Toh 612The Noble Dhāraṇī of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā

Summary

The Dhāraṇī of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā takes place
in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. The gods have just been defeated by the
asuras, and Śakra, lord of the gods, rushes to the Buddha for help. The Buddha
instructs Śakra to retain the dhāraṇī known as The Dhāraṇī
of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā. After transmitting the dhāraṇī, the Buddha
explains that people who recite and retain it become victorious in conflicts. He
also states that people who attach it atop standards or tie it around the neck
will be protected and that the dhāraṇī will manifest in the form of the female
deity Dhvajāgrakeyūrā, who will always be with them, eliminating fear, affording
protection, and granting all good things such as good reputation and
abundance.

Acknowledgements

This dhāraṇī was translated by Gyurme Avertin. Kedar and Rubi Prado
compared the translation with the available Sanskrit manuscript and edited the
dhāraṇī based on the Tibetan version. Dza Tsetra compared the translation with
the Chinese version.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation
and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was
in charge of the digital publication process.

Introduction

The Dhāraṇī of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā takes
place in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, where Śakra requests help from the
Buddha after the gods have been defeated by the asura king Vemacitri. The
Buddha tells Śakra to retain the dhāraṇī known as The
Dhāraṇī of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā, which he received from the Tathāgata
Unsurpassed Standard in a previous life. The Buddha transmits the dhāraṇī
and explains that those who recite it and retain it become victorious in
battles and conflicts, and that those who attach it to the top of standards
or tie it around their neck will be protected by the buddhas. He explains
that the dhāraṇī will also manifest in the form of a female deity who will
always be in front of them eliminating fear, affording protection, and
granting all positive things such as good reputation and abundance.

The goddess Dhvajāgrakeyūrā has several different forms with varying
colors, numbers of heads and arms, hand implements, and so on. However, traditionally she is
portrayed as predominantly yellow, with four heads and holding the hand
implements mentioned here. Dhvajāgrakeyūrā’s appearance is also mentioned in
two sādhanas devoted to her in the Tengyur (Toh 3592 and 3600), with some
differences between them. The term dhvajāgra or “crest insignia” refers to a symbol or insignia
that was mounted at the end of a long pole, which was employed as a martial
ensign on the battlefield in ancient India. In two early Dhvajāgra Mahāsūtras (Toh 292 and Toh 293),
the dhvajāgra itself, as an object, is a metaphor for refuge. At that early
stage in the history of Buddhist literature, the dhvajāgra does not seem to
have been associated with a goddess, as protection came from the revival of
courage expressed in the analogy (parallel to this work) of the devas being
on the point of defeat by the asuras. However, protective texts and dhāraṇīs
became, over time, embodied in goddesses who gained iconically detailed
forms, as we find with Dhvajāgrakeyūrā featured here. There are numerous
Dhvajāgrakeyūrā sādhanas in the Tibetan tradition, and this deity and her
dhāraṇī have also become associated with the Tibetan windhorse (Tib.
rlung rta), as their functions are
similar: to eliminate obstacles and adversity and to bring victory and good
circumstances. Tibetan writers such as Mipham Gyatso (1846–1912) composed
prayers to Dhvajāgrakeyūrā, asking her to remove obstacles.

In the Degé Kangyur, The Dhāraṇī of
Dhvajāgrakeyūrā is included among the tantras belonging to the
kriyā class and is also
reproduced in the Dhāraṇī (gzungs
’dus) section. The two versions are identical apart from a few
minor spelling differences. The attribution in the colophon to the paṇḍitas
Jinamitra and Dānaśīla and the translator Yeshé Dé suggests that the
translation was completed during the late eighth or early ninth century,
which is supported by this text’s inclusion in the Phangthangma
and Denkarma imperial
catalogs, both of which date to the early ninth century. The text is also
extant in Sanskrit in at least two versions in GRETIL’s Sanskrit
corpus.
The famous pilgrim and translator Xuanzang (602–64) also translated it into
Chinese in the year 654.

This English translation was produced based on both Toh 612 and Toh 923 in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Comparative
Edition (dpe bsdur ma), the two Sanskrit
versions available to us, and Xuanzang’s Chinese translation. Following
84000’s convention, the dhāraṇī has been transliterated as it appears in the
Degé version of the text. There is often wide variation in the Tibetan
transcription of dhāraṇīs across recensions of the Kangyur, and only minor
changes have been made to reconcile them or to emend the dhāraṇī based on
Sanskrit conventions.

The Translation

The Noble Dhāraṇī of

Dhvajāgrakeyūrā

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was in the Heaven of
the Thirty-Three, sitting on the Pāṇḍukambala rock, when Śakra, lord of the
gods, who had just lost in war against the asuras and had been completely
defeated, rushed in distress to the Blessed One. He bowed his head down at
the feet of the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, we fought with the
asuras, and I have been vanquished by their king, Vemacitri, completely
defeated, and all the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three were also
routed. Blessed One, what should we do?”

The Blessed One replied, “Listen, lord of the gods, retain the
unsurpassed
Dhāraṇī of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā. I received it from
the Tathāgata Unsurpassed Standard when I was a bodhisattva, and then I
explained it extensively to others. Recalling it, I have not experienced
fear, anxiety, gooseflesh, or physical harm, even for an instant.”

“Blessed One, what is the unsurpassed Dhāraṇī
of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā?”

The Blessed One replied:

tadyathā | oṁ jaya jaya | vijaya vijaya | jayavāhini | śaṃkari
śaṃkari | prabhaṃkari | I and all sentient beings
sarvaśatrūñ | jambhaya jambhaya | stambhaya
stambhaya | mohaya mohaya | bhagavati | jayavāhini | matha matha |
pramatha pramatha | grasa grasa | hasa hasa | hūṁ hūṁ | la hūṁ la
hūṁ  | lambodari

| trinetre |

caturvaktre | caturdaṃṣṭre  |
asi-musala-cakra-trisula-vajra-kavaca-dhāraṇi | Protect us
from all harm. Protect us. | oṁ bhagavati |
hana hana | daha daha | paca paca | matha matha | pramatha
pramatha | dhuna dhuna | vidhuna vidhuna | hūṁ hūṁ | phaṭ phaṭ |
bhañja bhañja | parasainyaṃ vidhvaṃsaya | sarvaśatrūn nāśaya |
dhvajāgrakeyure | tiṣṭha tiṣṭha tiṣṭha  | bhriṭa bhriṭa |
ulkāmukhi | ulkādhāraṇi | trailokyamathani vidhvaṃsaya
parasainyām |Protect us from all harm. Protect us.
| cala cala | cili cili | culu culu |
kampa kampa | kala kala | kili kili | kulu kulu | muñca muñca |
aṭṭahāsaṁ | vidhvaṃsaya parasainyam | Protect us from all
harm. Protect us. | trāsaya trāsaya |
bhrāmaya bhrāmaya | buddhasatyena | dharmasatyena | satyavādināṃ
satyena | satyavādināṃ | satyena | buddhasatyenātikrama |
dharmasatyenātikrama | saṃghasatyenātikrama | satyavādināṃ
satyam atikrama | lambodari lambodari | kuṭṭa kuṭṭa kuttā |
kuṭṭāpaya kuṭṭāpaya| rudram ānaya | viṣṇum ānaya |
candrasūryabrahmam ānaya | trailokyādhipatim ānaya |
sarvadevādhipatim ānaya |
sarvayakṣa-rākṣasa-gandharva-kumbhāṇḍa-mahoragādhipatim ānaya |
vidhvaṃsaya parasainyam | raṅgha raṅgha | raṅghāpaya raṅghāpaya |
jvala jvala | puṣpamālini | rundha rundha | riti riti | citi citi |
dhriti dhriti | bhṛīkuṭimukhapare | senākulotsādanakari | hala
hala | hili hili | hulu hulu | he ha | riṇi riṇi | riṇāmate |
jambhadhvaje | sarvabuddha-avalokite | Protect us from all
fear. Protect us. | sarvatathāgatāvalokite
svāhā |

guṇarājaprabhāsottame svāhā | suryārkavimale
svāhā | candrārkavimale svāhā | sarvagrahanakṣatradhyāmīkaraṇe svāhā | Protect us from all fear,
harm, illness, and conflict. Protect us. | svāhā!

King of the gods, with the unsurpassed Dhāraṇī of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā, whether in war, in fights, in
quarrels, in disagreements, or wherever you go, you will never be afraid and
will always be victorious. If it is tied atop a standard or worn around the
neck, kings of humans and courageous ones will be protected. The dhāraṇī
will take the appearance of a woman who will stand in front of them. She
will eliminate their fears and protect them; she will produce excellent
circumstances, make opposing armies retreat; and she will constantly bring
about auspiciousness, purity, good reputation, prosperity, and abundance.”

After the Blessed One had spoken, Śakra, lord of the gods, and the
bhikṣus and bodhisattvas rejoiced and praised the words of the
Blessed One.

The Noble Dhāraṇī of Dhvajāgrakeyūrā
is complete.

Colophon

This translation was produced by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and
Dānaśīla and the translator-editor Bandé Yeshé Dé. It was revised according
to the new lexicon and finalized.

Notes

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Secondary Literature