Toh 661The Dhāraṇī “The Mother of the Grahas”

Summary

The Dhāraṇī “The Mother of the
Grahas” contains instructions for a dhāraṇī
recitation practice that will bring an end to any negative
influences from the celestial grahas and protect beings from
harm. These dhāraṇī instructions are part of the broader
popular tradition for performing offerings to appease and
gain the favor of the celestial grahas that remain
widespread across South Asia and the South Asian diaspora to
the present day.

Acknowledgements

This publication was completed under the patronage and
supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the
Buddha.

The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the
84000 translation team. Adam C. Krug produced the
translation and wrote the introduction. 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 “The Mother of
the Grahas” records a teaching by
Śākyamuni Buddha on a dhāraṇī recitation practice
for making offerings to the nine celestial grahas.
The aim of this practice is to win the grahas’ favor
and be protected from harmful influences and beings.
The introduction tells us that the Buddha taught
this dhāraṇī in the city of the yakṣa lord Aṭavika,
where he was surrounded by a host of bodhisattvas
and a large gathering of supernatural beings. Seated
among them are the nine celestial grahas—Sūrya,
Candra, Aṅgāraka, Budha, Bṛhaspati, Śukra, Śani,
Rāhu, and Ketu—who have joined this assembly of
supernatural beings to praise the Buddha and listen
to his teaching.

As the Buddha concludes his teaching, the
bodhisattva Vajrapāṇī approaches the Buddha to ask
him to teach a Dharma discourse that will pacify
both the celestial and harmful grahas. The Buddha teaches The Dhāraṇī “The Mother of the
Grahas” and provides instructions on a
recitation practice for making offerings to the
celestial grahas.

There is no known Sanskrit witness of The Dhāraṇī “The Mother of the
Grahas” (Toh 661/998). This text is
closely related, but not identical to, The Noble Dhāraṇī “The Mother of the
Grahas” (Toh 660/997). Unlike Toh 660/997,
Toh 661/998 (the present text) does not contain a
translators’ colophon and is not mentioned by its
specific title in either of the imperial Tibetan
catalogs of translated works. Given that the
colophon to Toh 660/997 indicates that it was
translated during the reign of King Tri Songdetsen
(Khri srong lde btsan, r. 755–797/804), it is
possible that work, and not Toh 661/998 corresponds
to the version of this text that appears in the
Denkarma and Phangthangma imperial catalogs.

There are two Chinese versions of this text
included in the Taishō canon, and one of these
versions, Taishō 1302, clearly
corresponds to Toh 661/998. Many lines in Taishō
1302 and Toh 661/988 match each other word-for-word,
and the overall structure of these two texts is
identical. Interestingly, Taishō 1302 was translated
by Facheng, alias Gö Chödrup (ca. 755–849), who was
a prolific Sino-Tibetan translator active in the
Dunhuang region during the ninth century. It is
possible, then, that Toh 661/998 was the source for
Taishō 1302, or that Gö Chödrup produced both Toh
661/998 and Taishō 1302 based on a third source. A
closer examination of these texts with reference to
the Dunhuang manuscripts will shed further light on
the connections between these sources. The other
canonical Chinese translation, Taishō 1303, was translated by Fatian in
the thirteenth century. This text noticeably differs
from Toh 660/997 and Toh 661/998 in its structure
and contents.

This English translation was prepared based on
the witnesses for The Dhāraṇī
“The Mother of the Grahas” in the Tantra
Collection (rgyud
’bum) and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs
(gzungs ’dus) in
the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the
Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Degé
Kangyur. A version of this text preserved in the
Stok Palace Kangyur was also consulted, but this
witness is only a partial match for the witnesses in
the Degé Kangyur. An additional early Tibetan
witness is preserved among the collection of Tibetan
manuscripts from Dunhuang presently housed in the
Indian Office Library in London, but this witness
has not yet been digitized and was unfortunately not
available to us at the time that this translation
was prepared.

The Translation

The Dhāraṇī “The Mother of the

Grahas”

##

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was
dwelling in Aṭavika’s great city, where he was being
praised by a multitude of devas, nāgas, yakṣas,
rākṣasas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas kinnaras, and
mahoragas as well as Māra, Sūrya, Candra, Aṅgāraka,
Śukra, Bṛhaspati, Budha, Śani, Rāhu, Ketu, the
twenty-eight nakṣatras, and so forth while seated on
a lion throne graced with the ornaments of the great
vajra samaya.

He was accompanied by a multitude of
bodhisattvas and surrounded by a saṅgha
of bodhisattvas including the bodhisattva great
being Vajrapāṇi, the bodhisattva great being
Vajracaṇḍa, the bodhisattva great being Vajrasena,
the bodhisattva great being Vajra Bow, the
bodhisattva great being Vajra Master, the
bodhisattva great being Vajra Ornament, the
bodhisattva great being Vajra Light, the bodhisattva
great being Noble Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva
great being Samantadarśin, the bodhisattva great
being Lokaśrī, the bodhisattva great being Lotus
Flag, the bodhisattva great being Broad Face, the
bodhisattva great being Padmagarbha, the bodhisattva
great being Lotus Eyes, the bodhisattva
great being Mañjuśrīkumāra, the bodhisattva great
being Maitreya, and more.

He sat before them teaching the Dharma. He was
giving a Dharma teaching called, “A Jewel Adorning
the Great Array” that was good at the beginning,
good in the middle, good at the end, excellent in
meaning, beautiful in its expression, unadulterated,
perfectly pure, and thoroughly erudite.

Then, Vajrapāṇi rose from his seat in the
assembly, and, through his own magical power,
circled the Blessed one many thousands of times,
bowed, and sat before him. With pride, he sat in a
perfect cross-legged position casting his majestic
gaze at the assembly with his vajra palms placed
together at his heart, and addressed the Blessed
One.

“Blessed One, the grahas are horrible
and have a horrible nature. They are fierce and have
a fierce disposition. They are wrathful and have a
wrathful nature. They hurt, harm, and steal the life
force of beings. Some take wealth, some take life,
and some shorten the length of a being’s lifespan.
Since they cause such harm to beings and affect
their lifespan, will the Blessed One please teach a
Dharma discourse that can be used to protect all
beings?”

“I will give a systematic explanation

Of worshiping them with the offering
rite,

Identifying the perpetrator when harm
has occurred,

The colors of the celestial grahas,

“How they can be appeased,

And the offerings
and mantras

That will pacify wrathful

Devas, asuras,

“Kinnaras, nāgas,

Yakṣas, rākṣasas,

Humans, and nonhumans

Brimming with fierce, fiery energy.”

A radiant light referred to as “the
manifestation of compassion” blazed forth from
blessed Śākyamuni’s heart and entered the crowns of
the grahas. Just then, Sūrya and the rest of the
celestial grahas all got up, made a divine offering
to the blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni, bowed, knelt on
one knee with their palms together, and
addressed the Blessed One:

The blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni then pronounced
the following mantra for making offerings to the
grahas:

“After that, Vajrapāṇi, one should recite the
mantra verses of The Dhāraṇī
“The Mother of the Grahas” seven times.
All the grahas will offer their protection, and one
will be free from grahas who cause poverty. They
will extend one’s lifespan after one’s lifespan has
been exhausted. Vajrapāṇi, any monk, nun, male lay
practitioner, female lay practitioner, or any other
type of being who hears it will not suffer an
unnatural death.

“Vajrapāṇi, one should perform the following
offering in the middle of the maṇḍala of the
celestial grahas. The celestial grahas
themselves will fulfill every wish for the dharma
reciter who recites it every day. One’s impoverished
state and the destitution of one’s family will be
brought to an end.”

“Homage to the buddhas. Homage to Vajradhara.
Homage to Padmadhara. Homage to the celestial grahas
who fulfill every wish. Homage to the nakṣatras.
Homage to the twelve houses of the celestial grahas.

oṁ svāhā | hūṁ svāhā | hrī svāhā | dhruṁ svāhā | dhriṁ
svāhā | padmadharāya svāhā | ādityāya svāhā |
saumāya svāhā | dhāraṇīsutāya svāhā | budhāya
svāhā | bṛhaspataye svāhā | śukrāya svāhā |
kṛṣṇavarṇāya svāhā | rahāve svāhā | ketave svāhā |
buddhāya svāhā | vajradharāya svāhā | padmadharāya
svāhā | kumārāya svāhā | sarvagrahebhyaḥ svāhā |
sarvanakṣatrebhyaḥ svāhā |
sarvadvādaśarāśinibhyaḥ svāhā | sarvopadravebhyaḥ
svāhā | oṁ sarvavidye hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā |

“Vajrapāṇi, the mantra verses of The Dhāraṇī “The Mother of the
Grahas” are the foundation of all of the
siddhis. Vajrapāṇi, the recitation of these mantra
verses of The Dhāraṇī “The
Mother of the Grahas” should begin on the
seventh day during the waxing moon in the autumnal
month of Kārtika. One should continue to take
temporary vows and make offerings to the grahas
until the fourteenth day of the month. If one
recites it day and night during the full moon, one
will not have to fear death for ninety-nine
years.
One will not fear perils caused by grahas or harm
caused by meteors and nakṣatras. One will remember
one’s past lives. The grahas will worship them and
give them whatever they want.”

Notes

Abbreviations

D
Degé (sde dge bka’ ’gyur)

C
Choné (co ne)

H
Lhasa (lha sa/ zhol)

J
Lithang (li thang)

K
Kangxi (kang shi)

N
Narthang (snar thang)

U
Urga (phyi sog khu re)

Y
Yongle (g.yung lo)

S
Stok Palace (stog pho ’brang)

Bibliography