འཕགས་པ་འཇམ་དཔལ་གྱ་རྩ་བའ་རྒྱད 338

338

The suitable for all rites ²¹⁹⁰—
Taught by the fully realized buddhas.

“[It can be used] when sitting,
Lying down,²¹⁹¹ bathing, drinking, eating,
Decorating, lighting lamps, reciting mantras,
Or creating a maṇḍala at a specific location.²¹⁹²

“It activates the bond with all the mantra[-deities],
Thus conferring blessings on the mantra practitioner.
This mudrā, the suitable for all rites,
Was taught by the lords of the world.

“The first one hundred mudrās have now been taught,
Following the required order.²¹⁹³
Now I will teach the eight mudrās
That come next.

“One should use both hands,
Starting from the same position.
The index fingers should be placed exactly as before,
Joined with the ‘needle’ of the middle fingers.²¹⁹⁴

“The two fingers should touch
At the third knuckle below the nail [of the middle finger].
One should thus display the shape of a needle,
While forming a sheath [with one’s hands].²¹⁹⁵
This is the mudrā of the mantra-lord,
The great Cakravartin.²¹⁹⁶

“If the same index fingers are brought into contact
With the middle finger sidelong,
And the ring fingers touch
At the tips of the fingernails,²¹⁹⁷
That mudrā is the uṣṇīṣa ;
It was taught by the victorious lords.

“One should place the hands as before,
With the middle fingers entwined²¹⁹⁸
And the small fingers joined together;
This mudrā is called the arising of Sitātapatra.

“One should align the tips of the middle fingers
So that their fingernails touch.²¹⁹⁹
When the shape of a bracelet is formed,
The mudrā is said to be the great mudrā.²²⁰⁰

“One should place the tips of the index fingers
… with the three … ²²⁰¹
The middle fingers should form a ‘needle,’
With the hands firmly joined below.²²⁰²

“The thumbs should reach [to the middle fingers],
With their nails²²⁰³ squeezed [under the third joint thereof].
This mudrā is taught as the most excellent mudrā
Of the sagacious Mañjughoṣa.²²⁰⁴

“One should place the hands as before,
Forming the añjali gesture.
The tips of the middle fingers
Should remain bent.²²⁰⁵
The thumbs should touch the joints
Of the middle and three other fingers.²²⁰⁶

“One should then form a ‘needle’ with the small fingers,
Straightening them and raising them up.
This excellent supreme mudrā
Constitutes the treasury of the Dharma.²²⁰⁷

“One should position the hands as before
Following the same basic instructions,
And then arrange all the fingers
To form the complete [shape of] a basket.

“Both hands should be splayed,
With the eight fingers forming an enclosure.²²⁰⁸
These eight, divided into four pairs,
Represent the eight personages who know reality.