butter, clarified one hundred times. Then the part will become well. If one has a headache, one should incant sesame oil and rub it onto one’s head. One will become well.
One should make a dressing of [incanted] water over a festering wound and it will heal. In the case of enlargement of the spleen, one should split an eggplant with an [incanted] machete. This will make the enlargement disappear.
One should bring together a root of the five-leaved chaste tree, a root of the margosa tree, and a peacock’s feather, and incant them one hundred and eight times and add incense. This will cure fevers—a one-, two-, three-, or four-day fever, etc. It will also chase away ghosts, spirits of the deceased, ghouls, gods, and demons.
A woman whose child has died can bring that child back to life by bathing it from a jar incanted with the mantra one hundred and eight times. [S7] A woman who carries this mantra, written on birchbark, on her waist or arm will have her fetus protected.
When one recalls this mantra in battle, one will meet with victory.
By using the mantra for cleansing one will remove all diseases.
oṁ pādacalane svāhā |
Oṁ, Pādacalanā, svāhā!
This king of mantras, when fully mastered, will accomplish all endeavors after the prescribed preliminary practice. When one is in danger of developing the blisters of leprosy, one should drink water incanted with it and the leprosy will not appear. If this mantra is written on a leaf and placed by the door, the leprosy will not come. In all dangers, a homa oblation of sesame mixed with ghee will afford great protection.
One should incant a crow’s wing, holding it in one’s hand. Throwing it onto the roof of any house will then drive out its owner.
oṁ piśācī parṇaśabari sarvopadravanāśani svāhā |
Oṁ, demoness Parṇaśabarī! Remover of all misfortunes, svāhā!
This great mantra removes all misfortunes that afflict bipeds and quadrupeds and accomplishes all endeavors, even when it has not been fully mastered.
A homa offering, mantra recitation, meditation, a mantra knot, a drink of incanted water, or cleansing with incanted water will remove all diseases.
One should write the mantra with turmeric on birchbark and wear it on one’s arm or neck. Thus one will obtain success in business transactions. One will be cured even of the quartan fever and other recurring fevers. One will be rid of the danger of rākṣasas, etc. One will be victorious in quarrels and disputes. One will become invisible to tigers, alligators, mahoragas, thieves, etc. By reciting it non-stop, one will be adored by everyone.
oṁ adya tṛtīyā amukasya cakṣuḥ stambhaya ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ svāhā |
Oṁ, now you are the third. Stabilize the vision of such-and-such a person! Ṭhaḥ ṭhaḥ! Svāhā!
On whichever lunar day one’s sight deteriorates, the name of that day should be written with chalk on a wall or a tablet. It should be enclosed three times with three ṭhaḥ syllables. The visual problem will be cured.
oṁ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṁ phaṭ |
Oṁ Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, hūṁ phaṭ!
This king of mantras, pronounced once, burns all evil. It affords protection in every way. One will remove the danger of spirits, etc., by pelting them with beans, etc.
Having written this mantra with chalk on a platter, one should hang it by the door. [S8] This will protect newborn babies.
One should make a beeswax effigy, four fingers long, and insert this mantra, written along with the name of the person targeted, into its heart. If one pierces its mouth with a thorn the opponent’s mouth will be nailed. If one pierces its feet, one will stop him moving. If one pierces its heart, it will quell his anger. Whichever body parts one seizes and pierces with a splinter of human shinbone or an iron nail, his equivalent body parts will decay. If one buries the effigy under an enemy’s door, one will drive him out. One can also drive an enemy out by throwing incanted ashes from a charnel ground on the lintel of his door.
Incanting one’s sword will bring victory if one goes into battle.
To fulfil any need need, one should offer a bali, and that need will be fulfilled. Whatever the follower of Mantrayāna desires, whether wholesome or unwholesome, he will accomplish it all merely by reciting the mantra.
oṁ kāśe syanda kuśe syanda syanda tvaṃ śūnyaveśmani mama tvaṃ tathā syanda yathā syandasi vajriṇaḥ svāhā |
Oṁ, flow into the kāśa grass, flow into the kuśa grass, flow into an empty house! Flow for me as you flow for the possessor of the vajra! Svāhā!
For conjunctivitis, relief will come after wiping the eyes.
oṁ jambhe mohe hṛdayahṛdayāvartani hūṁ phaṭ svāhā |
Oṁ, Jambhā, Mohā! You who make one heart turn toward another heart! Hūṁ phaṭ! Svāhā!
By rinsing one’s face with water incanted seven times with this king of mantras early in the morning before crows start to caw, one will be adored by everyone.
When the moon is in the asterism of Puṣya, one should take some lampblack with a garland of white lotuses and cow’s ghee and incant it 108 times. Anyone whose eyes have been anointed with this substance will steal the hearts of all wanton women.
One should blend sandalwood with the root of adhaḥpuṣpikā and make a tika with this substance. When the mantra is incanted 108 times, a capable practitioner will be able to appease others’ anger, and will be victorious in disputes and quarrels. One who recites the mantra continuously according to the ritual will be able to make a city tremble.
oṁ stambhani stambhaya jambhani jambhaya mohani mohaya rakṣaṇi rakṣaya māṁ varade siddhalocane svāhā |
Oṁ, Stambhanī, immobilize! Jambhanī, destroy! Mohanī, delude! Rakṣaṇī, protect me! Varadā, Siddhalocanā, svāhā!
This heart mantra of Locanā will remove all fear.
This was the first chapter in the “Great Sovereign Tantra of Siddhaikavīra.” [S9]
As here follows:
oṁ sara sara siri siri suru suru merumandarapratīkāśa āviśa āviśa kailāsakūṭaputrāya namaḥ svāhā |
Oṁ, run, run! Move, move! Go, go! Become like Mount Meru, become! Homage to the Kailāsakūṭaputra! Svāhā!
Early in the morning, in a clean place, one should draw a maṇḍala, set up a jar, and make generous offerings to the god Vimalacandra. One should incant the mirror and show it to a boy or girl who is well washed, dressed in very clean clothes, anointed with white sandalwood paste and wearing a necklace of sweet-smelling flowers, and uncorrupted by “villagers’ dharma.” Then the mirror will reveal without error what should be done as regards the intended task.
In the evening, one should wipe the top surface of the maṇḍala disk and make generous offerings to the god, lord Vimalacandra. Having made an offering 108 times, one should go to sleep without speaking. The beneficial and harmful results of the task one has in mind will be revealed. To those who recite the mantra continuously, the events taking place in the three worlds will be revealed.
oṁ śravaṇapiśācini muṇḍe svāhā |
Oṁ, Śravaṇapiśācī, Muṇḍā, svāhā! [S10]
If one stands under a belleric myrobalan tree or under a banyan tree and silently recites the mantra 100,000 times, one will attain success. Muṇḍā, whispering in one’s ear, will recount all that is happening in the three worlds. Alternatively, bathed and dressed in clean clothes, one should recite it 10,000 times in a secluded place. Then one will attain success.
At night, one should incant costus root 108 times. Then, having anointed one’s face and feet with it, one should go to sleep without speaking. It will then be revealed in one’s sleep what will be beneficial and what will not.
oṁ namaḥ saptānāṃ samyaksaṃbuddhakoṭīnām | tadyathā | oṁ cale cule cunde mahāvidye satyavādini varade kathaya kathaya svāhā |
Oṁ, homage to the seven koṭis of perfectly awakened buddhas! Just as here follows, Oṁ, Calā, Culā, Cundā, Mahāvidyā, Satyavādinī, Varadā, speak, speak! Svāhā!
If one follows here the same procedure described for the previous mantra, Calā will reveal things in a mirror, a conch, a candle, or a dish of water. One who recites the mantra silently, after washing his face with water incanted 108 times, will perceive in his sleep what is beneficial and what is not.
oṁ mucili svāhā | mohani svāhā | dantili svāhā |
Oṁ, Mucilī, svāhā! Mohanī, svāhā! Dantilī, svāhā!
This mantra can be mastered by reciting it 10,000 times. One should make generous offerings to the blessed noble lord Avalokiteśvara, wash one’s face with water incanted 108 times, and recite the mantra, having set one’s mind on the task to be accomplished. If one goes to sleep without speaking, one will behold the lord as one’s own body and learn what will be beneficial and what will not.
oṁ prajvala hūṁ phaṭ |
Oṁ, Prajvala! Hūṁ, phaṭ!
This mantra is the heart essence of Lord Lokanātha. One will attain success by reciting it one million times. If one follows here the same ritual described for the previous mantra, it will be revealed in one’s dreams what is beneficial and what is not.
oṁ namaḥ saptānāṃ buddhānām apratihataśāsanānām | tadyathā | oṁ kumārarūpeṇa darśaya darśaya ātmano vibhūtiṃ samudbhāvaya svapnaṃ nivedaya yathābhūtaṃ hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā |
Oṁ, homage to the seven buddhas whose teachings are inviolable! As here follows: Oṁ, show yourself in the form of the Youthful One, show! Manifest your power! Send me a dream to reveal the way things are! Hūṁ, hūṁ! Phaṭ, phaṭ! Svāhā! [S11]
One should make offerings, according to one’s ability, in front of a painting or a statue of venerable Mañjuśrī, or by a memorial that contains his body relics. If one recites the mantra seven hundred times, one will oneself behold the lord in a dream and show him to others, too.
oṁ karṇapiśāci karṇe me kathaya hūṁ phaṭ |
Oṁ, Karṇapiśācī, whisper into my ear! Hūṁ phaṭ!
Beneath a tree inhabited by piśācas, one should observe silence and sit absorbed in the samādhi of conquering the three worlds. Then, one should incant meat, fish, and black plum, and with them prepare a bali. One should recite the mantra in the three periods of the day. On the first day Karṇapiśācī will give a sign. Later, she will come, and one will attain success. From then on, whispering into one’s ear, she will recount all that is happening in the three worlds. After twenty-one days, one will succeed even in killing Brahmā.
oṁ caturbhuja ṣaṇmukha vikṛtānana karṇapiśācīm ākarṣaya hūṁ phaṭ |
Oṁ, the four-armed and six-faced one! You with a contorted face! Please summon Karṇapiśācī! Hūṁ phaṭ!
One should recite [this mantra] in a charnel ground in front of a painting of Yamāntaka. After twenty-one days, Karṇapiśācī will be in one’s control.
oṁ buddha curu curu mārge svāhā |
Oṁ, Buddha! Curu, curu on the path! Svāhā!
In a memorial containing his relics, or in front of the venerable Buddha, one should recite the mantra 10,000 times as preliminary practice. Later, one should make offerings according to one’s ability. At bedtime, one should recite the mantra eight hundred times. One should go to sleep with the following question in one’s mind: “What was my past existence, and what will my future existence be?” In one’s sleep, one will perceive one’s past and future births, there is no doubt.
If one is to die within six months, then in one’s dream one will not be able to see one’s own head or those of others. Similarly, a boy or a girl whom one sees in an incanted mirror with his or her head invisible will die within six months.
One should make an unguent from malachite and the root of white agastya tree, incant it 108 times, and smear it on one’s eyes. One will distinctly see without heads all those who are going to die within six months, whether humans or animals.
oṁ svapnavilokini siddhalocane svapnaṃ me kathaya svāhā |
Oṁ, Svapnavilokinī! Siddhalocanā! Interpret my dream for me! Svāhā! [S12]
This king of mantras works with all the methods previously described.
oṁ aditi devadattāṃ me dehi dadāpaya svāhā |
Oṁ, Aditi, give me such-and-such a girl! Please give! Svāhā!
If one recites this mantra surrounded by water, one will be given the girl one has in mind.
One should recite the mantra 100,000 times for each syllable. By offering a homa of priyaṅgu flowers or palāśa flowers one will obtain great splendor.
If one recites this mantra at night while performing a homa using the wood of a milk tree, one will obtain any village for which one performs the homa and recitation.
By performing 100,000 homa rituals with lotuses or bilva fruits, one born into a royal family will obtain the kingdom. Others will obtain great splendor.
When one offers 700,000 homa rituals with any type of flowers, one will obtain inexhaustible wealth.
oṁ jaye vijaye ajite aparājite svāhā |
Oṁ, Jayā, Vijayā, Ajitā, Aparājitā, svāhā!
Reciting this king of the heart mantras of the four sisters 400,000 times, following the same procedures as described previously, will accomplish all the rituals described previously.
oṁ megholkāya svāhā |
Oṁ, svāhā to Megholka!
By offering a homa with flowers of the palāśa tree 100,000 times, using, as an option, firewood from the same tree, one will obtain 100,000 pieces of gold. One who wishes for a girl will soon obtain the one he desires.
oṁ kamalavikāsini kamale mahālakṣmi rājyaṃ me dehi varade svāhā |
Oṁ, Kamalavikāsinī, Kamalā, Mahālakṣmī, give me the kingdom! You who grant boons, svāhā!
This mantra is the essence of Mahālakṣmī. When recited continuously, it will bring enormous glory. By offering a homa of whatever flowers are available, one will obtain great splendor and any girl one desires. By offering 100,000 homas of bdellium pills the size of a kernel of a cotton tree, smeared with the three sweet substances, or 100,000 homas of lotuses, one will obtain a kingdom.
oṁ nandini varade kiṇi kiṇi khiṇi khiṇi śriyaṃ me dada vauṣaṭ |
Oṁ, Nandinī! You who grant boons! Kiṇi, kiṇi! Khiṇi, khiṇi! Give me splendor! Vauṣaṭ!
This king of mantras is the heart essence of Nandinī. It accomplishes all the previously described activities. [S13]
oṁ jambhe mohe svāhā |
Oṁ, Jambhā! Mohā! Svāhā!
This king of mantras brings the fulfillment of wishes when one makes offerings of oleander flowers to the venerable Tārā and recites the mantra 100,000 times for each syllable.
oṁ vasudhāriṇi svāhā | oṁ śrīvasu svāhā | oṁ vasuśriye svāhā | oṁ vasumukhi svāhā | oṁ vasumatiśriye svāhā |
Oṁ, Vasudharā, svāhā! Oṁ, Śrīvasu, svāhā! Oṁ, Vasuśrī, svāhā! Oṁ, Vasumukhī, svāhā! Oṁ, Vasumatiśrī, svāhā!
One should imagine oneself in the form of Jambhala, and visualize in one’s heart, in the center of a moon disk, the goddess Vasudharā, who is of golden color, has two arms, and is adorned with all adornments. In the four directions, starting with the east, she is surrounded by four goddesses. Her right hand is in a boon-granting gesture, and in her left she is holding grain and a cluster of blossoms. Visualizing her like this will bring fulfillment of one’s wishes.
One should draw a four-sided maṇḍala with cow dung, two hands in diameter, and offer sweet-smelling flowers in the three periods of the day. When one has done 4,000 recitations, one’s wishes will become fulfilled within six months.
By offering 400,000 homas of whatever flowers may be available, one will obtain great splendor. By reciting the mantra 100,000 times for each syllable, one will ensure great splendor. After offering 100,000 homas of bdellium pills, one’s wishes will come true.
oṁ vasudhāriṇi amukīṃ kanyāṃ me dehi dadāpaya svāhā |
Oṁ, Vasudharā, give such-and-such girl to me! Cause her to be given to me! Svāhā!
Observing one’s minor vows, one should bathe and, while in the water, recite this mantra 400,000 times. Then one will obtain the girl one desires.
At night, one should do a homa offering 100,000 times with the wood of a milk tree, including [in the mantra] the name of a village. Then one will obtain that village.
oṁ vasudhāriṇi svāhā | oṁ candrakāntyai svāhā | oṁ dattāyai svāhā | oṁ vasudattāyai svāhā | oṁ āryāyai svāhā | oṁ subhadrāyai svāhā | oṁ guptāyai svāhā | oṁ devyai svāhā | oṁ sarasvatyai svāhā |
Oṁ Vasudharā, svāhā! Oṁ, svāhā to Candrakāntī! Oṁ, svāhā to Dattā! Oṁ, svāhā to Vasudattā! Oṁ, svāhā to Āryā! Oṁ, svāhā to Subhadrā! Oṁ, svāhā to Guptā! Oṁ, svāhā to Devī! Oṁ, svāhā to Sarasvatī!
One should draw Vasudharā on a gold, silver, or copper leaf in the center of an eight-petaled lotus. On its petals, starting from the east, one should draw the great yakṣiṇīs, Candrakāntī, and so forth. One should then enclose it in two leaves and place it in between ghee, honey, and sugar. By following the same procedures as previously described, one will accomplish the tasks previously described. [S14]
oṁ jambhalajalendrāya svāhā |
Oṁ, svāhā to Jambhala, the lord of the waters!
oṁ maṇibhadrāya svāhā | oṁ pūrṇabhadrāya svāhā | oṁ dhanadāya svāhā | oṁ vaiśravaṇāya svāhā |
Oṁ, svāhā to Maṇibhadra! Oṁ, svāhā to Pūrṇabhadra! Oṁ, svāhā to Dhanada! Oṁ, svāhā to Vaiśravaṇa!