Introduction

i.1Despite what its title might suggest, the Siddhaika­vīra­tantra (hereafter SEV) is not a tantra of Siddhaikavīra in the same way that, for example, the Hevajra­tantra is a tantra of Hevajra. Siddhaikavīra is not the main subject, and indeed, excluding the chapter colophons, his name is mentioned in the tantra only three times‍—and, interestingly, never in a mantra. Nevertheless, Siddhaikavīra is awarded prominence in the text in a short preamble that introduces the SEV and points out the soteriological nature of the mantra of Siddhaikavīra-Arapacana, the forty-first mantra of the fifty-five in this text and the only one that invokes him, setting this mantra somewhat apart from other mantras, most of which have magical and practical applications. The ritual related to this particular mantra requires the visualization of Siddhaikavīra, but even then he is invoked not by the name Siddhaikavīra but as Arapacana. Only one other mantra, addressed to Arkamālinī (Mahāsarasvatī), involves the visualization of Siddhaikavīra.

i.2The deity that can be distilled from the SEV is in essence Mañjuśrī; he is addressed in the traditional homage at the beginning of the tantra under his name of Mañjughoṣa; it is he, under his name Mañjuvajra, who delivers the SEV at the bodhisattva Vajradhara’s request; and Siddhaikavīra, likewise, is none other than Mañjuśrī. In the paragraph following the forty-first mantra, Siddhaikavīra is equated with both Arapacana and Mañjuvajra. Thus, the distribution and juxtaposition of these names throughout the text implies that all these deities are one and the same: Mañjuśrī. One of the lesser-known forms of Mañjuśrī, Siddhaikavīra is also the subject of four sādhanas in the Sādhanamālā (Bhattacharyya 1968) where some of his descriptions correspond in detail to the visualizations given in the SEV‍—he is a white figure with a blue lotus in his left hand and displaying a boon-granting gesture with his right. In two of these sādhanas he is called Siddhaikavīramañjughoṣa, confirming that he is identical to the deity mentioned in the homage at the beginning of the SEV, Mañjughoṣa.

i.3Being a collection of mantras and their rituals, the SEV introduces the reader to the enchanted world of magical powers that can affect the daily reality of people’s lives and, ultimately, deliver them from the miseries of cyclic existence. Since, however, the SEV is a Kriyā tantra, it is the mantras of magic that predominate in this text. These mantras testify to the richness and versatility of the Buddhist pantheon in this formative period of the Buddhist tantra. The deities being invoked are given a range of evocative names and epithets‍—the glossary of the names found in this tantra contains more than 100 entries. The appearance in this text of some deities, including Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa and Kurukullā, could be the first anywhere in literary sources, making the SEV a historically important text.

i.4The date of the SEV is very uncertain. As a Kriyā tantra, it could date from as early as the beginning of the Common Era. At the opposite end, its terminus ante quem is set by the date of the Tibetan translation by the great paṇḍit Atīśa (980–1054). It might be not unreasonable to guess, however, that the SEV dates to somewhere between the 7th and the 9th centuries. This tantra is extant in both Sanskrit and in Tibetan. The Sanskrit text has been preserved in many manuscripts held in the National Archives in Kathmandu as well as in several libraries around the world; it has also been edited and published twice, by Janardan Pandey (1998) and then by Nobuo Otsuka (1995). The Tibetan canonical translation found in the Kangyur (Toh 544) is attributed to Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (Atīśa) and Géwai Lodrö. It is also included, together with a commentary by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), in the 19th century collection of practice materials, the Druptap Küntü (sgrub thabs kun btus). That it was the subject of commentary as late as the 19th century indicates that the SEV, despite being a Kriyā tantra, never lost its popularity over time.

Summary of the Chapters

i.5The SEV is divided into four chapters of decreasing length. Chapter 1, the longest, contains a mixture of mantras with a variety of applications. They are grouped by their applications and include mantras for controlling weather, warding off enemies, averting disasters, removing fear, pacifying disputes, stopping fires, preventing epidemics, curing diseases, safely delivering a child, releasing one from imprisonment, obtaining long life, and curing leprosy, as well as more general applications for protecting humans and animals from all kinds of trouble, destroying evil, and fulfilling one’s wishes. The deities invoked in this chapter range in their origin from flesh-eating demons, or piśācas, such as Parṇaśabarī, to sambhogakāya deities such as Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa.

i.6Chapter 2 contains two groups of mantras. The first group concerns divination and soothsaying. At the beginning, the qualities of a person to whom the contents of this chapter can be revealed are described and, pertinently, the value and sacredness of truth is stressed. As we read in the invocation to Vimalacandra, one of the gods of divination (2.2-3):

i.8In the original Sanskrit we have a play on words, as the word used for “mirror,” darpaṇa, can also be another name for the mountain of Kubera, itself associated with divination. The rites and methods described aim at ascertaining facts that are normally outside one’s sphere of perception, like possible good or bad outcomes of a particular undertaking, or even the time of someone’s death. The requested knowledge can be revealed in a mirror, in one’s sleep, or in some other way. The deities invoked in divination mantras range from piśācas, such as Karṇapiśācī, to sambhogakāya deities such as Mañjuśrī. The name “Karṇapiśācī” suggests a piśācī who whispers into one’s ear (karṇa), and as may be expected, her mantra requests her to whisper her answers into one’s ear. Other divination deities can have equally suggestive names or epithets, such as Siddhalocanā (Accomplished Vision), Satyavādinī (Speaker of Truth), or Svapnavilokinī (One Who Can See Dreams).

i.9The other group of mantras in this chapter is concerned with obtaining desired things, be it a lover, wealth, or even a kingdom. First is the mantra of mighty Aditi, who, if propitiated in the prescribed manner, can help one obtain a girl, riches, or power. Interestingly, we find a touch of realism here, as the text tells us that one can obtain a kingdom only if one is of royal descent; otherwise one will only obtain “great splendor.” The deities invoked in this section range from yakṣa spirits, such as those in the retinues of Jambhala or Vasudharā, to the mighty Mahālakṣmī or the two deities just mentioned.

i.10Chapter 3 is dedicated to the mantras of deities mainly invoked to increase powers of eloquence, intelligence, memory, and learning. The first two mantras invoke two manifestations of Mañjuśrī, Siddhaikavīra (even though, as discussed above, the mantra invokes him by the name Arapacana) and Vākya. The rituals of the latter can also bestow longevity and other boons. The next few mantras are dedicated to Mañjuśrī’s consort, Mahāsarasvatī; their benefits are the same as those mentioned above. Mahāsarasvatī, here identified with Tārā, is visualized in the form of a young girl whose body has the nature of great compassion and appears “in all the fresh beauty of budding youth.” She can grant all siddhis. The chapter closes with the mantras invoking, again, various forms of Mañjuśrī.

i.11Chapter 4 contains only four mantras‍—all four used mainly for enthralling. The first two are addressed to the mysterious deity Lavaṇāmbha (Salty Water), whom the SEV associates with Avalokiteśvara. Invoked in the magic of love and seduction, his name could be a metaphor for the thirst that his rituals produce‍—thirst that can only be quenched by union with the desired person. Next is the mantra of Kurukullā, the goddess with an arrow and bow well known for her enthralling powers. The collection ends with an obscure mantra whose grammar is ambiguous and open to different interpretations. The content of the mantra also seems somewhat inconsistent with the ritual subsequently described. The mantra seems to be addressed to a male deity who governs the movements of the planets and is responsible for timely rain and for bringing prosperity and happiness, and yet the ritual in which it is employed is used to summon a desired woman or man.

Notes on the Translation

i.12As well as being divided into four chapters, the tantra can also be divided into fifty-five sections, each containing one mantra. The content of each section fits a particular pattern. Typically, a section starts with the mantra and is followed by a statement of the mantra’s application and effects, with a description of one or more ritual procedures required to achieve a particular result. To reflect this structure and for easy navigation and reference, we have numbered the mantras in our translation.

i.13There is no clear dividing line in the SEV between Buddhist and Hindu pantheons. Some deities, such as Lakṣmī, would normally be regarded as Hindu, while others, such as Sarasvatī or Kubera, have been shared to a great extent by both religions. Many are exclusively Buddhist. Because of the non-denominational spirit in this world of magic, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether a deity is actually meant to be Buddhist or not, as for example in the case of Gaṇapati, whose form seems to be the favorite for making ritual effigies in some rites, such as the rite for stopping an onslaught by a hostile army.

i.14When translating the names of deities, particularly the names found in mantras, it is not easy to decide whether a given appellation should be interpreted as a proper name or an epithet. When faced with such ambiguities, our translation tends to leave the borderline cases untranslated, with the literal meaning given in the glossary. In some mantras, the deity is addressed only by an epithet or epithets, and we can do no more than guess who this could be. Only the context suggests Tārā, Sarasvatī, etc. In cases where we find a group of names in grammatical apposition, our uncertainty regarding which names in the group are proper names and which are merely epithets is sometimes further confounded by uncertainty about whether a particular mantra addresses one or more deities. We were also faced with many difficulties due to the specific mantra jargon itself, with its strong vernacular influence. Mantric syllables and words that could not be identified have been printed in italics.

i.15As the ritual jargon of the SEV is often incompatible with modern English in terms of semantics and usage, the reader will find that certain English words in our translation have been used in somewhat unconventional ways. For example, the direct object of the verb “to incant,” in our translation, can be not only the mantra but also the object over which the mantra is to be recited, such as a flower, a substance, or a diseased body part. This latter usage was common in English until the mid-20th century, and despite a precedent in modern English as well (the Harry Potter novels), to many readers it may still seem “incorrect.”

i.16Two editions of the Sanskrit text have been used for our translation: Otsuka 1995 and Pandey 1998, as well as the Tibetan text (Toh 544) from the Degé edition of the Kangyur. Folio numbers given in square brackets and preceded by an F refer to the Degé Kangyur, and numbers given in square brackets preceded by an S refer to the page numbers in Pandey’s edition of the Sanskrit.