Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Drop of Springtime (Vasantatilakā) is a tantric manual that reconfigures the human anatomy as a sacred geography, mapping the Buddhist path and the nature of enlightenment onto the physical body. The text argues that the thirty-seven factors of awakening, the aggregates, and the sense bases are not external psychological or physical entities, but are the innate essence of the deities and the bodies of the Tathāgatas. By identifying specific body parts—such as the armpits, navel, and throat—as sacred kṣetras and mapping the channel wheels (cakras) and nadis to specific deities and wisdoms, the work commits the reader to a practice of internalization. It transforms ritual actions, such as the construction of mandalas and the performance of homa, from external contrivances into internal yogic processes. The text culminates in the realization that the Buddha abides within one's own body, effectively collapsing the distinction between the practitioner's physical form and the enlightened state.
Provenance
About this text
Offering homage to Cakrasaṃvara, the Vasantatilaka (Tibetan: dpyid kyi thig le) is a work of classical Tibetan Buddhism that situates the thirty-seven factors of great awakening within the four principal wheels of the body's channels. The work is attributed to the Indian author Kāṇha, also known as Kāṇhapā. It was translated into Tibetan by Sumatikīrti and sgra bsgyur mar pa yid gzhungs blo chos kyi dbang phyug, and is preserved in the Tengyur (vol. ཝ) as part of the collection of Śaṃvara and Related Tantras, where it extends over seventeen pages. The text argues that ritual actions—including the construction of mandalas, homa, sacrificial offerings, recitation, and meditation—are excellent applications of the supreme, provided they are understood beyond contrived intention. It seeks to cut through the entities of subject and object, treating the aggregates and phenomena as the nature of the body's internal geography within great bliss. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine how the text reconfigures external ritual contrivances into internal processes, mapping the path to awakening onto the physical anatomy and the nature of the aggregates.
Sanskrit title
Vasantatilaka
Indian author
Kāṇha, Kāṇhapā
Tibetan translators
Sumatikīrti, sgra bsgyur mar pa yid gzhungs blo chos kyi dbang phyug
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The Drop of Springtime” (Toh 1448), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1448
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant for its detailed application of the 'body-as-mandala' framework, a hallmark of Indo-Tibetan Vajrayana. It demonstrates the transition from ritual artifice to internal realization, providing a precise somatic map for the practitioner to locate enlightenment within their own physiology.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-3
Ritual and Nature
Discusses the nature of ritual activities and the transition from contrived ritual action to the realization of the nature of phenomena.
4-7
Somatic Mapping of Deities and Geography
Identifies the aggregates and sense bases as the essence of deities and maps specific body parts to sacred geographical locations (kṣetras).
8-13
Channel Wheels and Internal Anatomy
Describes the internal channel wheels, the flow of energies, and the identification of the thirty-seven factors of awakening with specific internal channels and dakinis.
14-20
The Body Mandala and Syllables
Explains the purification of the body mandala, the role of the brain and the syllable Haṃ, and the generation of mantras and vowels from the internal anatomy.
21-23
Wisdoms and Conclusion
Details the presence of the four Buddhas and the wisdoms within the body, concluding with the text's origin and translation history.
Themes
Internalization of Ritual (2-3, 16)
Somatic Sacred Geography (7, 10)
Identification of Bodhipakṣa-dharma with Anatomy (1, 13-14)
The Body as Mandala (4-6, 15, 17, 22)
Vajra-speech and Mantras (18-20)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Vasantatilakā-nāma. In the language of Tibet: dPyid kyi thig le (The Drop of Spring). Homage to the Blessed One, Cakrasaṃvara.
The thirty-seven factors of great awakening abide as the nature of the aggregates and phenomena, situated in the four principal wheels of the channels of one’s own body, both equal and unequal, within great bliss. Adorned with the twelve vowels and the thirty-four consonants—the source of the meaning of the vowels—and distinguished by the divisions of body, speech, and mind, they abide in the locations and so forth.
The Lord of the ten grounds, the omnipresent one, dwells in the center of the hearts of all beings. The supreme, peaceful Heruka, the glory of the ultimate reality, is the nature of nirvāṇa. Having bowed deeply to the Protector of the channel-wheels, who radiates the blazing light of the most luminous Drop of Spring, who expands the three kāyas, and who bestows the bliss of the ultimate nature upon beings:
I shall explain the Vasantatilakā according to the stages of the glorious Cakrasaṃvara, in both its outer and inner aspects, for those who desire a very concise [teaching] on that which abides within their own bodies, so that it may be clearly understood.
Having abandoned artificial maṇḍalas, artificial fire offerings, artificial meditations, and artificial recitations—all such artificialities—one should abandon them through the method of natural yoga. External artificial practices are performed in order to realize the natural state; once the natural state is realized, there is nothing further to be done.
Just as some who seek the far shore,
Having properly prepared a boat,
Will discard it once they have reached the other side,
So too is the case with ritual action.
Whatever is performed with a contrived intention,
Such as the construction of a maṇḍala and so forth,
Is all excellent and not otherwise;
That is clearly the application of the supreme.
In that regard, the Victorious One, the Knower of Reality,
Taught the treatises for the sake of knowing the sounds,
Just as the Sages did.
Thus, by following after such actions,
When people perform ritual acts,
Through the exertion of stirring up afflictions,
They utterly destroy their own minds.
Therefore, regarding the branches of ritual activity,
Such as the maṇḍala and so forth,
All such exertion is not the state of a Guide;
It is merely the act of causing weariness.
Buddhahood is not in non-conceptuality,
Nor is it in that which is accompanied by conceptualization.
Through the thorough knowledge of utter purity,
The wise indeed become transformed.
The action exists as the very nature,
And the agent also exists as the very nature.
By means of the entities of action and agent,
The entity of the very nature is abandoned.
The nature of all distinctions
Is perfectly established in the syllable A.
By way of an essence without beginning or end,
Like an ocean of jewels,
It is always the very convention of the world.
That which is contrary to it is not worldly.
It is not realized through the nature of existence or non-existence.
By this very means one becomes a Buddha;
By this very means one is liberated.
Relying upon the path of the nature,
One performs all actions and is completely liberated.
This is the first [chapter], which extensively explains the nature of the ritual activities—such as the artificial mandala, the homa, the sacrificial offering, the recitation, and the meditation—as taught in the Spring Tilaka, preceded by the indication that cuts through the entities of subject and object.
Then, regarding the essence of the brief and extensive explanations, the nature of the aggregates, elements, and sense bases that constitute the tantra itself should be described as the nature of the respective deities of the body for any embodied being. Form is the Buddha Vairocana; the Vajra Sun is feeling; perception is Padmanarteśvara; likewise, formations are Vajrarāja; and consciousness is Vajrasattva. The essence of all is Heruka. The eye is said to be Mohavajrī; the ear is Dveṣavajrī; likewise, the nose is Īrṣyāvajrī; the mouth is said to be Rāgavajrī; and the sense of touch is Mātsaryavajrī. These five are the deities of the gross [elements]. All the sense bases and elements are the supreme lord Heruka. Pāṭanī is the earth element; the water element is said to be Māraṇī; Ākarṣaṇī is the fire element; and the wind element is said to be Narteśvarī. That which is called the space element is the undisturbed Padmajālinī. Thus, the bodies of embodied beings, the aggregates and so forth, are the nature of the deities. Abiding in pleasure, suffering, and likewise in karma, the afflictions and so forth, and in birth and destruction, they attain existence and nirvāṇa.
This is the second [chapter], which extensively teaches the explanation of the nature of the aggregates, elements, and sense bases as the essence of the deities, such as Vairocana and others, abiding as the bodies of the Tathāgatas in the Spring Bindu.
Next, the classification of the gates according to the divisions of inferior, middling, and supreme, which pertain to the body, speech, and mind of any Tathāgata, shall be described:
"A single pillar with nine gates,
The five gross [elements] as the supreme deities,
The gates that have become the nine apertures
Are renowned in nine aspects.
The gate possessing the inferior body
Is the emanation of the gross deity.
The other gates are of four types;
Possessing speech, they are called middling.
Fire itself, wind itself,
The great lord [earth] and likewise water,
From the movement of the mind in the cakras,
They abide above, below, sideways, and beneath.
The third gate is together with the mind;
Through the distinction of moon and sun,
In the very entering and emerging,
The gate is the supreme itself.
The gate of the chief supreme mother
Is renowned as below and above.
From the lower gate, consciousness [emerges];
From the upper gate, the elements [arise].
The Buddhas, Vairocana and the rest,
Dwell moving in the upper gate.
They abide below those [elements];
From the upper gate, they are invited.
Through the manner of inviting and departing,
And the coming and going of those who abide,
The Buddhas perfected in the three times,
The ḍākinīs, yoginīs, and mātṛs,
Their entering and their returning,
And the nature of their qualities and faults."
Bliss and suffering are established by way of their innate nature. This is the third [chapter], which extensively teaches the classification of the Tathāgata’s body as the essence of the aggregates, elements, and sense bases, which are the bindu of spring.
Next, the locations of the ten grounds, such as the locations of the body of any Tathāgata, shall be taught. The channels that perfectly abide in the nine gates of the nine orifices—the tenth is within the bhaga, and it is the supreme among them. Beginning from the location of the forehead, the haṃ syllable is established in the cakra. Thirty-two [drops of] bodhicitta flow day and night. These are described as the essence of the locations and so forth. Abiding internally in accordance with the external, there are the eight khecarī yoginīs, and likewise the others are the bhūcarī. Those who abide in the subterranean realms are the pātālavāsinī; all of them are perfectly distinguished by the classification of other locations. They abide in the cakras of body, speech, and mind. The ten grounds, such as the locations and so forth, are distinguished by the twenty-four [locations]. By way of their natural mode of abiding, the innate [joy] is distinguished. These very [grounds] are correctly explained as the grounds of joy and so forth. They are the locations of the bodhisattvas who possess form, such as the sense faculties. They are the locations of all the Buddhas, distinguished by the aggregates and so forth. Buddhahood flows forth; it is the [abiding] of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. When, in this [life], the thirty-two bodhicittas [are present],
[they] become whatever [is required].
At that time, the state of buddhahood is certainly attained together with the sons of the buddhas. The buddha abides within one’s own body; there is nothing else whatsoever. The body, which is obscured by ignorance, is other than the body [itself]. The abodes and their locations, the fields and their very fields, the candoha and likewise the others, as well as the upacandoha, likewise the melāpaka and the upamelāpaka, the śmaśāna and the upaśmaśāna—these are the ten, beginning with the abodes.
In the Vasantatilaka, this is the fourth [chapter], which extensively teaches the explanation of the mastery of the ten grounds, such as the ten locations of the channels that have entered the center of the bhaga and the nine apertures of the tathāgata’s body.
Next, the divisions of the regions shall be explained through the divisions of other locations, which are the nature of the channels that have entered the nine apertures of the body of any tathāgata, as well as the ten grounds beginning with the abodes, and which emerge as body, speech, and mind.
The crown of the head is the region of Mālava; likewise, the top of the head is Jālandhara; likewise, Oḍḍiyāna itself is said to be the right ear. The back is Arbuda; these four are the names of the abodes (pīṭha). The nature of the left ear is likewise called Godāvarī; it is renowned as Rāmeśvarī, and these are in the middle of the eyebrows and the two eyes. Likewise, Devīkoṭa is another; the base of the arm is Mālava. Thus, the upapīṭhas are situated in the wheel of mind (citta-cakra). By way of the specific nature of the abodes, the khecara [locations] are correctly explained.
The armpits are called Kāmarūpa; the breasts are renowned as Oḍḍiyāna. These are correctly described as the kṣetras. The navel is held to be Triśakuni; the tip of the nose is Kosala. These are described as the upakṣetras. The mouth is said to be Kaliṅga; the center of the throat is Laṃpāka. These are explained as the chandohas. The heart is called Kāñcī; the genitals are the very site of Khā. These are the upacchandohas. Thus, all the locations of the body abide as the wheel of speech. By way of the essential nature of these specific locations, the bhūmicarīs are correctly explained. The pretas and devas are on the signs; the anus is Gṛhadevatā. These are described as the melāpakas. The thighs are called Saurāṣṭra; the two shanks are explained as the one named Suvarṇadvīpa. These are the upamelāpakas. The nails are remembered as Nagara; the soles of the feet are certainly Sindhu. These are correctly described as the śmaśānas. The big toes are well-spoken of as Maru; the knees are called Kulutā. These are the upaśmaśānas. These ten grounds, beginning with the kṣetras, are all produced within one's own body and are distinguished by the divisions of the locations. In accordance with the external, the ten grounds of the Buddhas are divided into twenty-four within the wheels of body, speech, and mind. The locations of all the channels are correctly explained in their entirety. In these locations, the ḍākinīs truly abide in the form of the channels. This is the fifth chapter, the detailed explanation of the ten grounds beginning with the kṣetras, from the Vasantatilaka.
Then, one should illustrate the brief presentation of the channel wheels (cakras) as they are reached within the locations of the body of any tathāgata.
The lotus within the heart, with eight petals and a central core, contains within it a channel whose nature is a blazing fire. Like the flower of a plantain tree, it hangs with its opening facing downward. Within that resides the Hero, with a thickness like a mustard seed, the indestructible seed-syllable HŪṂ, dripping like a drop of dew. This is explained as the "Spring" (vasanta) that delights the hearts of embodied beings.
The essence of the "Laughter" (Gaurī) and "Fire" (Vārāhī) is described as the bindu (drop) in Vārāhī. Stirred by the karmic winds, it blazes within the navel maṇḍala. Through the attainment of this Spring, one is satisfied and abides in meditative equipoise. This is the glorious Śrī Heruka, described as the "Spring Bindu." Having assumed the form of the Yoginī, it perfectly abides in both the moving and the non-moving.
Through the divisions of body, speech, and mind, three gates arise. It moves to and fro, abiding in the bodies of all. At the navel, it is in the form of the syllable A, renowned as short. In the heart is the syllable HŪṂ, long with two parts. In the throat, in the form of the syllable Ā, it is called the "three-part leap." At the forehead is this syllable HAṂ, the sound, the bindu, and the indestructible.
Through the distinctions of the four wheels, the great elements such as earth and the four watches are blessed.
They arise perfectly in four moments, the essence of the four joys, and are absorbed into the four yogas. Through the essence of supreme joy, from the state of agent and action, one sports in bliss in the form of Vajrasattva. The four petals also abide in the manner of the four directions. The channels of the four elements abide in the location of the Mind Vajra. Likewise, the ḍākinīs, Lāmā, Khaṇḍarohā, and Rūpiṇī—the four channels abiding in the intermediate directions—also reach that place. The flow of the five nectars abides as the essence of offering; by way of their very form as entities, they are explained as the four offerings. Within the heart of embodied beings, the five types of channels are situated. In the wheels of Body, Speech, and Mind, they are correctly said to be twenty-four. Depending on the divisions of the sacred sites and so forth, they abide in each respective site. Those channels that arise perfectly at the crown are remembered as "born at the crown." Within them, the guides are in the manner of rajas, sattva, and tamas. At Pullīramalaya, she is remembered as Pracaṇḍā; she is remembered as the flow of teeth and nails. At Jālandhara, she is Caṇḍākṣī; likewise, she flows as hair and body hair. In the great sacred site of Oḍḍiyāna, she abides as Kāminī. Depending on the right-hand site, she abides as the holder of the impurity of skin. At Arbuda, she is Mahānāsā; one should contemplate the ḍākinī as a flesh-eater. These ḍākinīs, the guides of the sites, are correctly explained as being in the four sites.
The channel through which the water flows is the pure site of Godāvarī; it abides in a solid manner and is explained as Vīramatī. The channel of Rāmeśvarī is renowned as Khaṇḍarohā; it abides as a solid entity, the garland of bones. The channel in the city of the goddess is Laṅkeśvarī, who flows to the liver; she always abides in the bodies of all. In Mālava is Śmaśānī; the Lord of the Victors abides in the heart. These ḍākinīs and worldly mātṛs are correctly explained as the upapīṭhas. The Ḍākinī of the heart-cakra is the Khecarī; she correctly abides in the sites and upapīṭhas. The channel that does not flow abides in the form of desire; it is the desire to see forms and is explained as Eravatī. The channel in Oḍḍiyāna that flows with bile is called Mahābhairavī. These ḍākinīs and yoginīs are correctly explained as the kṣetras. In Triśakuni is Vāyuvegā, who moves with the world. In Kośala is Surābhakṣī, the divine substance of the agitated garland of intestines. These ḍākinīs and yoginīs are correctly explained as the upakṣetras. In Kāliṅga is Śavari, who correctly abides on the side. She is certain to be Subhadrā, abiding in the belly; she is renowned in Lampāka. These ḍākinīs and yoginīs are explained as the chandohas. In Kañcī is Aśvakarṇī, who always flows with excrement. In Himālaya is Kākāsyā, who has reached the center of the boundary limits.
The ḍākinīs and yoginīs are explained as the upacchandoha. The wheel of speech is correctly explained as the place where the terrestrial messengers reside. The piśāca and deva abodes are correctly situated there; the cakravegā is the one with phlegm, and she in whom pus constantly flows resides as the household deity. The ḍākinī, the sovereign of the sublime, is explained as Khaṇḍarohā. The ḍākinīs and yoginīs are correctly explained as the melāpaka. Saurāṣṭra is pressed by the red [one]; the wine-seller is held to be a ḍākinī. The channel in which the rajas flows resides correctly in Suvarṇadvīpa. The very excellent tradition is correctly agitated; her wheel is held to be the armor. The ḍākinīs and yoginīs are proclaimed as the upamelāpaka. In Nagara is the "Extremely Heroic One," the one with a thick body and forest-like [qualities]. In Sindhu is the one called Mahābalā; the tears of the desert flow there. These ḍākinīs and yoginīs correctly flow in the charnel grounds. She in whom dry saliva flows is Śokacakravartinī. In Kulutā is Mahāvīryā; the child's snot flows there. These ḍākinīs and yoginīs correctly reside in the upacitipati. In the wheel of the body, the ḍākinīs reside externally in the subterranean realms. At the gates of the aforementioned speech, there are four types of ḍākinīs. Residing in the corners of that [wheel], the others are likewise situated. At the channel-gates are Kākāsyā, then Ulūkāsyā, then Śvānāsyā, and fourthly Sūkarāsyā. In the corners are Yamadāḍhī and [the others].
Likewise, Yama’s Messenger,
Immediately thereafter, the Great Terrifier,
And Yama’s Baring-Fangs are explained;
Yama’s Destroyer and the Terrifying One
Are correctly explained as the fourth.
These Vajra Ḍākinīs
Are correctly explained as the forms of the channels.
The Vajra Yoginīs of the Mind
Are said to be thirty-seven.
These are the Perfection of Insight
Perfectly abiding within the body.
In the Spring Drop...
This is the sixth chapter, which extensively teaches the arrangement of the thirty-seven channel wheels that have attained the form of the Tathāgatas.
Next, the wheel of channels of any Tathāgata, which is the purification of the thirty-seven factors of awakening, shall be explained.
The application of mindfulness to the body is Ḍākinī.
The application of mindfulness to feeling is Lāmā.
The application of mindfulness to phenomena is Khaṇḍarohā.
The application of mindfulness to the mind is Rūpiṇī.
The base of miraculous power of aspiration is Caṇḍākṣī.
The base of miraculous power of diligence is Caṇḍamustī.
The base of miraculous power of investigation is Prabhāvatī.
The base of miraculous power of the mind is Mahānāsā.
The faculty of faith is Śūraṅgamā.
The faculty of diligence is Khaṇḍarohā.
The faculty of mindfulness is Laṅkeśvarī.
The faculty of concentration is Drumacchāyā.
The faculty of insight is Airāvatī.
The power of faith is Mahābhairavā.
The power of diligence is Vāyuvegā.
The power of mindfulness is Surābhakṣī. The power of absorption is Śaṅkhinī. The power of insight is Subhadrā. The branch of awakening of correct absorption is Hayakarṇī. The branch of awakening of correct diligence is Khecarīmukhī. The branch of awakening of correct joy is Cakravartinī. The branch of awakening of correct pliancy is Khaṇḍarohā. The branch of awakening of correct discernment of phenomena is Śauṇḍinī. The branch of awakening of correct mindfulness is Cakravarmiṇī. The branch of awakening of correct equanimity is Suvīrā.
Right view is Mahābalā. Right thought is Cakravartinī. Right speech is Mahāvīryā. Right action is Kākāsyā. Right livelihood is Ulūkāsyā. Right effort is Śvānāsyā. Right mindfulness is Sūkarāsyā. Right absorption is Śrī Heruka. The generation of virtuous qualities not yet arisen is Yamadāḍhī. The preservation of virtuous qualities already arisen is Yamadūtī. The non-arising of non-virtuous qualities not yet arisen is Yamadaṃṣṭriṇī. The abandoning of non-virtuous qualities already arisen is Yamamathani.
These thirty-seven factors of awakening, in their purified state, abide within all the channels of the body, relying upon the colors, hand-symbols, and forms of the deities.
This is the seventh chapter, which extensively explains the purification of the thirty-seven factors of awakening (bodhipakṣa-dharma) together with the wheels of the channels (nāḍī-cakra) in the Spring Drop (Vasantatilaka).
Next, the ritual activities of the maṇḍala of the body of any tathāgata, as well as the yakṣas, offerings, recitation, meditation, and so forth, shall be correctly explained according to their internal nature in accordance with external [conventions].
The thirty-seven factors of great awakening are the characteristics of the [inner] abodes. The deities such as Heruka and the rest truly abide in the form of the channels. The four gates of the delightful maṇḍala of the body are described as they are.
The eight [limbs] arising from one's own limbs hold and abide in those joys. Because all things are completely [present] therein, it is described as being square. By way of the essence of body, speech, and mind, it is described as the nature of the three wheels. On the pistil of the mountain peak, Bhairava and the others are arranged in sequence. Through the sequence of the Guru’s timing, the maṇḍala is perfected therein.
The wind abiding beneath the feet is situated in the form of the foundation, Bhairava. That which abides in the region of the triple-junction is likewise a blazing triangle. In the form of a circular shape, the water abides in the belly. In the heart, the earth itself is completely square. The form of the skeleton staff is likewise Mount Meru, the king of mountains, truly abiding in the portion of that head. The thirty-two petals of the lotus are the six limbs of vowels and consonants.
The thirty-two bodhicittas that have reached the center of the lotus are called the "moon maṇḍala." Within the head, that which abides as the brain is what is described there. Inside that is the syllable Haṃ, in the form of a drop (bindu), the indestructible root of all worlds, the nature of the stable and the moving. Through forms both manifest and unmanifest, it abides as the essence of the seed. From it, the forms of all embodied beings are first generated. Flowing in the form of nectar, it abides throughout day and night. By that very [essence], sound is differentiated and fire is made to rejoice; there is no doubt that its maṇḍala becomes complete. It is the supreme essence of all things, and that very thing is called the "heart-cavity." Because it holds and takes [everything], it is asserted as the maṇḍala of embodied beings. It is asserted as the maṇḍala of the wheel of the thirty-seven great channels. The bodhicitta is the jewel; that very essence is also the maṇḍala. In the nature of the outer and the inner, it abides pervading all variety. The outer consists of forms, sounds, and so forth, which are the engagement of the six sense faculties. The inner consists of the seminal fluid and so forth, which abide as the accomplished substances. Through the inner together with the outer, the bodhicitta of the Vajra-holder, by its nature of being both coarse and subtle, is the nature of the friend of transmigrating beings. By the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the meaning of the samaya is thus born. In this very birth, one attains Buddhahood itself.
From this maṇḍala, one will obtain [attainment]. The hearers, the buddhas, the solitary realizers, and likewise those such as Brahmā and the other gods, are all generated from this maṇḍala. The fire of insight blazes intensely; one should perform the homa with the inner stalks and so forth, as well as the outer substances of form and so on. Through the distinctions of the six sense bases, the elements, and the aggregates, these take the form of deities; likewise, the ḍākinīs are also [deities]. For the sake of making offerings to them, the sacrificial offering is correctly explained. The crown of the head is the skull itself, explained as the vessel for the substances of the homa; the rōma [channel] is explained as the pouring ladle. The heart-cakra, the master of the kyangma [channel], is correctly called the filling ladle. The hearth is the maṇḍala of the navel, stirred by the wind of action. The fire of Brahmā resides at the triple junction; sound is called the mantra, and its recitation is the circumambulation. Through the yoga of non-dual maṇḍala, one meditates on individual appearance. This innate essence is the maṇḍala and so forth of the Victorious Ones. In the form of the lord of the maṇḍala, the king of the mind is the ācārya; all that has been taught in such ways should be realized here. This is the eighth [chapter], which extensively establishes the ritual activities of the maṇḍala, homa, offering, recitation, meditation, and so forth, in the Vasantatilaka.
Next, the wheel for extracting all the secret mantras of the Tathāgata’s body shall be described. In a delightful triangular maṇḍala, it is called the Vajrāralī; it is explained as the Source of Phenomena (dharmodaya) and the bhaga of the consort. Within that is a lotus with eight petals and a heart. There, the vowels and consonants are intermingled, and the eight classes are situated. By means of the form of the mantra, embodied beings perform the collection of activities. The letters are exactly fifty, which abide covered by the Vedas. The mantras themselves, the tantras, and these treatises of the external systems—these are their very nature; there is nothing whatsoever other than this.
The joyful classes are A, Ka, Ca, Ṭa, Ta, Pa, Ya, and Śa. These fifty are correctly relied upon; they abide in the lotus of the Vajrāralī, situated individually on the eight petals in the cardinal and intermediate directions. In its center, upon the anthers, is the Supreme Lord, surrounded by the letters of the eight classes. A is the supreme of all syllables, the great-purpose, sacred letter; all the mantras of embodied beings arise from that very one. Whatever [powers] there are—the sword, eye-salve, foot-ointment, pills, subterranean travel, and yakṣiṇīs; the sūtras and tantras belonging to the three worlds, the realization of the abodes, the following of activities, and the accomplishments; and whatever great miraculous powers exist everywhere, or the five supreme desires of one’s own abode—[all these arise from it].
From within the eight classes, the supreme vowels arise as the very nature of the self. Whatever vast expanse of speech is understood by beings, all of that is the form of mantra; it is born perfectly from that very reality. Sound is called "mantra," and from the great abode of the various aspirations of all embodied beings, the dharmaralli emerges. For the sake of accomplishment, there is no fixed mantra whatsoever. The nature of the unborn is the supreme lord of the mantra classes. This concludes the ninth chapter, the extensive teaching on the extraction of mantras in the Vasantatilaka.
Next, the great wisdom of bliss, the form of the three bodies—the dharmakāya, saṃbhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya—of whichever tathāgata is appropriate, shall be explained. The wheels located at the crown and the navel are perfectly situated in the form of the syllable E. Those well-situated at the heart and the throat are held to be like the syllable Vaṃ. The lotus situated within the navel has sixty-four petals. The lotus situated within the crown has thirty-two petals. That which reaches within the throat is a lotus of sixteen petals. Likewise, at the heart itself, it is said to be a lotus of eight petals. These sixty-four petals are renowned as the nirmāṇakāya. The great lotus of eight petals is renowned as the dharmakāya. The sixteen petals are the saṃbhogakāya. Likewise, the thirty-two petals are the great wisdom of great bliss.
It is completely and perfectly situated. In the center of that emanation, it is surrounded by the eight classes. The supreme form of the syllables is the letter A, the sacred syllable; it is renowned as the sacred Dharma-cakra. The syllable HŪṂ is held to be indestructible, perfectly endowed with the five vowels and adorned with Ya, Ra, La, and Va. Residing in the center of the Saṃbhoga-cakra, the letter O makes it manifest. It is also completely surrounded on all sides by the four parts. In the great Mahāsukha-cakra, the syllable HAṂ has the form of a bindu.
Renowned as the Moon and the Sun, on the left and the right sides, the left channel begins from the throat; it is the one possessing the Saṃbhoga-kāya. Resting on the side of the navel, it flows downward with its mouth facing below. The channel which goes from the navel and likewise flows upward with its mouth facing above, rests within the throat and is renowned as the "falling snow." Alcohol is explained as the Moon, and blood is called the Sun.
The two gates are perfectly situated, relying perfectly upon the below and the above. These are the Moon and the Sun; the two channels enter into two [streams]. They are the stream of the coming and going of the Vīras and Ḍākinīs. For the purpose of setting and rising, they abide in sleep and waking. On the left and right sides, the twelve vowels are perfectly situated. It is well explained that they face upward and are surrounded by the letters beginning with A. They are well-situated facing downward and are definitely joined with the letters beginning with Ka.
Perfectly endowed with the syllable Kṣa, it is also coiled in the lower part. When the form of the Great Desire resides in the throat like the moon, that is explained as the Saṃbhogakāya, the sublime body of the Buddhas. When it resides at the tip of the vajra—that tip being at the tip of the nose—and when the Saṃbhogakāya has set, it enters into the bhaga; described as the size of a mustard seed, it is perfectly explained as the form of the sun. This is called the Nirmāṇakāya, for by it the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are generated and emanated. The Victorious One, Padmanarteśvara, possesses the wealth of opening the lotus. The form of the Nirmāṇakāya is that in which the sun sets; that is called the "mind of the Perfect Buddha." Having become a single mass, it is stainless. Cutting off the path of saṃsāra, it is the peace of the subsiding of conceptual elaborations, the non-dual supreme joy. It is the very nature of Vajrasattva, explained as the glorious Heruka. The tantra is the very nature of qualities; through laughing, gazing, and holding hands, it abides in three causes. Having abandoned both desire and the absence of desire, it abides in the qualities. The union of all the channels is the binding of the ḍākinī net. "Secret" is the earth element; "Supreme" is likewise water. "Joy" is explained as fire; wind abides as the self of all. That which is called "Ever-Abiding" is the binding of the self of all Buddhas. Alternatively, it is in the manner of a mirror.
Likewise, the [wisdoms of] equality,
Discriminating awareness,
And likewise the wisdom of all-accomplishing action—
These are always present and well-guarded.
Their nature is utterly pure.
Alternatively, Vairocana himself,
Likewise Ratnasambhava,
Or Amitābha,
Or Amoghasiddha are always present.
The actual substance of the five nectars (amṛta)
Is the form of the drop (bindu), the nature of the mind.
It is the utterly pure, great primordial wisdom (jñāna),
The very nature of all goddesses.
It is explained as Vajrasattva
And is called supreme bliss.
The essence of the self-arisen
Is renowned as the Dharmakāya.
Its insight is coemergent.
Depending on that, it assumes form and is non-abiding.
Fanned by the winds of the body,
It blazes within the maṇḍala of the navel.
In that regard, it is explained as Vārāhī
And is called the "Spring Drop."
A portion of a hundred-thousandth of a hair-tip,
Its light is like a flash of lightning.
At the time of the deity yoga,
Emerging from the tips of the pores of the skin,
It issues forth into all directions,
Threatening the gods and asuras with the tarjanī mudrā.
Having incinerated the Dharma wheel at the heart
And the Enjoyment wheel,
It emerges completely from the right nostril.
Abiding at the ūrṇā hair-treasure,
It enters the nostrils of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions
Through the left nostril,
Enters the crown of the head,
Completely incinerates the wheels,
And emerges from the very same nostrils as previously described.
Having entered again through the crown of the head, the buddhas are incinerated, and once more joy is generated. Having come to the maṇḍala of the navel, they abide as before. This is the tenth chapter, which extensively teaches the Tathāgatas abiding in the three times as the nature of the twelve vowels and thirty-four consonants, preceded by the three bodies—the dharmakāya, saṃbhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya—symbolized in the Vasantatilaka. It is the glorious Heruka, and Vajravārāhī is called the Vasantatilaka drop. It concerns the going and coming, the tantra, the mantra, the wisdom, the secret stages, and the four lotuses of the nirmāṇa, saṃbhoga, dharma, and mahāsukha cakras.
Whatever accomplishments there are—such as the sword, eye salve, foot ointment, pills, subterranean power, and yakṣiṇīs—which follow the actions of the tantras and sūtras practiced within the three worlds; and whatever great miraculous powers exist everywhere, possessing the five supreme desires in their own abodes—all these are shown to arise from the power of the yoga of the Vasantatilaka. Having understood the oral instructions of the guru, the practitioner of the conduct known as the glorious Kṛṣṇācārya realized the command of the venerable glorious Heruka as it appeared before his eyes. From the oral instructions of the glorious Cakrasaṃvara, he clarified the nature through internal concentration in accordance with the external, so that those of inferior intelligence might understand. Thus, it is symbolized as the Vasantatilaka.
This concludes the text explaining the Spring Drop, as taught by the command of Vajravārāhī and the glorious Heruka. It was translated by the sublime scholar Lodrö Zangpo, from the presence of the renowned [master], and by the intelligent translator Marpa, known as Chökyi Wangchuk.
May this, the crest-jewel of the Cakrasaṃvara tantra’s means of accomplishment, which arose from the lineage of the Son of Śuddhodana, be a source of joy for the one known as Drakchok Sherab, and may it dispel the cataracts of all wandering beings.
Just as a king who is tormented by grief, afflicted by fever, and whose mind is distracted by sensory objects remains in a state of extreme peril—lacking meditation, lacking protection, beset by slander, and devoid of accomplishment—does not abandon his pursuit of self-interest; such is the nature of the king of the mind when it is bound by the eight unfree states.