Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This technical manual, attributed to the Paṇḍita Amoghavajra, provides a systematic guide for selecting a consort (karmamudrā) based on physical and behavioral criteria. The text functions as a diagnostic tool, categorizing women into various types based on physiological markers, temperament, and moral disposition. It contrasts auspicious traits—such as gentle speech, kindness, and specific bodily proportions—with inauspicious markers like stinginess and passion. Beyond mere physical selection, the work commits the practitioner to a specific meditative framework, insisting that the use of these instructions be paired with the contemplation of the total emptiness of the melted and equalized state. By blending empirical observation of the body with the non-dual philosophy of the Vajrayana, the text aims to ensure that the practitioner chooses a partner who is both physically compatible and spiritually aligned, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of erroneous practice.
Provenance
About this text
An instruction on the examination of the karmamudrā, the Karmamudrāparīkṣopadeśanāma belongs to the tradition of the Other Wisdom Tantras. The work is attributed to the Indian author Amoghavajra (II). It was translated into the classical Tibetan language by Amoghavajra (II) and bod kyi lo tsa ba ’gos lhas btsas, and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཤ. The text functions as a technical guide for the selection of a consort, providing a systematic analysis of physical and behavioral markers. It enacts a diagnostic process that categorizes women by their lineages and physiological traits, contrasting auspicious characteristics—such as gentle speech, kindness, and specific bodily proportions—with inauspicious defects like stinginess and passion. A scholar or serious reader consults this four-page manual today to understand the specific criteria used in this tradition to evaluate the suitability of a partner based on a combination of moral disposition and physical attributes.
Sanskrit title
Karmamudrāparīkṣopadeśanāma
Indian author
Amoghavajra (II)
Tibetan translators
Amoghavajra (II), bod kyi lo tsa ba ’gos lhas btsas
The work is significant as it represents the intersection of tantric physiology and the practical application of consort selection in the Indo-Tibetan tradition. It illustrates how the tradition systematized the physical body into a set of signs to be read for spiritual efficacy. For the modern reader, it provides insight into the historical role of the karmamudrā and the specific somatic requirements associated with high-level tantric practice.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Provides the Indian and Tibetan titles and an opening homage to Vajrasattva.
2-3
Criteria for Selection
Details the physical and behavioral characteristics of auspicious and inauspicious women.
4
Meditative Context and Physiological Classification
Instructs the practitioner on the necessity of contemplating emptiness and introduces a five-fold classification of vaginas.
5
Colophon
Attributes the work to Amoghavajra and identifies the translators.
Themes
Physiognomy and Somatic Markers (1-3)
Moral and Behavioral Disposition (2-3)
Non-duality and Emptiness (4)
Tantric Classification of the Body (4)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaPersonal Instructions on Discerning Action Mudrās·
In the language of India: Karmamudrāparīkṣopadeśa-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Las kyi phyag rgya brtag pa’i man ngag ces bya ba. Homage to the glorious Vajrasattva.
Women of the conch-like arrangement and those born of the lotus lineage of the ox—of the thirty-two million [types], the lowest should be completely abandoned. One should understand the characteristics of each of their lineages from their respective behaviors, colors, shapes, signs, and dispositions.
Any woman who is yellowish-red, whose speech is pleasant, and who is always skilled in conduct; who speaks with a high-pitched voice and delights in sitting upright; who gazes clearly with a sidelong look and understands words through a sidelong glance—such a woman of supreme intellect is a constant cause of accomplishments (siddhi).
Any woman who is yellowish-white, whose body is neither too straight nor too hunched, whose limbs are well-proportioned, and who is especially beautiful between the eyebrows; whose face is small and not overly prominent, whose chin is small and slightly raised—such a woman who is always dear to her lover is the second type of sovereign lady.
A woman possessing a yellow complexion, whose eyes are never large, who is very active and delights in moving about; whose speech is never stable, whose faculties are sharp, and who has little forgetfulness; who strives to look at a pleasing man but is not firm in her resolve—such a woman is said to be one who should not be relied upon.
A charming woman with a dark-blue complexion, whose eyes are long and very beautiful, whose facial features are prominent and whose lips are full—
With many lines on the face and hands, disciplined, with pleasant and gentle speech, and great kindness; through the Dharma or worldly conformity, she is well-disposed toward those she is acquainted with. This supreme woman, auspicious in her limbs, has a complexion like the utpala flower; her body is upright and well-proportioned, her nails are rounded, her eyes are wide, white, and charming. Her hair is soft, and she is a master of few words; she shows respect to men and is diligent in bringing endeavors to completion. One who is broad-minded and skilled in teaching—if one relies on her, accomplishments will increase.
One who is dark in complexion, with a yellow forehead, low hairlines, and thick eyelashes; short in stature, with coarse limbs, unattractive eyes, and much talk; light in temper, and fond of passion—relying on such a woman, who makes no distinction between good and bad men, and who possesses a foul odor, leads to ruin.
A woman who is as beautiful as the luster of copper, whose neck and limbs are long, who is neither too short nor too tall, with fine eyebrows and a broad brow-ridge; who is slow-paced and always consistent in her conduct, possessing excellent ears and even teeth—such a woman’s virtues will never diminish. With a fine face marked by a reddish copper hue, she is restrained and slightly stout; upright, with a well-formed body, and with very full thighs and lower torso. One should avoid those who ruin their own welfare, yet are impossible to deceive and possess great inner knowledge. A girl with long hair and body hair is one who enjoys great wealth. Reddish in complexion, her conduct delights in the Dharma; though her speech and behavior vary in pitch, she always delights in speaking.
They teach what is erroneous. Constantly harboring covetousness, lacking in generosity, and being stingy, women are stained by the defects of passion and hatred.
Any woman who is reddish-white, possessing a proportion of both stoutness and slenderness, with full breasts, thighs, and lower body; with a long neck, waist, and fingers; with even teeth and nails; with rounded joints, calves that taper gradually, and a straight line of body hair rising upward below the navel; with a deep navel like the shape of a lotus, a high birth-canal with a narrow opening; and who blinks her eyes slowly—such a woman is the foundation of the glory of sovereignty.
Any woman who is as white as a kunda flower, with coarse bones and a strong physique, who always conceives a male child in her womb, whose conduct is slow and graceful, who is skilled in worldly affairs, and who is a girl difficult to meet and difficult to part from—one who is discreet and intelligent—mantrins should not disparage her.
Any woman who is white and full of pride, even if she is naturally without fault, will be abandoned by men. A girl who is slender, delights in shifting her eyes, has a broad waist and thick hips, who is diligent in grooming her face and body, and who is boisterous and easily deceived—such a girl is not said to be one to be relied upon.
Having understood who among all castes is to be relied upon and who is not, the wise should seek happiness in a womb endowed with good qualities. Once she is found, the yogi, having abandoned all busy distractions, [should proceed].
The one possessing the pith instructions should always contemplate the total emptiness of the utterly melted and equalized state. Regarding the vaginas that pervade the entire world and exist in as many women as there are, they are renowned as being of five types due to the distinctions of their channels: the Lug-ma (Dropper), the Dung-can-ma (Conch-like), the Kha-gdong-ma (Crow-faced), the Za-byed-gdong-ma (Devourer-faced), and the Padmo-can-ma (Lotus-like).
That which has a vaginal channel-cavity that is extremely wide is called Lug-ma. Because the channel-cavity is narrow and constricted, causing pain to arise, it is the Dung-can-ma. That woman whose interior of the lotus is rough and hot is the Kha-gdong-ma. The Za-byed-gdong-ma has a channel-cavity that is paralyzed, being the master of both pleasure and its absence. The Padmo-can-ma is one whose vagina is as supple as a lotus and whose lotus is as fine as a thread. Thus, from these distinctions of the lotus, the vaginas become superior, middling, or inferior.
The Padmo-can-ma is the best, and the Lug-ma is middling. Because the Za-byed-gdong-ma and the Kha-gdong-ma are difficult to free from defects, they are the lowest among vaginas. Since they are inferior, one should not take them. The channels residing within the vagina also become of three types: superior, middling, and inferior. The superior is the extremely fine channel; the long one is taught to be the middling.
Thus, based on the distinctions of caste, the vagina, and the channels as superior, middling, or inferior, one should rely on the superior and middling, and always avoid the inferior. Through the inferior, the bodily constituents (dhātu) decline; when those decline, bliss declines; and through that, one declines from supreme meditative concentration (samādhi). Therefore, the wise are like physicians. This is a summary of the pith instructions regarding the extensive classifications of castes, the signs, and so forth, as taught in the great Yoginī Tantras.
The instruction for examining the action seal (karmamudrā), originating from the Paṇḍita Amoghavajra, is hereby complete. It was translated by the Indian abbot himself and the Tibetan translator ’Gos Lhas btsas.
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.