Toh 738In Praise of the Glorious Goddess Sarasvatī

Summary

In Praise of the Glorious Goddess Sarasvatī
presents a series of lyrical verses in praise of the deity Sarasvatī,
the patron goddess of spoken and written eloquence. With evocative imagery and
inspiring language, the praise pays tribute to Sarasvatī’s unimpeded speech,
memory, and knowledge, and to her physical majesty and compassionate nature. The
praise includes petitions requesting Sarasvatī to grant the devotee a level of
eloquence and learning equal to that of the goddess herself. In the tradition of
the Great Vehicle, the praise aligns the attainments of eloquent speech, strong
memory, and great learning with the intention to use them for the benefit of
other beings.

Acknowledgements

Translated, edited, and finalized by the Subhashita Translation Group.
The translation was produced by Lowell Cook, who also wrote the introduction.
Benjamin Ewing and Ryan Damron checked the translation against the Tibetan and
edited the text and introduction.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

Sarasvatī is a female deity prominent in the pantheons of South
Asia’s diverse religious communities, including those of the Buddhist,
Brahmanical, and Jain traditions.
In Praise of the Glorious Goddess Sarasvatī
extols the qualities for which the goddess is widely renowned in those
communities: unimpeded mastery of speech, memory, and knowledge, physical
majesty, and a compassionate nature. While praising Sarasvatī for these
qualities, the text also petitions Sarasvatī to grant her devotee a level of
eloquence and learning equal to that of the goddess herself. The praises and petitions articulated in the text are situated
in the broader context of the Mahāyāna, which is apparent from its sustained
orientation toward the benefit of all beings.

Among the praises to Sarasvatī preserved in Buddhist literature,
In Praise of the Glorious Goddess Sarasvatī
is unique for being classified by the compilers of the Tibetan canon as the
word of the Buddha (buddhavacana) and thus included in the Kangyur, rather than
as the work of human authors such as are compiled in the Tengyur. The other
praises to Sarasvatī in the Tibetan canon are all preserved in the Tengyur,
and include Śrīdhara’s
Vajrasarasvatīstotra
(Toh 1925) and the
Sarasvatīstotra
attributed to Kālidāsa (Toh 3704).
Sarasvatī is also the subject of a substantial collection of Indic practice
manuals (sādhana), which are preserved in the Tengyur as well. In the Tibetan tradition, Sarasvatī holds a
position of importance as a patron goddess of both spoken and written
eloquence, as is exemplified in Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa’s (1357–1419) celebrated Verses in
Praise of the Goddess Sarasvatī (sgra
dbyangs lha mo dbyangs can ma la bstod pa’i tshigs su bcad pa).
Despite Sarasvatī’s popularity in Tibet, In Praise of
the Glorious Goddess Sarasvatī does not appear to have been
widely studied or quoted in Tibetan literature.

In Praise of the Glorious Goddess
Sarasvatī lacks a Sanskrit title and is not otherwise available
in a Sanskrit witness, making it challenging to determine the history of the
text in India. The Tibetan translation of the text is preserved twice in the
Kangyur—in the Action Tantra (Skt. kriyātantra; Tib. bya ba’i
rgyud) section and in the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (Tib. gzungs ’dus)—with only minor
variations between the two versions. The translation is not recorded
in the Denkarma or Phangthangma catalogs, the two extant records of texts
translated during the Imperial Period (btsan po’i
skabs; 629–842), nor does it
appear in the Dunhuang collections, suggesting that the praise was either
translated or compiled in the Period of Fragmentation (sil bu’i dus; ca. mid-eighth to late-tenth centuries) or during the subsequent period of Buddhism’s spread in Tibet
(bstan pa’i phyi dar). With no
colophon that includes information about the team of translators, it is
difficult to precisely determine the history of the text’s transmission and
translation in Tibet.

The English translation offered here is based on the version
preserved in the Degé Kangyur with reference to variant readings from eight
Kangyurs as noted in the Comparative Edition Kangyur (dpe bsdur ma), as well as the version
preserved in the Stok Palace Kangyur.

The Translation

In Praise of the Glorious Goddess Sarasvatī

In the path that leads to awakening,

The victors and their heirs, masters of the Dharma,

And the multitudes of wisdom maṇḍalas

Arranged in successive levels of knowing—in these we seek refuge.

Homage to you, glorious goddess Sarasvatī.

Your mastery over speech is renowned throughout the world

And you have transcended the three knowledges of the sages.

All of this is the result of your vast conduct.

You take up the burden of immense activities

And joyfully endure every hardship for the benefit of beings.

Coursing through the levels and the ten perfections,

And standing steadfast in stores of virtue, you take whatever form is
needed.

Your rounded face is the flawless moon in full.

Your lustrous eyes of compassion open the eyes of
others

As you gaze at length upon every last universe, effortlessly.

It is before you that the likes of Devendra and Brahmā bow down.

Compassionate mother, replete with love and patience,

It is your delight, noble goddess, to nurture every single being.

Your eloquence is lofty and your top-knot rivals mountain peaks.

Your wisdom runs deep as you act in support of knowledge.

Wielding mastery over fields of knowledge, you are the patroness of
words.

As you are the god of all gods in the universe,

And a supreme companion who endeavors to dispel our suffering,

Even extremist scholars bow down before you.

Your limbs are well proportioned, and your voice is ever sweet.

Poised with majesty, you glow with flawless qualities and merit.

As it is you who grants the accomplishments of the highest knowledge,

Grant us swift intellect, retention of words, and eloquence most
supreme!

With the welfare of every being always in your heart,

Eminent and unfailing goddess, you dwell in liberation.

Firm in your promises, you consider with grace

Those who call upon you, and you fulfill their every wish.

As the master of sound, you capture in words

Everything that appears in the universe.

You are understood by all and skilled in expression.

O Sarasvatī, your capabilities are inconceivable.

Wielding mastery over the might of dhāraṇī and Dharma,

You, a capable ṛṣi, have genuinely mastered the samaya.

Bestowing your blessing on our bodies, minds, and speech,

You work to satisfy the world with your ever-pleasing voice.

You are admired by all for your conduct of supreme awakening.

Blessed Lady, please continue always to grant the supreme purpose

To those who desire the boon of pure body, speech, and mind

With which to bring about the perfect benefit of beings.

Help us to be brave as we strive along the path to awakening.

Let our tongues be quick and our words be righteous.

Endow us with treasuries of knowledge and speech unobstructed.

Allow us to achieve the full eloquence of all the well-gone ones.

Mother of knowledge, your nature is devoid of conceptuality.

The flag of your reputation flutters in the winds of joy.

Like wanting to draw a picture in the sky,

Your attributes are hard to comprehend, your qualities are boundless.

namo bhagavate brahmaṇe | namaḥ sarasvatyai devi siddhyantu mantrapādam brahmānumantra svāhā.

This concludes “In Praise of the Glorious
Goddess Sarasvatī.”

Notes

Abbreviations

C
Choné (co ne) Kangyur

H
Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur

KY

Peking Yongle (g.yung lo)
Kangyur

Bibliography

dhāraṇī
gzungs
གཟུངས།
dhāraṇī
The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or
“retains,” and as such can refer to the special capacity of
practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also
refer to a verbal expression of the teachings—an incantation,
spell, or mnemonic formula—that distills and “holds” essential
points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane
and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts
that contain such formulae.

Brahmā
tshangs pa
ཚངས་པ།
Brahmā
One of the primary deities of the Brahmanical
pantheon, he is said to have pronounced the mantras of the four
Vedas from each of his four faces and thus established the sonic
foundation for the manifestation of the cosmos. Though not
considered a creator god in Buddhist literature, in his form as
Sahāmpati Brahmā, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two
deities (the other being Indra/Śakra) that are said to have exhorted
Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma in the hagiographic literature. The
particular heavens over which Brahmā rules are among the most
sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature.