Toh 762The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2]

Summary

The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] is the fourth of the
“five beak dhāraṇīs” (mchu sde lnga, Toh
759–763) and among the few scriptures in the Degé Kangyur concerned with weather
control practices. In Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain, Śakra requests the
Buddha for a teaching with which to guard against the asuras and protect the
Buddhist teachings. The Buddha then recites the dhāraṇī formula in two parts
along with a brief nāga subduing, weather control ritual. The benefits of the
performance of this text include keeping the Buddhist teachings and
practitioners safe from harm and ensuring proper rainfall for bountiful
harvests.

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.
Lowell Cook produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Torsten Gerloff
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 the Iron Beak [2] is the fourth of
the “five beak dhāraṇīs” (mchu sde lnga,
Toh 759–763), a cycle of texts related to the garuḍas, a race of eagle-like
birds in Indian mythology. The word tuṇḍa or “beak” in the titles is a reference to the garuḍas’
sharp, owl-like beaks which they use for hunting nāgas, a class of
snake-like beings associated with, among other things, weather patterns and
rainfall. The dhāraṇī of the iron beak is thus a threatening spell used to
coerce the nāgas into providing rainfall for favorable agriculture. The
cycle of the five beak dhāraṇīs is, along with the Great Cloud sūtras (Mahāmegha, Toh 232-235),
among the few scriptures in the Degé Kangyur concerned with weather control
practices.

The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] takes place in
Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain. There, Śakra requests the Buddha for a
teaching with which to subdue asuras—the famed adversaries of the devas—and
other beings who harm the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha instructs Śakra to
employ the dhāraṇī of the iron beak, which has the dual purpose of averting
harm to the Buddhist teachings and controlling weather. This dual interest
in agrarian concerns and protecting Buddhism might suggest that the dhāraṇī
was originally a pan-Indian agricultural ritual spell that was later brought
into the Buddhist fold, especially when we consider how rain rituals for
good harvests have been a widespread concern of Indian religions since time
immemorial. After the Buddha recites the dhāraṇī in two parts, he
provides brief ritual instructions on subduing nāgas with a small stake
(kīlaka) and
controlling the weather. The Buddha’s discourse comes to a close with Śakra
rejoicing.

The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] shares an identical
title with another translation in the Degé Kangyur, Toh 761, which
immediately precedes it. Furthermore, these two texts share a great deal of
intertextuality with The Dhāraṇī That Fully Confers Freedom
From Dangers (Toh 609/925). These three works share an identical
narrative structure, are set in Indra’s Rock Cave, and feature Śakra as their
interlocutor. While the dhāraṇī formulas in Toh 761 and Toh 609/925 are, in
most places, nearly in agreement, the much shorter formulas found in Toh 762
are altogether different.

Hidas (2019) dates The Nāga Vow of the Vajra
Beak (Vajratuṇḍanāgasamaya, Toh
759/964)—the longest and more central of the five beak dhāraṇīs—to the fifth
century ce. Though the relationships between the
five beak dhāraṇīs are still unclear, we may assume that The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] also emerged around a
similar time and amidst a similar Indian cultural and religious milieu. The text is bereft of a
colophon that would provide information as to when and by whom it was
translated into Tibetan. It is not listed in either of the two extant
catalogs from the imperial period. As such, we are left with little basis on
which to determine under what circumstances it was translated in Tibet.

Like much of dhāraṇī literature, this work’s importance lies not in its study
but in its ritual performance. As such, the majority of the references to
five beak dhāraṇīs we find in later Tibetan literature are not as scriptural
citations but rather as a part of larger liturgies, alongside ritual
elements such as nāga oblations (klu
gtor), or as prescribed by astrological divinations.

The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2] no longer survives in Sanskrit. The dhāraṇī was never translated into Chinese and, beyond its translation as
a part of the Mongolian canon, it does not appear to have been translated
into any other languages as far as we are aware. The text has also not been the subject of any
sustained scholarly research. Our translation was
based on the textual witness in the Degé Kangyur. We also consulted variant
readings as attested in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) Kangyur as well as the Stok Palace Manuscript
(stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur.

The Translation

The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [2]

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was traveling through the land
of Magadha when he arrived at a mango grove. At that mango grove, he took up
residence in the Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain. Śakra the lord
of the devas then appeared before the Blessed One. He bowed his head at the
Blessed One’s feet, sat to one side, and then Śakra the lord of the devas
spoke to the Blessed One as follows.

“Blessed One, the asuras are truly the long-time adversaries of the devas.
With regard to it, Blessed One, please bestow a teaching on
recollection. Please give a teaching that will serve as a method for the
bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, śrāmaṇeras, śrāmaṇerīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās among the
gatherings of human beings in the world of Jambudvīpa, the realm of
Śākyamuni, to protect the sacred Dharma from destruction.”

The Blessed One told Śakra the lord of the devas, “Lord of the devas, uphold
the dhāraṇī of the iron beak. It instills terror in everyone and smites the
asuras with five-pointed thunderbolts. It
alleviates the world of infectious diseases and brings peace to the whole
world. It neutralizes all poisons and stops all weapons. It paralyzes all
legless, two-legged, and four-legged beings and defeats all adversaries. It
destroys asuras, garuḍas, daityas, piśācas, apasmāras, unmādas, and
malevolent beings. It brings peace from all conflicts, wars, discord, and
scandals. This is the noble iron beak. I will recite the vidyāmantra of the
iron beak dhāraṇī of freedom from all danger:

tadyātha | vagacani śuti śumali gaśaśa śatata
virati huyu huyu riti svāhā |

“Scatter black mustard seeds on the ocean. It will rain as you wish. If one chants this
countless tens of trillions of times on a small stake at a place where
nāgas are found and plants the stake at that nāga site, hail and
thunderbolts will come crashing down as you desire.

sarvanāgānām apavīrya descend | nāga śara śara
descend | nāga rakṣa descend | raci sri vajra hūṃ phaṭ |

“This wrathful dhāraṇī of the iron beak that averts the adversaries of the
country, brings down five-pointed thunderbolts that blaze with fire, and
overpowers every lord of the devas will bewilder the asuras, keep the
fourfold assembly safe, and protect the teachings of the Great Vehicle
against enemies.”

After the Blessed One had spoken, Śakra the lord of the devas rejoiced and
praised what the Blessed One had taught.

This concludes “The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Iron
Beak [2].”

Notes

Bibliography