Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This introductory fragment of a ritual text, titled in Sanskrit as Śrī Sahajasambhava-svādhiṣṭhāna-nāma and in Tibetan as Dpal lhan cig skyes pa bde ba'i mchog bdag byin gyis brlab pa, initiates a process of self-empowerment or self-consecration within the Heruka Saṃvara tradition. The text begins by establishing its linguistic lineage through the provision of both Indian and Tibetan titles, followed by a traditional invocation of homage to the deity Heruka. By identifying the heart essence of practice as great bliss, the text commits the practitioner to a path of tantric realization centered on the experiential quality of bliss. The fragment serves as the formal opening to a larger ritual procedure, framing the subsequent practice as a method for achieving spiritual empowerment through the internal realization of the deity's nature.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual of self-consecration centered on the realization of great bliss, the Śrīsahajasamvarasvādhiṣṭhāna belongs to the tradition of the Śaṃvara and Related Tantras. The work is attributed to the Indian author Mahāśabara. It was translated into classical Tibetan by rje mi nyag lo tsa ba and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཞ, where it occupies one page. The text enacts a process of spiritual empowerment, beginning with an invocation of Heruka and asserting that the heart essence of practice resides in the great bliss of one's own mind. By addressing the conditions created by delusion, the work guides the practitioner toward a tantric realization of the deity's nature. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the specific linguistic and ritual frameworks used to bridge Indian and Tibetan traditions, as evidenced by the dual titles provided in the opening. It offers a concise example of how the experiential quality of bliss is framed as the central mechanism for achieving self-consecration within the Heruka tradition.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Self-Empowerment in the Glorious Spontaneously Arisen Saṃvara” (Toh 1458), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1458
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as it represents the self-empowerment tradition within the Anuttarayoga Tantra systems, where the practitioner seeks to internalize the empowerment usually granted by a guru. For the modern reader, it illustrates the technical precision of Tibetan translation practices and the central role of bliss in the Heruka Saṃvara cycle.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Contains the Sanskrit and Tibetan titles, a devotional homage to Heruka, and a foundational statement on the nature of practice.
Themes
Self-Empowerment (1)
Great Bliss (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaSelf-Empowerment in the Glorious Spontaneously Arisen Saṃvara·
In the language of India: Śrī Sahajasambhava-svādhiṣṭhāna-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Dpal lhan cig skyes pa bde ba'i mchog bdag byin gyis brlab pa zhes bya ba (The Glorious Coemergent Supreme Bliss: Self-Consecration). Homage to Heruka!
Kye ho! The heart essence of practice is the great bliss of one's own mind. Though it becomes possessed of conditions through the power of delusion, the water of the ocean is by nature clear; the nature of turbidity arises only from adventitious conditions. If left unaltered in its own place, it is the mind of the Victorious Ones. This arises from relying on the timing and methods of the Guru. The King of Methods says: "One should abandon all activities." Thus spoke the Great Hermit.
The pith instructions on Mahāmudrā are complete.