A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s6.t5.96

v2.c19.s6.t5.96

A work which describes itself as a Mahā-Vaipulya-Mahāyāna-Sūtra and as belonging to the Avataṃsaka, is the Mañjuśrī-Mūla-Kalpa.¹ Nevertheless, as far as its contents are concerned, the work is entirely in the spirit of the Mantrayāna. In the major portion of the work, Śākyamuni speaks in a large assembly, but addresses himself only to Mañjuśrī. In the first three chapters Mañjuśrī himself speaks, and in the last two chapters the goddess Vijayā. Śākyamuni gives Mañjuśrī instructions as to magic rites with Mantras, Mudrās, Maṇḍalas, etc. In Chap. IX, for instance, the “great king of sciences,” the Mantra of Mañjuśrī, is taught, which includes all sciences within itself, by means of which one can attain all things, which destroys all the Mantras of evil-doers, blots out all sins, etc.—this is the “kllhuṃ” Mantra. In Chapter XIV the same powers are claimed for the “bhrūṃ” Mantra. There is very little trace of Buddhism in this manual of magic, though the worship of the “three jewels” is mentioned in Chap. 47. The work was translated into Chinese as a Mahā-Vaipulya-Sūtra between 980 and 1000 A.D. and into Tibetan as a Tantra in the 11th century.²