འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མད་སྡའ་དབང་པའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 3
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) 3
- Language
- English
3.2
“ ‘Good man, you will perfectly adorn the Bodhimaṇḍa.
“ ‘Good man, you will protect all the world realms of a billion worlds.
“ ‘Good man, at the foot of the king of trees, you will be victorious over the innumerable armies of Māra, who have terrifying forms, terrifying presence, hideous manifestations, and various hideous forms.
“ ‘Good man, having gone to the supreme, sublime Bodhimaṇḍa, you will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of complete buddhahood that is beyond analogy and is complete peace, spotless, and profound.
“ ‘Good man, you will be seated upon the central, eternal vajra seat. You will turn the Dharma wheel that is praised by all the jinas,¹⁷⁶ is supremely profound, and has the twelve forms.¹⁷⁷
“ ‘Good man, you will beat the unsurpassable great drum of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will blow the unsurpassable conch of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will raise the great banner of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will light the unsurpassable lamp of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will send down the unsurpassable rain of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will be victorious over many thousands of kleśa enemies.
“ ‘Good man, you will free many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings from the terrifying ocean of great terrors.
“ ‘Good man, you will free many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings from the wheel of saṃsāra.
“ ‘Good man, you will please many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas.’ ”¹⁷⁸
When the Bhagavat had said that, the Four Mahārājas said to him,
3.3
“Venerable Bhagavat, when we see a human king who has developed roots of merit with a hundred thousand buddhas, who possesses an incalculable aggregation of merit, and who sees these qualities that arise in this life and the future from this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, then, venerable Bhagavat, out of kindness for him, when we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, are invoked by the vines of various perfumes and incenses at each of our dwellings, we will immediately, in order to listen to the Dharma, make our bodies invisible and will go to the king’s palace,¹⁷⁹ which has been well swept, excellently sprinkled with various perfumes, and excellently adorned with various decorations. Brahmā, the lord of Sahā; Śakra, the lord of the devas; the great goddess Sarasvatī; the great goddess Śrī; the great goddess Dṛḍhā; the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya; the twenty-eight great yakṣa generals; the deity Maheśvara; the great yakṣa general Vajrapāṇi; the great yakṣa general Māṇibhadra; Hārītī with her entourage of five hundred children; the nāga king Anavatapta; the nāga king Sāgara; and many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of devas, with their bodies invisible, will come to the human king’s palace, which has been adorned with various decorations. In order to listen to the Dharma, they will come to the dharmabhāṇaka’s high Dharma throne, which has been perfectly adorned with various adornments and set up on a floor that has been scattered with flowers.
“Venerable Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, all in unison, as soon as we have been satiated by the liquid amṛta of the Dharma, will become guardians of that human king, the human king who is aided by a kalyāṇamitra,¹⁸⁰ who has accomplished goodness, and who makes the vast gift of the unsurpassable Dharma.
3.4
We will defend him, keep him in our care, protect him, and bring him peace and well-being. We will guard, defend, keep in our care, protect, and bring peace and well-being to that royal palace,¹⁸¹ that city, and that domain. We will save them from attack. We will free those in that domain from all fear, harm, disease, and disturbances.
“Venerable Bhagavat, when someone is a human king and in that human king’s domain there appears The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, then, venerable Bhagavat, if that human king does not honor, venerate, worship, and make offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, and we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, are not satiated by hearing this Dharma and by the liquid amṛta of the Dharma, and are not worshiped, then the brilliance of our bodies will not increase. Our diligence, power, and might will not develop, and magnificence, splendor, and good fortune will not increase within our bodies.
“Venerable Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, will abandon that domain.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if we abandon that domain, all the devas who dwell in that domain will also abandon it.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if the devas abandon that domain, there will various kinds of troubles in that domain. There will be terrible troubles for the king.
3.5
All the beings who dwell in that domain will become belligerent, quarrelsome, contentious,¹⁸² and disputatious. Various malign planetary influences and illnesses will occur. Shooting stars will fall from every direction. The planets and lunar asterisms will be in disharmony. The moon will pass through the sky as if it is the sun. Though the moon and sun will be in the sky, eclipses will continually obscure them. From time to time there will be swirling rainbow colors¹⁸³ in the sky. The ground will shake. Cavities in the ground will emit sounds. A fierce wind will arise in the domain. A fierce rain will fall. There will be the calamity of famine. The country will be defeated by an enemy army and ruined. The beings there will suffer many troubles. That domain will experience unhappiness.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, along with that domain’s devas and nāgas, abandon that domain, there will be hundreds of such calamities, thousands of such various calamities.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if there is a human king who wishes to be well guarded; who wishes to experience the various joys of a king for a long time; who wishes to enjoy for a long time the pleasures of being a king; who wishes to make all the beings who dwell in his domain happy; who wishes to defeat all the armies of his adversaries; who wishes to protect his entire domain for a long time; who wishes to be a Dharma king; and who wishes to free his domain from all fear, harm, disease, and disturbances,
3.6
then, venerable Bhagavat, that human king should listen with conviction to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. He should honor, venerate, worship, and make offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. We, the Four Mahārājas, and our army and attendants should become satisfied by this accumulation of the roots of merit through listening to the Dharma and by this liquid amṛta of the Dharma. The great brilliance of these divine bodies of ours should be increased.
“Why is that? Venerable Bhagavat, the human king should listen with conviction to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.
“Venerable Bhagavat, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is much greater than, far superior to, all the various worldly and nonworldly treatises taught by the lord of Brahmās; all the various treatises taught by Śakra, the lord of the devas; and all the various worldly and nonworldly treatises taught for the benefit of beings by ṛṣis who possessed the five higher cognitions.
“Venerable Bhagavat, a tathāgata is much greater than, far superior to, a hundred thousand lords of the Brahmās, the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of Śakras, and all the hundreds of thousands of quintillions of ṛṣis endowed with the five higher cognitions, and he teaches extensively this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light in order to benefit beings.
“The bhagavat arhat samyaksaṃbuddha has the blessing of the power of great compassion, which is far superior to that of a hundred thousand quintillion lords of the Brahmās; he has a tathāgata’s unsurpassable wisdom, which is far superior to the divine knowledge of a hundred thousand quintillion Śakras; and he has a blessing that is far superior to that of all the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of ṛṣis who have the various forms of the five higher cognitions. The bhagavat arhat samyaksaṃbuddha teaches this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light extensively in this Jambudvīpa for the sake of all beings so that the kings of humans who dwell throughout Jambudvīpa will have sovereignty; so that all beings will become happy; so that all domains will be guarded and defended;
3.7
so that there will be no harm or enemies in all dominions; so that the armies of adversaries will be defeated and will retreat; so that there will be no disease or disturbances; so that human kings will light the great lamp of the Dharma and illuminate their own domains; so that the mansions of the devas will be filled with devas and their children; so that we, the Four Mahārājas, and our armies, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, and all the hosts of devas that dwell in Jambudvīpa, will be satiated and worshiped; so that our divine bodies will increase in great magnificence; so that diligence, might, and great strength develop in our bodies; so that there will be good harvests; so that there will be happiness throughout all Jambudvīpa, which will become filled with beings and people; so that all beings who dwell in Jambudvīpa will be happy, experiencing various kinds of happiness; so that all beings will experience the vast, vast happiness of devas and humans for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons; and so that they will be in the company of buddha bhagavats and in a future time will all attain the highest, most complete enlightenment.
“Whatever worldly or nonworldly kingly duties,¹⁸⁴ treatises on kingship, or kingly deeds throughout Jambudvīpa bring happiness to all beings, they are all taught, described, and explained by the bhagavat arhat tathāgata samyaksaṃbuddha in this¹⁸⁵ Lord King¹⁸⁶ of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.
3.8
“Venerable Bhagavat, because of that cause and condition, a human king should reverently listen with conviction to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, reverently worship it, and reverently make offerings to it.”
When the Four Mahārājas had said that, the Bhagavat said to them, “Therefore, you Four Mahārājas, with your army and attendants, should with great enthusiasm guard the kings who with conviction listen to, worship, and make offerings to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.
“Mahārājas, you should cause the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this lord king of sūtras to possess buddha activity.¹⁸⁷ They will perform buddha activity in this world with its devas, humans, and asuras. They will extensively and correctly teach this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.
“You, the Four Mahārājas, should ensure that the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this lord of sūtras are guarded, are unharmed, have no illness, have no disturbances, and are happy.
3.9
“Guard, defend, take in your care, protect, and bring peace and well-being to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who will teach this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.”
Then Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāja Virūḍhaka, and Mahārāja Virūpākṣa rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, knelt on their right knee, and with palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat.
At that time, they directly praised the Bhagavat with these appropriate verses:
“To the stainless moon of the Jina’s body,
To the light of the thousand rays of the Jina’s sun,
To the stainless lotuses of the Jina’s eyes,
And to the spotless lotus roots of the Jina’s teeth;
“To the sea of the Jina’s qualities
That is the source of many jewels;
To the Jina’s ocean filled with the water of wisdom
That is pervaded by hundreds of thousands of samādhis;
“To the Jina’s feet with the design of wheels,
With hubs, rims, and a thousand spokes;
To the hands and feet beautified by webs,
The webs of the feet like those of the lord of geese;
“And to the mountain of the Jina that is stainless gold
And that is shining like a golden mountain,
Who, like Meru, possesses all qualities—
To the Jina, the lord of mountains, we pay homage.
“To the Tathāgata who is like the sun and moon,¹⁸⁸
To the one who is similar to and equal to space,¹⁸⁹
Who has no impediment like a mirage or illusion, ¹⁹⁰
To the stainless Jina we pay homage.”
The Bhagavat then spoke these verses to the Four Mahārājas:
3.10
“You who are guardians of the world
Should protect with unwavering diligence
The Golden Light, the Supreme King and Lord of Sūtras of those with the ten strengths,
“So that this profound, precious sūtra
That bestows happiness on all beings
Will remain long in this Jambudvīpa
For the sake of the happiness and benefit of beings.
“It will bring an end to all the suffering
Of the beings that are in the hells
And the suffering of the lower existences
In the worlds of this trichiliocosm.
“Within this Jambudvīpa,
May all the kings in Jambudvīpa
With great, perfect joy
Protect their domains through the Dharma.¹⁹¹
“May those who make Jambudvīpa happy
With excellent harvests and joy
Make all beings become happy
Throughout the whole of Jambudvīpa.
“Those who are lords of humans here,
Who delight in their domain and who are happy and joyful,
Who delight in the wealth of sovereignty,
Should listen to this lord of the sūtras.
“The opposing hordes of enemies will come to an end;
This source of goodness will repel enemy armies.
Ruination through the greatest fear will be averted.
This lord of sūtras is the source of goodness.¹⁹²
“A king who wishes for good qualities
Should view this supreme lord of sūtras
As being like a beautiful, precious tree
That is in the home, and the source of all qualities.
“Just as cool water dispels thirst
When¹⁹³ found by someone fatigued by heat,
That is what this supreme king of sūtras is like
For a king who is thirsty for good qualities.
“Like a precious casket in the hands,
Which is a source of every jewel,
That is what this supreme king of sūtras,
The Golden Light, is for the multitudes of kings.
“The devas make offerings to this lord of sūtras.
The lords of the devas pay homage to it.
3.11
The four protectors of the world,
With great miracles, guard it well.
“The buddhas in the ten directions
Always think of¹⁹⁴ this lord of sūtras.
Whenever this sūtra is taught,
The buddhas express their approval.
“The million million yakṣas that guard
The domains in the ten directions
Listen to this lord of sūtras
With joyful minds and with delight.
“The hosts of devas that dwell
In Jambudvīpa are beyond number.
Those hosts of devas, with complete joy,
Listen to this lord of sūtras.
“Through the act of listening to this sūtra,
They gain magnificence, strength, and diligence,
And the magnificence of their divine bodies
Vastly increases and expands.”
The Four Maharajas, on hearing these verses from the Bhagavat, were astonished, amazed, and overjoyed. Through the power of the Dharma, they briefly wept and shed tears. Their bodies shook and their limbs trembled, and they felt joy, bliss, and happiness. They scattered divine coral tree flowers toward the Bhagavat.
When they had scattered them, they rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, knelt on their right knee, and with palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said, “Venerable Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, each with five hundred yakṣas, will always follow behind the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu in order to guard and protect that dharmabhāṇaka.”
Chapter 8: Sarasvatī
3.12
Then the great goddess Sarasvatī, with her robe over one shoulder, kneeling with her right knee on the ground and her palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, I, the great goddess Sarasvatī, will bring eloquence to the words of those dharmabhāṇakas so that their words will be beautified. I will also bestow on them the power of mental retention. I will establish them in giving definitions. I will illuminate those dharmabhāṇakas with the great light of wisdom. If any line of verse or syllables of this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is left out or forgotten, I will bring all definitions, lines of verse, and syllables to those dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus.¹⁹⁵
“So that¹⁹⁶ this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light may remain for a long time in Jambudvīpa and not quickly vanish; so that beings can accomplish roots of merit with a hundred thousand buddha bhagavats; so that many beings on hearing this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, may develop inconceivably sharp wisdom; so that they may gain an inconceivable aggregation of wisdom;¹⁹⁷ so that they may attain good fortune in this life; so that they may have benefit in life and possess an immeasurable aggregation of merit; so that they may seek a variety of methods;¹⁹⁸ so that they may become learned¹⁹⁹ in all treatises; and so that they may attain²⁰⁰ perfection²⁰¹ in a variety of arts, I will bestow the power of retention so that they will not forget.
“I will teach the rite of cleansing with mantras and medicines for the benefit of the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus and the beings who listen to the Dharma, so that harm from the planets, lunar asterisms, birth, and death; all the harms from fighting, pollution, riots, chaos,
3.13
nightmares, and misleaders; and the harms from all evil spirits and vetālas will cease.
“These are the herbs and medicines through which the wise can cleanse themselves:
“Sweet flag, cow bezoar, and fenugreek,
Canafistula, acacia, and shami,²⁰²
Orris root and musk,²⁰³
Crepe ginger, cinnamon, and agarwood;
“Chir pine rosin and dammar gum,
Bdellium and frankincense,
Valerian and black stone flower,
Sandalwood and realgar;
“Bezoar²⁰⁴ and costus root,
Saffron, nut grass, and mustard seed,
Linseed, cardamom, and spikenard,
And ironwood flowers and vetiver:
“Combine equal amounts of each
During the Puṣya lunar house.
Recite these mantra words
A hundred times over the powder:
tadyathā | sukṛte²⁰⁵ kṛtakamalanīlajinakarate²⁰⁶ haṃkarāte²⁰⁷ indrajali²⁰⁸ śakaddre vaśaddre²⁰⁹ avartakasike²¹⁰ nakutra kukavilakavimalamati śīlamati²¹¹ sandhidhudhumamavati śiśiri satyasthite²¹² svāhā | ²¹³
“Make a circle of cow dung
And scatter flower petals.
Pour sweetened water
Into a gold bowl and a silver bowl.
“You should also place there
Four men dressed in armor,
And place there four maidens
Who are adorned and holding pots.
“Perfume the air with bdellium
And play the five kinds of musical instruments.²¹⁴
Adorn the goddess with
Banners, parasols, and flags.
“In between, place mirrors
And arrange arrows and spears.
Then, after closing the boundary,
Commence on what is to be done.
syād yathedaṃ²¹⁵ arake nayane hile mile gile khikhile svāhā | ²¹⁶
“Engage in the peaceful activity of cleansing by reciting this mantra while washing the body of the Bhagavat:
tadyathā | sugaṭe vigaṭe vigatāvati svāhā | ²¹⁷
“May the lunar asterisms, wherever they are
In the four directions, protect lives.
May they bring to an end the dreadful terrors
Of the harms from the stars of one’s birth,
3.14
The fears that arise from a multitude of actions,
And the disturbances of the elements.
tadyathā²¹⁸ | śame viṣame svāhā | sagaṭe vigaṭe svāhā | sukhatinate svāhā | sāgarasaṃbhūtāya svāhā | skandhamatāya svāhā | nīlakaṇṭhāya svāhā | aparājitavīryāya svāhā | himavatsaṃbhūtāya svāhā | animilavaktrāya svāhā | namo bhagavate brāhmaṇe | namaḥ sarasvatyai devyai | sidhyantu mantrapadā daṃ brahma anumanyatu svāhā | ²¹⁹
“I will be there, because of this washing ritual, in order to guard the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu and those who listen to the Dharma and those who write it out.
“Together with a host of devas,²²⁰ I will end all illness in those villages, towns, marketplaces, and monasteries.
“I will end harm from planetary afflictions, fighting, and pollution; harm from the stars of one’s birth; and all harm from nightmares, troublesome demons, and all evil spirits and vetālas for the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this lord of sūtras, so that their lifespan will be benefited and they will abandon saṃsāra, will progress irreversibly to the highest, most complete enlightenment, and will quickly attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood.”
Then the Bhagavat congratulated the great goddess Sarasvatī, saying, “Well done, well done, great goddess Sarasvatī! You act to bring benefit to many beings and happiness to many beings. It is excellent, excellent, that you have given this teaching of mantras and medicines.”
The great goddess Sarasvatī bowed down to the Bhagavat’s feet and sat to one side.
Then the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa, called upon the goddess Sarasvatī:
“Great goddess Sarasvatī,
You are worthy of offering, a great ascetic;
You are renowned²²¹ in all worlds;
You give the best and have great qualities;²²²
“You have the highest attainment, are beautiful,
And have put on a darbha grass robe—
3.15
You are wearing darbha grass²²³ clothing,
And you stand on one leg.²²⁴
“All the devas have gathered,
And they all speak in one voice:
‘Loosen your tongue and speak
The words that will benefit beings.’
syād yathedaṃ²²⁵ | mure cire | avaje avajavate²²⁶ | higule²²⁷ migule²²⁸ | pigalavati²²⁹ maguśe²³⁰ marici samati daśamati agrimagri tara citara²³¹ capati²³² cicirī śirimiri marici praṇaye²³³ lokajyeṣṭhe²³⁴ lokapriye²³⁵ siddhiprite²³⁶ vimamukhiśucikharī²³⁷ apratihate²³⁸ apratehata²³⁹ buddhe namuci namuci mahādevī²⁴⁰ pratigṛhnanamaskaraṃ²⁴¹ | ²⁴²
“May I²⁴³ have unimpeded understanding. May I accomplish the knowledge²⁴⁴ of treatises, verses, tantras, piṭakas, poetry, and so on.
tadyathā | mahāprabhavā²⁴⁵ hili hili mili mili | ²⁴⁶
“May I be victorious through the power of the Bhagavatī, the goddess Sarasvatī.
karaṭe keyūre keyūravati²⁴⁷ hili mili hili mili hili hili | ²⁴⁸
“I summon the great goddess through the truth of the Buddha, the truth of the Dharma, the truth of the Saṅgha, the truth of Indra, and the truth of Varuṇa. I invoke the great goddess through the truth and true words of all who speak truth in the world.
tadyathā | hili hili²⁴⁹ hili mili, hili mili | ²⁵⁰ May I be victorious! I pay homage to the Bhagavatī, the great goddess Sarasvatī! May I accomplish the mantra words! svāhā |
Then the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa, praised the goddess Sarasvatī with these verses:
“All hosts of spirits, listen to me!
I praise the perfectly beautiful face of the sublime goddess,
The sublime female, the highest of perfect goddesses
In the world with its devas, gandharvas, and lords of devas.
“The one named Sarasvatī is endowed with vast eyes.
Her limbs are adorned by an accumulation of various qualities.
3.16
She shines with merit, a vastness of stainless wisdom and qualities.
She is like a vision of an accumulation of different jewels.
“I praise her, who has the exceptional qualities of supreme speech.
She produces the supreme, sublime accomplishments.
She produces true praises and good qualities.
She is stainlessly supreme, a shining lotus.
“She has supreme eyes, sublime eyes.
She is the basis for goodness, a vision of goodness.
She is adorned with inconceivable qualities.
She is like the moon shining with pure light.
“She is the source of wisdom and has sublime memory.
She is a supreme lion, the divine steed of humans.
She is adorned by eight arms²⁵¹
And she shines like the full moon.
“She has a beautiful voice and lovely speech.
She is endowed with profound wisdom.
She is a sublime being who provides the highest needs.
Her abode is praised by all the hosts of deva and asura lords,
And she is continually offered to by the hosts of spirits: svāhā.²⁵²
“I²⁵³ pay homage to this goddess.
May she bestow special qualities on me.
May she grant me the accomplishment of all that is needed.
May she constantly protect me²⁵⁴ in the midst of enemies.
“In the morning on arising, recite purely
These complete syllables, the full words,
And all wishes, wealth, and grain will be attained,
And vast accomplishment and goodness will also be obtained.”
Chapter 9: The Great Goddess Śrī
Then the great goddess Śrī said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, I, the great goddess Śrī, will also, in whatever way, bring a perfection of requisites to those dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus so that they will gain freedom from deprivation; will have a resolute²⁵⁵ mind; will day and night have happiness of mind; will learn, understand, and correctly recite all the different words and letters in this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light,
3.17
so that, for the sake of those beings who have planted good roots with hundreds of thousands of buddhas, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light will remain for a long time in Jambudvīpa and will not disappear, and so that beings will hear this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light and will experience the happiness of devas and humans for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, and so that there will be no famine and instead excellent harvests. Beings will become happy through being endowed with every kind of happiness. They will be in the company of tathāgatas, and in a future time will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood. This will end all the suffering in the hells, in the lives of animals, and in the world of Yama. Robes, food, bedding, medicine while ill, requisites, and other necessities will be brought to those dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus.
“I,²⁵⁶ the great goddess Śrī, developed good roots with the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Ratnakusumaguṇasāgaravaiḍūryakanakagirisuvarṇakāñcanaprabhāsaśrī. In the present, wherever I direct my mind, wherever I look, wherever I go, many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings become happy; they become endowed with every kind of happiness. They do not lack food, drink, wealth, grain, cowries, gold, jewels, pearls, beryl, conchs, crystals, coral, silver, unwrought gold, or other requisites. Those beings are endowed with all requisites.²⁵⁷
3.18
Through the power of the great goddess Śrī, they make offerings to that tathāgata. They make offerings of perfumes, flowers, and incense.²⁵⁸ They recite the name ‘the great goddess Śrī’²⁵⁹ three times and offer him perfume, incense, and flowers.²⁶⁰ They also offer him a variety of flavors, and then their great accumulations of grain increase. It is said concerning this:
“The fertility of the earth increases in the earth.
The devas will be constantly, perfectly happy.
The deities of fruits, harvests, plants, and trees
Cause a great variety of harvests to arise.
“I, the great goddess Śrī, will direct my mind toward those beings who say the name of The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light and I will create a great splendor for them.
“The great goddess Śrī²⁶¹ dwells in a palace called Suvarṇadhvaja²⁶² that is made of the seven precious materials in the sublime park called Puṇyakusumaprabha in the environs of the palace of Alakāvati. Any person who wishes to increase their accumulation of grain should clean their house well, wash well, wear clean white clothes, wear clothes that have been perfumed, bow down to the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Ratnakusumaguṇasāgaravaiḍūryakanakagirisuvarṇakāñcanaprabhāsaśrī, and say his name three times. Then the great goddess Śrī²⁶³ will make an offering with her own hands. Flowers, incense, and perfume should also be offered. Various kinds of flavors should also be offered. The name of The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light should be recited three times and words of truth recited. Also, offerings should be made to the great goddess Śrī. When flowers and incense are offered, and various kinds of flavors are offered, at that time, through the power of this lord king of sūtras, the great goddess Śrī will turn her mind toward that house and its great accumulation of grain will increase.
3.19
“Those who wish to invoke the great goddess Śrī should remember these mantras:
“ ‘I pay homage to all the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present.
“ ‘I pay homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
“ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattvas such as Maitreya.
“ ‘Having paid homage to them, I will practice this mantra.
“ ‘This vidyāmantra will bring me wealth:
syād yathedam²⁶⁴ pratipūrṇavare samantavedanagate²⁶⁵ mahākāryapratiprāpaṇe sattvārthasamatānuprapūre ayāna²⁶⁶dharmatā²⁶⁷ mahābhogine²⁶⁸ mahāmaitre upasaṃhihe²⁶⁹ saṃgṛhīte²⁷⁰ samarthānupālane²⁷¹ |
“These are words with an infallible meaning. That single-sentence mantra has the nature of an empowerment bestowed upon the crown of the head and bestows the valid accomplishment of the true nature.
“The practice for beings of middling capacity is to possess and recite this while keeping the eight vows for seven years²⁷² without transgressions but only roots of merit. In order for themselves and others to perfect omniscient wisdom, morning and afternoon make offerings of flowers and incense to all buddhas, and pray, ‘May I fulfill this wish of mine, may I fulfill it quickly.’
“In a temple or in a solitary place, clean the building and make a circle of dung. Offer perfume and incense. Arrange a clean seat, scatter flower petals on the ground, and then sit on it.
“Then, in that instant, the great goddess Śrī²⁷³ will come and reside there. From then on, that house, village, town, market town, temple, or place of solitude will never be disturbed and never be in need. Everyone will obtain cowries, gold, jewels, wealth, grain, and all utensils; they will become happy through all that brings happiness.
3.20
“Whatever good actions have been done, give the supreme part to the great goddess Śrī, and because of that she will remain with you for as long as you live and will never abandon you. All your aspirations will be completely fulfilled.”
Chapter 10: Dṛḍhā, the Goddess of the Earth²⁷⁴
“I pay homage to the Bhagavat Tathāgata Ratnaśikhin.
“I pay homage to the Bhagavat Tathāgata Vimalajvalaratnasuvarṇaraśmiprabhāśikhin²⁷⁵
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Jambu Golden Victory Banner Golden Appearance.²⁷⁶
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Suvarṇaprabhagarbha.²⁷⁷
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Radiance of a Hundred Suns’ Illuminating Essence.²⁷⁸
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Suvarṇaratnākaracchatrakūṭa.
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Suvarṇapuṣpajvalaraśmiketu.
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Mahāpradīpa.
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Ratnaketu.
“I pay homage to the bodhisattva Ruciraketu.
“I pay homage to the bodhisattva Suvarṇaprabhāsottama.
“I pay homage to the bodhisattva Golden Essence.²⁷⁹
“I pay homage to the bodhisattva Sadāprarudita.
“I pay homage to the bodhisattva Dharmodgata.
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Akṣobhya in the east.
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Ratnaketu in the south.
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Amitāyus in the west.
“I pay homage to the Tathāgata Dundubhisvara in the north.
“Whoever possesses, reads, or learns these names of the tathāgatas and the names of the bodhisattvas from this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light will remember their past lives.”
3.21
Then Dṛḍhā, the goddess of the earth, said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, wherever this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is taught, in the present or in future times, whether in a village, town, market town, region, wilderness, mountain cave,²⁸⁰ or royal residence—wherever, Bhagavat, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is taught at length²⁸¹—I, Dṛḍhā, the goddess of the earth, will come to that place.
“Wherever a Dharma throne is arranged for the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu, and wherever the dharmabhāṇaka, upon that throne, extensively teaches this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, venerable Bhagavat, I, Dṛḍhā, the goddess of the earth, will come to that place. With my body invisible, I will go beneath that Dharma throne, and with my highest limb, my head, I will support that dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu under the soles of his feet.
“I also will listen to the Dharma and be satiated by this distilled nectar of the Dharma. I will honor him; I will make offerings to him. Having been satiated, having honored him, and being delighted, I will increase the fertility of this sixty-eight-thousand-yojana-wide aggregation of the earth down to its vajra foundation. I will honor it and perfect it. On its surface I will saturate it, this disk of the earth, as far as the ocean, with the oil of the earth’s fertility. I will cause this great earth to be resplendent. Then, in this Jambudvīpa, the grass, bushes, herbs, and forests will grow with perfect resplendence.
3.22
All parks, forests, trees, leaves, flowers, fruits, and harvests of various kinds will be resplendent, aromatic, lustrous, delicious, beautiful, and huge.
“When beings consume them as various kinds of drink and food, their lifespan, strength, complexion, and faculties will increase. Being endowed with such majesty, strength, complexion, and form, they will accomplish many hundreds of thousands of the various different things necessary on this earth. They will be dedicated to that and make an effort in that. They will accomplish actions that create strength.
“Venerable Bhagavat, this will cause all of Jambudvīpa to have peace, good harvests, increase, and joy. It will become filled with human beings. All beings in Jambudvīpa will become happy and experience various kinds of joy. Those beings will possess majesty, strength, and excellent color and form.
“For the sake of this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās should approach the Dharma seat of those who possess this lord king of the sūtras. Having approached it with a perfectly trusting mind, for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of all beings, they should supplicate the dharmabhāṇaka so that this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light will be taught extensively.
“Why should they do that? Venerable Bhagavat, if this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is taught, I, the earth goddess Dṛḍhā, with my servants, will have supreme resplendence and supreme strength. Our bodies will develop strength, diligence, and great power.
3.23
Our bodies will gain magnificence, glory, and splendor.
Venerable Bhagavat, I, the earth goddess Dṛḍhā, will be satiated by this distilled nectar of the Dharma. I will attain great magnificence, strength, diligence, power, and speed.²⁸² The great fertility of earth will increase in this Jambudvīpa’s seven thousand yojanas. The great earth will become magnificent.
“Venerable Bhagavat, the beings who dwell upon the earth will increase, expand, and become vast. They will also become widespread, and just as the beings who are upon the earth will become widespread, they will also experience a variety of enjoyments. They will experience happiness. They will all enjoy various kinds of food and drink, remain in various kinds of happiness with the entire variety of pleasurable requisites that are present upon the earth, appear from the earth, and are dependent upon the earth, such as clothes, beds, seats,²⁸³ dwellings, houses, divine palaces, parks, rivers, pools, springs, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs.
“Venerable Bhagavat, because of this, all those beings will be repaying my kindness. There is no doubt that this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light should be respected, listened to, honored, venerated, revered, and offered to.
“Venerable Bhagavat, when those beings leave their individual families and individual homes in order to go to the dharmabhāṇaka; and having gone there have listened to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light; and having heard it returned to their own individual families, homes, villages, and market towns, they will say to those who live in their own home, ‘We have heard a profound Dharma today. We have obtained an inconceivable accumulation of merit today.
3.24
By listening to that Dharma, we have pleased many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas. By listening to that Dharma today, we have been completely freed from rebirth in the hells, as animals, in the world of Yama, and in the realm of the pretas. By listening to this Dharma today, we have obtained rebirth in the future as devas and humans for many hundreds of thousands of lifetimes.’
“When they are in their own homes, if they tell even one example from this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light to those other beings, or just one chapter from this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light or one history, or even the name of one bodhisattva or the name of one tathāgata, or just one four-line verse or even a single line of verse, and those other beings hear it—or even if they teach others only the name of this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light—then, venerable Bhagavat, wherever those different beings in different places speak about, or listen to, or talk to one another about these various kinds of causes from the sūtra, then, venerable Bhagavat, all those places will become very resplendent. They will become very lustrous. In those various places, for all those beings, the various fertilities of the earth and all requisites will increase, augment, and expand, and all those beings will be happy. They will have great wealth and great enjoyments. They will aspire to generosity, and they will have true faith in the Three Jewels.”
3.25
When she had spoken, the Bhagavat said to Dṛḍhā, the goddess of the earth, “Goddess of the earth, if any being listens to even one line from this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light then when they pass away from this human world, they will be reborn as a deva in the Trāyastriṃśa paradise or among another class of devas.²⁸⁴
“Goddess of the earth, anyone who, in order to make offerings to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, beautifully adorns those places, even with just one parasol or one flag or by draping one cloth, then, goddess of the earth, they will dwell in those constantly adorned places, divine aerial palaces made of the seven jewels in the seven paradises²⁸⁵ of the desire realm that are perfectly adorned by all adornments. When those beings pass away from this human realm, they will be reborn in those aerial palaces made of the seven jewels, and at that time, goddess of the earth, they will be reborn seven times in each of those aerial palaces made of the seven jewels. They will experience the inconceivable bliss of the devas.”
When the Bhagavat had spoken, the earth goddess Dṛḍhā said to the Bhagavat, “Therefore, venerable Bhagavat, I, the earth goddess Dṛḍhā, will be present in the ground below the Dharma seat that is the Dharma seat upon which the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu is seated. For the sake of those beings who have planted good roots with hundreds of thousands of buddhas, I will make my body invisible and will support that dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu’s feet with my highest limb, my head, so that this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light will remain for a long time in Jambudvīpa and will not disappear soon; so that beings will hear this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light and will experience the happiness of devas and humans for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons; and so that they will be in the company of tathāgatas and
3.26
will in a future time attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and become completely free of the suffering of the hells, the lives of animals, and the world of Yama.”
Chapter 11: Saṃjñeya²⁸⁶
Then the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya, accompanied by twenty-eight yakṣa generals, rose from his seat and, with his robe over one shoulder, kneeling with his right knee on the ground and with palms together, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, wherever this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light appears, in the present or in future times, whether in a village, town, market town, region, wilderness, mountain cave,²⁸⁷ or royal residence, Bhagavat, I, the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya, accompanied by twenty-eight yakṣa generals, will come to that village, town, market town, region, wilderness, mountain cave,²⁸⁸ or royal residence.
“I will make my body invisible and will guard that dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu. I will defend him, take care of him, protect him, save him from punishment, and bring him peace and well-being.
“All men, women, boys, or girls who listen to the Dharma, whoever hears and retains even one four-line verse from this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light or even one line, or even the name of one bodhisattva from this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, or the name of one tathāgata,
3.27
or even just hears and retains the name of this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, I will defend them all, take care of them, protect them, save them from punishment, and bring them peace and well-being. I will defend, take care of, protect, save from punishment, and bring peace and well-being to all those families, those homes, those villages, those towns, those market towns, those wildernesses, and those royal residences.
“Venerable Bhagavat, why am I named the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya?²⁸⁹ Venerable Bhagavat, it is because I know all Dharmas, I understand all Dharmas, I comprehend all Dharmas. Whatever the number of Dharmas, the nature of the Dharmas, or the classes²⁹⁰ of Dharmas, venerable Bhagavat, I have direct knowledge of all Dharmas.
“Venerable Bhagavat, in all Dharmas my illumination by wisdom is inconceivable, my clarity²⁹¹ of wisdom is inconceivable, my activity of wisdom is inconceivable, and my accumulation of wisdom is inconceivable.
“Venerable Bhagavat, in all Dharmas my engagement in the field of wisdom is inconceivable.
“Venerable Bhagavat, it is because of my correct knowledge, my correct examination, my correct view, and my correct comprehension of all Dharmas that I am named the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya.
3.28
“Venerable Bhagavat, I will bring eloquence to the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu in order to beautify his words. I will bring brilliance to his pores and develop in his body great power, strength, and diligence; I will make the illumination of his wisdom inconceivable; and I will make his memory comprehensive and make him greatly enthusiastic, so that the dharmabhāṇaka’s body will not become fatigued, his body’s faculties will be blissful, he will feel great joy, and so that for the sake of those beings who have planted good roots with hundreds of thousands of buddhas, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light will remain for a long time in Jambudvīpa and will not soon vanish, and so that beings will hear this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light and will attain an inconceivable accumulation of wisdom, will possess an accumulation of merit, and in the future will experience inconceivable happiness among devas and humans for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, will be in the company of tathāgatas, will in a future time attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, and will cease to experience the suffering of the hells, of birth as animals, or of the world of Yama.”
Chapter 12: The King’s Treatise: The Commitment of the Lord of Devas
I pay homage to the bhagavat tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Ratnakusumaguṇasāgaravaiḍūryakanakagirisuvarṇakāñcanaprabhāsaśrī.
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- འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མདོ་སྡེའི་དབང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ — Classical Tibetan