འཕགས་པ་འཇམ་དཔལ་གྱ་རྩ་བའ་རྒྱད 292

292

On the surface of the earth.¹⁸²⁸

“Others again, themselves free from desire
And bound by the pledge of compassion,
May descend into this world of mortals
And seize pure human beings.

“Among people, those who are praiseworthy,
Pure, not deformed, and of clear complexion
Are taken possession of, it is said,
When the sun is rising.

“On such an occasion, the descent¹⁸²⁹ occurs
In the evening when the sun sets,
Or during the first watch of the night,
When the moon is waxing.

“Such a descent is known to occur for the mediums
Who are praiseworthy because of their pure actions,
Always live in accord with the Dharma,
And engage in virtuous and skillful pursuits.

“If they are as described, mortals can be entered
By powerful beings who have extinguished their passions,
If the place and the person are pure
And the stars and nakṣatras are auspicious.

“Their descent may be observed
On an auspicious day of the week
And an auspicious lunar day of the bright fortnight
Whose lunar asterism is governed by auspicious planets
And perfect conjunctions.
It can also occur when the moon is completely full.

“When powerful, desire-free beings have thus descended,
They will be indicated by the following signs:
They will remain floating above the ground
At the height of a fan-palm tree.

“They will appear sitting unsupported¹⁸³⁰
In a cross-legged position,
Saying various divine and peerless words,¹⁸³¹
As pleasant to the ears as Brahmā’s.

“These great beings will speak
About matters that cause them concern.¹⁸³²
Drawn by the uṣṇīṣa mudrās,
They will come down to the ground.

“One should wait for the moment before the great beings touch the ground,¹⁸³³
And immediately present them with a welcome offering
Consisting of water mixed with flowers of royal jasmine,
White sandalwood, and saffron.

“One should thus promptly offer
Water for the feet, prepared [as described].¹⁸³⁴
The mantra practitioner should prostrate themself on the ground
And, motivated by kindness, should supplicate the great beings,

“Who, for their part,
Without any selfishness,
Will say divine words
With a pure voice pleasant to the ears.

“One who knows the mantras with confidence¹⁸³⁵
Should ask them whatever one wants.
One should not be afraid at this time,
But remember Mañjughoṣa.