Chapter 9: The Great Goddess Śrī

9.1Then the great goddess Śrī said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, I, the great goddess Śrī, will also, in whatever way, bring a perfection of requisites to those dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus so that they will gain freedom from deprivation; will have a resolute mind; will day and night have happiness of mind; will learn, understand, and correctly recite all the different words and letters in this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, [F.31.a] so that, for the sake of those beings who have planted good roots with hundreds of thousands of buddhas, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light will remain for a long time in Jambudvīpa and will not disappear, and so that beings will hear this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light and will experience the happiness of devas and humans for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, and so that there will be no famine and instead excellent harvests. Beings will become happy through being endowed with every kind of happiness. They will be in the company of tathāgatas, and in a future time will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood. This will end all the suffering in the hells, in the lives of animals, and in the world of Yama. Robes, food, bedding, medicine while ill, requisites, and other necessities will be brought to those dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus.

9.2“I, the great goddess Śrī, developed good roots with the tathāgata arhat samyak­saṃbuddha Ratna­kusuma­guṇa­sāgara­vaiḍūrya­kanaka­giri­suvarṇa­kāñcana­prabhāsa­śrī. In the present, wherever I direct my mind, wherever I look, wherever I go, many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings become happy; they become endowed with every kind of happiness. They do not lack food, drink, wealth, grain, cowries, gold, jewels, pearls, beryl, conchs, crystals, coral, silver, unwrought gold, or other requisites. Those beings are endowed with all requisites. [F.31.b] Through the power of the great goddess Śrī, they make offerings to that tathāgata. They make offerings of perfumes, flowers, and incense. They recite the name ‘the great goddess Śrī’ three times and offer him perfume, incense, and flowers. They also offer him a variety of flavors, and then their great accumulations of grain increase. It is said concerning this:

9.4“I, the great goddess Śrī, will direct my mind toward those beings who say the name of The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light and I will create a great splendor for them.

9.5“The great goddess Śrī dwells in a palace called Suvarṇadhvaja that is made of the seven precious materials in the sublime park called Puṇya­kusuma­prabha in the environs of the palace of Alakāvati. Any person who wishes to increase their accumulation of grain should clean their house well, wash well, wear clean white clothes, wear clothes that have been perfumed, bow down to the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Ratna­kusuma­guṇa­sāgara­vaiḍūrya­kanaka­giri­suvarṇa­kāñcana­prabhāsa­śrī, and say his name three times. Then the great goddess Śrī will make an offering with her own hands. Flowers, incense, and perfume should also be offered. Various kinds of flavors should also be offered. The name of The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light should be recited three times and words of truth recited. Also, offerings should be made to the great goddess Śrī. When flowers and incense are offered, and various kinds of flavors are offered, at that time, through the power of this lord king of sūtras, the great goddess Śrī will turn her mind toward that house and its great accumulation of grain will increase. [F.32.a]

9.6“Those who wish to invoke the great goddess Śrī should remember these mantras:

9.7“ ‘I pay homage to all the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present.

9.8“ ‘I pay homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

9.9“ ‘I pay homage to the bodhisattvas such as Maitreya.

9.10“ ‘Having paid homage to them, I will practice this mantra.

9.11“ ‘This vidyāmantra will bring me wealth:

9.12syād yathedam pratipūrṇavare samanta­vedanagate mahākāryapratiprāpaṇe sattvārtha­samatānuprapūre ayānadharmatā mahābhogine mahāmaitre upasaṃhihe saṃgṛhīte samarthānupālane |

9.13“These are words with an infallible meaning. That single-sentence mantra has the nature of an empowerment bestowed upon the crown of the head and bestows the valid accomplishment of the true nature.

9.14“The practice for beings of middling capacity is to possess and recite this while keeping the eight vows for seven years without transgressions but only roots of merit. In order for themselves and others to perfect omniscient wisdom, morning and afternoon make offerings of flowers and incense to all buddhas, and pray, ‘May I fulfill this wish of mine, may I fulfill it quickly.’

9.15“In a temple or in a solitary place, clean the building and make a circle of dung. Offer perfume and incense. Arrange a clean seat, scatter flower petals on the ground, and then sit on it.

9.16“Then, in that instant, the great goddess Śrī will come and reside there. From then on, that house, village, town, market town, temple, or place of solitude will never be disturbed and never be in need. Everyone will obtain cowries, gold, jewels, wealth, grain, and all utensils; they will become happy through all that brings happiness. [F.32.b]

9.17“Whatever good actions have been done, give the supreme part to the great goddess Śrī, and because of that she will remain with you for as long as you live and will never abandon you. All your aspirations will be completely fulfilled.”

9.18This concludes “The Great Goddess Śrī,” the ninth chapter of “The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.”