Introduction

i.1The Dhāraṇī of Devī Mahākālī is a short text that presents how the goddess Śrīdevī Mahākālī first encountered the Buddha Śākyamuni, converted to his teaching, and offered a mantra in homage to the Buddha. In the Degé Kangyur the text is included both in the Tantra Collection (Toh 670) and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (Toh 1087).

i.1《大黑天女陀羅尼》是一部簡短的經典，講述女神吉祥大黑天女如何首次遇見釋迦牟尼佛、皈依他的教法，並獻上真言以表達對佛的敬禮。在德格版大藏經中，該經文既被收錄在密續部（編號670）中，也被收錄在陀羅尼集經（編號1087）中。

i.2The text presents a scene that also appears in The Tantra of the Flaming Ḍākinī (mkha’ ’gro ma me lce ’bar ba’i rgyud, Toh 842), which is a longer tantra that recounts the complete origin story of Śrīdevī Mahākālī and her attendant Rematī. According to this tantra, following her meeting with the Buddha, Śrīdevī Mahākālī became a protector of the Dharma who guards the followers of the Buddha’s teaching. Within the Kangyur, the text is part of a small group of texts concerned with Śrīdevī Mahākālī and Rematī. The Dhāraṇī of Devī Mahākālī also bears some similarity to The Dhāraṇī of Glorious Mahākāla (Toh 668) in terms of the setting in which the dhāraṇī is delivered and the various medical ailments for which it is prescribed.

i.2這段文字呈現的場景也出現在《熾燃空行母密續》中，這是一部較長的密續，講述了吉祥大黑天女及其侍者熱瑪蒂的完整起源故事。根據這部密續，在與佛相遇後，吉祥大黑天女成為了法的護持者，守護著佛陀教法的追隨者。在大藏經中，這段文字是關於吉祥大黑天女和熱瑪蒂的一小組文獻的一部分。《大黑天女陀羅尼》在陀羅尼傳授的背景設定以及所治療的各種醫學疾病方面，與《光榮大黑天陀羅尼》也有一些相似之處。

i.3The Dhāraṇī of Devī Mahākālī opens at the Bodhi tree in Bodhgayā shortly after the Buddha Śākyamuni has fully awakened. As the Buddha sits at the base of the Bodhi tree, Devī Mahākālī (as Śrīdevī Mahākālī is called in this text) circumambulates the Buddha three times and offers a vidyā , or “spell,” in homage. Śākyamuni then expresses his wish that Devī Mahākālī may bind all beings from the highest heaven down through the lowest hell of the desire realms. Devī Mahākālī then recites her mantra and proclaims that it can be used to prevent various illnesses, to bind beings that cause plagues and misfortune, and to cure diseases such as leprosy, sores, and rashes.

i.3《大黑天女陀羅尼》在菩提迦耶的菩提樹下開場，時間是釋迦牟尼佛剛剛圓滿成道之後。佛陀坐在菩提樹下，大黑天女（在本文中被稱為吉祥大黑天女）繞佛三周，並獻上一個咒語來讚禮佛陀。釋迦牟尼佛隨後表達了他的願望，希望大黑天女能夠統攝從最高天直至欲界最低地獄中的一切眾生。大黑天女接著誦念她的真言，並宣告這個真言可以用來防止各種疾病，統攝會引起瘟疫和不幸的眾生，以及治癒像麻風病、瘡瘤和皮疹這樣的疾病。

i.4Although the Tibetan text does not have a translators’ colophon, it appears in both the Denkarma and Phangthangma Tibetan catalogs, indicating that the text existed in Tibetan by the early ninth century. There is currently no known Sanskrit version of the text, and the text does not appear as an independent work in the Chinese canon. This English translation is based on the recensions found in the Tantra Collection (Toh 670) and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (Toh 1087) in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Comparative Edition of the Kangyur (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur.

i.4儘管藏文本身沒有譯者的跋文，但它出現在敦煌目錄和方唐瑪目錄的藏文目錄中，說明這部經文在九世紀初期已經存在於藏文中。目前尚未發現該經文的梵文版本，該經文也沒有作為獨立著作出現在中文大藏經中。這個英文翻譯是根據德格版大藏經中密續部（藏經編號 670）和陀羅尼集經（藏經編號 1087）中的文本版本製作，並參考了大藏經比較版本和斯托克宮大藏經。