Toh 667The Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla

Summary

The Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla opens with
Hayagrīva summoning Mahākāla from his abode in the palace called Joyous, located
in a sandalwood grove in the great southeastern charnel ground, Aṭṭahāsa. This
prompts the great king Virūpakṣa to request that Hayagrīva teach the rites and
practices related to Mahākāla. Hayagrīva then delivers a series of instructions
on the propitiation and worship of Mahākāla and rituals for destroying the
enemies of the Buddhist teachings.

Acknowledgements

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the
supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Adam C.
Krug and edited by Ryan Conlon.

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

Introduction

The Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla opens
with a description of the deity Mahākāla, surrounded by a retinue of
nonhuman beings in a palace named Joyous located in a sandalwood grove in
the great southeastern charnel ground Aṭṭahāsa. Then, in the western world
system, the deity Hayagrīva, or “The King of Horses,” enters into
absorption, utters a Hayagrīva mantra, and summons Mahākāla before himself
and the Four Great Kings. The great king of the western quarter, Virūpakṣa,
then supplicates Hayagrīva and asks him to teach the secret practices
related to the deity Mahākāla.

Hayagrīva then provides instructions on Mahākāla’s sādhana and
wrathful rites as well as instructions for when the rite does not work, a
description of the signs of success, and a rite for generating hailstorms.
As Hayagrīva notes, the enemy that is designated as the target of these
rites is anyone who seeks to destroy the Buddhist teachings or create
obstacles for yogins.

It is not clear how popular the eight-chapter Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla may have been in India and Nepal
prior to its translation into Tibetan. We are not aware of any surviving
Sanskrit version of the text, or any Indic commentary.

The Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla does
not appear in the Denkarma or Pangthangma royal Tibetan catalogs of
translated works. Thus, based on the information from the translators’
colophon, the first Tibetan translation of the text was likely completed in
the eleventh century by the Indian preceptor Amoghavajra and the Tibetan
translator Phurbu Ö. The text also does not appear to have been translated
into Chinese.

George Stablein notes in his study of the fifty-chapter Mahākālatantra (Toh 440) that the
eight-chapter Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla is
mentioned by Khedrub Jé (mkhas grub rje dge legs dpal bzang, 1385–1438) in
his survey of tantras devoted to Mahākāla. The eight-chapter
Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla also appears as
the opening work in the cycle of texts on Mahākāla in Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö
Thayé’s (’jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas, 1813–99)
nineteenth-century publication of The Indian Works of
the Five-Part Dharma Corpus of the Glorious Shangpa Lineage
(dpal ldan shangs pa’i chos skor rnam lnga’i
rgya gzhung), which survives in a reprinted edition published
and annotated by the late Kalu Rinpoche (karma rang byung kun khyab,
1905–89). In his short note on the text, Kalu Rinpoche tells us the
following:

“This tantra is in most collections of offering rituals, and in
most of the catalogs of past masters, which present the common tantras,
it is classified as a kriyātantra. Hayagrīva is the one who taught the tantra,
[F.8.b] and given that he is of Avalokiteśvara’s family, the tantra is
counted among those of the lotus family.”

The Translation

The Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla

Homage to the body of Enthralling Paramāśva.

Chapter 1: The Introduction

Thus did I hear at one time. At the southeastern charnel ground
Aṭṭahāsa, in the sandalwood grove called Joyous, the vināyaka Glorious
Mahākāla was present in the palace where a multitude of male and female
nonhuman beings gathered. At the time, in the
midst of a retinue of cruel beings, he was known as “Mahākāla Who
Controls the Life Breath of Living Beings.”

At the same time, in the western world system, the King of
Horses, Bringer of Death, was surrounded by an assembly of the Four
Great Kings and the rest. He entered the absorption that tames arrogant
beings while using the hook mudrā and reciting the mantra oṃ vajrakrodha hayagrīva hūṁ hulu hulu hūṁ
vaṃ. Powerless to do otherwise, Mahākāla appeared before
the King of Horses, Bringer of Death, from his abode in the Aṭṭahāsa
charnel ground.

“What can I do for you?” he asked, and politely offered his own
mark, the essence of his life force, oṃ
vajramahākāla kṣiṃ kṣetravighnān vināyaka hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ.

This is chapter 1 in “The Tantra of
Glorious Mahākāla,” the “Introduction.”

Chapter 2: The Worship Rite and Sādhana

Then King Virūpakṣa supplicated the King of Horses, Bringer of
Death, with the following verses:

“O Wrathful Lotus Lord,

Please explain the secret practice

For the terrible form of Mahākāla.

Regarding the acts for practicing the Lord,

“Great Supreme Horse, please tell us about

Killing and severing the life force and the body,

Instructions for when the rite does not work, and the place of
death,

The Lord’s signs, and casting hailstorms.”

Wrathful Lotus then gave the following teaching

On the Black One’s sādhana:

“For a mantrin who holds the samayas

To protect the teachings of the Buddha,

“They should gather the accumulation of merit

During an auspicious planetary conjunction and lunar day

In a place with a single tree such as a charnel ground

And perform Mahākāla’s sādhana.

“Construct a square altar using

Soil from a mound or black soil, and

Sprinkle it with perfume, incense, and blood.

In the middle, draw a triangle with a half moon

“Surrounded by a lotus with eight petals.

There should be a large skull in
the middle of that, containing

A bali offering and offering cake one cubit high,

Adorned with the five meats and various bodily essences.

“One should insert an arrow and a dark red cloth into it,

Along with a knife, a heart, and a small image of the deity.

Set this out as the Lord’s seat.

Write the Lord’s life-force mantra

“On the inside of the skin of the ḍamaru.

Roll it up with a soul stone and place it inside.

Present an offering of incense and the daily bali.

Set out the common offering to the Three Jewels.

“Visualize oneself on a lotus,

Imagine light rays radiating from the hṛīḥ at the heart,

Make the guru, the Buddha, and so forth

Appear right before oneself,

“And offer them five offerings.

After the sevenfold purification rite,

Meditate on the four immeasurables, beginning with

Equanimity and so forth, and the syllables vaṃ, raṃ, and tri.

“Out of the syllable hūṁ on top of the lotus

Emerges Mahākāla with a black face and six arms,

Holding a hooked knife, rosary, ḍamaru,

Skull, spear, and noose

“In his right hands and left hands respectively.

He is adorned with snakes and jewelry.

He wears a multicolored garment on his lower body

And a lower garment made of a tiger’s skin.

“He has three fierce eyes and bares his fangs.

His forehead is adorned with a drop of filth.

Akṣobhya’s emanation body sits on his crown.

Visualize him clearly before oneself while

“Performing the invitation, offering, and mantra recitation.

Present gifts to Mahākāla using the

Bali offering, offering ceremony, and the like.

The syllables of the vitality mantra emerge from

“The hūṁ at the
Lord’s heart and circle clockwise as one

Recites the following mantra in continuous rounds:

oṃ vajramahākāla kṣiṃ kṣetravighnān vināyaka hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ |

An excellent recitation practice will result in signs

That one has accomplished the Black One’s siddhi.”

Chapter 3: Severing the Life Force from the

Body

“Now I will teach the following:

If one wants beings who destroy the Buddhist teachings

Or create obstacles for yogins

To be liberated by Mahākāla,

“Make a square altar again and place

The skulls of a man and woman with no descendants

With wax effigies inside of them

Inside of a fierce triangular diagram.

“Affix their name and clan name and

Add the word ‘kill’ or ‘infect’ as appropriate.

Set up the image of the Lord and the samaya substances,

And place some in each of their mouths.

“Place powerful substances in a boar’s skull

And set the continual and daily bali offerings on the left and
right.

“Perform the killing rite with the following mantra:

oṃ vajramahākāla kṣiṃ
kṣetravighnān

vināyaka hūṁ
hūṁ phaṭ | oṃ mahākālāya

śāsanopakāriṇi

eṣa apaścimakālo ’yam idaṃ ratnatrayāya
apakāriṇaṃ yadi pratijñāṃ

smarasi tadā idaṃ duṣṭaṃ kha kha khāhi
khāhi | māra māra | ghṛhṇa ghṛhṇa | bandha bandha | hana hana |
daha daha | paca paca | dinam ekena māraya hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ phaṭ |
hūṁ vināyakavilāsa

“Recite the fierce mantra while pelting them with the powerful
substances.

Do not speak for an entire week.

At that point, the signs will be directly apparent.”

Chapter 4: The Concluding Rite

“Now I will explain the end of the rite,

Which is concluded with a fire offering.

Generate Mahākāla with his retinue in the middle

Of a triangle of sarala pine branches.

“Place the effigy, bali offering,

And ritual substances in Mahākāla’s mouth.

Recite the mantra while performing the fire offering,

And finish with the phrase agne jvala raṃ.

“Let the ashes be taken away by a strong wind.

The target of the rite will quickly come to ruin.”

This is chapter 4 in “The Tantra of
Glorious Mahākāla” on “The Concluding Rite.”

Chapter 5: The Enhancing Rite for When the

Rite Does Not Work, and the Mending Rite

“Next, I shall teach the following:

If one performs the practice but it does not work,

Generate it in earnest once or twice more.

If one does that and it still does not work,

“Make an image of the Black One out of

The three soils, three bloods, and three types of poison

That is one cubit tall, and place it atop two switches

So that it hovers over the middle of the triangle.

“The painting, samaya substances, and soul stone

Are placed beneath one’s own triangular cushion

And should be covered with poison and thorns.

Pelt it with powerful substances while reciting this mantra:

“Signs that the rite has worked will become fully apparent while

One is pelting it with powerful substances and reciting the
mantra.

After that, one should perform the mending ritual.

Wash the painting, soul stone, and samaya
substances

“With perfumed water and recite this mantra:

oṃ
vajramahākāla kṣiṃ kṣetravighnān vināyaka hūṁ hūṁ phaṭ mend mend svāhā |

“Wash the statue of the Lord with perfumed water

In the location where you have recited the mantra.

Remove it from the middle of the triangle and

“Place the enemy’s name and clan name in the heart.

Perform this practice for seven days, bring it to the enemy,

And it will quickly destroy the designated target.”

Chapter 6: A Series of Signs of

Accomplishment

“Now, I will teach the following:

A raven will take flight and circle,

And tribal people, mendicants,

Spiritual friends, venerable ones, and masters

“Will all perceive the Lord’s light, sound,

Walled palace, and body before them.

The being leading the enemy’s army will be killed.

Ordinary people will gain confidence.

“Lepers and beggars will arise, as will

Ravens that have alighted in a field.”

Chapter 7: Hailstorms

“Next, I will teach the following:

To perform a rite to make it hail,

Draw a wheel with four spokes

In the skull of a tribal person or a leper.

“Inscribe it with the seed syllables of the five classes of
nāgas.

The large spokes should bear the name and family names of the hail
protectors

And have the phrase ‘fall in this country’ written on them.

Write the mantras of the arrogant spirit beings

“On a wheel with nine spokes outside of that.

Write the name of the country and

The wind heart mantra on the back side.

Visualize yourself as Wrathful Lotus

“And strike their vital points using this mantra:

“Recite that mantra while

Pelting the skull with white and black

Mustard seeds, blood, and poison.

“If a gust of wind carries off the harvest, it is a sign

That hail will fall in the enemy’s country.

If it does, it will bring ruin to the people.”

This is chapter 7 in “The Tantra of
Glorious Mahākāla” on “Hailstorms.”

Chapter 8

Then he gave the following definitive instruction:

“Marvelous ones gathered in this assembly,

In the future, when samaya holders perform this sādhana,

They should maintain the samayas, uphold the vows,

“And diligently perform the bali offerings.

They should wear the samaya substances and soul stones on their
body.”

After he said that, King Virūpakṣa along with the rest of the
assembly rejoiced, promised to maintain Mahākāla’s teaching, and then
vanished.

This concludes chapter 8 in “The Tantra of
Glorious Mahākāla.”

Colophon

This text was translated by the Indian preceptor Amoghavajra and the
Tibetan translator Phurbu Ö.

Notes

Abbreviations

D
Degé (sde dge bka’ ’gyur)

C
Choné (co ne)

H
Lhasa (lha sa/zhol)

J
Lithang (li thang)

K
Kanxi (kang shi)

N
Narthang (snar thang)

U
Urga (phyi sog khu re)

Y
Yongle (g.yong lo)

S
Stok Palace (stog pho ’brang)

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

Reference Works

Secondary Sources