Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text is a sādhana, a liturgical manual for the deity yoga practice of Red Vajrayoginī. The work provides the technical instructions necessary for the practitioner to construct a mental visualization and engage in mantra recitation. It begins by establishing the seed syllables and the floral throne upon which the deity is situated, directing the practitioner to visualize specific letters and colors to anchor the meditation. The text then transitions from visual concentration to vocal practice, prescribing a hierarchy of mantras—specifically a root mantra and a heart mantra—to be employed when the practitioner experiences fatigue during the meditative process. By following these instructions, the reader commits to a structured ritual process intended to transform ordinary perception into the divine identity of the deity through the combined application of visualization and sound.
Provenance
About this text
A sādhana for the practice of Red Vajrayoginī, the Raktavajrayoginīsādhana belongs to the collection of the Śaṃvara and Related Tantras. The work is attributed to the Indian author Śābarīśvara. Preserved in the classical Tibetan tradition, the text appears in volume ཟ of the Tengyur under the Tibetan title rdo rje rnal 'byor ma dmar mo'i sgrub thabs, where it extends over two pages. The work enacts a ritual process of deity yoga, directing the practitioner to visualize a multicolored lotus and seed syllables that transform into a sun maṇḍala. It provides a structured sequence of mental construction and vocalization, prescribing a root mantra, a heart mantra, and a near-heart mantra to be recited when the practitioner becomes weary of meditation. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the technical instructions for constructing the divine visualization and the specific hierarchy of mantras used to sustain the meditative state, offering insight into the liturgical methods used to transform ordinary perception into the identity of the deity.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Sādhana of Red Vajrayoginī” (Toh 1548), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1548
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as it represents the technical application of Anuttarayoga Tantra, where the synthesis of visualization and mantra is central to the path of transformation. For the modern reader, it illustrates the precise mnemonic and symbolic structures used in Indo-Tibetan ritual technology to facilitate altered states of consciousness.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Visualization
Instructions on the placement of seed syllables and the lotus throne.
2
Mantra Recitation
Provision of the root and heart mantras for use during meditation.
Themes
Deity Yoga (1-2)
Mantra (2)
Visualization (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Rakta-vajrayoginī-sādhana. In the language of Tibet: rDo rje rnal ’byor ma dmar mo’i sgrub thabs (The Sādhana of the Red Vajrayoginī). Homage to Vajrayoginī!
First, in the center of an e syllable, upon the hub of a multicolored lotus arising from paṃ, there is a red raṃ which completely transforms into a sun maṇḍala. Upon that, from the complete transformation of a hūṃ, one should visualize the Bhagavatī. Having made offerings, [recite]: oṃ vajrayoginī hūṃ vajrapuṣpaṃ pratīccha svāhā. Likewise, on the eastern petal: oṃ ḍākinī hūṃ vajrapuṣpaṃ pratīccha svāhā; on the southern petal: oṃ lāmā hūṃ vajrapuṣpaṃ pratīccha svāhā; on the western petal: oṃ khaṇḍarohī hūṃ vajrapuṣpaṃ pratīccha svāhā; and on the northern petal: oṃ rūpiṇī hūṃ vajrapuṣpaṃ pratīccha svāhā. Having offered in this way, the meditation is as follows: she is naked, red in color, and blazing with rays of light. She has one face and two arms, her face holds nectar, and she has three eyes. Her eyes are round, red, and shifting; she has a frown on the hair-treasure of her forehead, bared fangs, and a curled tongue. Her hair is loose, and she stands upon a corpse seat in the posture of the left leg drawn in. She possesses the appearance of a young maiden, and her anklets are made of lattices, half-lattices, and strings of tinkling bells, which resound. She is adorned with the six mudrās. In her left hand she holds a skull-cup and a khaṭvāṅga; with her right hand she holds a vajra-handled curved knife. She has a fierce form. In charnel grounds and similar places, the compassionate yogin should meditate upon her.
If you become weary of meditation, perform the recitation of the mantra. OṂ SARVA-BUDDHA-ḌĀKINĪYE VAJRA-VARṆANĪYE VAJRA-VAIROCANĪYE HŪṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ. This is the root mantra. OṂ SARVA-SIDDHIṂ PRATĪCCHA HRĪḤ HŪṂ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ. This is the heart mantra. OṂ VAJRA-YOGINĪYE HŪṂ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ. This is the near-heart mantra. OṂ VAJRA-ḌĀKINĪYE HEṂ HŪṂ IDAṂ BALIṂ GṚHṆA GṚHṆA HA HA KHA KHA JA JA A A HŪṂ MA MA SIDDHI PRATĪCCHA SVĀHĀ. This is the torma mantra. On the eighth, tenth, or fourteenth day of the lunar month, one should certainly make offerings in charnel grounds and similar locations. This concludes the Sādhana of the Glorious Red Vajrayoginī, as taught by the glorious Śavaripa, the Lord of the Hermitages, which has become the object of the great oral instructions.