• The Collection
  • The Kangyur
  • Tantra
  • Tantra Collection
  • Action tantras

This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
https://read.84000.co/data/toh544_84000-the-tantra-of-siddhaikavira.pdf

དཔའ་བོ་གཅིག་པུ་གྲུབ་པའི་རྒྱུད།

The Tantra of Siddhaikavīra

Siddhaika­vīra­tantram
དཔའ་བོ་གཅིག་པུ་གྲུབ་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་རྒྱུད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།
dpa’ bo gcig pu grub pa zhes bya ba’i rgyud kyi rgyal po chen po
The Great Sovereign Tantra of Siddhaikavīra
Siddhaika­vīra­mahā­tantra­rājaḥ
84000 logo

Toh 544

Degé Kangyur, vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 1.b–13.a

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2016
Current version v 1.17.10 (2021)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.17.7

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

Warning: Readers are reminded that according to Vajrayāna Buddhist tradition there are restrictions and commitments concerning tantra. Practitioners who are not sure if they should read this translation are advised to consult the authorities of their lineage. The responsibility for reading this text or sharing it with others who may or may not fulfill the requirements lies in the hands of readers.

Tantra Text Warning

Warning: Readers are reminded that according to Vajrayāna Buddhist tradition there are restrictions and commitments concerning tantra. Practitioners who are not sure if they should read this translation are advised to consult the authorities of their lineage. The responsibility for reading this text or sharing it with others who may or may not fulfill the requirements lies in the hands of readers.

Logo for the license

This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative Commons license.

Options for downloading this publication

This print version was generated at 7.39pm on Monday, 13th March 2023 from the online version of the text available on that date. If some time has elapsed since then, this version may have been superseded, as most of 84000’s published translations undergo significant updates from time to time. For the latest online version, with bilingual display, interactive glossary entries and notes, and a variety of further download options, please see
https://read.84000.co/translation/toh544.html.


co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· Summary of the Chapters
· Notes on the Translation
tr. The Translation
+ 4 chapters- 4 chapters
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

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.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

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.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

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.

Summary of the Chapters

Notes on the Translation


The Translation
The Great Sovereign Tantra of Siddhaikavīra

1.

Chapter 1

[F.1.b] [S1]


1.­1

Oṁ, homage to Mañjughoṣa!

The teacher of living beings, Mañjuvajra,
Taught this tantra for the sake of the world‍—
The tantra of Siddhaikavīra, the heroic lord,
The best and foremost among speakers.
1.­2
This very deity, in the form of the mantra,
Bounteously grants every accomplishment.
On him indeed should the follower of Mantra meditate.
He in whom Siddhaikavīra is realized will gain accomplishment.
1.­3
A follower of Mantra who has a pure body,
Once the small accomplishment has been obtained,
Will make his body a field
In which the great accomplishment will arise

2.

Chapter 2

2.­1
One should explain this king of tantras
To a disciple who is an awakened Buddhist,
Who has many good qualities,47
Who is devoted to his teacher, and who is skilled.
2.­2
Oṁ, homage to the god Vimalacandra!
The world is sustained by truth;
It is preserved by truth;
Through truth, it abides in Dharma;
Truth is eternal as Brahman.48
2.­3
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.49 [F.6.b]

As here follows:

Twenty-First Mantra

3.

Chapter 3

Forty-First Mantra
3.­1
oṁ vajratīkṣṇa duḥkhaccheda prajñā­jñāna­mūrtaye |
jñānakāya vāgīśvara arapacanāya te namaḥ ||
Oṁ, Vajratīkṣṇa! You who cut through suffering!
The embodiment of wisdom and knowledge!
The body of knowledge, Vāgīśvara‍—
Homage to Arapacana!
3.­2

One should visualize oneself in the form of Lord Mañjuvajra Siddhaikavīra, white like the light of the autumn moon. In his left hand he is holding a blue lotus and his right hand is in the boon-granting gesture. He is the pure sphere of phenomena, shining forth from his primordially unborn nature.66 After twenty-one days one will obtain the speech of Sarasvatī.67 Within six months, one will accomplish Vāgīśvara. One will see Vāgīśvara right in front of oneself and remember everything one has heard.


4.

Chapter 4

Fifty-Second Mantra
4.­1

oṁ lavaṇāmbho ’si tīkṣṇo ’si udagro ’si bhayṃkara  | amukasya daha gātrāṇi daha māṃsāni daha tvacam nakhāny api daha asthīni asthibhyo majjakaṃ daha | lavaṇaṃ chindati lavaṇaṃ bhindati lavaṇaṃ pacati | kṣoṇita­lavaṇe hriyamāṇe kuto nidrā kuto ratiḥ | yadi vasati yojanaśate nadīnāṃ ca śatāntare | nagare lohaprākāre kṛṣṇa­sarpa­kṛtākule | tatraiva vaśam ānīhi lavaṇa­bandha­puraskṛta | oṁ ciṭi ciṭi vikloli amukaṃ sadhana­parivāram eva samānaya svāhā |


c.

Colophon

c.­1

Translated by the great Indian preceptor Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna and the translator monk Géwai Lodrö, and finalized by the monk Tsultrim Gyalwa.


n.

Notes

n.­1
For more on these two deities, see Dharmachakra (2016) and (2011), respectively.
n.­2
See bibliography, Khyentse (1970).
n.­3
Pandey (1998), p 9.
n.­4
Tib.: oṁ kālumelu kālume stambhaya śilāvarṣaṃ tuṣāranya ca lucca i lucca i svāhā |
n.­5
Tib.: “a hailstorm or a snowfall.”
n.­6
In the Tibetan the mantra ends: nirundha nirundha chegemo* ūrṇāmaṇe svāhā.
n.­7
Tib. omits the three sentences starting with “One should write…” and ending with “evil designs, etc.”
n.­8
In the Tibetan, the sentence “One will also stop torrential rain” appears in the next paragraph.
n.­47
Tib.: “who has the potential for good qualities.”
n.­48
In the Tibetan, this verse and the next are transcribed in Sanskrit, like a mantra.
n.­49
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.
n.­66
In the Tibetan the last sentence is transcribed as a Sanskrit mantra. In the Sanskrit, however, it is impossible to take it as such.
n.­67
The translation “the speech of Sarasvatī” is based on emended Sanskrit reading (sarasvatīṃ vāṇīm to sarasvatī­vāṇīm).

b.

Bibliography

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).


g.

Glossary

g.­1

Aditi

  • —
  • —
  • Aditi

Goddess invoked to help win a girl.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­9
  • 2.­25

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­2

Ajitā

  • —
  • —
  • Ajitā

One of the “four sisters of victory.”

1 passage contains this term:

  • 2.­27

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­3

Amaraṇī

  • —
  • —
  • Amaraṇī

“Immortal One,” epithet of Jīvantī in the mantra of long life.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­39
g.­6

Arapacana

  • —
  • —
  • Arapacana

Emanation of Mañjuśrī, invoked to obtain the gift of speech, memory, sharp intellect, and learning.

10 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­10
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­35
  • 3.­36
  • g.­16
  • g.­37
  • g.­51
  • g.­115
g.­7

Arkamālinī

  • —
  • —
  • Arkamālinī

“Having the nimbus of the sun,” epithet of Mahāsarasvatī, one of the four retinue goddesses of Siddhaikavīra.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • 3.­25
g.­25

Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna

  • —
  • —
  • Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna

The famed Indian scholar who spent twelve years in Tibet from 1042–1054. Also known as Atīśa.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­4
  • c.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­29

Follower of Mantra

  • sngags pa
  • སྔགས་པ།
  • mantrin

A practitioner of mantra; a follower of the Mantra Vehicle.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­4
  • 3.­15

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­31

Géwai Lodrö

  • dge ba’i blo gros
  • དགེ་བའི་བློ་གྲོས།
  • —

One of the three translators responsible for the canonical translation of the SEV.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­4
  • c.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 2 related glossary entries
g.­52

Kubera

  • —
  • —
  • Kubera

God of wealth.

5 passages contain this term:

  • i.­8
  • i.­13
  • n.­49
  • g.­45
  • g.­134

Links to further resources:

  • 22 related glossary entries
g.­60

Mahāsarasvatī

  • ngag gi dbang phyug ma chen mo
  • ངག་གི་དབང་ཕྱུག་མ་ཆེན་མོ།
  • Mahāsarasvatī

Goddess of learning; in the SEV she is associated with Tārā; she is also one the four retinue goddesses of Siddhaikavīra.

12 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • i.­10
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­26
  • g.­7
  • g.­59
  • g.­70
  • g.­71
  • g.­89
  • g.­100
  • g.­102
g.­66

Mañjughoṣa

  • —
  • —
  • Mañjughoṣa

Emanation of Mañjuśrī.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 5 related glossary entries
g.­67

Mañjuśrī

  • ’jam dpal
  • འཇམ་དཔལ།
  • Mañjuśrī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. In addition to the epithet Kumārabhūta, which means "having a youthful form," Mañjuśrī is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

15 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­8
  • i.­10
  • 2.­17
  • 3.­33
  • n.­56
  • g.­6
  • g.­66
  • g.­68
  • g.­97
  • g.­118
  • g.­122
  • g.­123
  • g.­139

Links to further resources:

  • 109 related glossary entries
g.­68

Mañjuvajra

  • ’jam pa’i rdo rje
  • འཇམ་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེ།
  • Mañjuvajra

Emanation of Mañjuśrī; the deity delivering the SEV.

5 passages contain this term:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­5
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­26

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­95

Sarasvatī

  • dbyangs can
  • དབྱངས་ཅན།
  • Sarasvatī

Goddess of learning; one of the eight great yakṣiṇīs who form the retinue of Vasudharā.

12 passages contain this term:

  • i.­13
  • i.­14
  • 2.­38
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­26
  • n.­67
  • n.­78
  • g.­62
  • g.­119

Links to further resources:

  • 10 related glossary entries
g.­97

Siddhaikavīra

  • dpa’ bo gcig pu grub pa
  • དཔའ་བོ་གཅིག་པུ་གྲུབ་པ།
  • Siddhaikavīra

Emanation of Mañjuśrī; the title deity of the SEV. He is visualized in the rituals of the 41st and 46th mantras of the SEV.

13 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­10
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­26
  • g.­7
  • g.­51
  • g.­60
  • g.­61
  • g.­115
g.­102

Speech

  • —
  • —
  • Vāk

Speech personified; one of the names of Mahāsarasvatī.

11 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­2
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­9
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­36
  • n.­67
  • g.­6
  • g.­118
g.­114

Tsultrim Gyalwa

  • tshul khrims rgyal ba
  • ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་རྒྱལ་བ།
  • —

One of the three translators responsible for the canonical translation of the SEV.

1 passage contains this term:

  • c.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­118

Vāgīśvara

  • gsung gi dbang phyug
  • གསུང་གི་དབང་ཕྱུག
  • Vāgīśvara

“Lord of Speech,” epithet of Mañjuśrī.

12 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­1
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­6
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­32
  • 3.­34
  • 3.­36
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­39
  • 3.­42
  • n.­70
g.­122

Vajratīkṣṇa

  • —
  • —
  • Vajratīkṣṇa

“Diamond-sharp,” epithet of Mañjuśrī.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­1
  • 3.­41
g.­134

Vimalacandra

  • dri ma med pa’i zla ba
  • དྲི་མ་མེད་པའི་ཟླ་བ།
  • Vimalacandra

God invoked in divination and soothsaying, possibly associated with Kubera, or an epithet of Kubera.

6 passages contain this term:

  • i.­6
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­7
  • n.­51
  • n.­53
g.­135

Wish-fulfilling gem

  • yid bzhin nor bu
  • ཡིད་བཞིན་ནོར་བུ།
  • cintāmaṇi

2 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • 1.­4

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
0

    Table of Contents


    Search this text


    Other ways to read

    Download PDF
    Download EPUB
    Download AZW3 (Kindle)
    Open in the 84000 App

    Spotted a mistake?

    Please use the contact form provided to suggest a correction.


    How to cite this text

    The following is an example of how to correctly cite this publication. Links to specific passages can be derived by right-clicking on the milestones markers in the left-hand margin (e.g. s.1). The copied link address can replace the url below.

    Dharmachakra Translation Committee (tr.). The Tantra of Siddhaikavīra (Siddhaika­vīra­tantram, Toh 544). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021:
    https://read.84000.co/translation/toh544.html


    Other links

    84000 Homepage
    Reading Room Lobby
    Published Translations
    Search the Reading Room
    Sponsor Translation

    Bookmarks

    Copyright © 2011-2022 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha - All Rights Reserved
    • Website: https://84000.co
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy