Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text provides a comprehensive manual for the sādhanā of Mahākāla, blending meditative visualization, ritual praxis, and the pursuit of both mundane and spiritual accomplishments. The work begins by establishing a symbolic correspondence between seed syllables and the Five Tathāgatas, grounding the deity's manifestation in a Buddhist cosmological framework. It then details the visualization of the deity's terrifying form and his retinue, alongside specific mantra recitations and offerings. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to 'siddhis' or supernatural powers, prescribing precise alchemical recipes, the use of charnel ground materials, and the application of substances to achieve outcomes such as invisibility, the subjugation of enemies, and the discovery of hidden treasures. The text commits the practitioner to a rigorous regime of ritual purity, specific physical adornments, and constant mantra recitation, even during mundane activities, to transform ordinary perception into the 'great black sound' of non-conceptual awareness.
Provenance
About this text
A commentary on the sādhanā of Mahākāla, the dpal nag po chen po'i sgrub thabs kyi rnam par bshad pa serves as a manual for ritual praxis and meditative visualization. The work is attributed to the Indian author Likaripāda. It entered the Tibetan tradition through the efforts of the translators Narendrabhadra and bod kyi lo tsa ba u rgyan pa rin chen dpal, and it is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཤ, where it comprises nineteen pages. Within the canonical structure, it is situated among the Other Wisdom Tantras. The work enacts a complex system of symbolic correspondences, linking seed syllables to the Five Tathāgatas and detailing the visualization of the deity's form, including the curved knife and the eight nāgas. It further prescribes the use of mantra and specific ritual materials to achieve spiritual and mundane accomplishments. A scholar or serious reader consults this classical Tibetan text today to examine the intersection of Buddhist cosmology and the practical application of tantric ritual, specifically regarding the manifestation of Mahākāla and the pursuit of siddhis through precise alchemical and meditative prescriptions.
Sanskrit title
not recorded
Indian author
Likaripāda
Tibetan translators
Narendrabhadra, bod kyi lo tsa ba u rgyan pa rin chen dpal
Cite thisAnuvāda, “An Explanation of the Sādhana of Glorious Mahākāla” (Toh 1757), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1757
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as it illustrates the intersection of high Buddhist philosophy and the folk-magical traditions of the Indo-Tibetan world. It demonstrates how wrathful deities are utilized not only for spiritual liberation but for pragmatic, worldly control and protection. For the modern reader, it provides a primary example of the 'siddhi' tradition where the boundary between ritual medicine, alchemy, and meditation is fluid.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-4
Foundations and Visualization
Establishes the symbolic link between syllables and the Five Tathāgatas and describes the emergence of Mahākāla and his consorts from seed syllables.
5-8
Ritual Offerings and Attainments
Details the offering of wisdom nectar and the timeline for achieving the eight great accomplishments.
9-19
Subjugation and Magical Praxis
Provides specific mantras and alchemical recipes using substances like mustard seeds, frog fat, and human fat to achieve power over others and invisibility.
20-21
Medicinal and Charnel Ground Rituals
Describes medicinal preparations and rituals involving cremation ashes and interactions with piśācas.
22-24
Mandala and Deities
Describes the iconography of associated deities such as Kubera and Śaṅkara, and provides mantras for planetary lords and torma offerings.
25
Non-conceptual Integration
Instructs the practitioner to maintain mantra recitation during all activities to transcend conceptual thought.
Themes
Syllabic Symbolism (2-4)
Supernatural Accomplishments (Siddhi) (6-19)
Wrathful Iconography (7, 11, 22-23)
Alchemical and Ritual Substances (15-21)
Non-dual Awareness (25)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaAn Explanation of the Sādhana of Glorious Mahākāla·
In the language of India: Śrīmahākālasādhanavivṛti. In the language of Tibet: dPal nag po chen po’i sgrub thabs kyi rnam par bshad pa. Homage to the glorious Mahākāla!
First, having prostrated with the crown of my head to the deity, I shall explain the meaning of the extremely rare subject matter extracted from the thirty-two thousand [verse] tantra, and likewise from the twelve thousand and the six thousand tantras. Just as my guru condensed and explained it, I shall explain all of those for the sake of the hearts of all sentient beings. This too is obtained through the kindness of the guru.
First, abiding in ascetic practice, one should meditate while dwelling alone in solitude in places such as charnel grounds. As for the charnel ground, it may be a solitary linga, a mountain peak, a great forest, the shore of an ocean, a riverbank, or any other secluded place. Staying in such places and remaining unmoving, with a mind desiring to attain Buddhahood, one should contemplate oneself as the nature of the Blessed One. For their sake, in an instant, with the pride of being Mahākāla, one should recite the mantra that subdues obstructors upon a lotus and sun disk at one's own heart. Then: OṂ ŚŪNYATĀ-JÑĀNA-VAJRA-SVABHĀVA-ĀTMAKO ’HAṂ. This is explained in the thirty-two thousand [verse] tantra, whereas it is hidden in other tantras.
Oṃ is Vairocana; it is also the nature of the half-moon. Śūnyatā is Akṣobhya, the nature of the emptiness and the bindu. Jñāna is Amoghasiddhi; it is the sixth vowel, the nature of Ū. Vajra is Amitābha; it is the nature of Ha. Svabhāva is Ratnasambhava; it is the essence of the line. Thus, the complete whole is the nature of Hūṃ. Ātmako is one's own self; thus, by gathering [the parts] inward, it is one's own self. Furthermore, it is the nature as explained [above].
Then, in response, the Blessed One spoke: "The nature of emptiness is not an emptiness that is severed from the cycle of the five classes of beings. Nor is all of saṃsāra of a truly existent nature. Just as the Blessed One said, 'Just as a tiny creature climbing a three-stemmed tree may climb upward but will fall back down, so too one will fall back into the abyss of saṃsāra.'"
Furthermore, if one listens with great devotion: "For the sake of all sentient beings, the wisdom of omniscience, within the nature of emptiness, strives and sports upon this earth. Earth dissolves into fire; water is gathered into fire; fire dissolves into wind; and wind is the nature of emptiness. This is the mark of the Buddhas; in an instant, they have gone to the patient endurance. It is neither existent nor non-existent; it is the complete abandonment of both."
Instantly, in the center of the sky, from the syllable paṃ arises a yellow lotus, its center marked with the red syllable raṃ. Above that, from the complete transformation of the syllable hūṃ, there is a curved knife (kartṛkā) blessed with the syllable hūṃ. This is also depicted as treading with its feet upon a corpse and adorned with the eight nāgas: the blue Nanda, whose hooded head binds the hair; the red Takṣaka, whose nāga-lord serves as an ear-ornament; the variegated Kulika, whose arm-ornament is formed; the white Śaṅkhapāla, whose bracelets are formed; the yellow Padma, whose necklace is formed; the green Karkoṭaka, whose purifying brahmin’s thread is formed; the son of Vasuki, the color of semen, whose waist-ornament is formed; and the great Padma, the color of a lotus stalk, whose anklets are formed. All of them are emitting the sound phaṭ, terrifying, with fangs bared and two tongues flickering. They are in union with their respective consorts.
Furthermore, the Bhagavatī is black in color, fully manifested from the syllable hrīḥ. She is naked and without ornaments, with orange-red hair bristling upward. In her left hand she holds a skull-cup, and in her right a vajra-curved knife. Light rays radiating from her heart and issuing from her mouth fill the entirety of space. She invites all the Tathāgatas, who are absorbed into the seed-syllable at her heart. Emerging through the vajra-path, they descend into the lotus of the Mother and are visualized as the seed-syllable. From that seed-syllable, the complete wheel is manifested.
Furthermore, blessed by all the tathāgatas, in front is the terrifying black [Mahākāla] arisen from the seed-syllable KAṂ. To the south is the goddess Karālī from the seed-syllable KAṂ; to the west is the goddess Bharālī arisen from BAṂ; and to the north is Vetālī arisen from the seed-syllable VAṂ. All of them hold a curved knife and a skull-cup, are naked, with orange-red hair bristling upward, seated upon sun-discs, possessing three eyes, and having black, terrifying faces. Having invited the wisdom-being (jñānasattva) by means of the seed-syllable at the heart and dissolved it [into the commitment-being], first perform the empowerment, and as the sign of empowerment, seal it with Akṣobhya.
Having first placed a painted cloth or a cast image that has been prepared, make offerings with all the offerings, fumigate with incense, and by tasting the nectar, present the torma to Mahākāla. Regarding the purification through the family of A: upon a tripod of three human heads, a lotus vessel is fully complete. Below that is the fire maṇḍala, triangular and marked with the syllable RAṂ. Above and below are the wind wheels, blue, bow-shaped, and moving. The victory banner is generated by the syllable JHĀṂ. Then, as for the name Vairocana, the family is that of Vairocana. By means of the seed-syllables HŪṂ and so forth, the intoxicants and the five meats are cut by the vajra arisen from HŪṂ. They are stirred by the lid; the wind moves and the fire is ignited. From the melting of everything into one, they are stirred by the vajra, purified, and cleansed of stains. From that, light rays radiate.
From the heart of the Tathāgata, summon the nectar in the form of wisdom. Visualize it merging into the form of the mantra. The five supreme nectars are blessed by the three syllables. Scatter and offer them to the deities of the maṇḍala. On the white, coiled tongues, marked by the syllable HŪṂ, visualize light rays in the form of vajras; imagine that the tongues draw them in and partake of them. Here, by tasting the five nectars, one should offer the excrement torma. Then, one should apply oneself to the mantra recitation. The mantra for that is: First, give Vairocana; it should be joined with a loud sound. After that, give the black voice; following that, give HŪṂ. Adorn it with the mantra of two PHAṬs. For all activities, from SVĀHĀ, it emerges from the heart and the mouth, descends into the navel lotus. Here, visualize the syllable RAṂ on the tongue as well. That too is upon a sun maṇḍala. Then, light rays of the mantra radiate out, go to the various lotus at the navel, emerge from the heart lotus, and again radiate light rays through the previous path. Meditate that each syllable radiates forth in direct perception. That too is in the nature of a garland of syllables. In six months, it will certainly be accomplished. One will also attain the siddhis; the two siddhis of magnetizing and summoning come first. In eight months, there is paralyzing and expelling. In nine months, there is hatred and killing. In ten months, there is pacifying and enriching.
Within eleven months, one accomplishes the subjugation and summoning of the entire world. Within twelve months, one should have no doubt that the eight great accomplishments (siddhi) will be attained. Next, another point shall be explained: the fruit praised through diligence is now described. Here, the word "diligence" (vīrya) refers to Amitābha. The Blessed One declared in the twelve-thousand-verse Mahākāla Tantra: "The fruit of that mantra has been explained, yet my guru concealed it, so that the entire world might be bewildered." I shall now explain the sādhana of the mantra through the oral instructions of the sublime guru. Six months are required for the preliminary service (sevā). Within that, the three worlds are brought under control. This is for the purpose of applying everything to bodhicitta. Through these instructions, the practitioner’s mental aims are to be controlled and summoned. The instruction is as follows: first, the practitioner visualizes a red lotus arising from the syllable A at the heart. At its center is a sun maṇḍala arising from the syllable Ra. Above that is a red syllable Hūṃ, which should be viewed as a seed-syllable in the form of a hook. One should meditate on the King of Desire (Kāmarāja) in such a manner: naked, the glorious Mahākāla, red like the color of the rising sun, with two arms, wearing a jeweled crown, holding a hook in the right hand and a vajra-noose in the left, with legs in a striding posture, extremely terrifying, and adorned with a garland of blood-dripping heads.
Possessing the brilliance of ten million suns, with three eyes and a terrifying face, his lower body is wrapped in a tiger skin and he is adorned with eight red nāgas. With his right foot he tramples upon the god of desire, and with his left foot he tramples upon the secret great bliss of Nanda. He is a dwarf with a protruding belly, and his crown is adorned with Vajradharma. From a red HŪṂ at his heart, light rays radiate out through the rasanā, lalanā, and avadhūtī channels, circling from the right side of the forehead and radiating forth. All are gathered back through the right hand and radiate out like hooks from hook. One should imagine that all sentient beings are gathered into the vajra path and brought down into the lotus, where great bliss is generated and they are brought under control. By such means, one should cause the descent.
Then, remaining there, one should circle from the left and likewise gather them back into the HŪṂ at the heart. Through the passion and subsequent passion of those light rays, they emerge from the tip of the lamp-flame at the beginning of the HŪṂ, emptying the three worlds and making them great bliss. Possessing such meditative absorption, one should begin the mantra recitation: OṂ HRĀṂ HRĪṂ HRO HŪṂ PHAṬ. The moment this king of mantras is uttered, the signs of all women move and they become desirous. Those who are desirous also become radiant, and all sentient beings are filled with desire and their vital essence is made to flow. Their bodies tremble and shift; they are freed from shame, their hair is disheveled, and they become intoxicated with desire. By the power of this mantra,
All sentient beings of the six realms will be brought under one's power, and everything will come to the practitioner exactly as intended beneath their feet. By reciting [the mantra] one hundred thousand times, the practitioner will bring the consort under their power. Next, the ritual for subjugation is described: Namaḥ keli kilāḥ saṃbhu thapanaitre bhikaraṇe vikurva vikurva jambha śami svāhā. Then, if one sees the consort and recites while staring with wide-open eyes, she will come immediately. If one wishes to go, one will go. Then: Adisaṃbuddhāya kuru kuru lambhe lambhe lune lune svāhā. If one recites this mantra while falling asleep, holding the woman's name, she will come even if she is a hundred yojanas away. If she does not come, she will die. Then: Namaḥ sarvabuddhebhyaḥ jahi buddha anojara preṣi do me vācanaṃ kuru svāhā. Then, wherever one stays, if one recites while holding the name of a man or a heroine (vīrā), they will all naturally be brought under one's power. Namaḥ kṣipraghame kuru kuru vimalaye svāhā. If one recites this seven times over water and drinks it while holding the name of a man or a woman, they will be brought under one's power. Namaḥ kaṭraṃ kaṭri gro rarūpiṇi amukaṃ me vaśamānaya svāhā. During the time of the moon, if one recites this seven times over the first mouthful of food while holding someone's name and eats it, they will be brought under one's power for a fortnight. Namaḥ āryasaṃbuddhāya.
Ehyehi bhūtapratyadhūtakāryaṃ kuru svāhā. Then, recite this over eye salve one hundred times. If it is applied to one's eyes, the first person seen will be brought under one's power. Then: Namaḥ prekṣakāya mañjughoṣakāya prekṣitosi jhaṭiti laṃ kuru svāhā. Then, recite this over white mustard seeds. If they are scattered in someone's house, that person will be brought under one's power. Namo ratnatrayāya, kubhini jhaṃbhi, mahāvetālī svāhā. Then, recite this one hundred and one times over one's own semen and camphor. If it is hidden while holding someone's name, that person will be brought under one's power. Namo buddhāya dharmasaṃghavajrapāṇibhyaḥ, śītapīṅgale la hūṃ kuru kuru jvala jvala svāhā. Recite this eight hundred times over bezoar and, by making a tilaka mark, all whom one sees will be brought under one's power. Haṃ bhoḥ praṣakāyati amuka śamanughrīdya samane svāhā. If they do not come immediately, one should transform whoever is intended in the mind, whether a heroine or a man. These are the rites for subjugation. My guru taught this in brief, but I have explained it in detail by expanding upon it. One should understand from the sādhana that reciting it one hundred thousand times without fail bestows the fruit of all activities. Next, that which is to be explained is the completion of immeasurable activities. First, the rite of expulsion is explained: Oṃ kṣaṃ ha hu ha amuka ṣā ucchṭaya hūṃ phaṭ. For expulsion, one is smoke-colored, holding a curved knife and a skull-cup; the rest is as previously described.
Adorned with Amoghasiddhi as a crown, one should face the south and perform the recitation with a high-spirited mind. Success is achieved with one million or even twenty thousand recitations. One should take the ashes of a charnel ground; the others are easy to understand: with hair loose and naked. Then, having recited one hundred and eight times over langali poison, pig dung, hair from a corpse, and camel bones, by casting them [at the enemy], the adversary will be paralyzed. There is no doubt they will be driven away; this is a cherished rite. If one performs this for seven days and buries it at the door, using the previously mentioned langali poison and the bones of a "long-necked" one—which is a camel—it will certainly drive them away. Then, having meditated on a person arisen from the seed-syllable jaḥ holding a staff in hand, by [using] the guru of Śaṅkara, they will certainly be driven away within seven days from their own abode. Then, having fashioned a needle-shaped object from the bone of a man and buried it at the door, that house will become extremely terrifying and will become like the abode of a great bhūta. On the eighth or fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, or even during a single watch of the night, one should recite eight hundred times. This is the activity of expulsion. Then, for the rite of paralyzing: [one should visualize] a yellow dwarf with a protruding belly, holding a skull-cup and a curved knife, holding the wind within; if one recites when the wind is obstructed, [the target] will wear a jewel crown. One should recite eight hundred times: oṃ maṃ jha kṣa amukaṃ stambhaya hūṃ phaṭ. The others are easy to understand. Then, for the rite of killing: one should face south during the dark fortnight.
Having made a tilaka with sila and donned black clothing, one should hold a skull-cup and a curved knife in the hands. Wearing a crown of black Akṣobhya, with the tongue rolled back and a terrifying appearance, light rays radiate from the seed syllable in the heart. From these, Kṛṣṇa, Bhīmavaktrā, Vārālī, Vetālī, Mahākālī, and those yoginīs—holding skull-cups and curved knives, swift as the force of the wind—enter the mouths of the enemies. They cut their flesh, drink their blood, and sever their internal organs. One should meditate in this way during the three sessions.
Likewise, on the eighth day, one should fill a human skull with food, sprinkle it with blood, and add the meat of pigs and so forth. Having gathered their blood, as well as the meat and blood of birds and fish, food mixed with peas, beer, flowers, incense, and ointments, one should offer the bali at midnight.
Then, regarding the sādhana of the flesh-eater: having first meditated on the form of Mahākāla as previously described, one performs the preliminary service by reciting the mantra ten thousand times. On a cloth from a charnel ground, one should draw the two yakṣiṇīs named Analā and Kuṇḍalā. Mixing charcoal from a corpse with fragrant substances, one should use ink made from the fat of a human corpse to draw them on the tip of a tree trunk where flesh-eaters dwell. They should be drawn with the youthful appearance of the first black [moon], with hair flowing loose, and seated in the posture of a great king. [One should also offer] flowers, incense, and divine food.
One should make offerings with ointments. Then, the practitioner should give the leftovers of all that has been eaten. One should always give a portion of the leftovers during the night. Its mantra is: Oṃ anale kundaḷi gṛhṇa piṇḍa piśācīni svāhā. Success will be achieved in seven recitations.
Next, another ritual is described: one should meditate on the one with the face of a donkey. The donkey-faced one holds a vase with both hands and sits upon a seat of cowrie shells. Adorned with ketaka flowers and kusuma blossoms, success will be achieved by giving the leftovers for the duration of one month.
According to the previously mentioned ritual, one should draw the flesh-eating ghūtapati. It should be drawn using a mixture of turmeric and chalk. He is seated in the half-lotus posture, has two arms, and is adorned with all-encompassing joyful ornaments. He sits upon a golden pedestal, holding a precious vessel in his left hand and a precious cluster of blossoms in his right. Having drawn him, one should offer the bali offering according to the previous ritual. Success will come through the intention to benefit all sentient beings, but not through seeking one's own benefit.
Next, the yoga of non-transmigration will be described. From the Thirty-two Thousand Verse Mahākāla Tantra, the Blessed Lady asked: "O Teacher of the world, for the sake of some benefit for all sentient beings, please explain, O Blessed One, how all sentient beings may be freed from old age, death, and disease." The Blessed One replied: "O Bhadrā, regarding the meaning of what you have asked..."
For the sake of all sentient beings, I shall explain the bliss of immovability. Listen with a respectful mind! This is the secret even of secrets, attained through the binding of great bliss. I shall describe the method for holding and the upward movement: the thorough binding of the winds. By making the mind stable, like water in a vase, at that time the seminal essence will also be held. This is asserted by all five philosophical systems. By closing the lower gate of the secret treasury, bliss is maintained. At that time, through the upward clarification, it is brought about by the power of the winds. Just as a vase is empty, so should one practice the yoga of emptiness. When the seminal essence has become stable, all five systems consider this supreme. When the winds move through the lalanā, rasanā, and avadhūtī, at that time the tongue is turned upward. Through desire, one holds the moving seminal essence. One’s own winds are propelled upward; by the power of exertion, they are held downward. When the winds abide in the throat, the winds are joined in equipoise at the heart. At that time, the mind becomes stable. When the winds are captured within, then the yoga of emptiness arises. The body is completely filled with wind; at that time, the winds are true through their slowness. Just as when the sublime is shown, the mind should grasp the yoga of emptiness. Through performing such exertion, one is completely victorious over death. Through application, wrinkles are eliminated, and one becomes free of gray hair. The five sense faculties become extremely clear through the practice of this samādhi.
The vajra and lotus are firmly established; they should be moved through many applications. From the movement of the bodhicitta, that which has moved should also be held. By the mind taking up the sun, as long as the sun is moved, the moon causes it to go to another place. One should stabilize the yoga of emptiness; the mind should be made one-pointed and unwavering. When the sun and moon are joined, the body attains immortality. As long as the sun and moon are joined as one, at that time one should practice the yoga of selflessness. Through the union of the hare-marked [moon] and the sun, the body will be born as immortal. It will be born as immortal; the body is not consumed by time. Through the passion of delighting in women, the passion of the yogi also arises in equilibrium; by that, the supreme accomplishment is bestowed. OṂ CALE CALE CITTE CITTO MUÑCA PĀYA SVĀHĀ. By merely reciting this mantra, passion for women will arise. When passion for women has thus arisen, one should apply oneself to meditation. NAMO BUDDHE SATVEBHYAḤ HŪṂ ŚIGINI SVĀHĀ. Taking a two-headed snake by the head for twelve finger-widths, burn it in a charnel ground fire. Taking its ashes and kneading them seven times with the blood of a kuraku bird, if one makes a tilaka with that, one will become invisible. Then, at the northern root of the śiṅ-skra-dkar tree, dig while naked. If one places [the root] within the sun, the moon, and fire and puts it in the mouth, one will become invisible. The sun is copper; the moon is silver; the fire is gold.
For those, it is iron. Then, regarding the first silver: at that time, having mixed the semen of a man and [the fluid] in equal parts, one applies fire to the sila [substance], and the three worlds will not see it. Furthermore, having made a tilaka on the lalāṭa [forehead] with white zinc, kaṇṭrasivāli, honey, and the first flower and fluid, and having placed it within the three metals and applied it, the people of the three worlds will not see it. First, having placed earth from the tip of a growing blade of grass and so forth, and having taken the earth from beneath it, one mixes it with orpiment; if one makes a tilaka on the forehead on a Sunday, even an accomplished person will not see it. The first grass is the grass of musta [cyperus]. By taking the earth from beneath that, and also on a Sunday, one mixes honey and orpiment; if one makes a tilaka on the forehead, that person will not be seen even by an accomplished yogi, let alone others. This is the classification of invisibility.
Then, for the rite of paralyzing: namo buddhebhyaḥ stambhaya jambhaya mohaya svāhā. Then, having taken the ashes of a Brahmin woman whose husband is living but who has died, and having smeared them on the hand, all sentient beings to whom one points are paralyzed. Then: namo ratnatrayāya kṣipave kṣipave tili svāhā. By writing the mantra with the aforementioned ashes on a birch leaf, an arrow is paralyzed. Then: namo ratnatrayāya dhakṣa japiga lograha bhūtapacana niprahara saṃkramaya svāhā.
Recite this mantra one thousand times over a peacock feather, place it upon a painted image (paṭa) of Mahākāla, and wave it over one’s own army; by doing so, the enemy forces will be paralyzed. The painted image of Mahākāla should be drawn in yellow, using a mixture of saffron and turmeric. He is most terrifying and fearsome, with a very full belly and three eyes, standing upon a corpse in a playful posture. He has two arms: the right hand holds various mountain peaks, and the left hand holds a triangular maṇḍala of fire atop a skull-cup. Such a painted image should be hoisted at the top of a victory banner. Ensuring that one’s own troops do not see it, it should be displayed for the purpose of paralyzing the enemy forces.
Then, on a Sunday when the moon is in the constellation Puṣya, take the root of the sārali tree and recite: kṣipavikṣipavetāli svāhā. Following that, by reciting this mantra from the mouth while combined with the ritual substances according to the procedure, all the swords of the enemies who have entered the battlefield will be bound.
Next, the rite for cooling fire is easy to understand. Regarding the activities of that mantra, another is stated: finely grind the sevāli medicinal herb, the jamuka medicinal herb, and the root of the parali flower, then mix them with the fat of a frog. If this is smeared on the soles of the feet, one will not be burned even if one steps upon a blazing charcoal fire.
Regarding another activity of that mantra: mix the trunk of the muntiri medicinal tree, a lotus, the sevāli medicinal herb, and the grease of a frog, and smear it on the feet. If one does so, [one will not be burned].
It will not be burned by fire. Furthermore, if one takes the dried carcass of a white frog, anoints it with the blood of another frog, mixes them, grinds them, and applies the paste, it will cause fire to be extinguished. Wherever the fat of a frog is applied, if it touches fire, the fire will be extinguished. Then, for the rite of paralyzing a king: take the medicinal plant triśibhandi, reduce it to ash, recite the mantra seven times over it, and scatter it; this will paralyze the king. In this context, triśi is the root of a three-leafed plant. Then, for the ritual of binding water: while staying in the water, perform the recitation. Place a precious gem in the mouth of a fish that is gasping for air, mix fresh butter with the blood of that fish, and smear it on the nose, the eyes, and the entire body. Upon entering the water, one will float on the surface like a sea monster. These are the rites for binding water. Then, the rite of expulsion is easy to understand. Then, for the rite of inciting hatred: Namo ratnatrayāya | dveṣaya dveṣaya | mahādveṣaka | mā vilambaru ru svāhā. Take the hair and fur of a Brahmin, a novice monk (śrāmaṇera), a cat, and a rat; grind them together into one. If one takes the name of someone and buries it in the earth, they will all become hostile. A "novice monk" is a young venerable one. "Mara-chara" is a cat. "Ā-khu" is a rat. Then, take the head of a peacock and the head of a rooster, grind them together while reciting this mantra, and fumigate them with incense. Whoever's name is taken will become an enemy.
Then, for a woman whose menses are flowing, a packet of white mustard seeds should be inserted into the vagina for seven days; this is for a woman who is suffering. Whoever is sprinkled with white mustard seeds will become hostile. Then, having taken the feathers, bones, and flesh of a crow and an owl, and having performed protection for oneself, whoever is fumigated with incense—even if they are a friend—will become hostile. Then, having combined the skin of a two-headed snake with the feathers of a peacock, whoever is fumigated with it will become hostile toward the three worlds immediately. Protection for oneself is of the utmost importance. These are the rites of intense hatred.
Next, the fire offering (homa) rites shall be explained. The hearth is easy to understand as it is explained in all the tantras. Regarding the accomplishment of the eight siddhis in this tantra, the Blessed One taught in the Six Thousand Verse Tantra: for the accomplishment of the sword, one should make a hearth eight cubits in size and eight-cornered. Four cubits should be drawn below; by that method, everything should be understood. Furthermore, fearing too many words, I have explained it in brief. The hearth for pacification is the same as that in the Guhyasamāja. The classifications of the fire offering are easy to understand.
Then, regarding the nature of the eye salve: take the eyes of a sky-walker, the eyes of an old crow, the eyes of a red vulture, and the cloth used to wipe away menstrual blood. Then, the eyes of a black cat, the head of a bhr̥ṅgarāja (bhr̥ṅgarāja), and a bhūṣuṣka (bhūṣuṣka) bird that moves by flapping its wings.
Take fireflies, and the insects that enter the ear; mix these together, grind them, and form them into a pill. Take lamp-soot from a lamp fed with human fat and burn it; by anointing the eyes with this, one will see treasures beneath the earth. Then, regarding the accomplishment of the sword: take the eye-salve of the bird mentioned previously; the procedure for this is easy to understand.
Next, regarding swift-footedness: take the eastern leaves of the śvetabhrāmaśikha tree and the white pāla tree. Bind them with taśapapumara. In this context, stāṃmra is copper; śaṃkha is conch; pravāla is coral; suvarṇa is gold; muktā is pearl; and rājarūpa is silver. With these, one is bound. By reciting [the mantra] twenty thousand times, success will be achieved.
Next, the explanation of the accomplishment of sky-faring: take eight māṣa of nutmeg, eight māṣa of cardamom, eight māṣa of long pepper heart, eight māṣa of monlug and glang (musta), and eight māṣa of ginger water. Add two śo of camphor and two śo of camphor water. Mix all these together, wrap them in the leaves of the sāhākara tree, and burn them. Plant nimba trees over them and bury the medicines underground. Take four srang of the juice from crushed pālāśa flowers, mix it with butter and honey, and place it inside an oily vessel upon a large heap of rice for twenty-one days. Stay in a place where no wind enters, and eat a portion the size of three finger-joints every day.
At that time, one should also enjoy food without [ordinary] consumption; one will enjoy the sky. Next, the medicinal preparation for accomplishment is described: eight srang of jyotiṣmati oil, eight srang of butter, eight srang of honey, and one hundred and eight large arura fruits. All of these should be ground together, placed inside an oily vessel, and soaked for six months in the urine of a bull. Then, mixing it with milk, one should drink it. After six months, even an old man who drinks it will become like a child.
Next, regarding the nature of the sādhana for the one who obeys the command "What shall I do?": place a tāpasi corpse in a skull-cup, burn it, and after it is charred, take the skull-cup. The mantra for recitation is this: Oṃ namaḥ siddhe svāhā. Then, at midnight, a messenger who obeys the command "What shall I do?" will arrive. When she says, "What shall I do?", one should remain silent and maintain control over one's speech. At dawn, when daybreak has come, when she says, "What shall I do?", the practitioner should say at dawn: "Bring a king, or a queen, or whatever retinue you desire!" By saying this, all activities as conceived in the mind will be perfected. She will even carry one to the higher realms, grant all enjoyments as one pleases, and bestow all essences and alchemy (rasāyana). She will even summon the daughters of the eight great gods. All such activities as these will be performed.
Next, regarding the nature of the sādhana for the piśāca: place a pill made of the eight metals melted together into the mouth of a deceased Brahmin.
Take the ashes from a cremation fire and finely grind pellets made of the eight metals. Form these into pills with beeswax and light camphor lamps. Recite the mantra eight hundred times in a charnel ground. At that time, when the flesh-eaters (piśācas) arrive and ask, "What shall I do?", one should remain silent. Remaining in strict silence and restraint, one should then take the pills and recite throughout the night in a temple. At dawn, one should say, "Friend, arise!" and at that moment, success will be achieved. By writing the name of whatever is desired upon the pill, it will be accomplished exactly as the practitioner commands. The mantra for accomplishing the pill is: OṂ RURIRURIRURU SVĀHĀ.
Now, the ritual for the torma offering (bali) will be explained. Abiding in the meditative concentration of deity yoga, one should gather the nectars (amṛta) as described in the root text and present the torma to Indra and the other deities.
Within the recitation, whether few or many,
One summons [the deities] with light from the seed-syllable in the heart.
They should be placed in the eastern direction.
Indra is white, possessing a thousand eyes,
Mounted upon a white elephant.
In his right hand he holds a vajra,
And his left rests in a playful gesture.
Yama is deep blue, with two hands;
In his right he holds a staff, and his left is in the threatening gesture (tarjanī).
He has three red eyes, and his orange hair stands upright.
His matted locks and eyebrows are intensely yellow and long,
And he is adorned with bone ornaments.
He sits in a playful posture upon a buffalo.
Varuṇa is white, with two hands,
Seated upon a makara throne.
In the right [hand] is a nāga-noose; he dwells in a playful posture and has a hood of snakes. The Lord of Wealth, Kubera, is yellow, has two arms, and holds a bījapūra fruit in his right hand and a mongoose-skin pouch in his left; he sits atop a flowering tāla tree. Śaṅkara is white, has two arms, and wears a tiger-skin loincloth atop an ox. His head is adorned with a skull, and his crown of matted hair is adorned with the moon. In his right hand he holds a trident, and with his left hand he touches the breast of Gaurī. He has a blue throat and three eyes. Gaurī is yellow in color, has two arms, embraces Śaṅkara with her right hand, and looks into a mirror with her left. Agni, the Fire God, has three matted locks, four arms, and is wreathed in flames. He has a protruding belly, is devoid of ornaments, and rides a goat. His right hands hold the gesture of fearlessness and a rosary; his left hands hold a staff and a water-pot. Nairṛti, the Fierce One, has two arms, is naked, and sits upon a corpse seat. He dwells in a playful posture with loose hair and a skull adorning his head. In his right hand is a curved knife, and in his left is a skull-cup of blood. Vāyu, the Wind God, is yellow, rides a deer, has two arms, and holds two blue banners. The Moon is white, atop a wheel, has two arms, holds a kumuda lily in his right hand, and dwells in a playful posture with his left; he has a beautiful form. The Sun is red, atop the seven horses, has two arms, and holds a vajra atop a lotus in his right hand and a solar maṇḍala atop a lotus in his left. Brahmā has four faces, is white, rides a swan, wears matted hair, and has four arms.
First is Padma. His right hand holds a rosary of thread, and his left holds a lotus and a water-pot. The Earth Goddess is yellow in color; she stands upon a lotus, holding a lotus in her right hand and resting in a playful posture with her left. The asura lord Vemacitra stands upon a chariot; he has two hands, holding a sword in his right and resting in a playful posture with his left. His feet are also in a playful stance. One should meditate with diligence upon all the yakṣas, gandharvas, pretas, rākṣasas, and so forth, together with the nāgas and the nāga kings.
Thereafter, one should visualize Indra and the others as objects through the yoga of their respective deities. First, one should reduce their bodies to the size of atoms. Then, light rays radiate from one's own seed-syllable, bathing their bodies as if with a stream of nectar, and one should visualize them as being completely restored. One should imagine that they are drawn in by their respective tongues, which are marked with a vajra-āḥ. By thus partaking of the nectar, one should visualize that the practitioner accomplishes all the aims as they have been mentally intended.
While ringing a bell with the left hand and holding incense with the right, one should ring the bell with the left hand at the eight locations and recite this mantra:
Oṃ indrāya sapartaye svāhā.
Oṃ agnaye havyavāhanāya svāhā.
Oṃ yamāya pretādhipataye svāhā.
Oṃ naiṛtyāya rakṣapātaye svāhā.
Oṃ varuṇāya nāgādhipataye svāhā.
Oṃ vāyave antarikṣacare svāhā.
Oṃ kuverāya yakṣādhipataye svāhā.
Oṃ īśānāya bhūtādhipataye svāhā.
Above:
Oṃ somayānakṣatrādhipataye svāhā. Oṃ sūryagrahādhipataye svāhā. Oṃ brahmaṇye vetādhipataye svāhā. Oṃ vicitrane svāhā. Oṃ adhvayasūrebhyaḥ svāhā. After reciting these mantras, one should recite the mantra for the torma offering. In that regard, the mantra for the torma is as follows: Oṃ śṛṅgike hūṃ phaṭ. tama tama sa. puṣpa. dhūpa. rakta. talapātali. aṣṭanāga. deva. yakṣa. rākṣasāḥ. gṛhṇa gṛhṇa. idaṃ baliṃ ha ha ha hūṃ khāhi khāhi. kha kha hūṃ ja. phu pheṃ mahāṭṭahāsa. garja garja. kṛṣṇavarṇāya. pheṃ pheṃ hūṃ svāhā. One should know that the first [locations] are the navel, the heart, the breasts, the throat, the face, the right ear, the eyes, and the crown of the head; these are the eight locations. These are the ritual procedures for the torma. Oṃ mahākāla hriṃ hri hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. This is the near-essence mantra. Hriḥ is the essence mantra of the Blessed One Fire. Hriṃ is the near-essence mantra. Oṃ mahākālī hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. These are the essence and near-essence mantras. Oṃ kāli hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. Oṃ kāralīye hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. Oṃ vārālīye hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. Oṃ vetālī hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā. Then, the ritual for the painted cloth is easy to understand. One should make offerings to the deity in one's own home. By performing the preliminary service, all activities will be accomplished. In the Kṛtayuga, it is one [fold]; in the Tretāyuga, it is two-fold; in the Dvāparayuga, it is three-fold; and in the Kaliyuga, it is four-fold.
Laughing, reciting, playing, and distracted;
While eating and engaging in sexual union,
One should recite at all times.
At that time, one is free from the activities of Māra.
All conceptual thoughts whatsoever
Resound as the great black sound.
One should know everything to be mantra;
The fruit of what is intended in the mind will be attained.
This should not be given to everyone;
Examine the vessels of the disciples and then bestow it.
This mantra is rare throughout all the worlds;
It is the supreme treasure in the three worlds.
For crossing the ocean of saṃsāra,
Regarding birth and death,
The wheel of saṃsāra is terrifying and deep.
Attachment and aversion are the leaping crocodiles.
With the mind, on the two shores of bliss,
By means of slander, avarice, and envy,
The Great Black One acts.
In the illusory city of great bliss,
He acts for the benefit of all sentient beings.
By the merit I have accumulated,
May all afflictions be severed.
May the supramundane accomplishment be attained.
The Explanation of the Realization of Glorious Mahākāla, composed by the master Līkaripa, a disciple of Sahajapāda, is complete.
It was translated at the great palace of Dechen Ling on the slopes of the great mountain of Pūtra by the Indian abbot Śrī Narendrabhadra and the Tibetan translator Orgyenpa Rinchen Pal.
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.