Notes

n.1The Dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara Siṃhanāda (translated 2024).

n.2Holt 1991, p. 41.

n.3Losty 2021, p. 17.

n.4Holt 1991, p. 79.

n.5The iconographic details of Siṃhanāda are described with some variation and differing degrees of detail in Toh 2858, 2859, 3155, 3157, 3329, 3414, 3417, 3418, 3419, and 3650. Descriptions in Sanskrit can be found in sādhana nos. 17, 20, 22, and 25 in volume one of the Sādhanamālā. For a survey of Indo-Tibetan artistic depictions of Siṃhanāda, see the deity’s main page at Himalayan Art Resources: https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=472&page=1.

n.6See sgrub thabs kun btus vol. 6, folios 252.a–297.b.

n.7See seng ge sgra’i gzungs kyi lo rgyus.

n.8This translation follows C, F, L, and Y, which read sngon lam. D reads smon lam, “aspirations.”

n.9Emended. D reads ba li na.

n.10Following F, K, N, S, and Y. D reads a ta pra ti.

n.11Following H, N, and S. D reads bhur.

n.12Following C, F, J, K, S, and Y. D reads du pa la.

n.13Emended. D reads a. The word avighnāntakṛt also seems implausible. In his Vajrāvalī (Mori 1997, p. 126), Abhayākaragupta gives a kuṇḍalin mantra as oṁ āḥ vighnāntakṛt hūṁ phaṭ.

n.14Emended. D reads havyakavyam ahāniya (ha bya ka bya ma hA ni ya).

n.15This follows F, H, N, K, S, and Y. D reads śānti (shAn+ti).

n.16This follows H, N, and S. D reads kuruya.

n.17In most depictions of Siṃhanāda, the stalk of the lotus rises from his left hand to the level of his shoulder and has a blazing sword standing in its blossom. A skull cup or other vessel rests on a lotus flower nearby to his left, and is filled with fragrant flowers. Here, a lotus, skull cup, water lily, and sword are described together, but their location in relation to Siṃhanāda and their orientation to each other are not specified.

n.18rigs lnga. N and S read rig sngags (vidyāmantra).

n.19gsum dang lnga ni mdun du ’phyang. The Tibetan is ambiguous here, thus this translation is tentative. A sense of what is meant here is provided by a phrase from the Siṃha­nāda­sādhana, sādhana no. 17 of the Sādhanamālā (Bhattacharyya 1925, pp. 47–8). In this work, attributed to Advayavajra, we find the compound aṃsalulita­pañcacīra, “five locks hang from his shoulders.” The phrase “five locks” (pañcacīra) is commonly used to describe deities whose hair hangs loose over their shoulders. It should be noted that the Tibetan translation of this sādhana‍—Toh 3414‍—translates this phrase with rol pa’i dpa’ bo lnga, “the five playful heroes,” which would indicate the Sanskrit compound lalita­pañca­vīra (aṃsa, “shoulder,” is omitted). Thus it would appear that variants in the Sanskrit manuscript tradition or translator error resulted in reading lalita (“playful”) in place of lulita (“hang”), and pañcavīra (“five heroes”) in place of pañcacīra.

n.20’dam skyes dmar po’i lo ma gnyis / padma bzhi la sngas bzhi ldan. This translation is tentative.

n.21spro ba gsum. This translation is tentative.