Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text is a concise sādhana, a ritual manual designed to facilitate the realization of non-dual wisdom through the practice of Vajrasattva. The work functions as a liturgical guide, moving from the philosophical grounding of suchness and the expanse of bodhicitta to the technical execution of a complex visualization. It instructs the practitioner in the consecration of space, the employment of specific mudrās, and the invocation of a divine assembly, including the four gate-guardians and various goddesses. By integrating sensory offerings—flowers, incense, lamps, and perfumes—with mantra recitation and the visualization of ritual implements, the text commits the reader to a disciplined somatic and mental practice. The ultimate goal is the attainment of the supreme siddhi and the transformation of ordinary experience into the non-dual wisdom of illusion, thereby accumulating merit and wisdom for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Provenance
About this text
An exposition of the secret meaning of the glorious vajra jewel sun, the Śrīvajraratnaprabhāguhyārthadharavyūha is a treatise belonging to the Other Wisdom Tantras. The work is attributed to the Indian author Kukurāja. It was translated into classical Tibetan by Vidyākarasiṃha and zhu chen gyi lo tsa ba ban+de lha rin po che, and is preserved in volume ལ of the Tengyur, where it extends over eleven pages. The work enacts a ritual process centered on the union of insight and method, beginning with an invocation of Vajrasattva and the realization of non-dual bodhicitta and suchness. It guides the practitioner through the visualization of a maṇḍala and the eight great charnel grounds, employing mantra and the absence of intrinsic existence to achieve total victory. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the technical integration of philosophical grounding and somatic practice, specifically how the text moves from the conceptual expanse of the empty and luminous sky to the specific ritual architecture of the vajra fence and the pacification of fierce energies.
Sanskrit title
Śrīvajraratnaprabhāguhyārthadharavyūha
Indian author
Kukurāja
Tibetan translators
Vidyākarasiṃha, zhu chen gyi lo tsa ba ban+de lha rin po che
Cite thisAnuvāda, “An Arrangement of the Secret Meaning of Glorious Vajraratnaprabhā” (Toh 1668), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1668
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as a representative example of the highly technical nature of Vajrayana ritualism, where precise physical gestures and visualizations are seen as indispensable for spiritual attainment. For the modern reader, it illustrates the intersection of Buddhist metaphysics and ritual performance, demonstrating how abstract concepts like emptiness are operationalized through a structured liturgical framework.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-2
Preliminary Invocation and Philosophy
Homage to Vajrasattva and a statement on the nature of suchness and non-dual bodhicitta.
3-5
Ritual Space and Mudrā
Description of the charnel grounds, the consecration of the six maṇḍalas, and the execution of specific hand gestures and visualizations.
6-11
Invocation of Deities and Offerings
The summoning of the four gate-guardians and the assembly of goddesses, accompanied by the presentation of ritual offerings and requests for siddhi.
12-13
Conclusion and Integration
Final prayers for the stabilization of the vajra body and instructions on integrating the ritual into daily activities as a means of accumulating merit.
Themes
Non-duality and Suchness (2, 13)
Ritual Visualization and Mudrā (4, 5, 10)
Invocation and Offering (6, 7, 8, 9)
Attainment of Siddhi (11, 12)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaAn Arrangement of the Secret Meaning of Glorious Vajraratnaprabhā·
In the language of India: Śrī-vajra-ratna-prabhā-tu-guhya-artha-vyūha-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Dpal rdo rje rin chen nyi ma’i gsang ba’i don rnam par dgod pa zhes bya ba (The Exposition of the Secret Meaning of the Glorious Vajra Jewel Sun). Homage to the glorious Vajrasattva!
I prostrate to the maṇḍala that dispels darkness,
The sovereign of all Victors, who displays emanations,
The unchanging conqueror, free from attachment,
The source of the uncontaminated, pure in all actions.
To overcome attachment, stinginess, and avarice,
And to bestow jewels, wealth, and the like,
I shall set forth the secret meaning of Vajrasūrya.
This is explained for the sake of those who enter this concise [teaching].
It arises from a nature of excellent character,
Attained through the birth of non-dual qualities.
One who possesses the refuge, the bodhicitta vow,
And the fearless samaya having received empowerment,
With supreme intelligence in the Secret Mantra Mahāyāna,
And delighting in Vajrasūrya,
Having utterly abandoned outer and inner distractions,
Should seek the fruit of one’s own desired goal.
In a joyful royal palace,
Or in a lotus grove and pleasure garden,
One should accomplish the various and manifold
Necessities of the king.
Having vowed to liberate oneself and others
Through great compassion for wandering beings,
And having generated the three powers of application,
One purifies oneself and wandering beings.
Visualizing the maṇḍala of the deities before oneself,
One first practices the completion of the ritual stages.
With a mind that holds immeasurable sentient beings,
One purifies them and liberates them from obscurations and karma.
To clear away obstacles and hindrances,
One meditates on the wheel, the fire-light, the fence, and the tent,
Generating the hosts of wrathful deities in the ten directions,
Through the ritual according to one’s own activity.
All is suchness, free from conceptual elaboration. From the expanse of non-dual bodhicitta, a stream of compassion that pervades all beings arises like the force of the empty and luminous sky. Vajrasattva, the glorious one of good fortune, abides in the state of emanated meditative absorption. E YAṂ BAṂ LAṂ MAṂ SUṂ RAṂ. OṂ NAMAḤ SARVA TATHĀGATA ANURĀGAYA MI. MAṆḌALA HŪṂ BHRŪṂ. From the nature of the source of phenomena, which is like space, the maṇḍalas of the elements are stacked in succession. Mount Meru is adorned with the clear light of fire, complete with colors, shapes, ornaments, and signs. It is the locus where the qualities of the Sugatas appear: a multicolored lotus and precious jewel, in the center of a wheel and a crossed vajra. The palace is square with doorways and arches, beautified by four pediments. The ground, sky, and walls are made of the radiant jewels of the families, with the light of the twenty-five self-arisen [elements]. The five-colored walls are adorned with lattices, half-lattices, and precious friezes. There are eight pillars marked with jewels, and garlands of precious pearls and flowers. Victory banners, canopies, fly-whisks, and parasols are present, and goddesses of the five sensory pleasures arise. Half-moons, vajras, jewels, banners, and bells ring out melodious sounds. In the eight-cornered precious palace, the eight squares are divided by four lines. The intermediate spaces are beautified by jewel garlands, and the perimeter is adorned with a circle of lotus and jewel motifs. In the intermediate corners are four full vases, beautifully marked with the symbols of the families. In the four intermediate sections of the veranda and at the locations of the doors and so forth are lotus seats. The exterior is adorned with three successive enclosures.
In the eight directions are the eight great charnel grounds, surrounded at their perimeter by the enjoyments of desire and a vajra fence. For those who are extremely fierce and violent, pacification will not be beneficial; therefore, it is renowned as the means to achieve total victory through the union of insight and method. By uniting oneself with the absence of intrinsic existence, one is united with the entirety of space. For the sake of those to be trained who are devoid of the cessation and dwelling in the meditative absorptions of the four doors of liberation, the Victors of the ten directions provide the exhortation, and one becomes the perfect body through the five stages of manifest enlightenment. The mind and the samādhi of the bodhisattvas, the various activities of awakening, and likewise the victory over Māra and the forces of Māra—that is the Buddha of Awakening.
OṂ MAHĀSUKHA VAJRASATTVA ĀḤ JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ SURATA STVAṂ.
Vajrasattva, the body of great bliss, is white with a reddish luster and radiant light. He has four faces and four arms. The first two hands hold a blazing five-pronged vajra and ring a vajra khaṭvāṅga with a bell. The lower two hold a bow and an arrow. He is beautified by the major and minor marks and the five mudrās. His upper garment is white silk with golden patterns, and his lower garment is of fine silk, cinched at the waist with a jeweled belt. Around his neck is a long necklace, and he wears armlets, bracelets, and anklets. One should touch the five-pronged vajra mudrā to the five places and, with the mantra, visualize the body, speech, mind, and so forth of all the Sugatas.
OṂ NAMAḤ SARVA TATHĀGATĀNĀṂ KĀYA VĀK CITTA GUṆA KARMA VAJRA SVABHĀVA ĀTMAKO ’HAṂ.
At the locations of the pores of the body...
The atoms of the six maṇḍalas abide;
By the mudrā of the Sovereign of the Expanse of Space,
All locations should be consecrated.
OṂ DHARMADHĀTU VAJRA SVABHĀVA ĀTMAKO ’HAṂ.
Joining the vajra palms together,
The index fingers are aligned and drawn outward;
The two thumbs are fully extended.
This is also called the "Vajra Jewel."
Placing it at the forehead,
It fulfills all intentions.
TRAṂ ABHIṢIÑCA MAṂ. RATNAMĀLE ABHIṢIÑCA TRĀṂ. PAṬAḶAṂ ABHIṢIÑCA OṂ. VAJRA TUŚYA HO.
Through the consecration of the family crown,
The causal Lord Vajradhara
Becomes the glorious Vajrasūrya,
With all the marks and ornaments clearly manifest.
Like the sun rising over a mountain of gold,
Beautiful with four faces and four arms,
He holds an arrow and a sword in his right hands,
And a bow, a sun disk, and a vajra-marked [discus] in his left.
He is surrounded by a maṇḍala of five lights.
Smiling, his left eye is turned upward.
In some aspects, he is slightly wrathful,
His body possessing the luster of red coral.
Seated in the full lotus posture with two legs,
He is beautified by the aforementioned ornaments.
From the essence of his own light,
Māmakī, with the color of a blue sapphire,
Appears with one face and two skillful arms.
Her two hands hold a precious skull-cup.
She wears various jewel garlands,
And garments with a bell-belt.
Having been emanated, she performs the consecration,
And they become endowed with method and insight.
The syllables, signs, and mantras at the four locations,
Well-situated upon the maṇḍala seats,
Through the sequence of emanation and reabsorption,
Clearly manifest through the four mudrās,
The goddesses perform the ritual ablution with vases;
One should visualize the empowerment and the lords of the families.
The linga generated from TRĀṂ
Is the secret path of the jewel, marked with PHAṬ.
Purified by A, it has the shape of the bhaga;
Upon its eight petals, E resides.
Having been exhorted by various symbols,
Method and wisdom engage in non-dual play.
TRAṂ PRAVEŚA PHAṬ. A LA LA LA LA HO.
By the light rays of the bodhicitta,
The maṇḍalas of the ten directions are pleased.
The deities are dissolved into oneself,
And the joy of both is greatly increased.
The abodes of beings in the three realms are purified,
And the signs of yoga are completely cleansed.
In the secret place, the celestial palace,
With its ornaments and seats, appears as before.
Having marked the location with the bindu,
Through emanation, the maṇḍala of syllables is clarified.
From TRĀṂ comes Vajrasūrya;
In the center of the secret lotus,
From OṂ comes the goddess Indrāṇī.
From HRĪḤ comes the goddess Ratnāvatī;
From HOḤ comes the goddess Dhvajāgrakeyūrā.
From HAṂ comes the goddess Mahāpūjā.
From JAḤ comes the goddess Śaragrahī;
From HŪṂ comes the goddess Khadgadhāriṇī.
From BAṂ comes the goddess Sūryā;
From HOḤ comes the goddess Vajrānalā.
These reside in the inner squares
And in the four directions of the jewel peak.
From OṂ comes the goddess Vīṇā, from TRAṂ the Vīṇā;
From BAṂ comes Mahāḍamaru, from JAḤ the Ḍamaru.
In the squares of the southeast and so forth,
The four goddesses reside.
A Ā are the goddesses Puṣpā and Dhūpā;
AṂ AḤ are the goddesses Dīpā and Gandhā.
In the four intermediate positions of the courtyard,
The four goddesses reside.
From jaḥ arises Hayagrīva, the High-Hip; from hūṃ, the Tusked Sow-Faced; from baṃ, the Blazing Sun and Moon; and from hoḥ, the Ash-Maker—these abide at the four gates. Oṃ styitya bustitya mahāvajra ratna vabhata tatraṃ jaḥ. They are to be emanated from their own abodes; having gathered back, the male and female deities enter the body. Vajrasattva jaḥ. The Goddess Empowerment is radiant and red, wearing a vajra crown as a head-ornament. Vajraratna hūṃ. The Treasure-Holder is orange-red, holding a precious treasure vase in her two hands. Vajradharma vaṃ. The Supreme Victory Banner is white, holding a supreme victory banner of jewels. Oṃ vajrakarma hoḥ. The Great Supreme is greenish-blue with the color of jewels, holding a vessel filled with precious substances. Oṃ pratīvajra ni phaṭ. The Bow and Arrow is orange-red, right and left, in the manner of drawing her own insignia. Oṃ vajra pratihriḥ. The Blue Vajra Khaṭvāṅga is a sword-khaṭvāṅga marked with a bell. Oṃ cittamani ho. The Vajra Sun is its own color, with the solar maṇḍala and its rays. Oṃ vajra makha mahā ṣuṃ. The Vajra Fire-Goddess is reddish-green, holding a blazing precious fire-pit. Heratti ratna visitra thā. The Blue Flute has various sounds, sounding a flute marked with a jewel. Heratti ratna. Gete te te te te. The Yellow Lute has a six-stringed melody, playing a lute marked with a jewel. Heratti ratna hāsa vaṃ. The Great Drum is red, a jewel drum, beaten according to the manner of each respective activity. Heratti ratna nṛtye pe pa pe pa ja. The Green Clay Drum is a clay drum, in the manner of a playful dance marked with a jewel.
A vajra-puṣpe. Holding a jewel-marked vessel filled with reddish-yellow flowers. A vajra-dhūpe. Holding a jewel-marked incense burner of white-blue hue, raised to the right. A vajra-āloke hrīḥ. A reddish-yellow lamp, jewel-marked, holding a vessel with many wicks of fire. A vajra-gandhe. A pale-green scented water, jewel-marked, holding a conch in the left and sprinkling with the right. Oṃ vajra-aṅkuśa jaḥ. The white Hayagrīvā, holding a hook and a skull-cup with a green horse head. Oṃ vajra-pāśe hūṃ. The blue Varāhī, with a tusk in the right, holding a jewel noose in the left. Oṃ vajra-śṛṅkhalā vaṃ. The red Ālokā, with both hands holding iron chains marked by the sun and moon. Oṃ vajra-ghaṇṭe hoḥ. The green Saṃcālinī, with a bell in the right and a skull-cup containing the body of Ananta in the left. All are adorned with ornaments, garlands, and robes, bearing the symbols of their families, and poised with graceful majesty. They display smiling, seductive, and laughing side-glances, abiding in the dance of their own attire. The Protector enters into meditative equipoise, and through the absorption of the wisdom of the dharmadhātu, the goddesses exhort the Lord to perform emanations for the benefit of all sentient beings. Within the deities of the supported maṇḍala, the six buddhas reside in the six sense bases, marked by the four mudrās and the lords of their respective families. Through the radiation and reabsorption of light rays from the heart, the wisdom maṇḍala is invoked; with the application of jaḥ hūṃ vaṃ hoḥ, the vajra-gathering mudrā is bound. This is the power of the yoga of emptiness, which is utterly beyond existence and non-existence.
The samaya abides within space itself. Sugata, Sugata, please arise! O Vajrasūrya, fortunate and glorious one, I am yours! JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ EHYEHI BHAGAVĀN MAHĀKĀRUṆIKA DṚŚYA HOḤ SAMAYA HOḤ SAMAYASTVAṂ. For the sake of liberating all wandering beings without exception, please come and remain with your retinue, having turned your attention toward this maṇḍala palace of the Sugatas through the power of the ultimate meaning. KĀYA VĀKA CITTA HŪṂ. The assembly of the vajra music of the joy of the magical display is exquisitely beautiful as a maṇḍala appearing to others. A LA LA HOḤ. Overwhelming the hosts of Brahmā, please sever the misconceptions of manifold conceptualizations. A LA LA HOḤ. Non-dual wisdom is infinite in its dual aspects; enjoy the expanse of the equality of appearance-emptiness and great bliss. A LA LA HOḤ. The source of all, qualities spontaneously present without effort, the maṇḍala of ornaments is arrayed, arising from itself. A LA LA HOḤ. Vast activities are unceasing and all-accomplishing; through the play of the assembly, all tasks are perfected. A LA LA HOḤ. To the deities of the beautiful maṇḍala, the ornaments of supreme body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities, I prostrate. A LA LA HOḤ. Casting all the limbs of the body upon the ground, I prostrate. Joining the palms at the heart, the mouth, and the crown, I bow down. TRAṂ ABHU HOḤ BANDANAṂ KAROYAMI GURUPATI A LA LA HOḤ. OṂ: From the great elements, everything arises. The forms, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and phenomena, as numerous as the atoms of the three-thousandfold world system, without exception—
Emanate the entire assembly of goddesses without exception. One should make offerings with flowers, incense, lamps, and all varieties of perfumes. OṂ PANA PANA PENU SURATI PUPA RAMU SARVA TATHĀGATA SAMAYOGA SIDDHI ĀḤ HŪṂ. OṂ VAJRA PUṢPE VAJRA DHŪPE VAJRA ĀLOKE VAJRA GANDHE PRATĪCCHA HOḤ. ŚRĪ BHAGAVĀN KHA KHA KHĀHI. With the right and left hands, beautifully arranging the index and little fingers, and joining the palms in the vajra-ratna gesture, one should present all the offerings. The mudrā of the song called HRĪḤ conquers the three realms. JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ. The Blessed One, the very essence of yoga, is the Tathāgata Vajrasattva. In order to purify the supreme wealth, he abides in the mudrā of the glorious Sun. Ākāśagarbha, in all directions, completely fulfills all hopes. He causes all precious things, such as women and the like, to descend from the sky. For those who are extremely fierce and violent, pacification will not be beneficial. The Sun of Wisdom and Method becomes wrathful in the ultimate sense. The worlds to be tamed by wrath are brought to accomplishment by wrath itself. He displays the form and conduct of the Sun, with great dignity and majesty. Holding a bow, an arrow, a sword, and likewise a blazing fire, his eyes are bright and smiling. He opens the left [eye] and raises it upward. Binding the two vajra-knees, he sits perfectly in the cross-legged posture upon the seat. VAJRA RATNA BHATA TATRAṂ JAḤ. This is the crown ornament of the Empowerment Goddess.
The precious vase of the Treasure-Holder, the supreme victory banner with its precious crest, the great offering precious bowl filled to the brim, the bow and arrow, and the khaṭvāṅga; the Sun Goddess and the Peaceful Fire Goddess—each with her own characteristic mudrā, they bow with a graceful air toward the central Lord. The maṇḍala of mudrās for the goddesses, such as the Flute Player and the rest, is as before. Together with the Self-Arisen Goddess, they become non-dual through the mudrās and mantras.
Possessing the supreme wealth of the various sovereignties of all the three realms, you who subdue through the distinctions of weighing, measuring, and battle; you who hold the victory banner of the various forms of weighing and measuring and the lotus of complete victory; O Vajrasūryarāja, please reveal the supreme bliss of the Illusory Samvara! You who rain down the various showers of supreme enlightenment upon the clouds of sentient beings, quickly reveal yourself to fulfill all my hopes! Ala la la la ho! Please grant me the special empowerment of the inexhaustible treasure. All these distinctions are for the sake of the precious women; among all the collections of jewels, the precious woman alone is supreme. All go to the precious, pure, and holy woman as their price. Ala la ho!
Upon the lotus of each tongue, the center of the signs of the essence of Dharma: TRĀṂ PA PA TA ṬA ṬA TRA ṬA. Join the vajra palms together, bend the index fingers equally outward, and cover them with the vajra thumbs; this is the Vajra Glorious Jewel. Having placed it at the respective locations, one should release it from the edges in sequence. OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ. Homage to me, the Greatly Joyful One!
Accomplish the supreme siddhi of the Tathāgatas! Please grant the accomplishment of the supreme samaya. Purify all great offerings! Please enjoy the state of great equanimity. Please grant me the accomplishment of the supreme, inexhaustible treasure of the lord who bestows empowerment upon all. Grant me the great Vajra Jewel, the supreme victory banner of all, raised high in triumph. With a face slightly baring its fangs, a countenance both wrathful and smiling—though born of wrath, yet smiling and serene—gazing clearly and abiding perfectly. Within the various skull-cups, filled with various nectars, through the radiation and reabsorption of the five sets of five, they possess the five types of signs. Light, smoke, fragrance, and sound; manifesting the forms of goddesses, they are accomplished as nectar. Self-arisen and primordially pure, they sport in the meaning of equality. With the ornaments and marks of blessing, the supreme tactile sensation of women—bless the yogin! Sport in the great secret! In all these substances of accomplishment, make them endowed with HŪṂ and PHAṬ. Having sung the songs of praise, such as "Immovable Equality," and with the sounds of all cymbals and dances, please the deities. TRAṂ TRAṂ TRAṂ | BA BA BA BA BA BA BA | ṬA ṬA ṬA ṬA ṬA ṬA ṬA ṬA | TRA TRA TRA TRA TRA TRA NA TRA TRE | TRAṬ ṬA TUDE TE | TA TUD TRA | RUDRA ṬA TRA | We who have entered into this samaya, may no cutting or hacking occur to our bodies, and may the unbearable suffering of being struck by shadows not arise.
By merely seeing a portion of your body, one is instantly sustained; by the touch of thousands of light rays that infuse the body with radiant splendor, the world-realm is illuminated. May body, speech, mind, and life be firmly established as vajra, and may all hopes and aspirations be fulfilled at this very moment.
Then, one should contemplate the two types of recitation, or the two bindus, or the two subtle [yogas], the clear signs of total purity, and the meaning of the signless. The equality maṇḍala is the supreme of all; it is the body of ultimate great bliss. Likewise, one should diligently accomplish the deity of the expanse and wisdom.
During the four sessions, offer the torma. Upon completion, perform the offerings and praises to the maṇḍala. Emanating [the deity] from oneself and placing it before one, make supplications and exhort it to activity:
Oṃ! You have accomplished every benefit for sentient beings; grant the appropriate siddhis. Having departed for the buddha-fields, please again turn your attention to the welfare of migratory beings. Oṃ vajra gaccha muḥ.
Then, having sequentially dissolved the arrayed mudrās into oneself, the three types of sattvas dissolve into the syllable Hūṃ. Gradually, they dissolve into the bindu, the expanse of equality. Abiding as the body of subsequent signs, the major and minor marks, ornaments, and attire are vivid. Don the armor and perform the protection; receive empowerment, and be endowed with the crown and diadem. Kaṃ haṃ oṃ ṭūṃ. Oṃ ratnamāle abhiṣiñca trāṃ. Paṭalaṃ va abhilamba hūṃ.
In all activities, without losing the state, one should meditate upon the deity itself. The appearances of the senses, objects, and times should be perceived as the play of the maṇḍala.
Recite the mantra while the food and drink remain consecrated; enjoy them as the non-dual wisdom of illusion. Examine all activities as the cause of the two accumulations, and employ them for the benefit of all wandering beings. Through this well-arranged, concise sādhana, may this precious jewel of supreme purification dispel the misfortunes of the three realms and clarify the maṇḍala of the Buddha families.
This concludes the Arrangement of the Secret Meaning of the Glorious Vajraratnasūrya, composed by the great master Kukurāja. It was translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptor Vidyākarasiṃha and the chief editor and translator, the monk Lha Rinchen.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.