[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Buddhist Sanskrit literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit) › [Mahāyāna sūtras](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra) › [Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa) › [འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མཆོག་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་མདོ་སྡེའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo) › [The Sutra of the Sublime Golden Light (1)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000) › 8 # འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མཆག་ཏ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའ་མད་སྡའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 8 The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) 8 - **Language:** English ### [8.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.1) Then the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, having thus, as shown above, extolled the great goddess Sarasvatī with words of praise and words of eulogy, said to the great assembly, “If you wish to pray to the goddess Sarasvatī so that you will be blessed by her compassion, so that in this life you will have a swift, unimpeded mind, great wisdom, and skill in words; attain vast wisdom; communicate with elaborate speech; and accomplish the adornment of words as you wish without impediment, then single-mindedly and reverentially pray in this way: “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha. I pay homage to the Dharma. I pay homage to the Saṅgha. “ ‘The community of bodhisattvas, the śrāvakas, the pratyekabuddhas, all āryas, and the buddhas of the past, future, and present in the ten directions have accomplished words of truth; according to their powers they have spoken valid words of truth, they have spoken infallible words, they have constantly spoken words of truth for countless millions of great eons, and I rejoice in and pay homage to⁹⁸² all who possess valid words of truth. “ ‘I reverently pay homage to the one who, because he does not speak untrue words, has a long, vast tongue that emerges and completely covers his face, then Jambudvīpa, the four continents, the worlds in the chiliocosm, the dichiliocosm, the trichiliocosm, and all the countless world realms in the ten directions, covering everything and dispelling all affliction from the defilements. “ ‘Having reverently paid homage to all buddhas who possess that sign of the tongue, I, \[say your name\], pray to possess all excellent eloquence and single-mindedly direct⁹⁸³ my life to it. ### [8.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.2) “ ‘I reverently pay homage to the sublime eloquence of the buddhas; the sublime eloquence of the bodhisattvas; the sublime eloquence of the pratyekabuddha āryas; the sublime eloquence of the four results of the four entries; the supreme eloquence of the words of the truths of the noble ones;⁹⁸⁴ the sublime eloquence of the devarṣis; the sublime eloquence of the ṛṣis in Brahmā’s entourage; the sublime eloquence of Mahādeva and Umā; the sublime eloquence of the worthy devas;⁹⁸⁵ the supreme eloquence of King Manasi; the sublime eloquence of the wish-fulfilling goddess;⁹⁸⁶ the sublime eloquence of the Four Mahārājas; the supreme eloquence of the consecrated devas; the supreme eloquence of the Vajra Lord of Secrets; the sublime eloquence of the deity Viṣṇu; the sublime eloquence of the goddess Vima; the sublime eloquence of the goddess of Viṣṇu; the sublime eloquence of the goddess Bhadrā; the sublime eloquence of Śiramara;⁹⁸⁷ the sublime eloquence of the words of Hari; the sublime eloquence of the mothers and great mothers; the sublime eloquence of Haritama; the sublime eloquence of the yakṣas; and the eloquence of the jinas in the ten directions.⁹⁸⁸ “ ‘May I have the possession⁹⁸⁹ of all supreme actions And attain supreme, sublime, infinite eloquence. “ ‘I reverently pay homage to the one who does not lie. I reverently pay homage to the one who is completely liberated. I reverently pay homage to the one who has forsaken desire. I reverently pay homage to the one who has eliminated the obscuration of bondage. “ ‘I reverently pay homage to the one with a pure mind. I reverently pay homage to the one who shines with light. I reverently pay homage to the speaker of true words. I reverently pay homage to the one who is devoid of the dust of attachment. “ ‘I reverently pay homage to the one who dwells in the supreme meaning. I reverently pay homage to the lord⁹⁹⁰ of the great assembly. I reverently pay homage to the goddess Sarasvatī. “ ‘May my words be unimpeded! May whatever I aspire to and seek All be swiftly accomplished! May I obtain health, constant happiness, And a long lifetime of many years. “ ‘I pray to quickly fulfill my aspiration: To be skilled in all vidyāmantras,⁹⁹¹ ### [8.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.3) To be diligent on the path to enlightenment, And to bring many benefits to all beings. “ ‘Through my speaking words of truth And my speaking undeceptive words, I pray that the eloquence of the goddess Will be accomplished within me. “ ‘You, goddess, come to this place, And so that I may have unimpeded words, Quickly enter my body and mouth And quickly make my mind eloquent. “ ‘May the faculty of my tongue Attain the eloquence of the tathāgatas. May I be a guide for beings Through the power and might of my words. “ ‘When I speak words, may their Meaning be perfectly accomplished. May those who listen have reverence, And may what I have said not be wasted.⁹⁹² “ ‘If I do not accomplish The eloquence that I seek, Then the goddess’s words of truth Will all be nothing but lies. “ ‘Even those with the bad karma of immediate result Are guided by the Buddha’s words. In that same way, there are all the words Of any arhat and those of Kṛtajña. “ ‘Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, And the Bhagavat are foremost among all beings. May I accomplish Their true words. “ ‘I pray that if on this day I invite To this place the Buddha and all his disciples, They will all quickly come to this place And will fulfill my prayers. “ ‘Whatever genuine words of truth I possess, I pray that they all will be undeceptive. “ ‘From the devas above at the summit of existence down— The devas of the Śuddhāvāsa paradises, “ ‘And the Mahābrahmā, Brahmapurohita, And Brahmā’s High Clerics paradises, Throughout all the trichiliocosm worlds— The lord of the Sahā world “ ‘And all his numerous entourage, All of them I am inviting today. I pray you have love and compassion And take me into your loving care. “ ‘Paranirmita­vaśavartin devas ### [8.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.4) And Nirmāṇarati devas, The hosts of devas of Tuṣita, Maitreya who will become perfect,⁹⁹³ “ ‘The devas of the Yāma paradise, The devas of Trāyastriṃśa, The devas of the Four Mahārājas, And all the entourages of numerous devas— “ ‘The devas of earth, water, fire, and air; Those who dwell upon Sumeru Mountain; The devas of the mountains of the seven oceans Together with entourages of many devas, “ ‘And Vāsuki and Pañcaśikha; The devas of the sun, moon, planets, and constellations— These and a multitude of other devas Who bring happiness⁹⁹⁴ to the world, “ ‘These and a multitude of other devas Who do not aspire to bad actions, Hārītī who has reverence for the Buddha And her beloved youngest son,⁹⁹⁵ “ ‘Devas, nāgas, and yakṣas, Gandharvas and asuras, The assemblies of kinnaras, The mahoragas, and so on, “ ‘I invite every one of them Through the Bhagavat’s power. May they have love and compassion And bestow unimpeded eloquence upon me. “ ‘Those who know the minds of others Among all the assemblies of devas and humans, May they all give their blessing And bestow sublime eloquence upon me. “ ‘All of those beings that there are As far as the end of the element of space, The limits of the realm of phenomena, May they bestow sublime eloquence upon me!’ ” The great goddess Sarasvatī, having heard the brahmin’s prayer, said, “O great being, well done! Any man or woman who practices that rite as previously described, based upon that mantra and that praise through mantra, and goes for refuge with veneration to the Three Jewels and remains in single-pointed mindfulness, whatever they accomplish,⁹⁹⁶ none of it will be a waste. Moreover, if they possess, read, and recite this extremely wonderful Sublime Golden Light, ### [8.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.5) then all their aspirations will yield fruit, and they will be quickly accomplished, unless they do not have one-pointed minds.” The brahmin was overjoyed and delighted, and with his palms together placed them on the crown of his head. Then the Bhagavat said to the great goddess Sarasvatī, “Noble goddess, it is excellent, excellent that you protect and guard those who widely promulgate and correctly possess this sublime king of sūtras, and that in order to benefit all beings and so that they may attain happiness, you have taught that kind of Dharma, bestowed inconceivable eloquence, enabled them to attain measureless merit, and enabled those who have developed the aspiration to quickly become immersed in the attainment of enlightenment.” Chapter 16: The Great Goddess Śrī ⁹⁹⁷ Then the great goddess Śrī rose from her seat, bowed down to the Bhagavat’s feet, reverently placed her palms together, and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, if I see any bhikṣu, bhikṣuṇī, upāsaka, or upāsikā who obtains, keeps, reads, recites, and teaches others this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, I will single-mindedly, reverentially honor them and make offerings to them. For such a dharmabhāṇaka there will be provided a perfection of food, drink, clothing, bedding, medicine while ill, and any requisite that is needed; they will be free of want and need. “Day and night they will examine all the meanings of the words in this king of sūtras and contemplate them and seek them, and remain happy. In order to promulgate this sūtra in Jambudvīpa ### [8.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.6) they will cause those beings who have developed roots of goodness with countless hundreds of thousands of buddhas to always hear it so that it will not quickly vanish, and they will experience the various perfect enjoyments of devas and humans for countless hundreds of thousands of eons. There will constantly be excellent harvests completely dispelling the calamities of famine so that beings will always be happy. They will meet the buddha bhagavats, and in a future time they will quickly attain the result that is the great enlightenment, so that the obstacle that is the suffering of the three lower existences and saṃsāra will be permanently ended. “Bhagavat, I remember when in a past time there appeared a tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha who had a name with ten components: Vaiḍūrya Golden Mountain Precious Flower Glorious Appearance’s Ocean of Qualities.⁹⁹⁸ I developed good roots with him. In order to have a loving intention through the blessing of the love and compassion of that tathāgata, in the present time, whatever place I think about, in whatever direction I look, countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings experience the happiness of enjoyments. Whatever food, drink, necessities of life, gold, silver, jewels, beryls, white coral, emeralds, conch, cowries, pearls, and so on, they seek, they will have a perfection of them. “Whoever reads and recites this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light should each day, for my sake, burn various incenses and make an offering with excellent flowers to the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha ### [8.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.7) Vaiḍūrya Golden Mountain Precious Flower Glorious Appearance’s Ocean of Qualities.⁹⁹⁹ “Also, if three times each day they say my name and think of me and make a side offering to me of incense, flowers, and excellent food, and always listen to this sublime king of sūtras, they will obtain this kind of merit.” Then she recited these verses:¹⁰⁰⁰ “Because of keeping this sūtra in that way, That person and their followers will be free of all harm. Whatever clothing and food they seek, they will not be in need. They will be majestic and have an incalculable lifespan. “The fertility¹⁰⁰¹ of the earth will constantly increase. The deities will send down timely rains. Those assemblies of deities will be overjoyed, And the deities of pleasure groves and of grain “Will increase the forests, trees, and fruit. They will completely ripen all the grains And fulfill the wishes of those seeking precious wealth. Whatever is wished for will be accomplished accordingly.” The Bhagavat said to the great goddess Śrī, “It is excellent, excellent that you remember your past life and that you make offerings to repay that kindness and that you promulgate this sūtra and create unending qualities in order to bring benefit and happiness to infinite beings.”¹⁰⁰² Chapter 17: The Increase of Wealth by the Great Goddess Śrī ¹⁰⁰³ Then the great goddess Śrī said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, in the north there is the city of Vaiśravaṇa, the king of devas, which is called Alakāvati. Not far from that city, there is a park called Puṇya­kusuma­prabha, in which there is an excellent divine palace made of the seven precious materials. ### [8.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.8) “Bhagavat, I always dwell there, so if anyone wishes to increase each day their accumulation of the five kinds of grain and wishes to increase and fill their treasuries, they should reverently develop a trusting mind and clean a room and plaster the floor with a circle of cow dung. They should paint a representation of my body beautified by various adornments and wash their bodies well. They should wear clean clothes and perfume themselves with excellent ointments, and then enter the clean room. “For my sake, they should recite the name of that buddha three times, recite the name of this sūtra, develop the aspiration, and recite: ‘I pay homage to the Tathāgata Vaiḍūrya Golden Mountain Precious Flower Glorious Appearance’s Ocean of Qualities.’ Then, holding flowers and incense, they should single-mindedly offer various kinds of food. Moreover, offer incense, flowers, food, and drink to my image. Also, holding food and drink in their hands, they should cast it in another direction, bestowing it on spirits and demons. “They should supplicate the great goddess Śrī with words of truth and then pray for whatever it is that they seek. Recite: ‘If what you have said are not lies, make my supplication successful!’ “At that time, the great goddess Śrī, knowing this matter, will develop a loving motivation, and the wealth and grain in that house will increase. “Then repeat the mantra and make me look upon you, and, reciting the names of buddhas of the past¹⁰⁰⁴ and bodhisattvas, reverently pay homage with a single-pointed mind: “ ‘I pay homage to all the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present.¹⁰⁰⁵ “ ‘I pay homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.¹⁰⁰⁶ “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Ratnaśikhin. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Tathāgata Stainless Light Rays Precious Ornament. ### [8.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.9) “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Light of Golden Ornaments. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Essence of a Hundred Golden Lights.¹⁰⁰⁷ “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Stack of Precious Golden Parasols. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Victory Banner Golden Flower Light Rays. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Great Lamp. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Great Jewel Crest. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Akṣobhya in the east. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Ratnaketu in the south. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Amitāyus in the west. “ ‘I pay homage to the Buddha Dundubhisvara in the north. “ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattva Maitreya.¹⁰⁰⁸ “ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattva Ruciraketu. “ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattva Suvarṇaprabha.¹⁰⁰⁹ “ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattva Gold Treasury. “ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattva Sadāprarudita. “ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattva Dharmodgata. “ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattva Pleasant Abiding.’ “After having reverently paid homage in that way to those buddhas and bodhisattvas, follow that with repeating the mantra. If you make the great goddess Śrī look upon you, then through the power of this mantra, you will accomplish all the things that you seek. “ ‘I pay homage to the great goddess Śrī.’¹⁰¹⁰ “The mantra is thus: syād¹⁰¹¹ yathedam¹⁰¹² pratipūrṇavare¹⁰¹³ samantavedanagate¹⁰¹⁴ mahākārya­pratiprāpaṇe sattvārtha­samatānuprapure āyāna­dharmatā mahā­bhogine mahāmaitre¹⁰¹⁵ upasaṃhihe¹⁰¹⁶ saṃgṛhīte¹⁰¹⁷ samarthānupālane¹⁰¹⁸ svāhā |¹⁰¹⁹ “Bhagavat, if someone invokes me through reciting and possessing this dhāraṇī mantra, ### [8.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.10) I will hear that invocation and will go to them and will fulfill their aspirations. “Bhagavat, these are words of a rite of empowerment, words that accomplish samādhi, valid words, undeceptive words, a valid practice, and valid good roots for beings. “Therefore, whoever correctly possesses, reads, and recites this mantra and takes the eight vows for seven days and nights,¹⁰²⁰ should in the mornings first wash clean and use a toothpick, and then in the morning offer incense and flowers to all the buddhas, confess their bad actions, and make a dedication and prayer for their own and others’ aspirations to be quickly fulfilled. “In a cleaned house, or in a solitary place, or in a wilderness, they should make a circle of cow dung and make an offering by burning sandalwood. They should arrange a perfect seat and adorn the place with parasols and flags. They should scatter flower petals within the circle and then with a one-pointed mind repeat the mantra, hoping that I will come there. “At that time, I will be aware of them and observe them so that I will enter that house, sit upon that seat, and accept the offerings. “From then on, whenever that person invokes me, I will see them and I will know through their valid words of command whatever it is they aspire to.¹⁰²¹ Whether they are in a village, a town, a wilderness, or a saṅgha temple, I will accomplish whatever it is they aspire to, so that they will attain, as they wished for, gold, wealth, jewels, oxen, sheep, grain, food, drink, and clothes, ### [8.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.11) and they will enjoy perfect pleasures and possessions. “Then, having attained the perfect, sublime ripening of results, whatever are the best portions should be offered to the Three Jewels and bestowed upon me. “Arrange a great Dharma gathering and supply the food and drink. Spread a display of incense and flowers and offer it. Having made the offering, sell the remainder of the food that was offered and make an offering with the money obtained. Then I will constantly be present for their entire lifetime and will protect and defend that individual so that there will be no poverty or need, and all that is aspired for will be accomplished as wished for. Sometimes bestow all such things on those who are poor and in need, and do not cherish them for yourself alone out of miserliness. “Constantly read this sūtra and continually make offerings, and give whatever merit there is to everyone. Dedicate it to their enlightenment and pray that everyone will definitely abandon saṃsāra and quickly attain liberation.” The Bhagavat then said to the goddess Śrī, “It is excellent, excellent that you promulgate this sūtra in that way, creating an inconceivable benefit for both yourself and others.” Chapter 18: Sthāvarā, the Goddess of the Earth Then, within that great assembly, Sthāvarā, the goddess of the earth, rose from her seat and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, when this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is being promulgated, whether it is in the present or the future, or whether in a village, a town, a market town, a king’s palace, or a wilderness, on a mountain, in a cave,¹⁰²² or in a forest, ### [8.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.12) Bhagavat, I will go there and make offerings to it, honor it, protect and defend it, and promulgate it widely. “In whatever place a high throne is made for the dharmabhāṇaka upādhyāya and this sūtra is taught, I will make myself invisible through my miraculous powers and will go there and support his feet with my head. “When I hear the Dharma, with thoughts of complete trust, I will be overjoyed. Through the power of obtaining the flavor of the Dharma, my magnificence will increase, and I will gain an immeasurable reverence for it. Because I attain such a benefit, this will increase all the goodness of the earth throughout eighty thousand¹⁰²³ yojanas of this great earth, as far down as the vajra disk. The goodness of the earth will increase throughout the entire great earth as far as the four oceans, becoming potent and greater and exceptionally superior to what it was before. “In this Jambudvīpa, the various kinds of rivers, ponds, trees, herbs, forests, flowers, fruits, roots, stems, branches, leaves, and grains that exist will have beautiful, attractive forms, and many people will wish to look at them; they will have excellent color and scents, and they will all be useful. “Those beings who use them for the most perfect food and drink will have their lifespan, complexion, strength, and faculties increased in health and magnificence. They will have no illness, and their minds will have steadfast wisdom and will persevere in anything. Moreover, all of the hundreds of thousands of things that are used to any extent from this great earth will all be perfect. ### [8.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.13) “Bhagavat, through that cause and condition, Jambudvīpa will have perfect happiness and excellent harvests, and humans will multiply and increase, without any calamities, so that all the beings that exist will experience happiness. In that way, their bodies and minds will experience happiness, and wherever they are, they will have deep reverence for this king of sūtras. Everyone will aspire to possess it, make offerings to it, honor it, venerate it, and speak its praises. Moreover, they will go to the places where great dharmabhāṇaka upādhyāyas will teach the Dharma, and they will supplicate them to teach this sublime king of sūtras for the sake of beings. “Why would they do that? Bhagavat, through the power of this sūtra being taught, I and my entourage will be benefited.¹⁰²⁴ Our light, color, strength, courage, magnificence, and beauty of form will become far superior to what they were before. “Bhagavat, I, the earth goddess Sthāvarā, will also be satiated by the flavor of the Dharma, and because of that, all the earth for seven thousand yojanas in Jambudvīpa will become potent, and, as stated before, all the beings that exist will experience happiness. “Therefore, Bhagavat, at that time, in order to repay my kindness, those beings should think, ‘Without a doubt we will listen to, honor, serve, make offerings to, venerate, and praise this sūtra.’ Thinking in that way, they should leave their homes and go to the gathering for the Dharma teaching, whether it be in a village, a town, a market town, a house, or a wilderness. They should bow down their heads to the dharmabhāṇaka upādhyāya and, having paid homage to him, listen to this sūtra. “When they have listened to the sūtra, they will return to their own homes, ### [8.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.14) and with great joy arisen in their minds they will say, ‘Today, through having heard a profound and unsurpassable, wonderful Dharma, we have gathered an inconceivable accumulation of merit. Through the power of the might of the sūtra, we have offered to and served countless, infinite hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas so that we are freed¹⁰²⁵ from the unendurable sufferings of the three lower existences. Also, for a hundred thousand future lifetimes, we will always be reborn as humans in the higher existences and experience supreme happiness.’ “When those many people return to their own homes, if they teach many beings even just one example that is taught in this king of sūtras, or just one chapter, or just one history, or the name of just one tathāgata, or the name of just one bodhisattva, or just one four-line verse, or even a single line of verse, or if they only tell them the name of this sūtra, then, venerable Bhagavat, in all the places where those beings live, the earth will become potent and superior to that in other places, and everything that grows from the great earth will multiply greatly and be vast so that beings will experience the enjoyment of great happiness. There will be many jewels and wealth. They will perform great acts of generosity. Their minds will be constantly steady, and they will have complete conviction in the Three Jewels.” Then¹⁰²⁶ the Bhagavat said to Sthāvarā, the goddess of the earth, “If any being hears even one line from this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, after they have passed away, ### [8.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.15) they will be reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa or another paradise. “If any being, because they wish to make offerings to this king of sūtras, perfectly adorns their home by even putting up one canopy or hanging one streamer, then through that cause and condition they will be reborn in accordance with their aspiration, among the six paradises,¹⁰²⁷ and enjoy according to their wishes a sublime, supreme divine palace made of the seven jewels. Each one will frolic together with seven thousand devīs and enjoy inconceivable superior bliss constantly, day and night.” Then¹⁰²⁸ Sthāvarā, the earth goddess, said to the Bhagavat, “Therefore, Bhagavat, when anyone among the four classes of followers sits upon a Dharma throne and teaches this Dharma correctly, I will protect and defend that individual day and night. I will make my body invisible and come before their Dharma thrones and will support their feet.¹⁰²⁹ “Bhagavat, those beings, who have planted good roots with many hundreds of thousands of buddhas, will widely promulgate such a sūtra as this so that it will not vanish. Any being who listens to this sūtra will in the time that follows, for countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, constantly enjoy perfect happiness among devas and humans. They will meet many buddhas and will quickly attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood. They will not experience the suffering of the three lower existences or of saṃsāra.”¹⁰³⁰ The earth goddess Sthāvarā then further said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I have a mantra essence that will benefit devas and humans and bring happiness to them all. If any man, woman, or one of the four kinds of followers ### [8.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.16) wishes to truly and directly see my body, if they single-mindedly possess this dhāraṇī, then all their aspirations will be fulfilled exactly as they wish. “In this way, if they wish for wealth, a treasure of jewels, higher cognitions, the possession of medicine for a long life, healing the illness of many beings, the defeat of adversarial enemies, or the elimination of those who disagree with them, then they should make a circle in a clean building. They should wash their bodies, wear clean, new clothes, sit on a seat made of grass, and in front of an image that contains relics¹⁰³¹ or in front of a stūpa that contains relics, burn incense, scatter flowers, and offer various kinds of food and drink. On the eighth day of the waxing moon, when it is the time of the constellation Puṣya, they should repeat this mantra of invitation: tadyathā | cili cili curu curu kuru kuru kuṭu kuṭu toṭu toṭu vaha vaha variṣa variṣa¹⁰³² svāhā | “Bhagavat, if anyone among the four classes of followers invites me by repeating this vidyāmantra a hundred and eight times, I will for that reason come to the one who invited me. “Moreover, Bhagavat, any being who wishes to truly, directly see me and seeks to speak with me should perform the rite in the same way as previously described and repeat this dhāraṇī: tadyathā | añcani kyalikṣani śiśidhari haha hihi kuruvare svāhā | “Bhagavat, if anyone recites this mantra, repeating it a hundred and eight times and then reciting the previous mantra, there is no doubt that I will manifest my body and will completely fulfill all aspirations. “If someone wishes to recite this mantra, they should first recite this mantra of protection for their body: tadyathā | śiri śiri vāśakati tati kuṭṭi pūta pūderi pūderi ### [8.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.17) tiṭe vati¹⁰³³ kukuṭi kavacili¹⁰³⁴ svāhā | “Bhagavat, when reciting this dhāraṇī mantra, take up a cord of five colors and repeat the mantra onto it twenty-one times while making twenty-one knots. Having repeated the mantra in that way twenty-one times, tie them onto the left upper arm, and then from then on, the body will be protected so that there will be no danger. “If someone repeats this mantra with a single-pointed mind, aspirations will be accomplished exactly as wished. I am not speaking a falsehood. The Three Jewels of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha are my witnesses and know it to be the truth.” Then the Bhagavat said to the earth goddess Sthāvarā, “It is excellent, excellent that you protect this king of sūtras, which has been sealed by a mantra of pure words and the dharmabhāṇakas. Through this cause and condition, you will attain an immeasurable ripening of merit.” Chapter 19: Saṃjñeya, the Great General of the Yakṣas Then the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya, together with twenty-eight yakṣa generals within that great assembly, rose from his seat, and with his robe over one shoulder, kneeling with his right knee on the ground, with palms together facing the Bhagavat, said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, wherever this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is taught and promulgated, in the present or in future times, whether in a village, in a town, in a market town, in a district, on a mountain, in a wilderness, in a forest, in a king’s palace, or in the dwelling place of the saṅgha, Bhagavat, I, the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya, together with twenty-eight yakṣa generals, will go there. ### [8.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.18) Each of us will make our bodies invisible, and we will guard in every way that dharmabhāṇaka upādhyāya and the assembly that is listening to the Dharma so that harm will be eliminated, and they will always experience happiness. “If any man, woman, boy, or girl who has the motivation to retain just one four-line verse from this sūtra, or retain just one line, or recite just the name of this king of sūtras, or recite just the name of one tathāgata or just the name of one bodhisattva that is taught in this sūtra, and with reverence honors and makes offerings to it, then I will guard them and bless¹⁰³⁵ them, so that they will be free of harm, suffering will be dispelled, and they will attain happiness. “Bhagavat, the cause and condition whereby I am called by the name Saṃjñeya,¹⁰³⁶ Bhagavat, is that I have direct knowledge: I know the Dharmas, and I have a clear understanding of how many Dharmas there are, the nature of the Dharmas, the outer aspect¹⁰³⁷ of the Dharmas, and their essence and all their particulars. “Bhagavat, because I comprehend the Dharmas in that way, I possess an immeasurable illumination through wisdom, an inconceivable light of wisdom, an inconceivable lamp of wisdom, an inconceivable conduct of wisdom, and an inconceivable accumulation of wisdom, and I have realized an inconceivable range of wisdom. “Bhagavat, because in that way I know correctly, have clearly realized correctly, have correctly comprehended, and have individually realized all Dharmas, Bhagavat, those are the causes and conditions ### [8.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.19) whereby I am called the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya. And it is for that purpose that I make clear and adorn the eloquent words of the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu and introduce majesty and brilliance through all his pores so that he will have a powerful body, majesty, and courage; the entire, inconceivable light of his wisdom will reach perfection; he will attain perfect memory; he will never be disheartened; his body will benefit and never degenerate; and his senses will be blissful and he will always feel joy. “Through those causes and conditions, for the sake of any beings who have planted good roots with many hundreds of thousands of buddhas and accomplished meritorious karma, I promulgate this sūtra widely so that it will not soon vanish, so that those beings will hear it and will attain an inconceivable great light of wisdom and an accumulation of merit, and in the future will experience inconceivable happiness among devas and humans for countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, will constantly meet many buddhas, and will quickly attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and not experience the unendurable suffering of the world of Yama and the three lower existences.”¹⁰³⁸ Then Saṃjñeya, the great yakṣa general, said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I possess a dhāraṇī, and in order to benefit¹⁰³⁹ beings and out of compassion for them, I will teach it today in the presence of the Bhagavat.” Then he recited the mantra: namo buddhāya | namo dharmāya | namaḥ saṃghāya | namo brahmāya |¹⁰⁴⁰ nama indrāya | namaś caturnāṃ mahārājānāṃ | tadyathā | hili hili mili mili gauri mahāgauri gandhari mahāgandhari drimiḍi mahādrimiḍi daṇḍakhukhunti haha haha ### [8.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.20) hihi hihi huhu huhu halodhame gudhame caca caca cici cici cucu cucu caṇḍeśvara śikhara śikhara atiṣṭhāhe¹⁰⁴¹ bhagavān saṃvidjñāya¹⁰⁴² svāhā | “I will honor anyone who retains this vidyāmantra with all the necessities for life, medicine, food, drink, clothing, flowers, fruits, and great marvelous jewels. “If they seek a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, gold, silver, jewels, or jewelry, I will provide them all, exactly as they have wished for, without any decline or loss. “Because this mantra has great power, when the mantra is repeated, I will quickly come there and accomplish what is wished for, without impediment. “When they repeat this mantra, some kind of ritual should be performed. First of all, they should paint an image of the yakṣa Saṃjñeya four or five handspans in height, holding an axe in his hands. In front of that image, they should make a square maṇḍala and in its four corners place four vases filled with liquid honey or molasses, and make offerings with ointments, powders, incense, flowers, and garlands. Alternatively, they should make a hearth in front of the maṇḍala and, using charcoal, burn butter¹⁰⁴³ and mustard seeds inside it, and repeat the previous mantra a hundred and eight times, making a burnt offering with each mantra repetition. Then I, the great yakṣa general, will myself come before them, revealing my body, and I will ask the person who has repeated the mantra, ‘What is it that you want?’ and ‘Tell me the things in your mind that you are wishing for!’ I will then perfect all the things that they seek, exactly as they have described. If they wish for gold, silver, or treasure, or wish to become a divine ṛṣi ### [8.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.21) and fly in the sky, or if they wish to have the higher cognition of divine sight, know the minds of others, or bring all beings to wished-for independence, the elimination of kleśas, and the swift attainment of liberation, I will perfect all of those.” The Bhagavat then said to Saṃjñeya, the great general of the yakṣas, “It is excellent, excellent that in that way you have taught this vidyāmantra in order to benefit all beings, protected the Dharma, and benefited those who have infinite merit.” Chapter 20: The Teaching of the King’s Treatise Then Sthāvarā, the great goddess of the earth, rose from her seat within that great assembly, bowed down her head to the Bhagavat’s feet, and with her palms reverentially placed together said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, if there is no true Dharma in lands with human kings, they will be unable to protect the land and care for many beings, and they themselves will not be able to remain long as superior sovereigns. “Bhagavat, I pray that you regard me with love, compassion, and kindness and teach the treatise on kingship, on the subject of ruling a land. Then, when human kings hear this Dharma and practice exactly what has been taught, the world will be truly tamed, there will be an enduring superior reign, happy and peaceful, and the people of the land will all benefit from it.”¹⁰⁴⁴ ### [8.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.22) Then the Bhagavat, in the midst of that great assembly, said to Sthāvarā, the goddess of the earth, “Listen well! Before, in a past time, there was a king by the name of Balendraketu. That king had a son by the name of Ruciraketu. Not long after the son’s royal consecration, the father, the king, said to Ruciraketu, ‘There is a valid treatise on a king’s way of Dharma that is called The Instructions of the Lord of Devas. Before, when I received my royal consecration and became the ruler of the land, my father, Foremost Power of Knowledge, taught me this valid treatise on a king’s way of Dharma. Based on this treatise I ruled for twenty thousand years, and not even for one instant did I have the thought, “I shall practice a way that is not the Dharma.” Now you also should similarly not rule the land in a way that is other than the Dharma. If you wonder why there is a valid treatise on the king’s way of Dharma, then listen well, for I will teach it to you today.’ “King Balendraketu then taught the prince that valid treatise through excellent verses: “ ‘In order to make beings happy, To cut through worldly doubts, And to dispel many wrongdoings, I will teach the treatise on kingship. “ ‘All the lords of devas and All who are human kings, Be joyful and with palms together Listen to what I will teach. “ ‘In the past, when a multitude of devas Assembled together on a vajra mountain, The Four Mahārājas rose from their seats And made this request to Mahābrahmā: “ ‘ “Brahmā Lord, who is perfectly supreme, Who is the mightiest of all devas, We pray that you look upon us with kindness And cut through our doubts. “ ‘ “How does someone born into the human world Then become what is called a king?¹⁰⁴⁵ ### [8.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.23) Also, what are the causes and the conditions That result in his being called a son of the devas?¹⁰⁴⁶ “ ‘ “How does someone born as a human Become the only one who is a lord of humans? How does he become a king of devas Within the realms of the higher existences?” “ ‘In that way, the protectors of the world Addressed questions to that Brahmā king. Then the lord of Brahmās Replied to them with these words: “ ‘ “You world protectors should know this: Since you asked me, in order to benefit beings, About the Dharma of ruling a land, I will teach it, so you should listen well. “ ‘ “Through the power of his past karma, Someone born as a deva becomes a king, And if he is in a human existence, He becomes a lord with power over others. “ ‘ “Having been blessed when with the devas, He then enters his mother’s womb, And while he is residing in his mother’s womb, The devas will give him their protection. “ ‘ “Although he is born into the human world, He is called a deva because he is supreme.¹⁰⁴⁷ Because he is protected by devas, He is called a son of the devas. “ ‘ “The lord of Trāyastriṃśa bestows strength Upon him and ripens him to be a human king. All of the multitude of devas ripen His strength of independent power. “ ‘ “He eliminates all that is not righteous, And he does not cause bad actions to arise. He encourages beings to practice good actions And causes them to be reborn in higher existences. “ ‘ “He employs the power of The hosts of humans and asuras, Gandharvas and rākṣasas, Caṇḍalas, and all others. “ ‘ “He uses the power of parents¹⁰⁴⁸ to cause Sin to be rejected and goodness practiced. Together the devas protect him, And show him the results of good and bad actions. “ ‘ “If good and bad karma are created, Then right in that very life, Together the devas protect him, And show him the results of good and bad actions. “ ‘ “If his subjects are engaging in bad actions And the king does not resolutely stop them, Then that would not be the valid, right thing to do. They should be punished in accordance with the Dharma. ### [8.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.24) “ ‘ “If the evil witnessed is not brought to an end, Then unrighteousness will increase greatly So that in the kingdom of that king There will be a great increase in dishonesty. “ ‘ “When a king sees evil deeds being done, If he does not act to prohibit them, The assembly of devas in Trāyastriṃśa Will all give rise to anger in their minds. “ ‘ “Because of that, the king’s laws will decline And dishonesty will spread in the world, And the hosts of opposing enemies Will vanquish that land and destroy it. “ ‘ “The homes and possessions of the inhabitants And all the wealth they have accumulated will be destroyed. If there occur all kinds of dishonesty, People will even be stealing from each other. “ ‘ “Even if he has attained kingship through the true Dharma, If he does not then act in accordance with the Dharma, All the people of his land will be scattered As when an elephant tramples a lotus pond. “ ‘ “Unpredictable, fierce winds will blow; Untimely, destructive rains will fall. Many bad lunar asterisms and omens will manifest. The sun and moon will be darkened, eclipsed. “ ‘ “When a king forsakes the true Dharma, Seeds will fail to ripen as flowers, As fruits, and as every kind of harvest, And there will be famine in the land. “ ‘ “When a king forsakes the true Dharma And people teach a wicked Dharma,¹⁰⁴⁹ Then the devas in their aerial palaces Will be in misery upon seeing that. “ ‘ “Those deva kings and their courts Will be saying these words: ‘This king¹⁰⁵⁰ is practicing unrighteousness And he is relying on sinful friends,¹⁰⁵¹ “ ‘ “ ‘And therefore his reign will not endure long. All of the devas will be extremely displeased. They will become angry, and therefore That kingdom will be destroyed.’ “ ‘ “Because of his relying on unrighteous people So that they increase in that realm,¹⁰⁵² There will be much fighting and dishonesty And much suffering from diseases. “ ‘ “The lords of devas will not protect him, And the other devas will abandon him. His kingdom will be destroyed, And the king will experience suffering. ### [8.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.25) “ ‘ “He will be instantly separated from His beloved parents, wife, and children, And from his brothers and his sisters, And in the end, he himself will meet death. “ ‘ “There will be the bad omen of falling shooting stars, And two suns will rise simultaneously. Hostile enemies will approach, And the people will encounter death and chaos. “ ‘ “The honored great ministers of the land, Though innocent,¹⁰⁵³ will have sudden deaths. His beloved elephant, horse, and so on, Will all be scattered and lost.¹⁰⁵⁴ “ ‘ “Because there are enemies in every region, Most people will meet untimely deaths. Many demons will enter the land, And all diseases will spread everywhere. “ ‘ “The great ministers of the land And the many intimates of the king Will all have dishonest minds And practice unrighteousness. “ ‘ “Those who are seen to be unrighteous Will be beloved and be honored, While those who practice righteousness Will be punished with suffering and torments. “ ‘ “Because the malevolent are loved and honored, And because the good are punished, The planets, stars, wind, and rain Will all move at¹⁰⁵⁵ inappropriate times. “ ‘ “Three kinds of misfortunes will occur: The true Dharma will cease to be, The complexion of beings will lose its luster, And the fecundity of the earth will diminish. “ ‘ “Through the honoring of the bad and the maligning of the good, Another three misfortunes will occur: There will come untimely frost and hail, And the suffering of famine will spread everywhere. “ ‘ “There will be a weakening of the flavor Of numerous harvests and fruits, And in those regions most Of the beings will become ill. “ ‘ “Because of that, the trees in that land That previously bore delicious fruits Will degenerate, and the fruits Will be bitter and have no good taste. “ ‘ “The parks and lovely groves that previously Were beloved places where games were played Will all become desiccated and decayed, And everyone will be saddened on seeing them. ### [8.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.26) “ ‘ “Rice, barley, and all harvests Will suddenly lose their flavor. When eaten they will be disliked, And they will not cause the body’s elements to increase. “ ‘ “The complexions of beings will lose their luster. Their strength will weaken and decline. Even though they eat much food, They will not become full. “ ‘ “Every one of the beings Who are in that kingdom Will be weak and without courage And unable to accomplish any deeds. “ ‘ “Most of the inhabitants will be struck by illness, Their bodies tormented by various sufferings. Demons will pervade completely— Everywhere demons will arise. “ ‘ “Because the king practices unrighteousness, And because he relies on sinful companions, Throughout the three kinds of worlds There will be the experience of all kinds of calamities.¹⁰⁵⁶ “ ‘ “Those kinds of misfortunes will be endless, And though they occur in his realm, And though he sees the evil people there, He will ignore them and not be afraid.¹⁰⁵⁷ “ ‘ “Although all the devas had blessed him And made him the king of that land, He does not protect his kingdom Through the true, sublime Dharma. “ ‘ “If someone accomplishes virtuous conduct, They will always be reborn in the higher realms. If they commit bad actions, then at death, They will certainly fall into the lower existences. “ ‘ “If a king allows his subjects To freely commit bad actions, Then the devas of Trāyastriṃśa Will all be greatly anguished. “ ‘ “He will not be acting in accord with The teaching of the devas or his parents, And as he is not a righteous person, He is not a king who is a respectful son. “ ‘ “When he sees in the kingdom The practice of unrighteousness, And he punishes it in accord with the Dharma And does not decide to ignore it, Then for that reason all the many devas Will give their protection to that king. “ ‘ “If he brings to an end sinful Dharma For the sake of practicing the conduct of enlightenment, Then that king will in that very lifetime Definitely experience the observable karmic result. ### [8.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.27) “ ‘ “If he exhorts beings to practice Good actions and forsake bad actions, And teaches the result of good and bad actions, In that way he accomplishes being a human king. “ ‘ “The devas will all together bless¹⁰⁵⁸ him, And they will all be caused to rejoice. He should rule the land through the true Dharma In order to benefit himself and others. “ ‘ “When he sees those practicing dishonesty, He should punish them in accord with the Dharma. Though he might lose the kingdom, Or there is the risk of losing his life, “ ‘ “He should never practice unrighteousness. If he sees bad actions, they should be eliminated Because they are the most serious of all that is harmful, And they will destroy the kingdom, with nothing remaining.¹⁰⁵⁹ “ ‘ “All of this comes from dishonest people; Therefore, they should be punished. If there are those who practice dishonesty, That will be the destruction of kingdoms. “ ‘ “When kingdoms become ruined Like a flower bed trampled by an elephant, Even though someone is a human king, They are not ruling the land through the Dharma. “ ‘ “All lords of devas will be unhappy,¹⁰⁶⁰ And likewise, so will the asuras. Therefore, those who do bad actions Should be punished in accord with the Dharma. “ ‘ “He should govern beings through good actions, And he should not follow unrighteousness. It is better to give up his body and life Than to follow sinful companions.¹⁰⁶¹ “ ‘ “He should regard everyone equally, Both those he is close to and those he is not. If he is a king in accord with the true Dharma, Then there will be no discarded¹⁰⁶² subjects. “ ‘ “Therefore, he will be a renowned Dharma king; He will be famous throughout the three realms. The communities of Trāyastriṃśa devas Will be delighted and they will say: “ ‘ “ ‘That Dharma king in Jambudvīpa is our son. He governs beings through good actions And rules the land through the true Dharma. “ ‘ “ ‘Because he inspires true righteous conduct, They will be reborn in our realm.’ ### [8.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8.28) The children of devas and humans And the assemblies of asuras “ ‘ “Will constantly have happy minds Because the king governs through the true Dharma. All the communities of devas will be overjoyed, And they will protect that human king. “ ‘ “Planets and stars will follow their proper course, And the sun and the moon will have no deviation. The winds will come at the proper times, And a rain of amṛta will fall in due time. “ ‘ “All the harvests will ripen perfectly, There will be no famine among humans, And an entire multitude of devas Will fill their own palaces. “ ‘ “Therefore, you lords of men should Forsake your bodies and spread the true Dharma. If you honor the jewel of the Dharma, That will bring happiness to many. “ ‘ “Always rely upon the true Dharma And adorn yourself with good qualities. The entourage will always be happy and rejoice, And they will stay away from all evils. Through guiding beings through the Dharma, There will be the continuous attainment of happiness. “ ‘ “If every one of all those humans Practices the ten good actions, There will always be good harvests in that land And that kingdom will be in peace.¹⁰⁶³ “ ‘ “If the king guides beings through the Dharma, And tames evil actions with virtue, Then he will obtain great fame, And he will make beings happy.” ’ ” All the human kings and their numerous retinues who dwelled on the great earth heard the Bhagavat teach the meaning of the Dharma concerning how past human kings ruled their lands, and they all greatly marveled at it and attained great joy, and with the conviction of complete trust, they adopted and practiced that teaching. Chapter 21: King Susaṃbhava Then the Bhagavat, having taught the treatise on kingship within that great assembly, ## Linked texts (1) - [འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མཆོག་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་མདོ་སྡེའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo.8.1) — Classical Tibetan --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.8) · Pramāṇa