Notes

n.1The Mother of the Grahas (gza’ rnams kyi yum, grahamātṛkā) is the name of a dhāraṇī goddess

n.2Whenever it is possible to do so, this translation makes a distinction between the term graha as it applies to the nine celestial phenomena and planets and the term graha when it is more broadly construed to signify a variety of beings who cause physical and mental illness. The translation “celestial graha” is used for the Tibetan gza’ when it is clear that the text is referring to this group, and the term “graha” is used for the Tibetan gdon to indicate the broader class of beings.

n.3Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag), Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folio 302.b.

n.4Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma) (Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003), p. 26.

n.5For e-texts of this version, see Zhuxingmu tuoluoni jing 諸星母陀羅尼經 (Graha­mātṛkānāma­dhāraṇī), Taishō 1302 (CBETA; SAT). Note that this version is absent in the Korean Buddhist canon.

n.6See Lewis R. Lancaster, The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue , Accessed April 14, 2023. For e-texts of this version, see Fo shuo sheng yao mu tuoluoni jing 佛說聖曜母陀羅尼經 (Graha­mātṛkānāma­dhāraṇī), Taishō 1303 (CBETA; SAT).

n.7Note that there is a discrepancy among various databases for cataloging the Toh 997 version of this text within vol. 101 or 102 of the Degé Kangyur. See Toh 997, n.­7, for details.

n.8Following Toh 660, Toh 997, and S: gnod pa byas na gnod byed pa. The term “identifying” has been added to the English translation for the sake of clarity.

n.9Following Toh 997: nub byang du rje btsun rig pa chen mo’o. Toh 660 reads nub byang du rje btsun rigs pa chen mo. The name Mahāvidyā can refer to a number of goddesses and it is not entirely clear which goddess it refers to here.

n.10This translation is tentative. The phrase can refers to wearing a silk cloth as a mouth covering or possibly to the practice of tying a silk cloth around one’s face as a blindfold. It is also possible that this refers to the “mouth” of the previously mentioned conch.

n.11This translation emends the reading in this line to re re la yang bzlas brjod lan brgya rtsa brgyad bya. This emended reading is supported by the parallel passage in Toh 661 and Toh 998. The frequency with which the number one hundred and eight is used to incant ritual objects with mantras across the kriyātantra and dhāraṇī literature supports the conclusion that the second occurrence of rtsa brgyad is redundant. Toh 660 and Toh 997 read re re la yang bzlas brjod lan brgya rtsa brgyad rtsa brgyad bya.

n.12This transliteration emends the Tibetan transliteration of this line to dru taM A dar+sha ya. Toh 660 and Toh 997 read dru tAn dar+sha ya. This decision is supported by the corresponding section of this dhāraṇī as it appears in Toh 661 and Toh 998, where it is translated into Tibetan instead of left in transliterated Sanskrit.

n.13This transliteration emends the Tibetan to bi d+h+waM saM.

n.14This most likely refers to Tri Songdetsen (the king), Ba Selnang (the minister), and Śāntarakṣita (the bodhisattva). It is also possible that the spelling blon is a corruption of the shortened dbu med character slon, a scribal contraction for slob dpon. If this is the case, then the middle member of this group of three is an ācārya (slob dpon), not a minister (blon po), and may refer to Padmasambhava. Many thanks to Dylan Esler for his input on this issue.