འཕགས་པ་རག་པའ་རྒྱལ་མ་ས་སར་འབྲང་བ་ཆན་མ་སངས་རྒྱས་དང 30

30

what is the procedure for writing down this great queen of incantations?”

The Blessed One said,
“Listen, great brahmin!
Out of compassion for all beings
I will explain it to you.

“It can make beings happy,
Deliver beings from their confining karma,
Free them from their illnesses,
Bring pregnancy to women,
And heal the wounds
Of all beings’ poverty.

“During the constellation called Puṣya,
One should observe the temporary vows
And, immersed in the worship of the Buddha,
Engender the motivation to awaken.

“With a heart moistened by compassion
And replete with kindness,
One constantly makes effort
To bring benefit to all beings.

“One should first bathe
In a solution of sandal, saffron,⁷² and musk,
Then don clean garments
That have been scented with incenses.

“Next, a maṇḍala should be fashioned
Out of a mixture of earth and dung.

“Four full vases should be set out,
With a fifth placed at the maṇḍala’s center.

“Valuable flowers, incenses, and perfumes
Should be placed on the maṇḍala.
Incense made of five ingredients—
Sandal, fenugreek, aloeswood, frankincense, and sugar—
Should be offered as prescribed
And according to season.
The maṇḍala should be decorated
With various grains, flowers, fruits, seeds, and perfumes.

“The oblation vases should be filled
With ghee, honey, milk,
Porridge, rice pudding, and so forth.
Adorned with auspicious symbols,
They should be placed in the four directions.
A fifth vase should be placed in the middle,
And bowls filled with perfumes
Should be placed in the four corners.

“Four stakes of cutch tree wood,
Tied tightly all around
With strings of five different colors,