Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm

Translation of སྟང་ཆན་མ་རབ་ཏ་འཇམས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་མད (སྟོང་ཆེན་མོ་རབ་ཏུ་འཇོམས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་མདོ)

Language: English
Translator: James Gentry
Extent: 95 passages, 15,831 words
Text: complete digital text
Source: 84000 · Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the patronage and supervision of 84000:… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a…

Text

84000's introduction

intro.1

Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm is one of five texts that together constitute the Pañcarakṣā scriptural collection, popular for centuries as an important facet of Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhism’s traditional approach to personal and communal misfortunes of all kinds. Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm primarily addresses illnesses caused by spirit entities thought to devour the vitality of humans and animals. The text describes them as belonging to four different subspecies, presided over by the four great kings, guardians of the world, who hold sovereignty over the spirit beings in the four cardinal directions. The text also includes ritual prescriptions for the monastic community to purify its consumption of alms tainted by the “five impure foods.” This refers generally to alms that contain meat, the consumption of which is expressly prohibited for successful implementation of the Pañcarakṣā’s dhāraṇī incantations.

intro.2

Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm is the first scripture in a series of five; the other four texts are The Great Peahen, Queen of Incantations (Mahāmāyūrīvidyārājñī, Toh 559),¹ The Noble Great Amulet, Queen of Incantations (Mahāpratisarāvidyārājñī, Toh 561), The Sūtra of Great Cool Grove, (Mahāśītavana, Toh 562),² and Great Upholder of the Secret Mantra (Mahāmantrānudhāraṇi, Toh 563).³ Together these scriptures have been apotheosized in the Mahāyāna tradition as five goddesses known collectively as the Pañcarakṣā, or the “Five Protectresses.” In the Tibetan tradition this collection is known by the moniker gzungs chen grwa lnga, “The Fivefold Great Dhāraṇī.” In the Degé Kangyur collection these texts constitute 49, 60, 43, 25, and 12 folios respectively, making a total of 189 folios.

intro.3

Tibetan redactors of Kangyur collections have catalogued this set of five texts together within the final Action (kriyā) tantras section of the “tantra collection” (rgyud ’bum) division. Indeed, these scriptures do contain elements—powerful incantations, an emphasis on external ritual hygiene and other material details such as auspicious dates, and so forth—that resonate with standard Kriyāyoga practice as understood in Tibet. Yet missing from nearly all these texts is any extensive mention of the contemplative visualization exercises, specialized ritual gestures (mudrā), elaborate maṇḍala diagrams, and initiation ceremonies so typical of full-blown Buddhist tantra. A close perusal of these five texts might then lead the reader to construe them as standard Mahāyāna texts with a preponderance of elements—magical mantra formulas, ritual prescriptions, pragmatic aims, and so forth—that only later coalesced and developed into a typically tantric practice tradition with its own unique set of view, meditation, and conduct. To complicate things further, the core of the Mahāmāyūrī, for one, is rooted in Indian Buddhist traditions that predate even the rise of Mahāyāna.⁴ The Mahāmāyūrī also appears as a remedy for snakebites in the earlier Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinayavastu.⁵ This accords with Gregory Schopen’s general observation, based on inscriptional evidence, that “dhāraṇī texts were publically known much earlier and more widely than texts we think of as ‘classically’ Mahāyāna”.⁶

intro.4

Regardless of their bibliographical position in the Tibetan canon, the Five Protectresses have been among the most popular texts used for pragmatic purposes throughout the Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhist world. While it seems certain that these texts each developed independently and were only later combined into a five-text corpus, their popularity is attested by their eventual spread to Nepal, Tibet, Central Asia, China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Indonesia (Hidas 2007: 189). In East Asia, the textual tradition associated with the Mahāmāyūrī in particular was instrumental in integrating Buddhist and indigenous notions of divine kingship.⁷ Moreover, the tradition of all five goddesses and their texts still occupies a place of central importance today in the Vajrayāna Buddhism practiced by the Newar population of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. Newar Buddhist communities of Kathmandu have even translated the texts of the Five Protectresses into the modern vernacular, based on which they continue to stage a number of annual rites for a broad range of pragmatic purposes.⁸ Newars often propitiate the Five Protectresses together by means of a five-section maṇḍala and other tantric elements that do not necessarily feature in the scriptures themselves. This tradition reflects a specifically tantric ritual treatment of the texts, which, judging by the presence of tantric sādhana practices associated with these five texts in the Tibetan Tengyur collections, had already developed by the time the Tibetan translations were executed. This helps account for why Tibetan redactors construed these five texts as belonging to the category of Kriyātantra, and not to the Dhāraṇī or Sūtra sections. Indeed, the Tibetan translation of the Mahāpratisarā reflects a recension of the Sanskrit text, which, Gergely Hidas suggests, “most likely served the better integration of this text into the Vajrayāna, changing the historical locus of the nidāna to a mythical Vajrayānic setting.”⁹

intro.5

The designation Five Protectresses denotes the set of five texts, the incantations presented therein, and the goddesses presiding over each. It is believed that all these texts, particularly their incantations, provide special protection against a wide range of illnesses and misfortunes for those who memorize, recollect, read, copy, teach, wear, or otherwise come into contact with them. Each text promises protection against specific misfortunes, with considerable overlap witnessed between the texts. Despite the pragmatic thrust of these scriptures, each text also contains numerous allusions to doctrinal notions. The range of effects described therein sometimes, though rarely, extends beyond the pragmatic sphere to include the purification of negative karma, deliverance from the lower realms, and even the attainment of buddhahood.

intro.6

Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm was translated into Tibetan under Tibetan imperial patronage sometime during the early ninth century by a translation team that included the translator-editor Bandé Yeshé Dé (ca. late eighth to early ninth centuries) and the Indian preceptors Śīlendrabodhi, Jñānasiddhi, and Śākyaprabha. The Degé edition, which forms the basis of this English translation, was re-edited several centuries later by Gö Lotsāwa Zhönnu Pal (’gos lo tsā ba gzhon nu dpal, 1392–1481), based on a Sanskrit edition that had been in the possession of Chojé Chaglo (chag lo tsā ba chos rje dpal, 1197–1263/64).

intro.7

The text primarily addresses illnesses caused by spirit entities, collectively referred to as graha or bhūta throughout the text, which are thought to devour the vitality of men, women, children, and animals. The text describes these graha or bhūta as belonging to four different subspecies of beings, each of which is presided over by one of the four great kings, guardians of the world, who hold spiritual sovereignty over the territories and resident spirit beings present throughout the four cardinal directions. According to the cosmology presented in the text, the great king Kubera (who is also called Vaiśravaṇa in some passages) dwells in the north, where he presides over the yakṣa variety of graha. The great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra dwells in the east, where he reigns over the gandharva grahas. The great king Virūḍhaka rules in the south, where his entourage consists of kumbhāṇḍa grahas. And the great king Virūpākṣa reigns in the west, where his entourage is nāga grahas. Each group of grahas, moreover, is responsible for a particular category of illness, with its own unique set of physical symptoms.

intro.8

The narrative of this sūtra revolves around Buddha Śākyamuni’s gradual dispensation of a series of incantations and rituals centered upon formulas intended to prevent violent grahas from striking, or to heal those already afflicted. These prescriptions unfold in the context of the Buddha’s conversations with the four great kings and the god Brahmā about their mutual concern to control the grahas after their boundless greed has plagued Vaiśālī and its Licchavi people with a natural disaster and an epidemic of cosmic proportions. The text also includes ritual prescriptions for the monastic community to purify their consumption of alms tainted by the “five impure foods.” This refers generally to alms that contain meat, the consumption of which is expressly prohibited for successful implementation of the dhāraṇī incantations. In this final section of the text all five Protectresses are mentioned, suggesting that Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm emerged only after the other four scriptures of the group, despite its position as first in the collection.

intro.9

This English translation is based primarily on the Degé edition, with close consultation of Yutaka Iwamoto’s (1937) edited Sanskrit edition, as obtained electronically through GRETIL: Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages. When encountering variant readings between Tibetan and Sanskrit editions, we tended to select the Tibetan Degé readings and note the variations. This choice was made based on the profusion of variant Sanskrit witnesses that postdate the ninth-century Tibetan translation, and our own ignorance of the witnesses and criteria employed in the creation of Iwamoto’s edited Sanskrit edition.

1

I pay homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus have I heard at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagṛha, on the southern slope of Vulture Peak Mountain in the luminous grove of jewel trees, the domain of the Buddha, together with a large monastic assembly of 1,250 monks. This assembly included venerable Śāriputra, venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, venerable Mahākāśyapa, venerable Gayākāśyapa, venerable Nadīkāśyapa, venerable Ājñātakauṇḍinya, venerable Nandika, venerable Mahākātyāyana, venerable Bakkula, venerable Vāṣpa, venerable Koṣṭhila, venerable Vāgīśa, venerable Aśvajit, venerable Subhūti, venerable Suvāhu, venerable Aniruddha, venerable Uruvilvākāśyapa, venerable Revata, and venerable Ānanda, among others.

At that time, the Blessed One and his monastic assembly were venerated, revered, honored, and worshipped by Ajātaśatru, king of Magadha, son of Vaidehī, who offered them clothes, food, bedding, medicine, and other material necessities. Just then, the earth shook tremendously, a massive cloud formation appeared, there was an untimely wind, strong hail began to fall, and a heavy rain fell from the massive cloud. Thunder roared and lightning flashed. Chaos erupted throughout the ten directions. A thick darkness then settled, such that the stars disappeared and even the sun and moon were dimmed.

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No longer gleaming and luminous, they ceased to shine.

With his pristine, divine vision, superior to that of humans, the Blessed One saw those frightening things occur in the city of Vaiśālī. He saw that villages belonging to certain Licchavi people of Vaiśālī were afflicted with elemental spirits. He saw that some of the village youth, astrologers, councilors, prime ministers, court members, servant men and women, laborers, messengers, and attendants were also afflicted with elemental spirits. He saw that the monks and nuns and the men and women with lay vows throughout the entire land of Vaiśālī were all frightened, looking up to the sky, and crying out in horror. They paid homage to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. He saw that from among the brahmins and householders without particular devotion toward the Buddha’s teachings, some paid homage to Brahmā; some paid homage to Śakra; some paid homage to the guardians of the world; and still others paid homage to Maheśvara, Māṇibhadra, Pūrṇabhadra, Hārītī, the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, or those spirits that dwell in mountains, forests, thickets, trees, rivers, fountains, ponds, pools, wells, and reliquaries. He saw that everyone was sitting and wondering, “How can we be freed from the peril of such a calamity?”

The Blessed One then manifested a miraculous feat by which a sound was heard throughout all realms of the trichiliocosm, causing the world of gods, humans, and demigods to have faith and assemble.

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At that point, Brahmā, master of the world; the gods of the Brahma realm; Śakra, lord of the gods; the gods of the realm of the Thirty-Three; the four great kings and the gods of their realm; the twenty-eight yakṣa generals; the thirty-two great yakṣa warriors; and Hārītī with her sons, together with their retinues, all with sublime complexions, used their respective complexions and powers to bathe Vulture Peak Mountain in bright light, like a pristine dawn once the night has passed. Approaching the Blessed One, they bowed their heads to his feet, sat to one side, then praised the Blessed One in verses of unified phrasing, cadence, and meter:

“You shine with the luster of burnished gold,
Like the light of the full moon.
As stable as Vaiśravaṇa,
You are the source of all jewels.

Lion-Like One, with your elephant-like gait,
You advance like an elephant in rut.
You are like a golden mountain,
Or an ornament made of gold from the Jambu River.

Like the moon in a cloudless sky
Studded with stars,
You are adorned with sublime characteristics
In the midst of a śrāvaka assembly.

This world with its gods
Comes to the Sage for refuge.
The time for safeguarding
The welfare of humans has neared!

This sūtra, Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm,
Disclosed by the previous buddhas,
Is the supreme boundary that seals the area,
All the way to the ends of the surrounding mountains.

We pay homage to you, heroic being!
We pay homage to you, supreme being!
To the great Sage, king of Dharma,
We pay homage with palms joined!”

The Blessed One remained silent for a moment, then said to the four great kings, “Great Kings! It would be improper to think that your assembly could harm my assembly. That is because

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it is in this world of humans that the Buddha has appeared, the sublime Dharma has been eloquently taught, and the Saṅgha has excellently practiced it. The seed planted from this has yielded buddhas, pratyekabuddhas, arhats, and śrāvakas in the world. Based on generating the roots of virtue with respect to them, beings of the world are born into any of the thirty-two divine realms. And kings, moreover, with their four-division army, become cakra-ruling kings with dominion over the four continents. They exercise righteous rule over the entire earth all the way to the oceans. They also come to possess a thousand sons, valiant, courageous, handsome in all respects, with the impetuousness of the power of great champions, who vanquish opposing groups and take possession of the seven kinds of precious substances. Thus, you should worry little about such a thing happening in this world.”

Then, the great king Vaiśravaṇa arose from his seat, draped his upper robe on one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Bowing to the Blessed One with palms joined, he said to him, “Blessed One, we have houses, abodes, and estates, including villages, gardens, mansions, apartments, and residences scented with incense censers and strewn with flowers, with porticos, archways, and small windows. Everywhere is festooned with beautiful and bright multi-colored silk streamers and studded with bell and pearl lattice. There we dwell, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of girls, fully¹⁰ embroiled in the five sense pleasures. Venerable Blessed One, since we are intoxicated and thus remain without a care, our entourages venture out everywhere throughout the ten directions in search of food and drink.

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They thus steal life force, harm, obstruct, murder, and take the lives of men, women, boys, girls, newborns, and animals.

“We will reveal the physical characteristics of our own respective entourages before the fourfold retinue, in the presence of the Venerable Blessed One. There should be formed a magnificent image, along with a shrine, of the great king to whom a particular graha belongs. The patient should proclaim the name of that great king and scent with his own hand the image and the shrine with various fragrances. Having strewn the earth with flower petals and offered burning butter-lamps, the patient should then perform worship at that shrine.

“The symptoms of being afflicted by a yakṣa graha belonging to my entourage, Venerable Blessed One, are as follows:

“One laughs repeatedly and trembles,
Speaks incoherently, and is prone to anger.
One sleeps,
Or is in excruciating pain.

“One constantly looks upward,
As though chasing the stars.
At night one is in ecstasy,
Constantly writhing and groaning.

“There are mantra syllables for this,
So please listen to me, Lord of the World!

syād yathedam siddhe susiddhe satve are araṇe bale mahābale jambhe jaṭile akhane makhane khakhane kharaṭṭe kharaṅge haripiṅgale temiṅgile temiṅgile temiṅgile temiṅgile nimaṃgalye svāhā |

“May my mantra syllables be fulfilled! May the name, power, sovereignty, and might of the great king Vaiśravaṇa bring me well-being! Svāhā!”

Next, the great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra arose from his seat, draped his upper robe on one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Bowing to the Blessed One with palms joined, he said to him, “The symptoms of being afflicted by a gandharva graha from my entourage, Blessed One, are as follows:

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“One sings and dances,
And also indulges in jewelry.
One is without avarice and speaks profusely,
Laughs, and is prone to anger.

“One is thirsty, has red eyes,
And is constantly suffering with fever.
Unable to open one’s eyes,
One lies with face averted.

“There are mantra syllables for this,
So please listen to me, Lord of the World!

syād yathedam akhe nakhe vinakhe bhandhe varāṅge capale vakhe vakhane akhiṇe nakhene vahule bhakhe bhagandale vaśe vaśavartīna svāhā |

“Through the name, power, sovereignty, and might of the great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, may I be free of all grahas and misfortunes! Svāhā!”

Then it was the great king Virūḍhaka who arose from his seat, draped his upper robe on one shoulder, and kneeled on his right knee. Bowing to the Blessed One with palms joined, he said to him, “The symptoms of being afflicted by a preta kumbhāṇḍa from my entourage, Blessed One, are as follows:

“One becomes afflicted with extreme thirst
And looks about with bewilderment.
One’s face turns red,
And one lies curled up on the ground.

“One’s complexion becomes sickly and one’s body emaciated.
One’s hair and nails grow long.
One becomes filthy and malodorous.
One utters falsehoods and nonsense.

“There are mantra syllables for this,
So please listen to me, Lord of the World!

syād yathedam khakhakhami khalane khalami kharāli kharali karakhe kaśani karaṭe kāli kāmini vivale vidheyaśayanisamavate śama śamini svāhā |

“Through the name, power, sovereignty, and might of the great king Virūḍhaka, may all grahas and misfortunes be pacified for me! Svāhā!”

The great king Virūpākṣa now arose from his seat, draped his upper robe on one shoulder, and kneeled on his right knee

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. Bowing to the Blessed One with palms joined, he said to him, “The symptoms of being afflicted by a fine-winged nāga graha from my entourage, Blessed One, are as follows:

“One hiccups and pants.
Likewise, one’s breath becomes cold.
One perspires and drools.
One falls asleep repeatedly.

“Full in complexion and strong,
Accordingly, one thrashes and runs about,
Bares one’s finger nails,
And throws oneself on the ground wailing.

“There are mantra syllables for this,
So please listen to me, Lord of the World!

syād yathedam krakami kragamaṇi kragase krugraśe krakra śami kruśrumi kruśrume krukka krukluma kruge agale nagale samagale kuhume gume alake kaluke kalamale galale kalaṭake irimire dhire arugavati svāhā |

“Through the name, power, sovereignty, and might of the great king Virūpākṣa, may I have well-being!”

At this, the Blessed One sounded a lion’s roar before the whole assembly:

“I, replete with the ten powers and emboldened by the four types of fearlessness, will perfectly roar out a great lion’s roar like the leader of the pack amid the assembly. I will turn the wheel of Brahmā.

“Only one can defeat Māra,
With his sentinels, troops, and mounts!
For the sake of protecting all beings,
Listen to me for all incantations!

syād yathedam asaṅge khaṅgavate balavate balanirghoṣe śūre śūravatve vajrasme vajragame vajradhare stambhe jambhe dṛḍhasāre viraje vighośe varāgraprāpte araṇe araṇe dharmmayukte diśi vighuṣṭe svāhā |

“May the name, power, sovereignty, and might of the Thus-Gone One bring me well-being! Svāhā!”

Once the guardians of the world in the four quarters

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Heard the Buddha’s speech,
Frightened, petrified, and timid,
They sat down with palms joined.

The gatherings of bhūtas that remained,
Frightened, bewildered, and panicked,
Fled throughout the ten directions,
Crying out with loud wails.

Perceiving that, the great kings
Proclaimed three secrets:
“Wondrous! Incantation, great incantation,
That destroys the great trichiliocosm!

“Hearing this speech of the Buddha,
The bhūtas have become frightened.
It is like a raging fire,
Or like a sword striking sesame butter.

“The incantation disclosed by Gautama
Is like a razor blade.
Whoever disregards
That speech of the Sage, so eloquently uttered,

“Will have his oldest son
Eliminated by Brahmā’s noose.
Ignite a blazing fire,
Scatter the water of the burnt offering

“Above, below, and throughout the four directions,
Then take barley grains and white mustard seeds,
Combined with clarified butter,
And pour them into the fire.

“If, upon hearing this eloquent utterance,
They do not quickly exclaim it,
They will be incinerated,
Like butter and white mustard seeds poured into a fire.

“Threatened with the punishment of yakṣas,
They will not be well—
Large boils will form
On the right side of the rib cage.

“Afflicted with a yakṣa illness,
They will contract white leprosy,¹¹
And never travel
To the palace of Aḍakavatī.

“They will not see the home
Of illustrious Kubera,
Nor find a seat
In the company of the bhūta assemblies.

“In the circle of yakṣas,
They will be without food and drink.

“Any yakṣa that does not heed
This sūtra, Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm,
Will incur the wrath of Vajradhara,
Who will split open his forehead,
Cut out his tongue
With a jagged knife,
Cut off his ears and nose
With a sharp knife,

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Cut out his brains
With a circular saw,
And pulverize his heart
With a sledgehammer.
Warm pus and blood
Will flow from his mouth.

“Through the punishment of the noose incantation,
They will perpetually wander in saṃsāra.
They will keep on cycling just there,
In the cyclic existence of the yakṣa world.”

Each of the glorious great kings
Then went to one of the four directions.
Clad in the armor of Dharma,
They sat on fine thrones.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was in the east,
Virūḍhaka in the south,
Virūpākṣa in the west,
And Kubera in the north.

When the great kings,
Radiant with glory and splendor, had thus departed,
The omniscient teacher
Floated up, suspended in space.

There, on a vajra seat,
In a mansion emanated by Brahmā, he took his seat.
Then, Brahmā, Great Brahmā,
Standing with palms joined, paid homage:

“Glorious One, you are like a golden mountain,
Or a golden sacrificial post.¹²
You are like a lotus flower in full bloom,
Or the king of sal trees in blossom.

“Like the sun, or the full moon,
Surrounded by stars,
The Sage, with his golden complexion,
Is replete with sublime characteristics.”

When Brahmā, Forefather of the World,
Had thus praised the Light of the World,
In front of the Lord of the World,
He addressed the guardians of the world:

“The entourages of the guardians of the world
Have not received the instruction,
Because from it emerge buddhas
And pratyekabuddhas.

“Śrāvakas are born from it,
And gods, too, are born from it.
Brāhmans, who have mastered the six branches of Vedic learning,
Are also born from it.

“So are distinguished sages
And mendicant brāhmins.
Humanity is being tormented
From your lack of concern.”

When they heard Brahmā’s speech,
The guardians of the world said:
“It is so, Great Brahmā!
It is so, Great Sage!

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“We will purify all this,
As far as the ocean,
Shaking Mount Sumeru
And overturning the earth!

“With lasso, tight and sturdy,
We will bind
The sun, the moon, the winds,
And all the stars!

“We will forever eliminate
Even the quarters of those
Who are wicked
And do the world no good.

“This world with its gods
Complains on account of the bhūtas.
The bhūtas harm human beings
And endanger them.

“The mantra holders show
That anyone who transgresses
Mantras, medicines, or incantations
Is defeated.

“Having threatened them thoroughly with punishment
We will now speak
Before the Lord of the World
To our retinues that transgress the incantation.

“We will now mete out the punishment—
The sūtra manifested by Brahmā—
To those in the circle of bhūtas
Who did not obey when it was uttered.”

They bowed to the feet of the Buddha
And glanced at one another.
Then, on four golden chariots,
Fit for all tasks,

With wheels with a thousand spokes,
And studded with the seven types of precious substances—
Beryl, gold, and silver,
Pearl and crystal,

Ruby and emerald—
They miraculously took to the sky.
The kings, seated there,
Arrived within the circle of bhūtas.

They dispatched all the yakṣa generals
To the four directions, saying:
“Strew the ground
With gold dust and flowers.

“Then, fasten sticks, cords, and nooses
To the necks of all the bhūtas
Present throughout the lands
And bring them here!

“The sublime sūtra
Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm,
Heard as far as the Brahma worlds,
Is pondered by all gods.

“Yakṣas and rākṣasas are vanquished
By the body of The Great Trichiliocosm.”

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When the yakṣa generals
Heard Kubera’s words,
They went throughout the four directions.
They called out loudly to the guhyakas:

“O Sage! May the assemblies of bhūtas in the east,
Twenty-eight bhūtas,
Grahas born from gandharvas,
Obey me!
By means of the sūtra noose
They are all bound by the five fetters!¹³

“O Sage! May the assemblies of bhūtas in the south,
Twenty-eight bhūtas,
Grahas born from kumbhāṇḍas,
Obey me!
By means of the sūtra noose,
They are all bound by the five fetters!

“O Sage! May the assemblies of bhūtas in the west,
Twenty-eight bhūtas,
Grahas born from nāgas,
Obey me!
By means of the sūtra noose,
They are all bound by the five fetters!

“O Sage! May the assemblies of bhūtas in the north,
Twenty-eight bhūtas,
Grahas born from yakṣas,
Obey me!
By means of the sūtra noose,
They are all bound by the five fetters!

“The six hundred million yakṣas
In the court of Sañjaya,
He Who Is Born by Men,
The oldest son of Kubera,
Are bound by the five fetters,
And brought forth with the sūtra noose.

“The six hundred million yakṣas
In the court
Of Kubera’s second oldest son,
Known as Janaka,
Are bound by the five fetters,
And brought forth with the sūtra noose.

“The six hundred million yakṣas
In the court
Of Kubera’s third oldest son,
Whose name is Mahāgraha,
Are bound by the five fetters,
And brought forth with the sūtra noose.

“The six hundred million yakṣas
In the court
Of Kubera’s fourth oldest son,
Whose name is Kalaśodara,
Are bound by the five fetters,
And brought forth with the sūtra noose.

“The six hundred million yakṣas
In the court of the great god Maheśvara,
The Four-Armed One, Mahābala,

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Are bound by the five fetters,
And brought forth with the sūtra noose.

“Once all the bhūtas have arrived
On the mountain that destroys bhūtas,
They ponder this incantation,
The source of all incantations.

“Since this severely strict punishment
Was uttered by all buddhas,
We all respectfully
Go to Gautama for refuge!

“You should firmly obey this,
And everything will vanish!”

Then, all of a sudden
The assemblies of bhūtas arrived.
Through the noose incantation
Billions of yakṣas were summoned—

Those that dwell
On mountains and precipices,
In oceans and lakes,
In rivers, cascades, and springs;

Those that dwell in parks and mansions,
In gardens and forests,
In shrines and towns,
And at tree trunks;

Those that dwell at town gates and in villages,
In cities and countries,
In royal palaces and doorways,
And in mansions;

Those that dwell in maṇḍalas and charnel grounds,
And likewise, in temples,
At borders, and in customs houses,
Empty houses, and wild places;

All the yakṣas were summoned from above and below,
The four directions, and all intermediate directions.

Some played clay drums,
Others played gargara drums.
The Mahābalas played
Lutes, flutes, and small kettledrums.

As they played these instruments,
Sang songs, and danced, they summoned
Indra, Soma, and Varuṇa,
Bharadvāja and Prajāpati,

Vikala¹⁴ and Lohitākṣa,
Himavat and Supūrṇaka,
Candana and Kāmaśreṣṭhī,
Maṇikaṇṭha and Nikaṇṭhaka,

Prajāguru,
The divine son Mātali,
The gandharva Citrasena,
Nararāj, Jinarṣabha,

Likewise the one named Pañcaśikha,
Tumburu

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and Sūryavarcasa,
Śaila and Asiputra,
Viśvāmitra and Yaśodharā,

Āḍavaka and Sumanas,
Śūcīkarṇa and Darīmukha,
Pañcālagaṇḍa and Sumukha,
All with their sentinels, troops, and mounts,

The gods, nāgas, and gandharvas,
Yakṣas, rākṣasas, and asuras,
The unmādas that return every third day,
Fevers that recur every fourth day,

And all the wicked yakṣas and rākṣasas,
Harmful to the world,
Present throughout the four directions.

Bound by the five fetters,
They stood with palms joined
And addressed the Lord of the World:

“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!
We pay homage to you with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!

“Running before them
Are bhūta yakṣas with large bodies,
Terrible ones with four arms,
With many feet, or one foot,
With four feet, or two feet,
With feet above and face below,

“With many bodies and one head,
With one body and four heads,
With many eyes and half a body,
With one eye and twelve stomachs,

“With the heads of ass, camel, and elephant,
With arms above and head hanging,
With weapons for teeth, arms, and feet,

“Rākṣasas with copper hair and teeth,
Copper eyes and arms,
Copper hammers for feet,
Copper noses and mouths,
With hands and feet ablaze,

“Ones that dwell inside the bodies of humans,
Hunchbacked, one eyed, and with boils,
With disfigured eyes and yawning mouths,
With bodies of sea monsters and tigers,
Monstrous, with gaping mouths,
Dangling lips, and curled fangs,
Wicked faces, wrinkled with wrath,

“With swollen bellies and vase-shaped ears,
With hanging ears, or no ears,
With long arms and long ears,
Long noses and long hands,

“With wizened bodies, long bodies,
And long hair, well adorned,
With thin feet and necks,

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Malodorous, and with gourd-shaped bellies,

“With limbs like a sea monster’s,
Bellies like wooden pestles and hammers,
Eyes cocked up, big noses,
And bright red hair sticking straight up,

“With big heads, necks like bows,
Wizened, hunchbacked, and with gourd-shaped bellies—

“They poured down a rain of flaming sparks,
Shaking the peak of Mount Sumeru.

“With complexions like trees, mountains, stones,
Or cloud masses,
The kumbhāṇḍas let out the horrific sounds
Of percussion music
With conch shells, kettledrums, clay drums, and large kettledrums.

“With large throats, they brayed like donkeys.
They were black, yellow, and blue,
Or orange, as orange as fire,
With body hairs like needles and head hairs like swords.

“Smeared red with blood,
They ran around,
Seizing and devouring
Human corpses.

“With sharp teeth, red hands,
And lips spattered with blood,
They filled their hands
With half-eaten bodies,
And with kidneys, hearts, and other internal organs.

“While devouring children,
They robbed embryos and creatures
Of the strength of their limbs.
With the bodies of skeletons,
They terrorized many people.

“Carrying human skins,
Filled with blood,
And smeared with potent poison,
They ran all around.

“They scattered to the gates of the cities,
From house to house,
And disturbed the humors of wind, bile, and phlegm
Throughout the four directions.

“All such graha kings
And terrifying beings
Assembled there
Are bound by the noose incantation.

“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!
We pay homage with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!

“Coursing throughout cities, towns, countries,
And the courts of royal palaces,
The horrible yakṣas steal luster.
Devoid of compassion, they drink blood.

“They are large bodied and terrible,
Mighty and loud,
With ten necks and a thousand eyes,
Great grahas with red eyes.

“Dispatching their retainers,

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They are terrifying, with weapons in their hands.
Some are carrying serpent nooses;

“Those with four arms carry torches,
Knives, sticks,
And vajra spears.
Vanquishing fierce armies,
They bring terror everywhere.

“Even all the gracious guhyakas
Dwelling in the locale of the wicked
Seize men, women, and others
In these worlds of humans.

“Reveling in warm flesh and blood, they are protean—
Humans see the yakṣas
In the form of lions, tigers, or horses,
Buffaloes, cows, asses, camels,
Or elephants,

“Bears, leopards, or jackals,
Dogs, foxes, or goats,

“In the form of cats, rats, or monkeys,
In the form of rhinoceroses, boars, mongooses,
Fish, or turtles.

“Some are seen in the form of otters;
Others are seen in the form of crows, owls, or cuckoos,
Vultures, falcons, or timitimiṅgila fish;

“Still others are seen
In the form of peacocks, or swans,
Swans, curlews,
Or wild cocks.

“Even as birds
They terrorize many people.
Some have the heads of humans
And the bodies of wild cocks, or asses.

“Some attack with weapons;
Others manifest as disembodied.
Disturbed and driven by their wants,
They are draped in intestine garlands.

“Stabbing with tridents,
They injure creatures.
Exclaiming horrid sounds,
Beings are tormented.

“They manifest in various forms,
As many as there are types of creatures.
Some even hold mountains,
While others hold swords and disks.

“Numbering in the hundreds of thousands,
Rākṣasas are threatened with clubs and abuse,
Their eyes are plucked out, their faces disfigured,
And their teeth are broken.¹⁵

“Rākṣasas have their noses and ears severed,
Their tongues severed, and their faces wrinkled.
Their hands and feet are chopped off,
And their heads are cut off.

“Seeking an opportunity,
They steal the luster of the wicked.

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They manifest as microscopic grahas
In the bodies of humans.

“All those assembled
Between body hairs, in the body’s vital spots,
Or at the openings of wounds
Are also brought forth by the noose incantation.

“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!
We pay homage with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!

“Those that dwell on Sumeru, the king of mountains,
And likewise on the surrounding mountain range,
Those that dwell on Vulture Peak, Iśādhāra,
Gandhamādana, and Himavat,

“Those that dwell on Pāṇḍava, Citrakūṭa,
And on the twin peaks of Nārada,
Those on the peak of Śrīparvata,
Risen to lofty summits,

“All the gods and sages
Dwelling on all those mountains
Are displeased
And cry out with anguish.

“Billions of gods
And trillions of gods
With fortunate, divine maidens
Join their palms.

“Vemacitrin, Rāhula,
And Prahlāda have also assembled;
The trillions of asuras
And billions of asuras,
Along with their many daughters with supernatural powers,
All join their palms.

“Supratiṣṭha, Sāgara,
And the nāga king Manasvin,
The nāga king Anavatapta,
And the pair Nanda and Upanandaka,

“Vajramati, Vakṣunanda,
Gaṅgā, Nanda, Sindhu, Sāgara,
And Suparṇī, king of birds—

“Who with millions
And billions of nāgas
Churn up the ocean—
They and their fortunate daughters
Join their palms.

“Even the sun and the moon,
Surrounded by the stars,
Suvarṇavarṇa in Puṣpa,
Rabheyaka in Magadha,
Kāpili in Bharukaccha,
Prapuṇḍaka in Kośala,

“Śūcīlomā in Bhadra,
Yaśodharā in Malla,
Vibhīṣaṇa in Pāñcāla,
And Lohitākṣa in Aśvaja,

“Piṅgala in Avanta,
Kapilākṣa in Vaidiśa,
Kumbhodara in Matsa,

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And Dīrghila in Sūrata,

“Pramardana in Gāndhāra,
Sūryamitra in Kambu,
And the sixteen ukta yakṣas
In the great countries.

“The great yakṣa Vajrapāṇi,
The Dharma protector Prapuṇḍara,
Kapila, Sudarśana, Viṣṇu,
Piṇḍāra, and Karaśodara,

“Kumbhīra, Sātyaki,
Pāñcika, and Jinarṣabha,
The great yakṣa Maheśvara,
Four armed and mighty,

“Pramardana Śūrasena,
Powerful and mighty,
Yama and his servants,
And Māra with his army,

“The yakṣa named Hari
Retaining an entourage of ten million yakṣas,
Śarita with her army,
And the yakṣiṇī Giridāri
With her army,

“The majestic, terrific form
Known as Hārītī,
And Caṇḍā Caṇḍālikā
Surrounded by her five hundred sons,

“Ākoṭā, Karkaṭī, Kālī,
Padumā, Padumāvatī,
Puṣpadantī, Viśālā,
And the rākṣasī Kharakarṇa,

“Candana, Viṣṇula,
Haripiṅgalapiṅgala,
Kuñjara, Nāgadanta,
Girimitra, and Agradaṃṣṭraka,

“The rākṣasī Bhadradantā,
Brahmilā, Viṣṇulā,
The yakṣa Hālāhala,
And the rākṣasa Vituṇḍaka—

“Carrying spears, bows, and arrows,
They run around everywhere,
Harming and devouring
People, horses, cows, and deer.

“Shaking the earth,
They dry up the groves;
Shaking the mountains,
They harm these beings.

“Assembling from far and near,
They converged, summoned by the incantation.

“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!
We pay homage with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!”

When they had thus assembled
Before the Lord of the World,
King Vaiśravaṇa then said this

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To the Lord of the World:

“The royal palace manifested
To the north of me
Is beautiful Aḍakavatī;
Thus I am its lord.
All the gods marvel over
The royal palace of Aḍakavatī.

“Its high surrounding wall
Is studded with all precious materials.
It is sixteen leagues in height
And made out of gold.

“Each of its four directional turrets
Is inhabited all around
By vajra-holding yakṣas,
With weapons manifested in their hands.

“The royal palace
Is equipped with four gates:
The first gate is made of gold.
The second is made of silver.

“The third is a crystal gate.
The fourth is adorned with gold.
Inside the city
Is a garden with flowers in full bloom.

“Inside the city are various mansions
Made of the seven types of precious substances,
With trees of various jewels,
And the symphonic warbling of birds.

“It is strewn with various flowers
And anointed with various perfumes.
It is adorned with the yakṣiṇī Vidhvaṃsaṇī
And with song and music.

“I experience the most sublime happiness
There, in that circle of bhūtas.
My attendants there, moreover,
Are endowed with all the best attributes.

“As beings that seek the Dharma and practice the Dharma,
They do not harm creatures.

“Deprived of food and drink,
Other dreadful beings
Search about for the best sense pleasures,
And look everywhere throughout the four directions.

“I will destroy
All of those hundreds of billions
Of yakṣas, rākṣasas, and bhūtas
That dwell at the city gates,
In gardens and forests,
Summoning them with the sūtra noose!

“At the center of the royal palace
Is the dwelling place of the Dharma King,
Encircled by a cool pond
And shaded by sandal trees.

“All around, for sixteen leagues,

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Mansions are formed.
The first is made of gold.
The second is made of silver.

“The third is made of beryl.
The fourth is made of pure crystal.
The fifth is made of red pearl.
The sixth is made of emerald.
The seventh is made of ruby.
The eighth is made of all seven precious substances.

“Hundreds of thousands of women
Adorned with many various pieces of jewelry
And garments
Inhabit each one of them.

“They are learned in singing and playing musical instruments
And in artistic skills.
Enthralled and satiated
With such delights,

“I am intoxicated there
With sweet drink and pleasures.
Thus, my attendants wander off
And wreak havoc throughout the ten directions.

“Women and men,
And likewise boys and girls,
And infants in the womb are terrorized.
Those in the animal realms are also harmed.

“The stars, the sun, and the moon,
And the terrible planets are harmed.
They steal grain, seeds, and fruit,
Flowers, medicine, food, and drink.

“Stealing the splendor of human beings,
They make high beings low.

“Whatever wars, fights, and strife
There are in the world,
All that is scorched, destroyed, slain, or split
Is an expression of bhūtas.

“They conceal and reveal,
Turn back and confront,
Frighten and seek out,
And show hostility.

“They cause nightmares
And cause harm to the slumbering.
Projecting clicking sounds from doorways,
They screech and devour.

“They appear in the form of friends and relatives
And begin conversation.
They appear in the form of beautiful girls
And indulge their desires.

“They appear in the form of the sun and stars,
And in the form of the moon.
Those detrimental to life
Appear in the form of wind and shooting stars.

“They appear as frightening jackals and dogs,

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As many as the host of stars,
At the locales of trees
And shrines.

“In the beautiful form of young men,
They shine and make the sounds of carriages.
At locations and on roads
They manifest various forms.
These yakṣas open the entrances
To cities and homes.

“Seizing life force and body,
They gravitate toward bad pathways.

“In various forms,
With various sounds
And various diseases,
They manifest illnesses in the body.
They falsely present the symptoms
Of all diseases.

“They distort everything—
The nature of all that appears in the world
Is twisted by them.
Led forth by the sūtra noose,
They are all present here.”

Then, Vaiśravaṇa arose,
And with palms joined said:

“You with designs of wheels on your feet,
You are like a shining golden sacrificial post.
Illuminator of the world,
Great Sage, you are like fire!

“Sixty-four thousand yakṣas
With terrible secret mantras
Dwell in the north
And perpetrate harm in the north.

“In the presence of the Lord of the World,
I will pronounce their punishment:

syād yathedam khaṅge khaṅge khaṅga garbhe vicakṣaṇe cakra rājane candre capale pātāle bhīmavadavati kharāgre bhṛikuṭimukhe kuṭilakarāgre ekākṣi vargavati sāraṅgavati mārgavati gargavate citravati citrakānti |

“May I have well-being in the north! Svāha!

“May Brahmā and Śakra,
The guardians of the world and Maheśvara,
All the yakṣa generals,
And Hārītī with her sons
Accept from me these flowers, incense,
And burnt offerings!

“Through their vigor,
Brilliance, majesty, and might,
May all illnesses be vanquished
And may I be safe
From all perils and misfortunes!

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“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!
We pay homage with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!”

The great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra arose,
And with palms joined said:

“You who are in full bloom, like a bouquet of flowers,
You with the voice of a kalaviṅka bird’s call,
Who resound with the sound like that of kokila birds and peacocks,
And like the roar of kettledrums and thunder,

“Great Sage,
Sixty-four thousand yakṣas, rākṣasas, and gandharvas
Dwell in the east
And perpetrate harm in the east.

“In the presence of the Lord of the World
I will pronounce their punishment:

syād yathedam dhāraṇi dhāraṇi pradhvaṃsani bhañjani prabhañjani vidhamaṇi kiṃpuruṣe śakale sārethe sāravati śūladhare śūladhāriṇi śuddhacaraṇe ghoṣavati śārāgre śānte |

“May I have well-being in the east! Svāha!

“May Brahmā and Śakra,
The guardians of the world and Maheśvara,
All the yakṣa generals,
And Hārītī with her sons
Accept from me these flowers, incense,
And burnt offerings!

“Through their vigor,
Brilliance, majesty, and might,
May all illnesses be vanquished
And may I be safe
From all perils and misfortunes!

“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!
We pay homage with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!”

King Virūḍhaka then arose,
And with palms joined said:

“All-knower, all-seer,
Defeater of all proponents,
Dispeller of all doubts,
Leader of all worlds,

“Sixty-four thousand
Kumbhāṇḍa pretapūtanas
Dwell in the south
And perpetrate harm
Against those who appear there.

“In the presence of the Lord of the World,
I will pronounce their punishment:

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syād yathedam śānti śāravati kānti kāravati kiṃkarasi kiṃkarati kiṃkasikiriṇṭi kiṃrate kiṃvate dharaṇi dhavani bhūmi dhāriṇi himavati jyotiścaraṇe gālāgre |

“May I have well-being in the south! Svāha!

“May Brahmā and Śakra,
The world protectors and Maheśvara,
All the yakṣa generals,
And Hārītī with her sons
Accept from me these flowers, incense,
And burnt offerings!

“Through their vigor,
Brilliance, majesty, and might,
May all illnesses be vanquished
And may I be safe
From all perils and misfortunes!

“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!
We pay homage with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!”

King Virūpākṣa then arose,
And with palms joined said:

“Great Cloud, Great Lion,
Greatest of the Great, Great Ocean,
Great Proponent, Great Hero,
Vanquisher of Great Armies,

“Sixty-four thousand
Fine-winged nāga guhyakas
Dwell in the west
And perpetrate harm against those who appear there.

“In the presence of the Lord of the World,
I will pronounce their punishment:

syād yathedam dharmivarāgre balavate balini viśāṅge vicaśi sāgare khārī kapali caṇḍāli kiriṇi nīrañjane vidhāriṇi vallamati avarṇavati acale |

“May I have well-being in the west! Svāha!

“May Brahmā and Śakra,
The guardians of the world and Maheśvara,
All the yakṣa generals,
And Hārītī with her sons
Accept from me these flowers, incense,
And burnt offerings!

“Through their vigor,
Brilliance, majesty, and might,
May all illnesses be vanquished
And may I be safe
From all perils and misfortunes! Svāhā!

“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!

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We pay homage with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!”

Then, Brahmā, Great Brahmā, arose,
And with palms joined said:

“Pristine One, purified by Brahmā,
Master of all forms of knowledge,
Delighter of beings, king of physicians,
Healer of all worlds,

“In the presence of the Lord of the World,
I will pronounce the punishment
For the yakṣas and rākṣasas
That dwell throughout the cardinal and intermediate directions,
And for the grahas that dwell
Deep underground, on the earth,
In between, and in the sky:

syād yathedam brahme brahma ghoṣe brahmasvare vajre vajraghoṣe vajradhare sthite sāre acale araṇe iṣaṇe arāṇete śūre varāgra prāpte sāgaravate |

“May I have well-being in all directions! Svāha!

“May Brahmā and Śakra,
The guardians of the world and Maheśvara,
All the yakṣa generals,
And Hārītī with her sons
Accept from me these flowers, incense,
And burnt offerings!

“Through their vigor,
Brilliance, majesty, and might,
May all illnesses be vanquished
And may I be safe
From all perils and misfortunes! Svāhā!

“May all illnesses from wind, bile,
Phlegm, and their combination
Be quelled,
And may I be safe
From all perils and misfortunes! Svāhā!

“Homage to you, heroic being!
Homage to you, supreme being!
We pay homage with palms joined!
Homage to you, king of Dharma!”

At this point, the Blessed One thought, “The blessed buddhas have not come into the world for the sake of a single kingdom. The blessed buddhas have not come into the world for a single city, township, province, town, home, or being. Rather, blessed buddhas have come into the world for the sake of the whole world, with its gods, Māra, and Brahmā;

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and for the sake of creatures, including mendicants and priests, gods, humans, and asuras—in the same way that a master physician, a healer learned in the field of medicine, appears in the world neither for a single kingdom, nor for a single land or being. Why so? It is thought that humans and non-humans could not be harmed wherever blessed buddhas were dwelling. Thus, I too should venture out to the big city of Vaiśālī. I will then secure the welfare of the populace in the big city of Vaiśālī and there perform buddha activities on their behalf.”

So, sure enough, in the morning the Blessed One donned his robes, picked up his alms bowl, and came down from Vulture Peak Mountain together with 1,250 monks.

Brahmā, master of the world, took five hundred divine parasols and offered them to the Blessed One on his right. Having made the offering, Brahmā sat, fanning the Blessed One with a chowrie.

Śakra, lord of the gods, took five hundred divine parasols and offered them to the Blessed One on his left. Having made the offering, he sat, fanning the Blessed One with a chowrie.

Each of the four great kings then took five hundred divine parasols and offered them to the Blessed One from behind. Having made the offering, they sat, fanning the Blessed One with a chowrie.

Finally, the divine son Maheśvara, the twenty-eight great yakṣa generals, the thirty-two great yakṣa warriors, and Hārītī with her sons, all with their entourages, each took a divine parasol, offered it to the śrāvakas, then sat, fanning them with chowries.

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Having received such accolades, respect, and reverence, the Blessed One came down from Vulture Peak Mountain together with the saṅgha of monks and set out for the city of Vaiśālī. From a distance the Licchavi people of Vaiśālī saw the Blessed One coming. He was handsome and inspiring, and his senses were stilled. His mind was serene, his sense faculties were restrained, his mind was temperate, and he had attained the perfection of sublime tranquility. His sense faculties were isolated and withdrawn. He was as well trained as an elephant, and as lucid, limpid, and clear as a lake. His body was adorned with the thirty-two characteristics of a great being, and he was ornamented with the eighty fine marks. He had the body of a thus-gone one, bedecked like the king of sal trees. Like the sun, he emitted a profusion of light rays everywhere. He was like a conflagration raging atop a mountain peak in the middle of a dark night, and brilliant and shining like a golden mountain.

As soon as the Licchavi people of Vaiśālī saw the Blessed One, they gained faith in him. With faith they swept, anointed, cleansed, and strewed with flowers the path on which the Blessed One was traveling to the great city of Vaiśālī. Having decorated the road with various silk wreaths, bells, parasols, standards, and banners, and having scented it with various incenses and perfumes, they approached the Blessed One and bowed at his feet.

Then, with his stainless hand, radiating hundreds of light rays, tender and smooth, shining brighter than the rays of the sun, adorned with the signs of past virtuous conduct, as soft as the bulb of a lotus flower, and whose palm had the design of a thousand-spoked wheel, the Blessed One stroked the heads of the Licchavi people and instructed them.

Reaching the great city of Vaiśālī, the Blessed One

First 34 of 97 passages. Read on

Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm

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