Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Verses in Praise of the Gaṇḍī is a short liturgical work designed to invoke the protective power of the Buddha to dispel fear and spiritual obstacles. The text centers on the concept of the gaṇḍī, utilizing a combination of devotional praise and the recitation of seed syllables or mantras (such as 'ga-gre-d' and 'jambraṇa') to create a protective shield. The narrative framework invokes the Buddha's historical victory over the army of Māra beneath the Bodhi tree, positioning the Buddha as an unmoved, omniscient mountain against the chaotic forces of delusion and sin. By reciting these verses, the practitioner commits to a practice of sonic protection intended to subdue the pride of worldly deities, such as Brahmā and Bṛhaspati, and to eliminate the fear associated with saṃsāric becoming (bhava). The work functions as a ritual tool to shatter the darkness of ignorance and ensure the stability of the practitioner amidst cosmic or psychological turmoil.
Provenance
About this text
A praise to the Buddha designed to invoke protection, the Gaṇḍīstotragāthā belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. The work is attributed to the Indian author Aśvaghoṣa. It was translated into Tibetan by Jayasenapāda and lo tsa ba btsun pa d+ha r+m+ma yon tan, and is preserved in the Tengyur (vol. ཀ) within the Eulogy collection, where it extends over seven pages. The Tibetan title is rendered as gaN+DI'i bstod pa tshigs su bcad pa. The work enacts a plea for protection from the Buddha, the Lion of the Śākyas, who remained undisturbed by the heroic Māras and their weapons beneath the Bodhi tree. By invoking the Buddha as an unchanging, omniscient hero who overcomes the darkness of thundering rain and the fear of sin through the weapon of loving-kindness, the text seeks to shield the practitioner from the fierce forms of Māra-warriors. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine the specific devotional imagery and the use of sonic elements, such as the utterances 'ga-gre-d' and 'ga-ga-gre-d', employed to establish a state of profound peace and victory over spiritual obstacles.
Sanskrit title
Gaṇḍīstotragāthā
Indian author
Aśvaghoṣa
Tibetan translators
Jayasenapāda, lo tsa ba btsun pa d+ha r+m+ma yon tan
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Verses in Praise of the Gaṇḍī” (Toh 1149), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1149
Summary & commentary
Significance
This text is significant for its integration of mantra-like phonetic elements with traditional Buddhist hagiography to achieve a protective effect. It illustrates the transition from purely philosophical discourse to ritualized praise intended for immediate psychological and spiritual efficacy. For the modern reader, it provides an example of how the Buddha's victory over Māra is ritualized as a means of overcoming personal anxiety and existential fear.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-3
Invocation and Protection
Homage to the Buddha and a request for protection from the forces of Māra using the weapon of loving-kindness.
4-5
Mantra Recitation and Cosmic Impact
The use of specific phonetic sounds to crush the hosts of Māra, resulting in the shaking of Mount Meru.
6-9
The Power of the Gaṇḍī
An address to gods and humans regarding the efficacy of the gaṇḍī in destroying delusion, sin, and the fear of rebirth.
Themes
Victory over Māra (1-5)
Ritual Sound and Mantras (1, 4, 5)
Dispelling Fear and Delusion (2, 3, 6, 9)
Cosmic Hierarchy and Subjugation (5, 8, 9)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Gaṇḍīstotra-gāthā. In the language of Tibet: The Verses of Praise to the Gaṇḍī. Homage to the Buddha!
May that Lion of the Śākyas protect you—he who, in the past, went from the path of the sun beneath the Bodhi tree, uttering "ga-gre-d ga-gre-d," "ga-ga-gre-d ga-ga-gre-d gha-na gha gha-na gha-gre-d," and who, though his body was bound in armor, remained undisturbed by beautiful women with their "ḍhu-ḍu-pa-ti ḍhu-ḍu ḍu-bhiḥ ḍhu-ḍu-bhiḥ."
May the Lord of Sages bring peace to you—he who, hearing the laughter of the goddesses of the desire realm, "ka-ha ka-ha ka-ka-hā hā hā hī-ti," and the arrogant ones shouting "ta-ṭi ta ta-ṭi ta-tī tā-ṭa ṭā-ti," and the servants crying "ku-ku bu-bu ku-kū-ta-ka ku-ha-ra-tsi-ta," remained unafraid, and by hearing which all stains were pacified.
Homage to him whose mind was unerring and who triumphed over desire, even when faced with women whose arched brows were stirred by the play of the arrows of passion, casting down their lashes and pupils; women with bodies of exertion, playing with branches and limbs; and those who spoke with modesty and sidelong glances, with charming, sweet, and delightful words of various kinds.
May the fierce fires of the wrathful deities, which cause the entire earth to tremble and fill the sky with a mass of sharp arrows, and which blaze in every direction, causing the masses of water to churn—may they be pacified.
The heroic Māras, who let out cries, brandishing spears, swords, wheels, and sharp saws—protect us, O Lord of Sages, you who are utterly victorious and profoundly peaceful through the weapon of loving-kindness.
The terrifying darkness of the dense, dark clouds of the thundering rain, from which fierce, blazing anger born of intense proliferation issues forth, and the spreading fire that destroys the hosts of the gods of desire, and the light of the sword—all these are illuminated by your manifold radiance.
O Buddha, protect us! You who in a single instant destroy the hosts of the Flower-Arrowed One (Kāmadeva).
With beautiful ears, eyelashes like lotus petals, and the pupils of your eyes flickering, you are exceedingly skillful and passionate. With your fully blossomed, harmonious, and playful eyes, you are the supreme Sage whose faults have been cleared away, whom the embodied Māra-females—though they were entirely filled with desire and possessed of red-hued, restless eyes—could not lead astray.
I prostrate to that supreme Sage whose mind was not disturbed. You who have cleared away the Māras, whose fangs are bared, who are naked and narrow, whose tongues quiver, and who are like the glorious peaks; you who are like the elephant, horse-faced, lion, and tiger-faced ones; and you who, like the most beautiful gods of desire, are without root and fear cyclic existence—protect us, O Buddha, the Lord of Sages, the Protector of the World who has cleared away all evil.
Your intellect is undisturbed, like the earth, the flowing rivers, the oceans, and the clouds.
May the glorious Buddha, the hero who robs one of the fear of sin, who is unchanging, omniscient, and free from desire, protect us—he who, like a mountain, remains unmoved and undisturbed in mind by the hundreds of various Māra-warriors with faces of thunder and fierce forms, and by the infinite one with a flower-crest who disregards all like grass.
To that most heroic Buddha, the hero who robs the three worlds of fear, I bow and pay homage—he whose mind is not agitated by the great hosts of Māras, who hold in their hands swords, axes, bows, and spears with exceedingly sharp points, and who cause destruction with terrifying sounds, raining down meteors, burning fires, and many clear, resonant cries.
He who, seated in the noble cross-legged posture, could not be overcome by the servants of the one-eyed one, who have matted hair, who laugh loudly with the sound "aṭṭaṭṭa," who ring bells bound tightly and swiftly, and who brandish their weapons with a haughty, gaping maw; he who, by the clear beating of the sharp paṭaha drum, attained awakening at Vulture Peak for the sake of the proud, may that Buddha-hero bring well-being.
ko kaṇḍi rā ma ra ṇa hi pra ti bha ya ku ha raṃ dar pa ṇa ṇe ḍaṃ ra ṇṇa ḍaṃ | ḍo mba ṇḍa mba ṇa ḍu ḍi mba ṇa ḍa ha ḍhū ha ka ḍhū haṃ straiṅ kha la straiṅ kha la straiṅ ma |
Jambraṇa jambraṇa ja jambraṅ kha mukha mukhu khumāṅ khuḥ khu māṅ khuḥ khu māṅ khuḥ khu māṅ khu, and so forth. By these, may you, the Lion of the Śākyas, who are worshipped by gods and humans, protect us from fear.
By whom the pride of the Māra-clouds, which had completely expanded with bodies holding [the rain], was released in the night; by whom the forest-glory of the lotus-faces of the Māra-hosts was made uniform in the opposing direction; and by whom the moon of perfect awakening was fully attained, like the autumn kumuda lily.
This is the gaṇḍī of the Blessed One, the King of Dharma, who proclaims the messenger of the Dharma here. Having long since brought an end to the lack of satisfaction in those who have not attained merit, and having brought an end to the moment of conceptualization, those whose minds are absorbed therein always and uninterruptedly engage in virtuous conduct.
This is the gaṇḍī of the Dharma, renowned and unyielding throughout the mandala of the directions, which repeatedly instructs living beings in the command of the Three Jewels. Like the solar mandala, victorious over the host of stars, it blazes here among the followers of non-Buddhist paths and within the teaching of the Victor. This gaṇḍī is the heart-ornament of the mandala of the earth, renowned like the fierce drum of victory in battle.
Furthermore, you are not afraid: jama jami ḍhu ḍhu maraṇi jarani ja ḍena nāḍi nāḍe | ḍomban ḍimban ḍu ḍim pa na ḍa bha ḍa bhu ḍhu ḍhu bhaṃ nāḍi bhan nāḍi bhan ḍa ma.
raṇaṇḍi ruṇaṇḍaṃ ruruṇaṇḍiya rala va kha kha maṃ khaḥ kha maṃ khaḥ kha maṃ khaḥ. By the power of the one who possesses the ten powers, the hosts of Māra are crushed. Look, O worldly beings who live! From the shaking of the earth, the mountains are moved, and Mount Meru, the king of mountains, trembles. The hosts of gods, the radiance of the grahas, and all the nāga kings without exception are terrified. Hearing the fierce gaṇḍī of the non-Buddhists, which produces various fears, they are struck with terror. But for the Buddhists, it is the cause of peace, and it proclaims the four [truths] here to the saṅgha. This is the gaṇḍī that resounds at the pinnacle of the temple; like the sound of clouds, its melodies today are delightful. Like a mother, with great affection, it calls out to those who have gone outside at the time of the meal. It is the supreme destroyer of the wheel of saṃsāra. Equal to the great divine drum that proclaims all the precious qualities of the Buddha, the gaṇḍī utterly destroys all sins without exception. Honored by gods, asuras, and great mahoragas, this is the gaṇḍī of the Tathāgata who has attained supreme peace. With a sound equal to the great drum of the deathless, it utterly destroys the hearts of other non-Buddhists. By the sounding of this gaṇḍī here, for the sake of humans and...
Gods, humans, and asuras are summoned: Listen to this gaṇḍī of the Sugata, the noble ones! Completely surrounded by an assembly of monks without exception, like the clouds in the sky at the time of the terrifying season of the great elephants, it is the cause for averting the trembling of beings caused by destruction, hardship, and fear. By it, the pride of all non-Buddhist sects is utterly destroyed in the state of perfect peace. You must protect this gaṇḍī established for the sake of increasing the Dharma of all the hosts of Sages. May that supreme merit be accomplished for those in this world of flickering life! May it grant the higher realms and liberation, and may it never become a cause for the lower realms or for sin.
Here, as if a bee in the center were humming, I have spoken; with palms full of flowers, I scatter them at the lotus feet of the enemy of Māra—protect them! With the hosts of gods, Śakra and others, scattering flowers with great devotion, and the sky completely filled with the sounding of cymbals, they scatter flowers with reverence. That fierce gaṇḍī of the Blessed One, the great treasury of compassion, which is renowned for descending from the higher realms to the earth after a long time, protects all beings. As soon as he emerged from his mother’s womb, he took seven steps; he who brought an end to saṃsāra and spoke his own words with no small intelligence.
By means of those things previously described as having dispelled the becoming of rebirth, may the gaṇḍī of the Sugata, which shatters the darkness, be victorious! On the peaks of the supreme Mount Meru and the sides of all the jewel mountains with the luster of gems, upon the king of mountains, the Snowy Range, and in the human realm and the world of the nāgas, the lords of the desire realm who seek immortality, the rulers of the four continents, the sun and moon, and the lords of the asuras—all these, upon hearing the gaṇḍī of the Sugata’s Dharma, call out to the Sugata’s excellent intention.
In all three worlds, many arrogant elephants of various unattractive breeds are seized and mounted. All of them, with long tusks protruding and holding the sign of a blazing vajra garland, are terrified by the hūṃ sound of the learned Guru Vajra-hūṃkāra, who causes all classes of sinful beings to flee. Proclaiming, "Victory has been achieved over the entire world," they bow at his feet, adorned with the Buddha’s crown.
The daughters of Māra, like the Kṛṣṇasāra deer, with beautiful eyes and full, firm breasts, moving with the gait of swans, riding upon female attendants, singing and beating a multitude of drums as they move swiftly—many of them arrive in an unceasing stream like the four rivers surging from the great ocean. To them, the gaṇḍī itself proclaims the continuous and sublime sounds: ṭuṃ ṭuṃ bhrāṃ bhrāṃ. Having triumphed over the power of Māra and displayed great terrors, it has exhausted all faults.
Here, may the gaṇḍī of the Tathāgata—the one who has attained the most beautiful state of omniscience, who possesses every excellent quality without exception, and who is the compassionate Buddha—destroy the sins of human beings.
May Brahmā become mute, may the pride of the Teacher of Gods (Bṛhaspati) vanish everywhere, and may the life-force of the small-minded Viṣṇu be rendered silent. Here, by the fame of whose qualities the gods are so ashamed that their limbs contract, the Sage’s gaṇḍī protects beings from the lower realms through fearlessness.
When it is struck, the earth’s surface blazes with golden light, and all those clad in yellow robes—the thousand-eyed Brahmā, Indra, Viṣṇu, the sun and moon, the rākṣasas, yakṣas, gandharvas, kinnaras, asuras, humans, the hosts of māras, and pretas—all without exception, are summoned by the Teacher, the Tathāgata, to listen to the Dharma.
By this, the non-Buddhists, whose intentions are small and base, are struck with terror; the Buddhists, whose intellects are superior and increasing, attain a great surge of joy. May this gaṇḍī, through which one attains vast qualities and exhausts all faults, always exhaust the sins of beings in this age of strife.
To those of pure intention who prostrate according to the ritual, it grants the attainment of high rebirths; it swiftly brings the exhaustion of all adverse factors.
May that gaṇḍī of the Sage’s Dharma, which destroys the dimness of delusion and turmoil, prevail! O Venerable Ones, may you subdue that fear arising from bhava (becoming)! By the merit of hearing this, may the Dharaṇīdhara (Earth-Holders), Brahmā, and the rest swiftly fall to the depths of the earth. May the mountains tremble and the earth quickly sink beneath the ground, and may the non-Buddhists be terrified. May that gaṇḍī—which strives for the benefit of others, possesses a pure nature, and brings the Buddhists to swift peace—be sounded!
The Gaṇḍī-stotra in verse, composed by the master Aśvaghoṣa, is complete. It was translated by the great scholar Jinendrabuddhi and the translator, the Venerable Dharmayonten.