Chapter 52

52.1At that time the great being, Bodhisattva Śāntamati, who was sitting in the midst of that great gathering, got up from his seat, bowed to each of the buddhas, and stood in the middle of the assembly. Having circumambulated the blessed Śākyamuni three times clockwise, he bowed at his feet and, looking in the direction of Vajrapāṇi, the great general of the yakṣa army, said: {52.1}

52.2“You are exceedingly cruel, Vajrapāṇi, in that you teach mantra methods that are harmful to all sentient beings, or serve to obtain sensual pleasures. It is not proper, O son of the victorious ones, for the bodhisattvas, the great beings, to act like this because bodhisattvas, great beings, are endowed with great compassion and practice bodhisattva conduct. Practicing benevolence for the sake of all beings, they do not cast off the fetters of existence. {52.2}

52.3“Moreover, O son of the victorious ones, the venerable tathāgatas, the fully realized buddhas, having all sentient beings in mind, do not give Dharma instructions on how to harm beings. Since they possess great compassion, they adopt the attitude of benevolence toward all beings.” {52.3}

52.4The great being Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi replied to Bodhisattva Śāntamati, “Śāntamati! A bodhisattva should indeed train to be this way and should adopt such an attitude. What you now say and teach, all the buddhas and the bodhisattvas of great power teach. I will explain it, too, speaking from the perspective of the absolute truth. {52.4}

52.9“Śāntamati, the conduct of the bodhisattvas, the great beings, which manifests throughout the entire domain of sentient beings, is inconceivable. Accordingly, Śāntamati, a bodhisattva who recites the mantra should think, ‘Supposing the aims of the target [were fulfilled], he would accumulate a lot of negativity and would fall into one of the great hells. But this being should not make his store of negativity even greater. May he never be separated from the three realizations.’ {52.9}

52.10“Only after forming this wish, Śāntamati, can a bodhisattva who recites the mantra perform a violent rite of assault, applying the skillful means. In all [such] rites, he must be aware of his motive and avoid any unwholesome motives. When undertaking to guide beings, he must strive to do this with a mind full of compassion. {52.10}

52.11“Moreover, son of the victors, because of the greatness of their comprehension of Dharma and non-Dharma, virtue and nonvirtue, and good and bad, the blessed buddhas mastered the ability to skillfully guide beings. They have attained the realization of the sphere of phenomena, [F.279.a] [F.296.a] and all of them without exception bring beings to maturity by the skillful means of Dharma instructions. {52.11}

52.12“We should strive, son of the victors, to be the same [as them], so that we can guide, mature, and instruct beings. Therefore, venerable sons of the victors, each and all of you present in this assembly, who have taken the great samaya, should study and develop trust, seeking to establish what is skillful and what is not, so that you can take joy in teaching the Dharma of the tathāgatas.” {52.12}

52.13Bodhisattva Śāntamati, the great being, looked at the yakṣa general Vajrapāṇi in silence and remained in his seat. Looking then at Lord Buddha, he thought, “The Buddha’s teachings are inconceivable.” {52.13}

52.14Vajrapāṇi, the master of guhyakas, directing his gaze at the entire assembly, continued to teach the ritual of Lord of Wrath : “Listen, respectable hosts of gods and all the hordes of bhūtas who dwell in the inhabited worlds! {52.14}

52.15“To start, one should perform the protection ritual, take the painting of Lord of Wrath , and go to a secluded place where there is a single śivaliṅga, the abode of Maheśvara. One should anoint this liṅga with poison, blood, brown mustard oil, and kāñjika, and worship it with the petals of neem tree [flowers]. One should put on a sacred thread made of human entrails of tubular shape, take a human skull with the right hand, and make a gesture as if delivering a blow. Filled with utmost wrath, one should threaten the liṅga with the index finger of the left hand, while focusing the mind on humiliating the haughty and wicked kings or other corrupt men with powerful acquaintances, very wealthy, very fierce, and very influential. [F.279.b] [F.296.b] One should then shut the door [of the temple] and stand naked with loose hair, with one’s left foot atop the Maheśvara liṅga. One should recite the mantra of Lord [of Wrath] until the liṅga splits open. {52.15}

52.16“The liṅga will be in two separate parts and the great syllable hūṁ will be heard. One must not be afraid at that time. On the very same day, the wicked kings, or other enemies with powerful acquaintances, will suddenly be seized with fever, or seized by nonhuman beings, such as rākṣasas and so forth. If, at that time, one keeps reciting the mantra for a while, the enemy’s life will suddenly be terminated. If one recites at night, the enemy’s entire family will perish. {52.16}

52.17“There is also another rite. One should go at midday, as before, to a temple of Maheśvara and worship the liṅga with neem leaves, burn the incense of human flesh, and recite the mantra until the house of the enemy is set on fire, or the enemy starts shivering from a great fever. If one does not stop reciting and remains, really angry, near to Dakṣiṇamūrti, the enemy will die and his family line will be terminated. To bring [the enemy] back to life, one should repeatedly wash the liṅga in water and rinse it with the cool milk of a cow. [The enemy] will become well again. {52.17}

52.18“There is also another rite. One should light a fire opposite the southern face of the Maheśvara liṅga, using sticks of the thorn apple, and offer into it one thousand and eight oblations of sticks of vaikaṅkata smeared with poison, blood, and brown mustard [oil]. All the enemies will succumb to a serious illness and will be unable to perform any actions. On the second day, they will be seized with a great fever, a sharp pain, and various diseases. They may also become seized by nonhuman beings who will eventually bring about their death. On the third day, [if the rite is performed] at the three junctions, all of them will, without exception, lose their lives. To bring them back to life, one should offer oblations of milk. This will pacify the suffering. [F.280.a] [F.297.a] All the people in the area and all the enemies will become well again. {52.18}

52.19“Similarly, one can perform this rite for any target by stepping upon the deity or spirit that the target is a devotee of. This deity should be represented by its mantra or nakṣatra, upon which one should step with one’s left foot and perform the rite. The exceptions are the vidyā s who are tathāgatas, over whom one should never step or stand astride but perform the rite, for all of them, holding them between one’s big toes. It is only the worldly mantra deities that one can step upon. {52.19}

52.20“Even if the mantra of Lord of Wrath has not been fully mastered, it can still accomplish the [intended] activities by merely being recited. With it, one can obliterate all [other] mantras, slay all one’s enemies, and destroy all the magical diagrams and devices. In short, whatever this mantra is employed to do, it will accomplish all of it regardless of whether it is a mundane or supramundane mantra ritual. The mantra will accomplish it all. Through merely reciting it, all hopes will be fulfilled. Accomplished through recitation, Lord of Wrath will subsequently grant the supreme accomplishment. The practitioner will destroy his enemies by merely wishing to do so. If employed in combination with the great spear mudrā, the mantra will accomplish all activities. {52.20}

52.21“There is also another rite. One should go at midday to a charnel ground, fast for one night‍—the fourteenth of the dark fortnight‍—at a cremation spot, light a fire there using charnel ground wood, and offer into the fire oblations of brown mustard smeared with poison and blood. Subsequently, all the pretas will arrive, making the sound hā hā. One must not be afraid, but say, ‘Please kill my enemies!’ They will reply, ‘So be it!’ and disappear. Then, traveling one thousand leagues in a mere instant, they will kill the enemies and ruin their families. They will carry out these and similar acts. {52.21}

52.22“There is also another rite. In a secluded and clean area, wearing clean clothes, [F.280.b] [F.297.b] one should enter an abandoned house and offer one thousand and eight oblations of cotton seeds. One should then scoop the [sacrificial] ashes with both hands, wrap them in clean cloth in two separate bundles, and seal them in a double clay bowl. Ritually protected, one should then take the [sealed] contents out of the house and go at night‍—either the fourteenth or the eighth of the dark fortnight‍—to a big charnel ground. Standing at a cremation spot with one’s face toward the south, naked and with loose hair, one should hold the sealed vessel and recite the mantra, angry and fearless, ten thousand times. The ashes will thus become empowered. {52.22}

52.23“Should any nonhuman being then request a power substance, one should not give it, but apply force, recollecting Lord of Wrath and employing his syllable hūṁ. [The spirit] will die that very instant. This method is in particular for all the vighnas. One should make an ash mark with the ashes held in the left or the right hand. {52.23}

52.24“Having performed the protection [rite] with care, one should return [to the abandoned house] before dawn. At sunrise, one should wash oneself and, when clean, put on clean clothes and go to one’s own house or a place of one’s choice. {52.24}

52.25“Then, if one takes the ashes with one’s right hand and throws them at the head of any male being, whether two-legged or four-legged‍—a man, a god, a nāga , or a yakṣa ‍—he will become enthralled. If one takes the ashes with one’s left hand and throws them at the head of any female being, whether human or nonhuman, she will become enthralled. {52.25}

52.26“If one takes the ashes with one’s right hand and strikes with them a man around the navel, he will become a eunuch. Or, if one sprinkles the ashes onto his private parts, he will not be able to have sex. {52.26}

52.27“If one sprinkles some ash onto the private part of the woman that one is fond of, she will not be able to have sex with another man. [F.281.a] [F.298.a] She will be free from lesions, but whenever she returns to the other man again, the lesions will clearly manifest. She will thus be unable to indulge in her inappropriate passion. {52.27}

52.28“Likewise, if one sprinkles the ash onto a man’s penis with one’s right hand, he will be not be able to have sex when frequenting the wives of others. His penis will be as if completely withered. The erection, however, will return when he submits to the will of whoever administered the ashes. Whoever administers the ashes, whether it is a woman to a man or the other way around, the recipient will come under his or her power. According to their wish, the recipient will either remain or not remain under their control. {52.28}

52.29“If the ashes are administered to men who rape their partner, their private parts will become infested with worms, eaten by which they will lose their lives. Within one month their bodies will fester, smelling foul and looking like corpses. They will contract male diseases, such as the ‘great discharge’ and so forth. They will develop cancer, and when they do, the torment of it will kill them. Or, if this is the wish of the person who administers the ashes, they will just be unable to enjoy anything. One can make all this happen with a mere touch, if one wants to. {52.29}

52.30“If one cannot physically touch the target, one should stand within the range of sight, [and if this is not possible], outside the range of sight, and cast the ashes with the wind, so that some of it settles on the target. The dispenser should thus cast the ashes making a wish. Whatever acts he thinks of, he will realize all of them, whether by his own or somebody else’s hand. All of them will come to pass according to his wish, and not otherwise. {52.30}

52.31“One can also sprinkle the ashes onto beds, seats, and so on; spreads, covers, and so on; different types of adornments, different clothes, riding animals, vehicles, shoes, parasols, and so on; any types of tools; [F.281.b] [F.298.b] all the things necessary for the body; cooked and uncooked food and drink; crockery and cutlery; or flowers, betel, fruit, perfume, incense, and so on. If one besprinkles any of these, the body of the enemy will become infested with and bitten by lice, fleas, and worms all over. He will be smitten by suffering of different kinds and will die within seven nights. Neither physicians nor gods will be able to stop it. No mantras will be able to protect him and nobody will be able to help, except for the one who administered the ashes. {52.31}

52.32“The following is the remedial procedure. One should blend together licorice root, blue lotus, and white sandalwood. One should mash these ingredients together with cool water and smear [the paste on the target’s body], starting from the head and ending with the soles of the feet, while reciting the mantra of Noble Mañjuśrī. The target will become well again. {52.32}

52.33“There is also another rite. One should employ it only against all the wicked witches, swollen with pride, and no other women. Having gone upwind from the woman intended as the target, one should cast the ashes toward her with the wind. If one does the corresponding visualization, her vagina and breasts will completely disappear. If the same is done to a man, he will lose his male organ and his facial and bodily hair and develop breasts. In this way, one may perform, or have someone else perform, many different and unusual acts. One may engage for this purpose someone whom one likes, either a woman or a man. {52.33}

52.34“Alternatively, one may pass on the ashes to and engage in the desired [task] an accomplice that one does not like. If one duly instructs him in the procedure, the target will be seized, accordingly, by a serious illness or other disorder. Touching the head in combination with the appropriate visualization causes [the target] to develop a severe headache. [F.282.a] [F.299.a] Touching the mouth will cause an inflammation of the mouth. Following in this order, the target may develop an acute chest pain or stomachache. Similarly, touching the legs and the feet will result in [the legs and feet of the target] developing blood-related diseases, when the blood goes bad. {52.34}

52.35“In short, one can cause death, loss of vitality, or inflammation with suppuration. One can also summon or enthrall the target. Whatever [the ashes] are employed for, all of that will be accomplished. One can bring harm upon, summon, or enthrall the target, even if one is far away. {52.35}

52.36“One should go next to a wall that is difficult to breach and, standing upwind, cast the ashes held in both hands. The wall, the main gateway, and the watchtower will crumble. The residence that will subsequently come into view will go up in flames, and the defending army will be routed. Plagued by great calamities, the target will either flee, leaving everything behind, or will give himself up as prisoner. {52.36}

52.37“Similarly, if one throws the ashes with the wind at the enemy forces, even a powerful army will be defeated. It will be seized with a great febrility or fever and its elephants, horses, chariots, banners, and so forth, including the general, will be destroyed or taken prisoner. {52.37}

52.38“One can thus perform many different rites as necessary, whether they are to destroy the enemy or afford protection for oneself, one’s own army, and one’s allies. To completely undo the harm ever inflicted on any target, one should offer one thousand oblations of milk in front of the painting. They will again become strong and well. {52.38}

52.40“The mantra of Naṭikā is:

“ Oṁ Naṭī , great Naṭī ! Come, come in your divine form! Svāhā!’

“One should draw this vidyā on a slab or a tablet and recite her mantra one thousand and eight times while living on a diet of meat or milk. She should be drawn adorned with all the ornaments, of pure dark complexion, next to a tree. She wears a single garment, has loose hair and red eyes, and is smiling a little. She displays the threatening mudrā toward the practitioner with her right hand and holds on to a branch of the tree with the left. All her limbs are adorned, and she is wearing a brightly colored, silken sash. {52.40}

52.41“One should position oneself before the painting of the same Lord of Wrath, alert in mind and facing north, and light a fire of dhak sticks. One should offer into it, at the three junctions of the day for seven days, one thousand and eight bdellium pills smeared with curds, honey, and ghee. One the seventh day, one should make an extensive bali offering, lighting butter lamps and reciting the mantra until midnight. The yakṣiṇī will then arrive in person in her own form, effulgent with great light. {52.41}

52.42“When she arrives, she will say, ‘What can I do for you?’ The practitioner should reply, ‘Be my wife.’ She will then say, ‘So be it!’ and will disappear. From then on, she will be the practitioner’s wife. She will grant his every wish and take him to her abode. He will obtain there an elixir of long life, and upon drinking it he will obtain a divine form, equal to the great yakṣa . If she does not arrive, the second time one should include in the recitation [the mantra of] Lord of Wrath , and she will certainly come. If not, she will wither and die. {52.42}

52.43“The mantra of Naṭṭā is:

“ Oṁ Naṭṭā! [F.283.a] [F.300.a] Wearing white garments and garlands, and fond of sex! Svāhā!

“Her ritual procedure is the same as the previous. {52.43}

52.44“The mantra of Bhaṭṭā is:

“ Oṁ Bhaṭṭā, Bhaṭṭā! Splendorous one, why do you tarry? Come, come! Arrive, arrive! Do my bidding! Svāhā!

“Her rite can be accomplished even without the painting. One should draw a maṇḍala in a prominent spot and recite her mantra one thousand and eight times while burning an incense of bdellium. If one does this without engaging in talk, alone, pure, and behind closed doors, she will certainly arrive within one month, at nighttime. {52.44}

52.45“When she arrives, the practitioner should make love to her, and she will become his wife who grants every wish. If he enters her house, he will live five thousand years. If not, he will stay in Jambūdvīpa and live five hundred years, playing with her. She will carry out his every command. She will go with him, wherever he wishes. She will procure for him the elixir of longevity, and, just as a beloved wife does, will act with the best of intentions. {52.45}

52.46“The mantra of Revatī is, ‘Homage to all the yakṣiṇīs!’ [The mantra to recite is]:

“ Oṁ, red one with a red glow and wearing red unguents! Svāhā!

52.48“Her painting should be done as before, except that Revatī is wearing garments of red silk, including an upper garment of the same material. Her complexion has a reddish glow. {52.48}

52.49“The mantra of Mekhalā is:

“ Oṁ Mekhalā! Great yakṣiṇī! Please do my bidding! Svāha! {52.49}

52.50“The mantra of Sumekhalā is:

“ Oṁ Mekhalā, Sumekhalā! Great yakṣiṇī who fulfills every purpose, hūṁ! Remember your samaya! Svāha! {52.50}

52.51“The mantra of Ālokinī is:

“ Oṁ Lokinī! Lokavatī! Svāhā! [F.283.b] [F.300.b]

“The ritual procedure of the [last three] yakṣiṇīs is the same as before. {52.51}

52.52“The mantra of Tamasundarī is:

“ Oṁ ghuṇu! Ghuṇu, ghuṇu, O secret one! Come, come, O guhyakī! Svāhā!

“As for her practice, no painting of her is prescribed. One should start during a full moon, wearing clean clothes and being clean oneself, in a secluded place…. One should firmly shut the door and recite her vidyā ten thousand times in complete and utter darkness. This constitutes the preliminary practice. {52.52}

52.53“Afterward, one should begin the formal practice. One should start during a full moon and perform the rite until the next full moon, doing it alone at night in an isolated and hidden place, when it is time to sleep and one is in bed with the door closed, in complete and utter darkness. One should blend closed lotus buds and vānapuṣpa with white mustard oil and rub it onto one’s hands and feet. One should incant the right arm one hundred and eight times and go to sleep in silence. If one does this every day until the next full moon, then Tamasundarī will arrive for certain at midnight. {52.53}

52.54“When she arrives, one should not engage her in conversation but make love to her in silence. If, within six months, she starts conversing, one should join in. From then on she will be an accomplished object of the practice, becoming one’s wife who grants every desire and whose soft touch gives divine pleasure. She will perform all tasks even when she is out of sight and will also procure the essential elixir of longevity. {52.54}

52.55“Taking the practitioner upon her back, she will carry him even to the top of Mount Sumeru. At night, she will take him all the way around Jambūdvīpa. She will crush one’s enemies, even at a distance of one hundred leagues. Whatever she is ordered to do will turn out well, except for sexual advances on other women. This rule applies to all the yakṣiṇīs. One must not approach other women but cohabit only with them. If one goes to other women, they will cause death or insanity. {52.55} [F.284.a] [F.301.a]

52.56“This yakṣiṇī, [also] called Andhārasundarī, is surrounded by many hundreds of thousands of yakṣiṇīs. When accomplished as an object of practice by any practitioner, she dispatches, every single day, one yakṣiṇī-servant for each of them. She has a retinue of many ministers, all of them yakṣiṇīs, among whom she is distinguished by her great miraculous power and her cover of darkness. As the ritual procedure is the same for all of them, could one see any of them? It is not possible to see her. {52.56}

52.62“The mantra of Guhāvāsinī is:

“ Oṁ Guhilā, Guhāmati, Guhāvāsinī! Please come, O blessed one, close to me! Remember your samaya! Svāhā!

“One should light a fire with sticks of cutch wood and offer into it, at the three junctions of the day for one month, one thousand and eight oblations of beautyberry flowers smeared with ghee. This constitutes the preliminary practice. {52.62}

52.63“Afterward, one should begin the formal practice. Using uncontaminated paints, a new brush, and a new paint container, one should first draw the king of mountains, Mount Sumeru, either on a tablet, or a piece of cloth, or a wall. It has four slopes and four lofty peaks and is surrounded by a range of seven mountains. At the outer edge of these mountains, one should draw a cave that is situated in a mountainside. {52.63} [F.284.b] [F.301.b]

52.64“In there, one should draw a single, divinely beautiful yakṣiṇī called Guhāvāsinī, adorned with all the ornaments and wearing lower and upper garments of fine silk. She has a golden complexion and a strikingly beautiful form. One should draw the painting like that and recite the vidyā [of Guhāvāsinī] ten thousand times, staying in a clean place, oneself clean and living off a diet of milk. One should offer a large pūjā, or one according to one’s means. Then, at the end of recitation, the yakṣiṇī will arrive in person, in her divinely beautiful form, effulgent with great light. {52.64}

52.65“When she has arrived, one should give her a welcome offering of water mixed with white sandalwood and jasmine flowers. She will say, ‘Child, what can I do for you?’ One should say, ‘Please be my mother.’ She will reply, ‘So be it!’ and will disappear. One must not hurt her feelings and not request anything that is tainted with sensuality. She is noble and very dignified, so if one requests sensual pleasures one will not succeed. From then on, she will perform all the duties like a mother. {52.65}

52.66“She will also provide food and clothes to one hundred and eight people from one’s retinue. She will protect one in difficult situations. She will carry out all her duties, even if one were staying in a deep forest or on the top of a mountain. She will provide one’s favorite food and all other things, such as the essential elixir of life and so forth. Complying with one’s wishes, whatever they are, she will magically create a monk’s hut, a family house, or another shelter. Every single day she will give one thousand pieces of gold, which must all be spent that very day. If one does not spend it all, it will be cut back. If one keeps it all, none will remain. {52.66}

52.67“There is also another rite of Guhāvāsinī. One should light a fire in front of the same painting with sticks of cutch wood [and bring it to the stage where] the embers emit no flames or smoke. Using red arsenic, one should draw on the palm of one’s right hand [F.285.a] [F.302.a] the image and the name of a man or, if it is a woman, on the palm of one’s left hand, and heat it over the same heap of embers while reciting the mantra. Guhāvāsinī will summon them even from the distance of one hundred leagues and will compel them to do everything that was asked. This rite should be performed at night, not during the day. {52.67}

52.68“The mantra of Naravīrā is:

“ Oṁ Naravīrā! Svāhā!

“Her painting should be executed exactly the same as [the painting of Guhāvāsinī], except for the cave dwelling. Instead, Naravīrā should be drawn next to an aśoka tree. The entire ritual is just like that of Guhāvāsinī, except that Naravīrā should be addressed, ‘Please be my sister!’ {52.68}

52.69“There is also another rite of Naravīrā. During a lunar eclipse, one should wrap some red ocher in a piece of birch bark, put it in one’s mouth, and recite the mantra until the moon comes out of eclipse. Then, whichever woman’s name one writes with this ocher, Naravīrā will summon her even from a distance of one hundred leagues, and in the morning she will take her back to her original place. She will do everything just as a sister would. In the event of disasters, she will offer great protection. One can enthrall any woman by merely reciting the mantra. This is the rite of Naravīrā. {52.69}

52.70“The mantra of Yakṣakumārī is:

“ Oṁ Yakṣakumārī! Svāhā!

“Her practice is as follows. She should be drawn on a piece of birch bark, using bovine bezoar, as a young girl with slightly curly hair, adorned with all the ornaments, and wearing a single piece of clothing. In her right hand she is holding a fruit filled with seeds, and with the other she is holding onto a branch of an aśoka tree. {52.70}

52.71“One should place this piece of birch bark above the place where one’s head is going to be and sleep alone in a hidden place. One should draw a maṇḍala with white sandalwood paste and, at the three junctions of the day, bestrew it with jasmine flowers, burn an incense of bdellium, and recite the vidyā one thousand and eight times. [F.285.b] [F.302.b] One should do this for a period of one month. {52.71}

52.72“Then, during the full moon, one should prepare a large pūjā with jasmine flowers and offer butter lamps and food articles. At nighttime, sitting on a bundle of kuśa grass, one should recite the mantra until Kumārī, the daughter of Vaiśravaṇa, arrives in her usual form along with a retinue of five hundred. Drawing one’s attention to the entire region [of the sky], she will remain naturally suspended in midair. She will ask, ‘What can I do for you?’ The practitioner should then request from her one of the three boons‍—that she either be his mother, sister, or wife. {52.72}

52.73“If she becomes one’s mother, one must not hurt her feelings. If one does, ruin will follow. One must treat her like a mother, and she, the mother, will fully provide an assortment of foodstuffs, clothes, and adornments for oneself and a retinue of five hundred, if these things are merely wished for. Every day, she will give one thousand dinars. She will provide everything for as long as one is living here in Jambūdvīpa. {52.73}

52.74“If she becomes one’s sister, she will summon a woman [for the practitioner], even from a distance of one hundred leagues, and then take her back to her original place. She will perform all the duties like a sister. If she becomes a wife, she will take the practitioner to her own house, where one will live for one thousand celestial years. After one dies, one will be reborn in a wealthy family. Like a wife, she will carry out every order. {52.74}

52.75“The mantra of Vadhūyakṣiṇī is:

“Oṁ niḥ.

“She is a wife-yakṣiṇī, and her rite is as follows. One should anoint one’s right arm with white sandalwood and the left one with saffron, and incant them with the mantra one thousand times. At nighttime, in a hidden place, alone and silent, one should firmly shut the door, throw into sesame oil five or [F.286.a] [F.303.a] eight beleric myrobalan fruits, and cook them. {52.75}

52.76“Discarding the myrobalan fruits, one should take the oil and put it in a new vessel made of gold, silver, copper, or clay, and place it on the bed where the feet are. One should incant the oil one thousand times with the one-syllable yakṣiṇī mantra and go to sleep in the same bed, placed in a dark, secluded place and strewn with flowers. {52.76}

52.77“When the nonhuman lady arrives, she will anoint one’s feet [with the incanted oil]. Upon being touched with the palm of her lotus-like hand whose touch gives divine pleasure, one will experience, through this pleasurable touch, a divinely blissful sleep. When the sun rises at the end of the night, one will wake up with unease, and even when awake, one will keep thinking about her. However, one should not make love to her or engage her in conversation. Within six months, she will be accomplished as an object of practice. {52.77}

52.78“After the six months have passed, she will arrive in her beautiful form, excited like a newly wedded wife, surrounded by a retinue of servants, with a lamp in her hand and splendid with her own radiance. She will snuggle in the bed or a seat, her colorful adornments blazing forth, and will start a conversation. She will approach holding the implements of sexual enjoyment and will embrace the practitioner around the neck. {52.78}

52.79“From then on, she will follow him like a beloved wife. When she arrives, one should make love to her. She will keep one’s company through the night and disappear in the morning, leaving behind on the bed a pearl necklace worth one thousand pieces of gold. Every day, she will leave it behind and then depart. One must spend absolutely all of it. If one keeps any of it, no more will come. One must not tell anyone. If one does, one will get no more, [F.286.b] [F.303.b] or else one will incur some adversity that will end in one’s death. This is because these yakṣiṇīs are exceedingly secretive and discreet, and they will not tolerate another person being told about them. {52.79}

52.80“One must not tell even one’s mother, father, friend, supervisor, or relative, not even a pet or another animal, as this is most secret. This rule applies to all the guhyakas and all the yakṣiṇīs. Even if they have been accomplished as an object of practice, they will cease to be so if one divulges the secret. Also, one must never approach other women for sex, not even one’s wife. {52.80}

52.81“The mantra of Manojñā is:

“ Oṁ, you captivate the mind! You intoxicate and drive one insane! You are stunningly beautiful and fond of sex. Svāhā!

“Her practice is as follows. One should build a secluded hut within a garden enclosure, below an aśoka tree. It should be well hidden and have a high wall with a paneled, bolted door. Maintaining purity, one should recite the mantra one hundred thousand times. {52.81}

52.82“Afterward, one should perform the ritual. One should procure human fat, make a wick out of a textile from a charnel ground, firmly shut the door, and light a lamp. One should place a cloth that is hemmed, is brand new, and does not have any loose fibers on the outside of the door. At night, when Manojñā arrives naked, she will dress in this cloth and enter the hut, assuming the form of a female human. The practitioner will then enjoy sex with her for as long as the lamp is burning. {52.82}

52.83“When the lamp burns out, Manojñā will disappear. She will leave the bed, leaving behind the cloth [that she wore] with a piece of gold tied in it. At that time one should grasp her by the hand. She will walk away, letting the rings slip off her fingers one by one. If one grasps [her] by the neck, she will relinquish her pearl necklace; if by the arm, she will let her arm bracelet slip off; if by the hips, her girdle; if by the feet, her anklets; and if by the head, her diadem. In this way, wherever one grasps her, from that place she will give a divine ornament, one after another. {52.83}

52.84“Her departures and her arrivals are thus not without gain. [F.287.a] [F.304.a] As before, one must spend it all each day, so that there is nothing left. When six months have passed in this way, she will start talking. One should then join the conversation and she will become one’s wife. Ever present, she will procure the elixir of longevity, drinking which one will live long. If one drives a stake of cutch wood into the ground while performing the relevant visualization, a divine palace will appear. When the stake is pulled out, it will disappear. {52.84}

52.85“The second mantra of Manojñā is:

“ Oṁ, O great naked one! You were born naked! Svāhā!

“One should light a lamp made of exactly the same components as before and incant the lamp one hundred and eight times, thus compelling [Manojñā] to act. She will certainly arrive. Alternatively, one can incant a stake and drive it into the ground. When the stake is then pulled out, or when the lamp has burnt out, she will disappear. One may also take [the accessories]‍—the stake; the human fat in a horn of a cow, a gaur, or a buffalo; and the wick made of a charnel-ground rag‍—somewhere else, where one can do the rite oneself or give [the accessories] to a person of one’s choice. However, one must not pass on the mantra. If one does, one will nullify its magical power. {52.85}

52.86“Whoever one gives [this paraphernalia] to, everything will turn out for them exactly the same way. Whatever the desired outcome, whatever the hidden location where the rite is performed, the accomplishment will not be in vain. Moreover, one can have other men experience the joy of sex, but should not discuss it with them. Because of the power of the practitioner, the compliant [Manojñā] will approach a new partner to her liking, who is longing to see other women. {52.86}

52.87“The mantra of Surasundarī is:

“ Oṁ Surasundarī! Svāhā!

“Her practice is as follows. One should light a fire with sticks of cutch wood and offer into it one thousand and eight oblations of ghee at the three junctions of the day, for a period of one month. Then, during the full moon, one should sit on a bundle of kuśa grass in a clean, secluded place, and, oneself pure, recite the mantra until midnight, and she will certainly come. [F.287.b] [F.304.b] Then, one should carry out everything exactly as before, choosing her as one’s mother, sister, or wife, and saying everything just as before. {52.87}

52.107“The mantra of Padmoccā is:

“ Oṁ Padmoccā! Svāhā!

“Her practice is as follows. One should build a hut on the banks of the Gaṅgā, in the ocean shore, or in a flower garden. The hut and oneself should be clean. Using clay, one should make a form shaped like a stone slab and firmly shut the door. One should collect all the requisites for making love and prepare a bed for the yakṣiṇī next to one’s own. One should then recite her vidyā ten thousand times. {52.107} [F.288.b] [F.305.b]

52.108“If one continues in this manner, she will certainly arrive within one month. When she does, one should make love to her and she will become one’s wife. She will leave in the morning, leaving behind a celestial pearl necklace. And so it will be every day, until, within six months, she will remain permanently. One must not hold on to that pearl necklace. If one does, this will be the only thing one will ever get. This necklace, adorned with jewels and gems, is worth one hundred thousand dinars. {52.108}

52.109“After six months have passed, Padmoccā will remain permanently as a wife who fulfills all desires. Whatever form one wants her to assume, she will attend upon one in that form. She will magically transform herself into the form that is pleasing to the practitioner, according to his wish. This procedure applies to all the yakṣiṇīs. The instructions given for the yakṣiṇīs here apply also to other yakṣiṇīs. {52.109}

52.110“The mantra of Jayā is:

“ Oṁ Jayā , auspicious Jayā , one who is victorious! Perform all the tasks for me! Svāhā!

52.112“Her practice is as follows. First, one should recite her mantra one hundred thousand times; this constitutes the preliminary service. Then, one should go to a large forest and, living on fruits, recite her mantra until Jayā arrives in person. When she does, she will ask, ‘What can I do for you?’ If she becomes one’s mother, she will, like a mother, fulfill one’s every wish. She will grant a kingdom, make one the owner of great wealth, and ensure that one lives a long life. {52.112}

52.113“If she becomes one’s sister, [F.289.a] [F.306.a] she will summon a woman as desired even from a distance of one thousand leagues. Every single day she will give one hundred thousand dinars. One must spend all of this. If she becomes one’s wife, she will take one to her own abode. Living in a celestial palace, one will engage in a delightful play with her for a long time. For thirty thousand years, one will do whatever one likes, equal to the great yakṣa . {52.113}

52.114“The mantra of Pramodā is:

“ Oṁ ṣṭhrīḥ hrīḥ! O great nude! Hūṁ, phaṭ, svāhā!

“Her practice is as follows. One should recite her mantra at midnight without counting. If one does not go back to sleep, Pramodā will certainly arrive within one month. She will become a wife who fulfills every desire. Every single day she will provide twenty-five dinars and offer sexual delights personally. In addition, she will ensure long life for the practitioner. {52.114}

52.115“There are uncountable hundreds of thousands of yakṣiṇīs. So, too, there are innumerable piśācīs of great power, nāga girls, asura girls, apsarases, girls of the lower celestial (sura) orders, and daitya girls. The same is true for the vidyādharīs and all the human and nonhuman females. All of them without exception have their respective mantras, which are likewise innumerable. In the same way there are mantras of the male yakṣa s, gods, nāga s, ṛṣis, gandharvas, asuras, pretas, and rākṣasas; of Mahābrahmā, Maheśvara, and Viṣṇu; and also of the mātṛs, headed by Indrāṇī, Cāmuṇḍā, and Vārāhī. All these beings have been individually summoned here on this occasion. They have been brought here by Lord of Wrath Yamāntaka, seized by him, established in the samaya, and thus made subordinate to Mañjughoṣa. They stand here in the right order as his retinue and attendants. {52.115}

52.116“[The rite] for each of them, [F.289.b] [F.306.b] in short, is as follows. One should recite the Lord of Wrath Yamāntaka‍—either in a place where there is an image or having made such an image oneself‍—until the image shakes and then moves or starts perspiring. Then [the being portrayed in the image] will arrive in its own form and will do everything it is asked to. {52.116}

52.117“In the same way, one can [practice] also the ‘four virgins.’ These great yakṣiṇīs, who have Tumburu as their brother, live, in their celestial forms, upon the ocean aboard a boat. They practice kindness to beings and are worshiped by the whole world. The same procedure may be used also for them, namely, {52.117}

52.145“Homage to all the buddhas who arise out of the absence of the independent existence of entities! Homage to the pratyeka­buddhas and the noble śrāvakas! Homage to the bodhisattvas, the lords established on the ten levels, the great beings! This is the mantra proper: {52.145}

52.146“ Oṁ, kha kha! Devour, devour! O tamer of evil beings, with a sword, a club, a noose, and an axe in your hands! One with four arms, four faces, and six feet, go, go! O great destroyer of obstacles with a contorted face, inspiring fear in all nonhuman beings! You who roar with wild laughter and wear a tiger skin, perform, perform all tasks! Cut, cut all the mantras [of non-believers]! Break, break the mudrās of non-believers! Draw here, draw all nonhuman beings! Grind, grind all the wicked ones! Cause them to enter into the center of the maṇḍala! O terminator of the life of Vaivasvata, perform, perform tasks for me! Burn, burn! Cook, cook! Do not delay, do not delay! Remember your samaya pledge! Hūṁ hūṁ! Phaṭ phaṭ! Split, split! Fulfiller of all wishes! O blessed one, why do you tarry? Please accomplish all my aims! Svāhā! {52.146} [S578]

52.147“Friends, and you, all the hosts of gods! This [mantra] called Yamāntaka, Great Lord of Wrath, will summon, crush, dry up, cook, and tame even the king Yama. It will likewise summon all the mantra deities and all the gods, not to mention human beings afflicted with suffering. It will summon even the bodhisattvas established on the ten levels, let alone [the deities of] worldly mantras. {52.147}

52.148“The power and strength of the Lord of Wrath is thus immeasurable. He can perform all the activities of all the mantras, whatever are taught in all the mantra systems. Once he is mastered by reciting, he will accomplish whatever he is employed to do.”

This completes [the section on] the lord of wrath named Yamāntaka. {52.148}

52.149This concludes the fifty-second chapter, which is the detailed third chapter with the ritual prescriptions pertaining to Lord of Wrath Yamāntaka, from “The Root Manual of Noble Mañjuśrī,” an extensive Mahāyāna sūtra that forms a garland-like basket of bodhisattva teachings. This also concludes [the section on] the ritual of Lord of Wrath Yamāntaka. Homage to the Buddha!