Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This ritual manual provides a comprehensive sādhanā for the Goddess Kālī, blending meditative visualization with concrete ritual technology. The text instructs the practitioner to construct a complex geometric mandala using substances such as ashes and dried blood, and to visualize Kālī in a specific iconographic form—white-hued, adorned with iron shackles, and mounted on a donkey. The work transitions from internal meditative absorption and the offering of sensory gifts to the performance of aggressive rites. It explicitly commits the reader to a vow to protect the Buddhist Teachings through the use of 'wrathful activities,' including rites designed to induce madness or death in enemies. The process involves the creation of effigies, the use of specific botanical powders, and the recitation of command mantras to coerce targets. Ultimately, the text presents a system where the practitioner transforms into the deity to subjugate malevolent forces and eliminate obstacles through both psychological visualization and physical ritual manipulation.
Provenance
About this text
A sādhanā for the practice of the Glorious Goddess Kālī, the Śrīdevīkālīsādhanopāyikā provides the ritual instructions necessary for a yogin to accomplish the practice of the deity. The work was translated into the Tibetan language by Lokaśrī and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཤ, where it comprises eleven pages. Within the Tibetan canon, it is categorized among the Other Wisdom Tantras. The ritual enacts a process of meditative visualization and concrete ritual technology, directing the practitioner to contemplate the deity with all necessary requisites. This includes the construction of a geometric mandala using substances such as ashes, dried blood, and the juice of dāruharidrā, alongside the writing of seed-mantras and the recitation of the name-mantra of the goddess. The practitioner is further instructed to visualize the deity in a white hue, likened to the moon, snow, or a conch shell, after being nourished by the water of the letter A. A scholar or serious reader consults this classical Tibetan text to examine the specific iconographic and ritual requirements of the Kālī practice, from the preparation of the charnel ground materials to the precise phonetic formulations of the mantras.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Sādhana Ritual for the Goddess Kālī” (Toh 1766), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1766
Summary & commentary
Significance
The text is significant for its illustration of the 'wrathful' side of Indo-Tibetan practice, where tantric methods are applied to worldly and protective ends. It demonstrates the integration of Indian sādhanā traditions with Tibetan ritual elements, such as the use of tormas and specific botanical ingredients for coercive magic.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-4
Preliminary Ritual and Visualization
Instructions on drawing the mandala, writing seed-mantras, and visualizing the physical form and environment of the Goddess Kālī.
5-6
Invocation and Offerings
Mantras used to manifest the deity and the presentation of sensory offerings such as lamps, fragrance, and divine food.
7-9
Iconographic Praise and Vows
Descriptions of the deity's attributes and the practitioner's formal vow to use these powers to protect the Teachings.
10-14
Mantra Practice and Coercive Rites
Guidelines for reciting the essence mantra and detailed instructions for performing rites of killing and madness using effigies and powders.
Themes
Deity Yoga and Visualization (3-4, 10, 14)
Wrathful Ritual Technology (2, 12-13)
Protective Vows and Ethics (9)
Sensory Offerings (6)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Śrīdevīkālīsādhanopika. In the language of Tibet: dPal lha mo nag mo sgrub pa’i thabs kyi cho ga (The Ritual of the Sadhana of the Glorious Goddess Kālī). Homage to the Glorious Goddess Kālī!
A yogin who wishes to accomplish the practice of the Glorious Goddess Kālī should contemplate the deity with all necessary requisites complete. Then, having gone to a place such as a charnel ground, the foot of a tree, a ravine, an empty house, or a secluded location, one should first offer an extensive torma to all the worldly beings, including the ten guardians of the directions.
Then, one should construct a mandala in the shape of an e (the letter E), measuring one cubit in every direction and one cubit in height. Upon this, one should construct a three-tiered platform. On the middle tier, one should make three semicircles; on the bottom tier, three triangles; and on the top tier, three triangles.
One should place a skull-cup from a person of no lineage, or any suitable skull-cup, upon each of these. Having prepared the skull-cups, one should draw a black ra (the letter Ra) inside each skull-cup using charcoal from a funeral pyre. On the outside of each skull-cup, one should draw a red ma (the letter Ma) using human blood. The three semicircles should also be smeared with red. The triangles should be colored black.
If the coloring is not done well, the following faults will occur: if the lines are too thick, the master and disciples will suffer many illnesses; if the lines are too thin, there will be many diseases; if they are crooked, conflict will arise in the region; and if they are interrupted, the master and disciples will die quickly. Therefore, one should use a brush the thickness of a medium-sized bamboo pen and draw the lines circling from the right. The application of the colors should be twice the size of the triangles: the inner triangles should be black, and the outer triangles should be smeared with red.
Draw a half-vajra marking each of the inner and outer triangles. Using a mixture of great ashes and dried blood, write the seed-mantra HŪṂ in the center of the E. On the three inner corners, one should write the life-essence BHYOḤ of all the mamo goddesses. Furthermore, mix the juice of dāruharidrā, charcoal from a charnel ground, the blood of a goat and a dog, and the blood of a black bird; grind these into a fine powder, mix it with pigment, and paint the body of the goddess on a cloth from a charnel ground. Invite her to reside in the center of the E-shaped maṇḍala. Then, arrange the five complete sets of offering materials, such as incense, and present the offerings.
Regarding the meditation on oneself as the samaya goddess: first, visualize a four-petaled or eight-petaled lotus with a filament at your heart. In the center of that lotus’s filament, visualize a blazing letter AṂ with a bindu. Above that, visualize the letter HŪṂ, through whose brilliance you yourself blaze like fire. Imagine that this fire incinerates your conceptual body until it becomes ashes. Then, in the center of those ashes, visualize the letter OṂ, the nature of the life-force, abiding upon the heart of the previous lotus. Above that, visualize the letter BAṂ. Then, from the complete transformation of the letter BAṂ, visualize a white, full vase from the mouth of which a stream of nectar flows. Then, by that life-force letter OṂ, the stream of nectar flows and sprinkles down.
Having been made exceptionally stable and nourished by the water of the letter A, which is explained as the supreme of all letters and the life-force, and having become endowed with majesty, one should visualize [her] like the moon, snow, a kunda flower, a white cloud, or a conch shell. Then, by means of reciting the name-mantra of the glorious goddess: Oṃ mahākāli devī kāli trāntakāla ti caṇḍarūpiṇi hūṃ phaṭ, one should accomplish the deity from that seed-syllable of the mantra, the letter A, and transform it into the body of the glorious Black Goddess (Śrī Kālī) and meditate upon her. Her body is black, as dark as a rain cloud or a bee; she is extremely emaciated, possessing a skeleton-like frame. She has one face, four arms, and two legs. In her first right hand she holds a sword, and in the lower one a bhandha skull-cup filled with blood. She brandishes a khaṭvāṅga staff. In her left hands she holds a śakti spear, and in the lower one she holds aloft a triśūla trident with a silk streamer. She has a stiff human corpse in her mouth and bares her fangs. Her three red eyes gaze askance. Her hair is swept upward, with a lock curling to the left. Her hair is adorned with a garland of skulls. From the neck of a snake on her right ear, a bell tinkles. Her left ear is adorned with a red lion’s mane. Behind both ears, flower garlands and red and black silk diadems flutter. She wears a necklace of skulls belonging to asuras and other beings. She wears a raw elephant hide as an upper garment. Her lower body is wrapped in a large, tattered cowhide skirt with a yellow fringe. She is marked with clusters of drops of blood and fat. Two nāga kings are joined together to form her belt.
Her two feet are adorned with iron shackles, and she sits in a playful posture atop a white-faced donkey. In the midst of the eight charnel grounds, she utters sounds like the blowing of a conch and the roar of thunder, subjugating all the mamos, dakinis, and flesh-eaters. Meditate on her in this way.
Once she is clearly visualized, in the center of her heart, meditate clearly on a heart-light like a lamp, four finger-widths in size and shaped like an egg. In the center of that egg, meditate on a HŪṂ accompanied by a sun and moon maṇḍala. Furthermore, visualize the bindu of the HŪṂ as the sun maṇḍala and the crescent moon of the HŪṂ as the moon maṇḍala. Below that, light rays emanate from the HŪṂ, transforming into the syllables of the mantra as a garland; gaze at that very HŪṂ and, through the application of familiarity and habituation, meditate one-pointedly.
Thus, while clearly visualizing oneself as the samaya goddess, imagine that from the place of accomplishment, the natural goddess—identical to the one previously described—arrives, accompanied by an inconceivable retinue. These mamos are naked with matted hair, adorned with skull ornaments around their necks. Their right hands hold human hearts, and their left hands hold skull-cups (bhaṇḍa) filled with blood. In the center of each heart is the life-essence syllable BHYOḤ.
Then, having invited them into the sky, they dissolve individually into the mantra seeds HŪṂ and BHYOḤ in the center of the syllable E in front, and arise in the form of the mudrā of the body. For that, the summoning, entering, binding, and subjugating are performed with this mantra.
Reciting "Dṛśya jaḥ hūṃ vaṃ hoḥ samaya stvaṃ samaya stvaṃ," one should then meditate on the deity manifesting its form. If it does not manifest in that way, recite "Oṃ hūṃ bhyoḥ e ārali hrīḥ jaḥ" and coerce it. If it still does not appear, command it: "Accomplish whatever I desire in my mind!" Furthermore, when performing the activity, bestow the samaya of the vidyā-mantra. The samaya is also bestowed by sprinkling saffron water with the mantra. This is the samaya mantra: "Oṃ hana hana vajra samaya adhikramanaṃ hūṃ phaṭ." Having given the samaya water, one commands: "Goddess, if you transgress this samaya and do not act as commanded, you will be subjected to great torment. This samaya water will also turn into great hālāhala poison; by merely seeing it, you will vomit blood, and your heart will be torn apart by the great Vajra-Eater, leading to untimely death. You will be killed by the Vajra-Yakṣa and so forth. You will become the great Wrathful Eater, and your body will be consumed by the blazing splendor of the Vajra-Fire, reduced to ashes, and you will be reborn in the Raurava hell while your own individual form remains clearly visible." Thus, the samaya is imposed. Then, offer the five offerings and the torma to the goddess. Recite "Oṃ hūṃ śrīyadevī kāli mahākāli hūṃ bhyoḥ" and "Oṃ vajra puṣpe pūja spharaṇa samaye hūṃ phaṭ" to offer flowers. Recite "Oṃ vajra dhūpe pūja spharaṇa samaye hūṃ" to offer incense to the nose.
Reciting "Oṃ vajra dīpe pūja spharaṇa samaye hūṃ," offer the lamp to the eyes. Reciting "Oṃ vajra gandhe pūja spharaṇa samaye hūṃ," offer the fragrance to the heart. Reciting "Oṃ vajra naivedye pūja spharaṇa samaye hūṃ," offer the divine food into the hands.
Then, one should offer a torma (gtor ma) containing the flesh and blood of a black goat, the flesh and blood of a black bird, and whatever other various meats and blood are available, along with various foods such as beer. Reciting "Mahā māṃsa khāhi, mahā gorocana khāhi, mahā citta khāhi, mahā vasuta khāhi, idaṃ baliṃ gṛhṇa samaya hūṃ phaṭ svāhā," the torma should be offered.
Having thus completed the offerings, one should perform the praise. Blowing a flute, or a thighbone trumpet, or a hand-drum (caṅ te’u), or beating a skull-drum, one should offer praise with a melodious voice:
Oṃ! Glorious Black One, unconquerable mistress of the three realms,
Though you have accomplished your own welfare and are intent upon the gates of liberation,
Through the power of compassion, you subsequently accomplish the welfare of others,
And through various forms of insight, you act for the benefit of beings.
Goddess, your body is black, the color of a rain cloud;
The Black Night, with a form exceedingly fierce,
Extremely emaciated, with a body like a skeleton,
One face, four arms, and two majestic legs.
Your hair stands upright, with a braid coiled to the left;
At your waist are snakes, and you wear a garland of skulls.
Behind your ear is a flower and a black silk crown;
Intoxicated by the wine of blood, your eyes are red.
A stiff human corpse is held in your mouth as you bare your fangs.
Gaping wide, she is utterly delighted by blood. From the neck of the snake on her right earring, she rings a bell. Having subdued the malevolent, she proclaims the voice of Brahmā. On her left earring is a lion with a red mane. As a hero, she proclaims the lion’s roar throughout the three realms. Of her four hands, the first right holds a sword; the lower right holds a skull-cup filled with red blood. The first left holds a śakti weapon; the lower left holds a trident with a silk streamer hanging from its neck. With the heads of asuras slain by the śakti and sword weapons, she has fashioned a necklace. She wears a raw elephant hide as an upper garment. Her lower body is wrapped in a raw cowhide skirt, half of which is bound with a yellow woolen apron. She has a waistband made of intertwined nāga lords. Her two feet are beautifully adorned with iron chains. She is marked with spots of many drops of blood and fat. Riding a white-faced donkey, she roams the charnel grounds at night. The donkey’s hooves possess the speed of lightning; in a mere instant, she circles the three realms. Her voice resounds like the sound of a conch or a dragon. She brings under her control the mātṛkā, ḍākinīs, and flesh-eaters. She dwells in the palace of Yama in the southern direction. From the sacred ground, she beholds the two form bodies. Having attained mastery over meditative absorption, she has come to the abodes of the form realm. She is the one to whom the King of Brahmā and others prostrate. Having gained power over others, she has come to the upper limit of the desire realm. She joyfully embraces the body of Maheśvara. When she came to the groves of the Thirty-Three, she gave breath to the gods and was prostrated to by Śakra. When she brought ruin to the asuras, she—
She to whom all the lords of the asuras prostrate;
When her body’s hue rivals the great Mount Meru,
The sun and moon rise from the direction of her navel.
She to whom the Four Great Kings and others prostrate;
From the depths of the ocean, she can kindle fire and dry the sea.
She to whom all the lords of the subterranean realms prostrate;
Goddess, by displaying these miraculous feats,
The kings of Māra and Yama tremble and bow down.
The hosts of mamos and rākṣasīs roar and laugh;
The hosts of dam-sri tremble and submit to their oath.
From the celestial palace of the jeweled tent of the heart,
The light rays of the stacked maṇḍalas of sun and moon blaze forth.
Having gathered the essence of the worlds of the ten directions,
She causes them to dissolve into the solar maṇḍala.
With the vapors of poison, she provokes
The four hundred and four diseases of the dark side.
Therefore, Lady of Disease, gather under your oath!
Having gathered the essence of the nectar of the worlds of the ten directions,
She causes them to dissolve into the lunar maṇḍala.
With the vapors of nectar, she cuts the root of
The four hundred and four diseases of the white side.
Queen of Nectar Medicine, gather under your oath!
Whoever has faith in you is dearer than a mother.
Therefore, Sole Mother of Disease, Chief of Medicine,
Goddess of Nectar, I constantly praise you!
In the presence of the Buddha Śākyamuni,
From now until the end of saṃsāra,
To pacify the diseases, sufferings, and so forth of the white side,
Increase my lifespan and merit;
Subdue and bring under control the dark side.
These activities, such as the rites of driving mad and killing, I shall perform in order to protect the Teachings. If I should transgress this, I would have deceived the body of the Victorious One; may the Vajra of the Victors of the three times crush my head! Having thus made this vow in the presence of the Victorious One, please consider the samaya with joy according to your promise. Swiftly carry out the enlightened activities just as you vowed! Upon me, the yogi, and my retinue, let fall a rain of the stream of nectar from your mouths; pacify the host of sufferings such as disease! Increase our lifespan, charisma, and enjoyments! Cause material wealth, harvests, heaps of grain, precious gems, and livestock to flourish! As for those who revile the Guru and disparage the status of the Triple Gem, and those who create obstacles to my virtue—this evil-doer named [Name], blow the wind of poison from within your heart! Stir up the diseases of the four humors from within! Let the skin fall to the ground and strike it! Let the five solid and hollow organs vomit internal blood! Let the evil-doer and his retinue beat their great breasts! Let them cry out in lamentation and wailing to the heavens! Let the Lord of Death kill them with madness and possession! Send down ill omens such as beasts of prey and garuḍas! Swiftly perform this activity of protecting the Teachings! OṂ RO RU RO RU VITIṢṬHA VADHOTSĪ KAMĀLA RAKṢASI HŪṂ BHYOḤ! [Name] MĀRAYA HŪṂ PHAṬ! Recite this while binding them by oath. Distribute the torma and recite the mantra one hundred and eight times, or otherwise twenty-one times. Furthermore, perform all the praises, such as the dhāraṇī of the Goddess.
Then, abiding in the yoga of the goddess, one should perform the recitation of this essence mantra (hṛdaya-mantra) which accomplishes all aims:
"Neither too fast nor too slow,
Neither indistinct nor too clear,
Without losing the vowel and consonant curves,
Recite while abandoning distracted thoughts.
OṂ HŪṂ ŚRĪYA DEVĪ KĀLI MAHĀKĀLI HŪṂ BHYOḤ ĀRALI HRĪṂ JAḤ."
Having made the syllables clear, one should maintain the pride of greatness, thinking that all the words of the mantra are the speech of the goddess, and that the sound of the mantra issues from the mouths of all the emanated goddesses. One should perform the recitation and so forth in that manner. This is the preliminary mantra; by reciting it seven hundred thousand times, or alternatively three hundred thousand times, all activities will be accomplished.
Furthermore, having recited the mantra ten thousand times, offer a torma (bali) for each. Forming a fist and extending the two index fingers, place them like fangs at the left and right sides of the mouth. Recite "OṂ BYĀVĀTTĀLI CHE" seven or three times, and then say:
"Charnel ground mamo, face of accomplishments,
Fierce one, baring fangs, mouth of a preta,
Guardian of the samaya, blood-loving one,
I praise you, who delights the Great Deity.
Proclaiming the sound 'Kili', holder of union,
In the midst of the lake of corpses in the charnel ground,
Together with the assembly and messengers,
I praise you, the fierce one who acts as a māra.
Sovereign of the four activities, possessing various forms,
With a terrifying form that is exceedingly emaciated,
Clad in skins, riding a donkey,
I praise you, Mistress of the three abodes.
Anklets, body ornaments, and marked with ash..."
Wandering the four directions, the Lord of Life, having become amazed, praised the one with that name. He bowed to the previous ones and others, saying: "Please accept and partake, O deity of samaya! Please act to move from place to place. Whatever my intentions and desires may be, please bring them to fulfillment. Whatever actions I perform, please act as an assistant to all of them."
Reciting: Gṛhṇa gṛhṇa sarvaduṣṭāṃ praduṣṭāṃ bhakṣa bhakṣa phruṃ phruṃ phruṃ phaṭ svāhā, one should snap the fingers three times and dismiss [the deity]. One should understand it in this way until the mantra is complete. Recite for as long as one does not become weary. When weary, perform the praise, offer the water for the feet, make offerings, and prostrate. Request the goddess to depart.
Having first offered worship to the glorious goddess and completed the approach (sevā), the yogi who has received the prophecy and obtained the signs should first recite the essence mantra one hundred thousand times. Then, one should apply oneself to the activities. Regarding that, one should perform the activities of driving mad and killing: take earth from an anthill, earth from both riverbanks, earth from a charnel ground, warm ashes from a charnel ground, and charcoal from a charnel ground. Mix these substances together, grind them finely, and knead them with the urine of a donkey to fashion an image of the target. Even if there is no ludbu plant, mix the fruit of the lungtang-tse, poison, mustard seeds, salt, and goat's blood. Write the name and clan of the person whose bla (soul) is to be seized upon a birch bark. On the body of that bla, write their name and clan, and...
Write it with the imperative command "Kill!" and write it thus: HŪṂ [Name] MĀRAYA MĀRAYA UNMANTA KURU HŪṂ PHAṬ. Combine this with the life-stone and insert it into the heart of the effigy. Furthermore, mix the aforementioned substances with the three hot spices and black sulfur, grind them finely, and mix them with donkey urine; smear this thoroughly over the effigy. Then, place it inside the skull of a predator and set it in the center of the maṇḍala. Then, summon the target and dissolve them into the effigy; contemplate that it is indeed that very person and perform the ritual upon it. Impale it on a stake in the manner of an execution; here, one should forge a single-pointed stake from iron. When done in this way, it is the goddess; drive it upward from the anus of the effigy and extract it. Then, if one recites the mantra three hundred thousand times, the enemy will be destroyed. As for what is to be visualized in the center: in the center of the heart of the target, from the syllable KAṂ, a black, hideous scorpion arises; having entered the center of the lamp of the heart, visualize it drinking the heart-blood and eating the flesh. Furthermore, from the light rays of the internal HŪṂ in the heart of the visualized Glorious Black Goddess, red JAḤ syllables radiate and gather from the ten directions; from their total transformation, visualize an iron female wolf with a mane. Visualize that it sucks the blood from the center of the heart-vein of the target while reciting the mantra: OṂ HŪṂ ŚRĪ DEVĪ KĀLI MAHĀKĀLI HŪṂ BHYOḤ.
Recite "MAMA ŚATRŪṂ ĀMUKAṂ MĀRAYA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ" one hundred times. As for the substances: finely grind the roots of kana, black cumin, indravāruṇī, yakṣahasta, vatsanābha, red jīvaka, charcoal from a charnel ground, and salt, and mix them into a powder. Recite the mantra and strike the effigy with it. Heat a vivid red kīla and strike it into the heart. Having thus cut the effigy into pieces with a sharp weapon and reduced it to powder, if datura fruit is available, that is best; if not, take one hundred and eight laṅga-tse fruits, soak them in sour gruel, and mix them with the powder of the effigy. Adopting the yoga of the glorious goddess, with disheveled hair and naked, face the south and perform the fire offering (homa) with thorns. Then, for the mantra: "OṂ HŪṂ ŚRĪ DEVĪ KĀLI MAHĀKĀLI HŪṂ BHYOḤ | MAMA ŚATRŪṂ ĀMUKAṂ MĀRAYA UNMANTHA KURU HŪṂ PHAṬ." Recite this one hundred and eight times, adding the substances and burning them. If one acts in this way, the target will go mad and die. It is also said: "If one takes those very ashes with the syllable HAṂ and strikes them upon the crown of the head, the target will go mad for twenty-one years." Furthermore, in my own dream-omens: "If a wrathful black woman binds someone with a cord, know that to be the Black Night. The target will die within seven days and go to the realm of Yama. Even if it should take a little longer, one should perform this meditative concentration for seven days and nights."
Visualize the object of the rite appearing clearly before you, with a body that is emaciated and gaunt, with disheveled hair, hunched over, and dripping with semen, sweat, and blood, in a state of trembling. From the syllable HŪṂ abiding as myself in the form of the goddess, light rays emerge like the sun and sparks of fire. Blazing like the fire at the end of an eon, accompanied by roaring, crackling, and sizzling sounds, it becomes the fierce syllable HŪṂ. Imagine that from this HŪṂ, it transforms into a vajra needle. Imagine that this blazing vajra needle enters the anus of the enemy, pierces the heart, and emerges from the mouth or from the Brahma-aperture at the crown of the head, blazing intensely. At the end of the essence mantra, recite: "So-and-so HANA HANA, DAHA DAHA, HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ," and cause them to fall face down. If even the gods of meditative concentration die by such means, what need is there to mention ordinary humans dwelling in saṃsāra? This concludes the method for accomplishing the goddess according to the non-Buddhist tradition, translated by the master Lokaśrī.
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.