The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2]; The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2]
Translation of འཕགས་པ་ལྕགས་ཀྱ་མཆ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་གཟངས (འཕགས་པ་ལྕགས་ཀྱི་མཆུ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་གཟུངས)
- Language
- English
- Translator
- Lowell Cook
- Extent
- 31 passages, 2,786 words
- Text
- complete digital text
- Source
- 84000 · Published by 84000 (v 1.0.2 2025); Published by 84000 (v 1.0.1 2025). 84000: Translating the Words of the… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a…
Contents
- intro 84000's introduction — 14 parts
- 1
- 2
- 3
- notes Notes — 2 parts
Text
84000's introduction
intro.1
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.
intro.2
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.
intro.3
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.¹ 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.
intro.4
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] shares an identical title with another translation in the Degé Kangyur, Toh 761,² 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).³ 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.
intro.5
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 ce. Though the relationships between the five beak dhāraṇīs are still unclear, we may assume that The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] also emerged around a similar time and amidst a similar Indian cultural and religious milieu. The text is bereft of a colophon that would provide information as to when and by whom it was translated into Tibetan. It is not listed in either of the two extant catalogs from the imperial period. As such, we are left with little basis on which to determine under what circumstances it was translated in Tibet.
intro.6
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.
intro.7
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.
intro.8
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.
intro.9
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.
intro.10
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.¹ 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.
intro.11
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] shares an identical title with another translation in the Degé Kangyur, Toh 761,² 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).³ 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.
intro.12
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 ce. Though the relationships between the five beak dhāraṇīs are still unclear, we may assume that The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] also emerged around a similar time and amidst a similar Indian cultural and religious milieu. The text is bereft of a colophon that would provide information as to when and by whom it was translated into Tibetan. It is not listed in either of the two extant catalogs from the imperial period. As such, we are left with little basis on which to determine under what circumstances it was translated in Tibet.
intro.13
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.
intro.14
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.
1
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.
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.
2
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.⁴ 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-pointed⁵ 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 seeds⁶ on the ocean. It will rain as you wish. If one chants this countless tens of trillions⁷ of times on a small stake at a place where nāgas are found and plants the stake at that nāga site,
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.⁴ 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-pointed⁵ 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 seeds⁶ on the ocean. It will rain as you wish. If one chants this countless tens of trillions⁷ of times on a small stake at a place where nāgas are found and plants the stake at that nāga site,
3
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.
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.
Notes
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2]
notes.1.1
1. 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.
notes.1.2
2. The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [1] (Lohatuṇḍadhāraṇī, Toh 761).
notes.1.3
3. Sarvābhayapradādhāraṇī (Toh 609/925).
notes.1.4
4. 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.”
notes.1.5
5. 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.
notes.1.6
6. The meaning of ’bar li ti is uncertain. We have rendered it as “black mustard seeds,” given the parallels with Toh 761.
notes.1.7
7. Reading the addition of sa ya (“million”) from H, N, and S.
The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2]
notes.2.1
1. 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.
notes.2.2
2. The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [1] (Lohatuṇḍadhāraṇī, Toh 761).
notes.2.3
3. Sarvābhayapradādhāraṇī (Toh 609/925).
notes.2.4
4. 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.”
notes.2.5
5. 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.
notes.2.6
6. The meaning of ’bar li ti is uncertain. We have rendered it as “black mustard seeds,” given the parallels with Toh 761.
notes.2.7
7. Reading the addition of sa ya (“million”) from H, N, and S.