Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Verses on the Meaning of the Praise of Limitless Good Qualities (Guṇāparyantastotra-vṛttikārikā) serves as a structural and hermeneutic guide to a primary praise text. The author outlines the logical progression of the original work, beginning with an introduction and moving through a systematic process designed to exhaust discordant factors. The text posits a tripartite framework of results—awakening, the abandonment of faults, and the attainment of qualities—alongside a tripartite framework of benefits for others, consisting of the teaching, endurance, and long-term persistence of the Dharma. By mapping these outcomes, the work commits the reader to a disciplined path of spiritual refinement that culminates in a formal dedication. The text functions as a commentary in verse form, translating the devotional elements of the praise into a clear teleological sequence of cause and effect.
Provenance
About this text
A verse-based guide to the meaning of a praise of infinite qualities, the Guṇāparyantastotrapadakārikā belongs to the Indo-Tibetan tradition. The work is attributed to the Indian author Dignāga. It was translated into the classical Tibetan language by Sarvajñādeva and the lo tsa ba Ban+de Rin chen mchog. This translation is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཀ, where it is situated within the Eulogy collection and spans two pages. Under the Tibetan title yon tan mtha' yas par bstod pa'i don gyi tshig le'ur byas pa, the work outlines a structural progression designed to exhaust discordant factors. It posits a framework of three results—awakening, the abandonment of faults, and the attainment of qualities—and three benefits for others, namely the teaching, endurance, and long-term persistence of the Dharma. The work concludes with a dedication. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to understand the teleological sequence of cause and effect that transforms devotional praise into a disciplined path of spiritual refinement, mapping the transition from the lack of knowledge of qualities to the final attainment of those qualities.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Verses on the Meaning of the Praise of Limitless Good Qualities” (Toh 1157), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1157
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant for its role in systematizing the goals of Buddhist practice, transforming a praise text into a roadmap for enlightenment. It illustrates the Indo-Tibetan tradition of creating verse commentaries (vṛttikārikā) to clarify the underlying meaning of liturgical or devotional compositions.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Contains the title in Sanskrit and Tibetan and an invocation to Mañjuśrī.
2
Analytical Framework
Details the purpose of the praise, the three results of practice, the three benefits for others, and the concluding dedication.
Themes
Spiritual Results (2)
Altruistic Benefits (2)
Exhaustion of Discordant Factors (2)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaVerses on the Meaning of the Praise of Limitless Good Qualities·
In the language of India: Guṇāparyantastotra-vṛttikārikā. In the language of Tibet: Yon tan mtha' yas par bstod pa'i don gyi tshig le'ur byas pa (Verses on the Meaning of the Praise of Infinite Qualities). Homage to the noble Mañjuśrī.
The introduction to the praise is shown by four verses possessing four meanings: the lack of knowledge of qualities, exaggeration, the absence of pride, and the accomplishment of desired aims. All the meanings of the praise are summarized by cause, result, and the welfare of others.
Regarding that, first the cause of awakening and the result, which is the welfare of sentient beings, are shown. The cause is shown through three stages: the teaching, the application, and the mastery. The nature of the aspiration for awakening for the sake of others is the intention; this, along with its four causes, is shown by five and five verses respectively.
The undesirable, the desirable, friends, and the use of resources are shown. The causes of the two types of intention are the spiritual family, the spiritual friend, compassion, and the faultless intention. Other than that, by abiding on that very stage, two types of application are made here. The ten perfections of the former and the seven perfections of the other are shown by six verses for the six, two for one, and three for the others.
The distinction of the first is the intention and the application of taking and giving. Of the first five, each is shown by one [verse], while the other, the untainted, is shown by two. Afflictions, birth, and karma, the means, and the ripening—these five masteries, along with their purposes, are shown by two, two, two, two, and three [verses] respectively. Regarding that, some [verses] do not explicitly state the actual [subject].
It is for the exhaustion of the discordant factors. There are three results: awakening, the abandonment of faults, and the attainment of qualities. There are three benefits for others: teaching the Dharma, its endurance, and its long-term persistence. The final [verse] is the dedication. Thus, the summarized meaning of the praise has been shown.
The Verses in Praise of Infinite Qualities, composed by the great master Dignāga, is hereby complete. It was translated by the Indian abbot Sarvajñādeva and the translator Bande Rinchen Chok. It was edited and finalized by the chief editor and translator Bande Paltshek Rakṣita.