Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text is a liturgical manual for the ritual practice (sadhana) of the deity Kurukullā. It functions as a technical guide for the practitioner, prescribing a sequence of meditative visualizations and ritual actions designed to establish a sacred space. The text begins with the removal of spiritual obstructions through a specific mantra and the bodhisattva posture, followed by the precise spatial arrangement of a retinue of Tārā manifestations (such as Prabhākarī and Karṇatārā) and the guardian deity Ekajaṭī, each associated with specific attributes, colors, and presiding Buddhas. The practitioner is committed to a rigorous adherence to iconographic detail and the recitation of specialized mantras for offerings, including incense and torma. By mapping the deity's environment and invoking protective and offering mantras, the text aims to transition the practitioner from ordinary perception to a ritualized state of engagement with the deity.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual for the practice of the deity Kurukullā, the Kurukullāsādhana belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. The work was translated into Tibetan by Vimapa and lo tsA ba gzhon nu ’od. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཏ, where it is situated within the Non-dual Tantra collection and spans three pages. The text enacts a precise sequence of meditative and ritual actions, beginning with the assumption of the bodhisattva posture and the recitation of a mantra to dispel obstructing spirits. It further directs the practitioner to visualize a sacred environment populated by various manifestations of Tārā—including Prabhākarī, Karṇatārā, Ratnatārā, Jayatārā, Gaurītārā, and Vīratārā—as well as the gatekeeper Ekajaṭī. These figures are described with rigorous iconographic detail, specifying their colors, attributes, and presiding Buddhas. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the technical requirements of the sadhana, from the spatial arrangement of the retinue to the specific mantras used to establish a ritual space.
The work is significant as it illustrates the intersection of mantra, mandala visualization, and offering rituals in Vajrayāna Buddhism. It provides a primary example of how specific deity retinues are structured to create a comprehensive ritual environment. For the modern reader, it demonstrates the precise technical requirements of Tibetan Buddhist ritual technology.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Preliminary Rites
Instructions for assuming the bodhisattva posture and the mantra for dispelling obstructing spirits.
2-3
Visualization of the Retinue
Detailed spatial placement and iconographic descriptions of the various Tārās and the guardian Ekajaṭī.
4
Ritual Offerings
Specific mantras for the offering of incense and torma, and an invocation for the arrival of the deity.
Themes
Iconography and Spatiality (2-3)
Ritual Purification and Obstacle Removal (1)
Mantra and Offering (4)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Kurukullē-sādhana. In the language of Tibet: The Sadhana of Kurukullē. Oṃ, homage to the Blessed Noble Goddess Tārā!
First of all, having assumed the bodhisattva posture, one should dispel obstructing spirits. The mantra is as follows: Oṃ amṛte hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. Then, visualizing the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the expanse of the sky, one should immediately take refuge: Oṃ ratnatrayaṃ śaraṇaṃ krītvā. Oṃ svabhāvaśuddhāḥ sarvadharmāḥ svabhāvaśuddho ’haṃ. Oṃ śūnyatājñānavajrasvabhāvātmako ’haṃ.
Then, from the syllable Paṃ comes a lotus; upon that, from the syllable A, a moon maṇḍala; and upon that, from the syllable Tāṃ, a fully transformed utpala flower. Following that, one should perform the invitation: Oṃ bhagavati samayaśvare sarvottamati ta jaḥ adhiṣṭhānaṃ me kuru svāhā.
From that arises the Blessed Lady, with three faces and six arms. Her right and left faces, as well as the central face, are black, yellow, and red respectively. In the first of her right hands, she grants fearlessness, marked by a white wheel; in the second, an arrow; and in the third, a hook. In the first of her left hands, she holds a red utpala flower with a jeweled stalk; in the second, a bow; and in the third, a noose. Her body is red, she sits upon a red lotus seat, she wears a crown of the five Tathāgatas, and her body is adorned with all ornaments.
To the east is the Radiant Tārā; to the south, the Accomplishing Tārā.
In the west is Prabhākarī Tārā; in the north, Karṇatārā; in the southeast, Ratnatārā; in the southwest, Jayatārā; in the northwest, Gaurītārā; and in the northeast, Vīratārā. These have four arms, holding the gesture of supreme generosity (varada), an utpala flower, an arrow, and a bow. They are red in color, seated upon red lotus seats, adorned with the crowns of the five tathāgatas, and their bodies are embellished with all ornaments. Their mantras are:
Oṃ kurukulle hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
Oṃ prasannatāri hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
Oṃ nesannatāri hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
Oṃ dīptatāri hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
Oṃ karṇatāri hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
Oṃ maṇitāri hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
Oṃ jayatāri hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
Oṃ gaurītāri hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
Oṃ vīratāri hūṃ hrīṃ svāhā.
At the eastern gate is Vajravetālī, with bared fangs, a distorted face, and a terrifying appearance. She has four arms, holding an arrow, a bow, a vajra hook, and a lasso. She is crowned with Akṣobhya. At the southern gate is Vajragandhārī, with bared fangs, swirling hair, and a protruding belly. She has four arms, holding a vajra, a bell, a hook, and a lasso, and is crowned with Ratnasambhava. At the western gate is Aparājitā, with hair bristling upward and a protruding belly. She has four arms.
Holding the threatening gesture, a hook, and a lasso, she is crowned with Amitābha. At the northern gate is Ekajaṭī, with hair bristling upward, a protruding belly, and four arms, holding a mallet, a vajra, a battle-axe, and a lasso; she is crowned with Amoghasiddhi and stands in the posture with the right leg extended and the left drawn in. These four female gatekeepers are red in color and seated upon lotus seats. Their mantras are:
Oṃ vajravatili hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ vajraghaṇṭari hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ vajrāparājita hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ vajraikajaṭā hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisattvāya mahāsattvāya mahākāruṇikāya | tadyathā | oṃ āgaccha āgaccha bhagavati tāri āryāvalokiteśvara satyena svāhā |
Having recited this seven times over guggulu incense, one should perform the invitation.
Namaḥ āryāvalokiteśvarāya | tadyathā | oṃ sori soravate hera hera svāhā | This is the mantra for the argha offering.
Namaḥ āryāvalokiteśvarāya | tadyathā | oṃ tari tari vati sarvacaturtha sādhane tiṣṭha yakaryāṃ siddhi me kuru svāhā | This is the mantra for the flowers.
Namaḥ āryāvalokiteśvarāya | tadyathā | megha megha svāridoga svākuru kuru bhara bhara svāhā | This is the mantra for the incense.
Namaḥ āryāvalokiteśvarāya | tadyathā | oṃ bokka bokka bhamane jvāla jvāla dīpa svāhā | This is the mantra for the lamp.
Namaḥ āryāvalokiteśvarāya | tadyathā | ...
Oṃ hara hara horu horu gandhavāsani svāhā. This is the mantra for incense.
Namaḥ āryāvalokiteśvarāya. Tadyathā: Oṃ svabhāva diha diha kuru kuru deśaṃ baliṃ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. This is the mantra for the torma.
Namaḥ āryāvalokiteśvarāya. Tadyathā: Here here hara hara sarvasattvān kāruṇiśīghraṃ āgaccha devatā bhagavān āryāvalokiteśvara samayaṃ anusmara na svāhā. Joining the palms like a flower, one should offer them into the torma.
The mantra for requesting departure is: Oṃ prasannane spanda pratiprakaraṇamane jayagure saviretara ve tale gandhare savajrahasta aparājita ekajaṭāṃ namāmi oṃ tara taraṇe hūṃ hara hara svāhā. If one recites this twenty-one times over clay from the horns of a bull while using the left hand and then applies it, one will bring others under one's power.
This concludes the Sādhana of the Blessed Lady Kurukullā. Translated by Paṇḍita Vimbha and the translator Zhönnu Ö.