Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragmentary text, titled Niruttastava in Sanskrit and Bla na med pa’i bstod pa in Tibetan, functions as a devotional praise directed toward a figure identified as the Unsurpassed One. The text opens with traditional homages to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta and the central subject of the praise. The author characterizes the Unsurpassed One through a dialectic of negation and transcendence, asserting that this figure has abandoned the duality of 'this side' (samsara) and the 'other' (nirvana). Furthermore, the text claims that the subject has cleared away or negated the supreme nature of the objects of knowledge, suggesting a philosophical commitment to a non-dual or emptiness-based perspective where conventional categories of existence and cognition are superseded. The fragment establishes a framework of absolute transcendence, committing the reader to a vision of enlightenment that exceeds both worldly existence and traditional liberation.
Provenance
About this text
A praise to the Unsurpassed One, the Niruttastava is a work of the Indo-Tibetan tradition attributed to the Indian author Nāgārjuna. The text was translated into classical Tibetan by Tilakakalaśa of Kaśmīr and pa tshab lo tsa ba nyi ma grags pa. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཀ, where it comprises two pages and is situated within the Eulogy collection. Under the Tibetan title Bla na med pa’i bstod pa, the work opens with homages to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta and the Unsurpassed One. It enacts a vision of absolute transcendence, characterizing its subject as one who has abandoned the duality of this side and the other. By asserting that the power of wisdom and miraculous abilities has cleared away the supreme nature of the objects of knowledge, the work argues for a perspective that supersedes conventional categories of cognition and existence. Scholars and serious readers consult this text to examine its philosophical framework of negation and its depiction of an enlightenment that exceeds the binary of samsara and nirvana.
Sanskrit title
Niruttarastava
Indian author
Nāgārjuna
Tibetan translators
Tilakakalaśa (Kaśmīr), pa tshab lo tsa ba nyi ma grags pa
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Praise of the Unsurpassed One” (Toh 1130), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1130
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its articulation of a non-dual state that transcends the binary of samsara and nirvana, a hallmark of higher Mahayana and Vajrayana philosophy. Its focus on the negation of the nature of known objects suggests an influence of Madhyamaka or Yogacara thought.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introductory Homages
Initial salutations to Mañjuśrī and the Unsurpassed One, defining the subject's transcendental nature.
Themes
Transcendence of Duality (1)
Epistemological Negation (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Niruttastava. In the language of Tibet: Bla na med pa’i bstod pa (Praise to the Unsurpassed). Homage to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta.
Homage to that unsurpassed one who has abandoned both this side and the other, who has cleared away the supreme nature of the objects of knowledge through the power of wisdom and miraculous abilities.
Homage to that unsurpassed one in whom there is neither knowing nor not knowing, neither yogi nor ordinary person, and in whom there is neither meditation nor non-meditation.
Homage to that unsurpassed one who is the singular clarity of wisdom, who completely discerns all objects of knowledge without exception, and who is thus equal and immeasurable.
Homage to that unsurpassed one for whom coarse and subtle, heavy and light particles lack the nature of a snake’s foot.
Homage to that unsurpassed one who, like a creature crossing a plain by its own strength, dispels darkness with light.
Homage to that unsurpassed one who, like a dancer moving his feet through miraculous power, perceives the path and knows the way.
Homage to that unsurpassed one who is the sovereign Lord of the Omniscient, who has abandoned both parts and the non-empty meaning.
Homage to that unsurpassed one who has utterly abandoned faults, who is far removed from the nature of stains, and who has abandoned both existence and non-existence.
The Praise to the Unsurpassed, composed by the great master, the noble Nāgārjuna, is hereby complete.