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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
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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 1.17.8 (2021)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.14.6

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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.

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

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!

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.

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
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.

9 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­10
  • 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
  • View the 84000 Knowledge Base article
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
g.­33

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.­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:

  • 6 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 insight. 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 insight 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 can also take on the names 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:

  • 96 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.­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.­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.­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
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