Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragmentary text is a sādhana, a liturgical manual for the ritual accomplishment of the deity Mahākāla in his form as the Consecrated or Blessed one. The text begins with the formal titles in Sanskrit and Tibetan, establishing its identity as a ritual procedure. It opens with a devotional homage to the Swift-Acting Avalokiteśvara, indicating a theological link between the wrathful Mahākāla and the bodhisattva of compassion. The initial descriptive passage focuses on the iconographic attributes of the deity, specifically his act of trampling upon Vināyaka and the presence of anklets on his feet. By engaging with this text, the practitioner commits to a visualization-based ritual process designed to invoke the protective and transformative power of Mahākāla. The fragment suggests a structure typical of sādhana literature, moving from title and homage toward the detailed visualization of the deity's form.
Provenance
About this text
A sādhana for the ritual accomplishment of the deity Mahākāla, the Adhiṣṭhānamahākālasādhana belongs to the tradition of the Other Wisdom Tantras. The work is attributed to the Indian author Śābaripāda. Preserved in the classical Tibetan period, the text appears in the Tengyur, volume ཤ, under the Tibetan title byin gyis brlbs pa'i nag po chen po'i sgrub thabs/. The record does not name the translators responsible for its passage into Tibetan. As a liturgical manual, the work enacts a visualization-based ritual process, beginning with an homage to the Swift-Acting Avalokiteśvara and proceeding to a detailed iconographic description of the deity. Mahākāla is depicted wearing a tiger-skin loincloth and snake ornaments, with anklets upon his feet as he tramples Vināyaka. A scholar or serious reader consults this single-page fragment today to examine the specific ritual procedures and theological links between the wrathful Mahākāla and the bodhisattva of compassion, as well as to analyze the iconographic attributes required for the practitioner's visualization.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Sādhana of the Consecrated Mahākāla” (Toh 1762), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1762
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for illustrating the intersection of compassion and wrath in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, specifically the relationship between Avalokiteśvara and Mahākāla. It provides insight into the specific iconographic markers, such as the subjugation of Vināyaka, used to identify this particular manifestation of the protector.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction and Iconography
Contains the Sanskrit and Tibetan titles, an homage to Avalokiteśvara, and the beginning of the deity's physical description.
Themes
Ritual Accomplishment (Sādhana) (1)
Deity Iconography (1)
Subjugation of Obstacles (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Adhiṣṭhāna-mahākāla-sādhana-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Byin gyis brlabs pa’i nag po chen po’i sgrub thabs zhes bya ba (The Sādhana of the Blessed Mahākāla). Homage to the Swift-Acting Avalokiteśvara.
He tramples upon Vināyaka, his feet adorned with anklets. Mahākāla wears a tiger-skin loincloth and is fully adorned with ornaments of snakes. His six hands hold a rosary and a curved knife in the middle pair, while the last pair fiercely beats a ḍamaru drum. In his left hands he holds a skull-cup, a trident, and likewise a lasso, which he uses to seize. His fierce face has bared fangs, three wrathful eyes, and hair blazing upward. His forehead is well-smeared with sindūra, and his head is adorned with five dry jeweled skulls. His crown is firmly sealed by Akṣobhya. He wears a necklace of fifty dripping human heads. He stands upon a variegated lotus, sun, and moon maṇḍala, in the midst of a blazing mass of wisdom fire. Visualize him emerging from the wood and accepting the torma.
OṂ VAJRA MAHĀKĀLA KṢIṂ KṢETRA VIGHNĀN VINĀYAKA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ. Recite this seven times and offer the torma. The Sādhana of the Blessed Mahākāla, composed by the great master Śavaripa, is complete.
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.