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Hidas (2019), pp. 11–18. The fact that the mantras and vidyāmantras contained in these texts comprise, as far as this can be judged on the basis of the transliterations preserved in the Tibetan translations, forms of Middle Indic dialect, further supports the hypothesis that these spells originated in a pan-Indian cultural milieu.
It is possible that dran pa (“recollection”) should be emended to drag pa (“wrathful”), which would accord with the latter half of the text and with Toh 761. Nevertheless, we did not find such a variant attested in any of the consulted editions which would support this reading and, thus, we have translated as it appears in the text. Alternatively to the above translation, one may also translate this passage as “Blessed One, please bestow a teaching to keep in mind.”
The translation of smad lnga is tentative. This line would appear to be the only place where the term appears in the Kangyur. The term smad lnga also appears in the Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa’s A Feast for Scholars (mkhas pa’i dga’ ston) in a similar context of making thunderbolts shower down upon one’s enemies.
The meaning of ’bar li ti is uncertain. We have rendered it as “black mustard seeds,” given the parallels with Toh 761.
A class of nonhuman beings believed to cause epilepsy, fits, and loss of memory. As their name suggests—the Skt. apasmāra literally means “without memory” and the Tib. brjed byed means “causing forgetfulness”—they are defined by the condition they cause in affected humans, and the term can refer to any nonhuman being that causes such conditions, whether a bhūta, a piśāca, or other.
A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).
The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns—like other ascetics of the time—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.
In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).
The term bhikṣuṇī, often translated as “nun,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term bhikṣu (to which the female grammatical ending ṇī is added) literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist nuns and monks—like other ascetics of the time—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a bhikṣuṇī follows 364 rules and a bhikṣu follows 253 rules as part of their moral discipline.
For the first few years of the Buddha’s teachings in India, there was no ordination for women. It started at the persistent request and display of determination of Mahāprajāpatī, the Buddha’s stepmother and aunt, together with five hundred former wives of men of Kapilavastu, who had themselves become monks. Mahāprajāpatī is thus considered to be the founder of the nun’s order.
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
Sons of the goddess Diti.
The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula—that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.
The fourfold assembly comprises monks, nuns, and female and male lay practitioners.
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.
When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.
A cave on Vaidehaka Mountain.
A reference to, or epithet of, the garuḍas, on account of their sharp beaks.
The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.
An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.
This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhrakūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.
A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.
A class of nonhuman beings that, like several other classes of nonhuman beings, take spontaneous birth. Ranking below rākṣasas, they are less powerful and more akin to pretas. They are said to dwell in impure and perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh. This could account for the name piśāca, which possibly derives from √piś, to carve or chop meat, as reflected also in the Tibetan sha za, “meat eater.” They are often described as having an unpleasant appearance, and at times they appear with animal bodies. Some possess the ability to enter the dead bodies of humans, thereby becoming so-called vetāla, to touch whom is fatal.
An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.
A smaller form of the kīla.
A renunciant who lives his life as a mendicant. More specifically, within the monastic tradition, it can also mean a novice monk who, in the Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda monastic tradition, takes thirty-six vows.
Within the Buddhist tradition, it means a novice nun who, in the Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda monastic tradition, takes thirty-six vows.
A class of nonhuman beings who are said to cause mental illness.
Lay male devotees who uphold the five precepts.
Lay female devotees who uphold the five precepts.
A mountain in Videha.
’phags pa lcags mchu zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Āryalohatuṇḍanāmadhāraṇī). Toh 761, Degé Kangyur vol. 96 (rgyud ’bum, wa) folios 52.a–53.a. English translation The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [1] 2025.
’phags pa lcags mchu zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Āryalohatuṇḍanāmadhāraṇī). Toh 762, Degé Kangyur vol. 96 (rgyud ’bum, wa) folios 53.a–54.b.
’phags pa thams cad la mi ’jigs pa rab tu sbyin pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Āryasarvābhayapradānāmadhāraṇī). Toh 609, Degé Kangyur vol. 91 (rgyud ’bum, ba) folios 41.b–43.a. English translation The Dhāraṇī That Fully Confers Freedom From All Dangers 2025.
’phags pa thams cad la mi ’jigs pa rab tu sbyin pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Āryasarvābhayapradānāmadhāraṇī). Toh 925, Degé Kangyur vol. 100 (gzungs ’dus, e) folios 271.a–272.b.
’phags pa lcags mchu zhes bya ba’i gzungs. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 96, pp. 170–75.
’phags pa lcags mchu zhes bya ba’i gzungs. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 96, pp. 176–79.
’phags pa thams cad la mi ’jigs pa rab tu sbyin pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 91, pp. 132–37.
’phags pa thams cad la mi ’jigs pa rab tu sbyin pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 97, pp. 822–27.
’phags pa lcags mchu zhes bya ba’i gzungs. Stok Palace Manuscript Kangyur, vol. 105 (rgyud, tsha), folios 198.b–200.a.
’phags pa lcags mchu zhes bya ba’i gzungs. Stok Palace Manuscript Kangyur, vol. 105 (rgyud, tsha), folios 200.a–201.b.
’phags pa thams cad la mi ’jigs pa rab tu sbyin pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs. Stok Palace Manuscript Kangyur, vol. 104 (rgyud, pa), folios 384.a–386.a.
84000. The Dhāraṇī That Fully Confers Freedom From All Dangers (Sarvābhayapradādhāraṇī, mi ’jigs pa rab tu sbyin pa’i gzungs, Toh 609/925). Translated by Lowell Cook. Online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
84000. The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [1] (Lohatuṇḍadhāraṇī, lcags mchu’i gzungs, Toh 761). Translated by Lowell Cook. Online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
Hidas, Gergely. A Buddhist Ritual Manual on Agriculture: Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja – Critical Edition. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110621051
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] is the fourth of the “five beak dhāraṇīs” (mchu sde lnga, Toh 759–763) and among the few scriptures in the Degé Kangyur concerned with weather control practices. In Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain, Śakra requests the Buddha for a teaching with which to guard against the asuras and protect the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha then recites the dhāraṇī formula in two parts along with a brief nāga subduing, weather control ritual. The benefits of the performance of this text include keeping the Buddhist teachings and practitioners safe from harm and ensuring proper rainfall for bountiful harvests.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. Lowell Cook produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Torsten Gerloff edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] is the fourth of the “five beak dhāraṇīs” (mchu sde lnga, Toh 759–763), a cycle of texts related to the garuḍas, a race of eagle-like birds in Indian mythology. The word tuṇḍa or “beak” in the titles is a reference to the garuḍas’ sharp, owl-like beaks which they use for hunting nāgas, a class of snake-like beings associated with, among other things, weather patterns and rainfall. The dhāraṇī of the iron beak is thus a threatening spell used to coerce the nāgas into providing rainfall for favorable agriculture. The cycle of the five beak dhāraṇīs is, along with the Great Cloud sūtras (Mahāmegha, Toh 232-235), among the few scriptures in the Degé Kangyur concerned with weather control practices.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] takes place in Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain. There, Śakra requests the Buddha for a teaching with which to subdue asuras—the famed adversaries of the devas—and other beings who harm the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha instructs Śakra to employ the dhāraṇī of the iron beak, which has the dual purpose of averting harm to the Buddhist teachings and controlling weather. This dual interest in agrarian concerns and protecting Buddhism might suggest that the dhāraṇī was originally a pan-Indian agricultural ritual spell that was later brought into the Buddhist fold, especially when we consider how rain rituals for good harvests have been a widespread concern of Indian religions since time immemorial. After the Buddha recites the dhāraṇī in two parts, he provides brief ritual instructions on subduing nāgas with a small stake (kīlaka) and controlling the weather. The Buddha’s discourse comes to a close with Śakra rejoicing.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] shares an identical title with another translation in the Degé Kangyur, Toh 761, which immediately precedes it. Furthermore, these two texts share a great deal of intertextuality with The Dhāraṇī That Fully Confers Freedom From Dangers (Toh 609/925). These three works share an identical narrative structure, are set in Indra’s Rock Cave, and feature Śakra as their interlocutor. While the dhāraṇī formulas in Toh 761 and Toh 609/925 are, in most places, nearly in agreement, the much shorter formulas found in Toh 762 are altogether different.
Hidas (2019) dates The Nāga Vow of the Vajra Beak (Vajratuṇḍanāgasamaya, Toh 759/964)—the longest and more central of the five beak dhāraṇīs—to the fifth century
Like much of dhāraṇī literature, this work’s importance lies not in its study but in its ritual performance. As such, the majority of the references to five beak dhāraṇīs we find in later Tibetan literature are not as scriptural citations but rather as a part of larger liturgies, alongside ritual elements such as nāga oblations (klu gtor), or as prescribed by astrological divinations.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] no longer survives in Sanskrit. The dhāraṇī was never translated into Chinese and, beyond its translation as a part of the Mongolian canon, it does not appear to have been translated into any other languages as far as we are aware. The text has also not been the subject of any sustained scholarly research. Our translation was based on the textual witness in the Degé Kangyur. We also consulted variant readings as attested in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) Kangyur as well as the Stok Palace Manuscript (stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was traveling through the land of Magadha when he arrived at a mango grove. At that mango grove, he took up residence in the Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain. Śakra the lord of the devas then appeared before the Blessed One. He bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet, sat to one side, and then Śakra the lord of the devas spoke to the Blessed One as follows.
“Blessed One, the asuras are truly the long-time adversaries of the devas. With regard to it, Blessed One, please bestow a teaching on recollection. Please give a teaching that will serve as a method for the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, śrāmaṇeras, śrāmaṇerīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās among the gatherings of human beings in the world of Jambudvīpa, the realm of Śākyamuni, to protect the sacred Dharma from destruction.”
The Blessed One told Śakra the lord of the devas, “Lord of the devas, uphold the dhāraṇī of the iron beak. It instills terror in everyone and smites the asuras with five-pointed thunderbolts. It alleviates the world of infectious diseases and brings peace to the whole world. It neutralizes all poisons and stops all weapons. It paralyzes all legless, two-legged, and four-legged beings and defeats all adversaries. It destroys asuras, garuḍas, daityas, piśācas, apasmāras, unmādas, and malevolent beings. It brings peace from all conflicts, wars, discord, and scandals. This is the noble iron beak. I will recite the vidyāmantra of the iron beak dhāraṇī of freedom from all danger:
tadyātha | vagacani śuti śumali gaśaśa śatata virati huyu huyu riti svāhā |
“Scatter black mustard seeds on the ocean. It will rain as you wish. If one chants this countless tens of trillions of times on a small stake at a place where nāgas are found and plants the stake at that nāga site, hail and thunderbolts will come crashing down as you desire.
sarvanāgānām apavīrya descend | nāga śara śara descend | nāga rakṣa descend | raci sri vajra hūṃ phaṭ |
“This wrathful dhāraṇī of the iron beak that averts the adversaries of the country, brings down five-pointed thunderbolts that blaze with fire, and overpowers every lord of the devas will bewilder the asuras, keep the fourfold assembly safe, and protect the teachings of the Great Vehicle against enemies.”
After the Blessed One had spoken, Śakra the lord of the devas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had taught.
This concludes “The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2].”
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] is the fourth of the “five beak dhāraṇīs” (mchu sde lnga, Toh 759–763) and among the few scriptures in the Degé Kangyur concerned with weather control practices. In Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain, Śakra requests the Buddha for a teaching with which to guard against the asuras and protect the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha then recites the dhāraṇī formula in two parts along with a brief nāga subduing, weather control ritual. The benefits of the performance of this text include keeping the Buddhist teachings and practitioners safe from harm and ensuring proper rainfall for bountiful harvests.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. Lowell Cook produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Torsten Gerloff edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] is the fourth of the “five beak dhāraṇīs” (mchu sde lnga, Toh 759–763), a cycle of texts related to the garuḍas, a race of eagle-like birds in Indian mythology. The word tuṇḍa or “beak” in the titles is a reference to the garuḍas’ sharp, owl-like beaks which they use for hunting nāgas, a class of snake-like beings associated with, among other things, weather patterns and rainfall. The dhāraṇī of the iron beak is thus a threatening spell used to coerce the nāgas into providing rainfall for favorable agriculture. The cycle of the five beak dhāraṇīs is, along with the Great Cloud sūtras (Mahāmegha, Toh 232-235), among the few scriptures in the Degé Kangyur concerned with weather control practices.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] takes place in Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain. There, Śakra requests the Buddha for a teaching with which to subdue asuras—the famed adversaries of the devas—and other beings who harm the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha instructs Śakra to employ the dhāraṇī of the iron beak, which has the dual purpose of averting harm to the Buddhist teachings and controlling weather. This dual interest in agrarian concerns and protecting Buddhism might suggest that the dhāraṇī was originally a pan-Indian agricultural ritual spell that was later brought into the Buddhist fold, especially when we consider how rain rituals for good harvests have been a widespread concern of Indian religions since time immemorial. After the Buddha recites the dhāraṇī in two parts, he provides brief ritual instructions on subduing nāgas with a small stake (kīlaka) and controlling the weather. The Buddha’s discourse comes to a close with Śakra rejoicing.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] shares an identical title with another translation in the Degé Kangyur, Toh 761, which immediately precedes it. Furthermore, these two texts share a great deal of intertextuality with The Dhāraṇī That Fully Confers Freedom From Dangers (Toh 609/925). These three works share an identical narrative structure, are set in Indra’s Rock Cave, and feature Śakra as their interlocutor. While the dhāraṇī formulas in Toh 761 and Toh 609/925 are, in most places, nearly in agreement, the much shorter formulas found in Toh 762 are altogether different.
Hidas (2019) dates The Nāga Vow of the Vajra Beak (Vajratuṇḍanāgasamaya, Toh 759/964)—the longest and more central of the five beak dhāraṇīs—to the fifth century
Like much of dhāraṇī literature, this work’s importance lies not in its study but in its ritual performance. As such, the majority of the references to five beak dhāraṇīs we find in later Tibetan literature are not as scriptural citations but rather as a part of larger liturgies, alongside ritual elements such as nāga oblations (klu gtor), or as prescribed by astrological divinations.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] no longer survives in Sanskrit. The dhāraṇī was never translated into Chinese and, beyond its translation as a part of the Mongolian canon, it does not appear to have been translated into any other languages as far as we are aware. The text has also not been the subject of any sustained scholarly research. Our translation was based on the textual witness in the Degé Kangyur. We also consulted variant readings as attested in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) Kangyur as well as the Stok Palace Manuscript (stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was traveling through the land of Magadha when he arrived at a mango grove. At that mango grove, he took up residence in the Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain. Śakra the lord of the devas then appeared before the Blessed One. He bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet, sat to one side, and then Śakra the lord of the devas spoke to the Blessed One as follows.
“Blessed One, the asuras are truly the long-time adversaries of the devas. With regard to it, Blessed One, please bestow a teaching on recollection. Please give a teaching that will serve as a method for the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, śrāmaṇeras, śrāmaṇerīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās among the gatherings of human beings in the world of Jambudvīpa, the realm of Śākyamuni, to protect the sacred Dharma from destruction.”
The Blessed One told Śakra the lord of the devas, “Lord of the devas, uphold the dhāraṇī of the iron beak. It instills terror in everyone and smites the asuras with five-pointed thunderbolts. It alleviates the world of infectious diseases and brings peace to the whole world. It neutralizes all poisons and stops all weapons. It paralyzes all legless, two-legged, and four-legged beings and defeats all adversaries. It destroys asuras, garuḍas, daityas, piśācas, apasmāras, unmādas, and malevolent beings. It brings peace from all conflicts, wars, discord, and scandals. This is the noble iron beak. I will recite the vidyāmantra of the iron beak dhāraṇī of freedom from all danger:
tadyātha | vagacani śuti śumali gaśaśa śatata virati huyu huyu riti svāhā |
“Scatter black mustard seeds on the ocean. It will rain as you wish. If one chants this countless tens of trillions of times on a small stake at a place where nāgas are found and plants the stake at that nāga site, hail and thunderbolts will come crashing down as you desire.
sarvanāgānām apavīrya descend | nāga śara śara descend | nāga rakṣa descend | raci sri vajra hūṃ phaṭ |
“This wrathful dhāraṇī of the iron beak that averts the adversaries of the country, brings down five-pointed thunderbolts that blaze with fire, and overpowers every lord of the devas will bewilder the asuras, keep the fourfold assembly safe, and protect the teachings of the Great Vehicle against enemies.”
After the Blessed One had spoken, Śakra the lord of the devas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had taught.
This concludes “The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2].”