Toh 668The Noble Dhāraṇī of Glorious Mahākāla

Summary

The Dhāraṇī of Glorious Mahākāla
opens at the Vajra Seat under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgayā
shortly after the Buddha Śākyamuni has defeated Māra and his
demonic horde and attained awakening. As Śākyamuni sits
under the Bodhi tree, Mahākāla approaches him, prostrates at
his feet, sits to one side, and offers to give him a
vidyā, or “spell,” as a gift. Mahākāla
then pronounces his vidyā and tells Śākyamuni that it can be
used to prevent diseases and ward off potentially harmful
spirit beings. The text then concludes with Mahākāla’s
promise to Śākyamuni to act as a guardian of temples and
maṇḍalas and to protect the Three Jewels.

Acknowledgements

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The
translation was produced by Adam Krug and then checked
against the Tibetan and edited by Andreas Doctor.

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

Introduction

The Dhāraṇī of
Glorious Mahākāla opens at the Vajra Seat under the
Bodhi tree in Bodhgayā shortly after the Buddha
Śākyamuni has defeated Māra and his demonic horde
and attained awakening. As Śākyamuni sits under the
Bodhi tree, Mahākāla approaches him, prostrates at
his feet, sits to one side, and offers to give him a
vidyā, or “spell,” as a gift. Mahākāla
then pronounces his vidyā and tells Śākyamuni that
it can be used to prevent diseases and ward off
potentially harmful spirit beings. The text then
concludes with Mahākāla’s promise to Śākyamuni to
act as a guardian of temples and maṇḍalas and to
protect the Three Jewels.

The Translation

The Noble

Dhāraṇī of Glorious

Mahākāla

Homage to all
buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was
seated upon the Vajra Seat at the base of the Bodhi
tree shortly after subduing Māra and becoming a
perfect buddha. The great general of the gods, the
lord of the gaṇas, Mahākāla, glorious lord Mahākāla who has dominion
over the lords of the desire realm, approached the
Blessed One, prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet,
sat to one side, and addressed him, saying,
“Honorable Blessed One, please accept my vidyā as a
gift:

“Chanting this vidyā will bind all beings who
cause illness and diseases, all grahas, all beings
who cause plague, all bhūtas, evil magic, and the
evil eye upward through the Heaven of Controlling
the Emanations of Others. It will bind them
downward through the hell
realms. It will bind them outward to the surrounding mountains.

“Moreover, I promise and vow to be a guardian of
temples and maṇḍalas, to be a physician who treats
the illness of the three poisons, to be the vital
support of all vidyā holders, to
be the warrior spirit of all yogins, and to be the
sovereign lord of those who subdue Māra, as well as
to completely destroy the rākṣasa city of Laṅkāpūrī,
to reduce to dust the yakṣa daughters and rākṣasīs
who flash like lightning, and to protect the
teaching of the Three Jewels.”

Notes

Abbreviations

C
Choné (co ne)

Bibliography

Tibetan sources

Reference Works