Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text is a devotional hymn, or stotra, dedicated to the deity Vajrasarasvatī. It functions as a ritualized expression of veneration, beginning with formal prostrations to the deity as the Sovereign of Insight and a guide to the authentic path. The work transitions from general homage to a detailed iconographic description, linking the deity's physical attributes to specific spiritual realizations. For instance, the possession of a skull-cup is explicitly tied to the realization of selflessness, and the holding of a jewel is associated with the eradication of poverty. By articulating these connections, the text commits the reader to a meditative visualization where the deity's form serves as a mnemonic for non-conceptual meditative absorption and the attainment of wisdom. The structure follows a standard praise format, moving from the general invocation of the deity's status to the specific symbolic meanings of her attributes.
Provenance
About this text
A eulogy dedicated to the deity Vajrasarasvatī, the Vajrasarasvatīstotra is a devotional hymn within the Indo-Tibetan tradition. The work is attributed to the Indian author Śrīdhara. It entered the Tibetan corpus through the translation efforts of Sumatikīrti and lo tsa ba mar do chos kyi dbang phyug, appearing in the classical Tibetan period. This translation is preserved in the Tengyur, specifically in volume མི, where it is situated within the Other Skillful Means Tantras and spans two pages. The work enacts a ritualized expression of veneration, beginning with formal prostrations to the deity as the Sovereign of Insight and a guide to the authentic path. It transitions from general homage to a detailed iconographic description, linking physical attributes to spiritual realizations; for example, the possession of a skull-cup is tied to the realization of selflessness, while the holding of a jewel is associated with the eradication of poverty. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine how the deity's form serves as a mnemonic for non-conceptual meditative absorption and the attainment of wisdom, following a standard praise format that moves from general invocation to specific attributes.
Sanskrit title
Vajrasarasvatīstotra
Indian author
Śrīdhara
Tibetan translators
Sumatikīrti, lo tsa ba mar do chos kyi dbang phyug
The work is significant for its integration of iconographic detail with philosophical goals, such as the realization of selflessness. It illustrates how Vajrayana practitioners use the visualization of a deity's form to embody complex doctrinal concepts. For the modern reader, it provides a primary example of the intersection between art, ritual, and philosophy in the Indo-Tibetan tradition.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Invocation
Formal homage and prostrations to Vajrasarasvatī as the Sovereign of Insight and Guru.
2
Iconographic Praise
Detailed praise of the deity's attributes, linking the skull-cup and jewel to selflessness and the removal of poverty.
Themes
Non-conceptual meditative absorption (2)
Realization of selflessness (2)
Veneration of the Guru/Deity (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Vajrasarasvatīstotra. In the language of Tibet: Rdo rje dbyangs can ma’i bstod pa (Praise to Vajrasarasvatī). Homage to Vajrasarasvatī!
To the Sovereign of Insight, Vajrasarasvatī,
To the venerable Guru who reveals the authentic path,
I prostrate with faith, devotion, and respect.
To increase my intelligence, I shall write a brief praise.
Glorious Vajrasarasvatī,
Having accomplished your own welfare, you are supremely dedicated
To the welfare of others; to you, the Venerable Lady,
Sarasvatī, I prostrate and praise with my head bowed, with total clarity of mind.
Your three faces are the embodiment of the three doors of liberation;
Your six arms are the perfection of the six perfections;
Your two feet realize the meaning of the two truths—
To the Venerable Lady, I prostrate and praise.
Because you ripen migratory beings through compassion,
You are always the color of a ruby (padmarāga);
To you, Sarasvatī, I prostrate and praise with my head bowed, with total clarity of mind.
Because you are unstained by the mud of desire,
You always dwell upon a lotus;
To you, Sarasvatī, I prostrate and praise with my head bowed, with total clarity of mind.
Your central face is the color of a ruby;
To your speech, the purity of attachment, I prostrate and praise.
Your right face is the color of sapphire (indranīla);
To your mind, the purity of aversion, I prostrate and praise.
Your left face is the color of a jasmine or the moon;
To your body, the purity of ignorance, I prostrate and praise.
Of your six arms, the first right hand holds a lotus;
To you who act for the benefit of beings without attachment, I prostrate and praise.
The middle hand holds a sword that cuts through ignorance;
To you who grant the three types of insight, I prostrate and praise.
The final hand holds a curved knife that cuts through conceptual thought;
Homage and praise to the one who possesses non-conceptual meditative absorption.
Homage and praise to the one who holds a bhāṇḍa skull-cup in the first of the six left hands, having realized the meaning of selflessness.
Homage and praise to the one who holds a jewel in the middle hand to sever poverty, fulfilling the hopes and desires of all beings.
Homage and praise to the one who holds a wheel in the final hand to sever cyclic existence, cutting it from the very root.
Homage and praise to the body adorned with the major and minor marks.
Homage and praise to the voice like that of the kalaviṅka bird.
Homage and praise to the mind that is omniscient regarding all that can be known.
Homage and praise to you, who dispels the darkness of ignorance.
This concludes the praise to Vajrasarasvatī composed by the master Śrīdhara. It was translated by the paṇḍita Sumatikīrti and the translator Mar do Chos kyi dbang phyug.
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.