Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This commentary on the Vajrabhairava Tantra serves as a technical manual for the practitioner, bridging the gap between the root tantric verses and their practical application. The text argues that spiritual attainment—defined as the dual perfection of abandoning cognitive obscurations and attaining manifest enlightenment—is contingent upon the precise execution of ritual and meditative protocols. It provides a comprehensive guide to the approach and accomplishment stages, detailing the construction of mandalas, the visualization of the deity's attributes, and the specific requirements for ritual substances. The work commits the reader to a rigorous path of tantric practice that integrates internal yogic processes, such as the manipulation of channels and seed syllables, with external ritual actions, including the use of charnel ground materials and the performance of power rites. Ultimately, the text emphasizes that these activities must be grounded in great compassion and a realization of emptiness to avoid spiritual failure or harm.
Provenance
About this text
A commentary on the Vajrabhairava Tantra titled the Precious Garland, this work belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. It is attributed to the Indian author Kṛṣṇa Paṇḍita. The text was translated into Tibetan by Vairocanarakṣita and Glan dar ma blo gros, and it is preserved in the Tengyur (vol. མི) within the Other Skillful Means Tantras collection, where it spans twenty pages. The work functions as a technical manual for the practitioner, bridging the gap between root tantric verses and their practical application. It argues that spiritual attainment—defined as the dual perfection of abandoning cognitive obscurations and attaining manifest enlightenment—is contingent upon the precise execution of ritual and meditative protocols. It provides a comprehensive guide to the approach and accomplishment stages, detailing the construction of mandalas, the visualization of the deity's attributes, and the specific requirements for ritual substances. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to understand a rigorous path of tantric practice that integrates internal yogic processes, such as the manipulation of channels and seed syllables, with external ritual actions, including the use of charnel ground materials and the performance of power rites.
Sanskrit title
not recorded
Indian author
Kṛṣṇa Paṇḍita
Tibetan translators
Vairocanarakṣita, bod kyi lo tsa ba glan dar ma blo gros
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Commentary on the [Great] Vajrabhairava Tantra called “The Precious Garland”” (Toh 1974), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1974
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as it preserves the specific ritual requirements and symbolic interpretations necessary for the Vajrabhairava tradition. For the modern reader, it illustrates the intersection of high-level philosophy, such as the nature of emptiness, with the visceral and transgressive elements of charnel ground practice.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-11
Preliminary and Ritual Foundations
Covers the goals of practice, definitions of ritual sites like charnel grounds, the symbolic meaning of ritual ornaments, and the preparation of substances for deity construction.
12-15
Technical and Power Rites
Details the specific phonetic requirements for mantras, methods for subduing enemies or bestowing wealth, and the use of meditative absorption for protection.
16-21
Visualization and Mandala Construction
Describes the generation of the elemental mandalas, the symbolic meaning of the deity's form and implements, and the requirements for drawing the deity.
22-26
Advanced Rituals and Results
Discusses fire rituals, the timing of rites based on lunar phases, the necessity of compassion for success, and the attainment of longevity through nectar.
Themes
Ritual Precision and Materiality (4, 10, 11, 22)
Symbolism of the Deity and Implements (6, 17, 18, 19)
The Integration of Compassion and Emptiness (6, 15, 20, 25)
Yogic and Energetic Processes (7, 16, 26)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Commentary on the [Great] Vajrabhairava Tantra called “The Precious Garland”·
In the language of India: Vajrabhairavatantrapañjikāratnamālā-nāma. In the language of Tibet: rDo rje 'jigs byed kyi rgyud kyi 'grel pa rin po che'i phreng ba zhes bya ba (The Precious Garland: A Commentary on the Vajrabhairava Tantra). Homage to the glorious Vajrabhairava!
Through the indivisibility of emptiness and compassion, you dispel the fears of wandering beings. To the glorious Vajrabhairava, the Terrifier, the King of Wrathful Deities, I pay homage with devotion. For the sake of yogins in this degenerate age, so that they may easily engage in the conduct that benefits beings, I shall clarify the supreme meaning of its seven chapters with this Precious Garland.
All tantras are taught through the five perfections. This is without doubt, as it originated from the eighteen thousand tantras of Mañjuśrī and was bestowed by the Vajra Ḍākinīs. The meaning is to be understood as follows: the Teacher, the Great Vajradhara, while residing in the dharmadhātu bhaga of Vajravārāhī, taught the Dharma to an assembly including the Four Executioners and others, and this was then compiled by Vajrapāṇi.
Here, the word "then" (de nas) indicates immediate succession; it refers to what has preceded and introduces the teaching of the seven chapters of the Dharma that were not yet complete. Furthermore, it should be understood as an invocation for the subsequent teaching and for auspiciousness that was not yet finalized. In the context of connecting the text, the first chapter is presented in order to establish the meaning of the tantra. "Then, I shall correctly and thoroughly explain..."
(Note: The passage concludes with the opening of the first chapter, indicating the transition from the introductory framework to the actual content of the tantra.)
This means that following the previous [section], the seventh chapter—which is perfectly excellent, supreme, and unerring regarding the common and uncommon goals—is taught by clearly and extensively opening up the path for practitioners, complete and without error, including the approach and accomplishment, the maṇḍala, the yantras, meditative concentration, recitation, fire offerings, and so forth; thus, it is the promise to explain.
"Vajra" indicates the Dharmakāya, which is emptiness and the teaching of insight. "Bhairava" indicates the Rūpakāya, which accomplishes the methods of compassion. "Method" refers to the result; this text teaches the practitioner the method of accomplishment. "Accomplishment" means that by means of that method, the welfare of oneself and others is achieved.
"Deities" refers to how Vajrabhairava, together with his ferocity, strikes fear into all the gods, such as Brahmā and others, and generates their ferocity. Furthermore, through emptiness and compassion, the results are the Dharmakāya and Rūpakāya themselves. Since compassion alone would not benefit sentient beings who are possessed of malice, Vajradhara acts to terrify them. He is the great wrathful one, whose body is utterly terrifying, with its heads, hands, implements, ornaments, garments, and seat, and whose solar radiance is as fierce as the fire at the end of an eon—an incomparable great wrathful one impelled by compassion.
This is also shown by the statement: "Internally, he is cool like snow; externally, through his ferocity, he protects beings." Since the Blessed One Vajradhara himself is accomplished by this tantra of the result to be accomplished, it is the "path of accomplishment." Since the practitioner requires the siddhis, it is the "purpose."
Furthermore, one's own welfare is twofold and perfect: the perfection of abandonment, which is the relinquishing of the afflictive and cognitive obscurations without exception; and the perfection of attainment, which is the attainment of manifest enlightenment through manifest awakening. The means for that purpose is the sādhana itself, which arises from the tantra of methods. The purpose of that purpose is the perfection of the welfare of others; for by accomplishing this through this tantra, one benefits those who harm the teachings—such as māras, tīrthikas, nāgas, yakṣas, Rudra, Caṇḍī, and the fierce Bhairava—as well as those who harm sentient beings and the master. By the yogi’s accomplishment, the welfare of self and others is attained. The relationship between the subject matter (vācya) and the expression (vācaka) is shown through their mutual connection, their arising from one another, and their identity. In this context, "therein" refers to the desire for the subject matter and so forth. "First" means prior to the commencement of accomplishing that purpose. "Mantra practitioner" refers to the yogi who has received empowerment and understands the mantra approach, the sevā, the maṇḍala, and so on. "Pleasant" means one should dwell in a single place that is agreeable to the mind, such as a charnel ground or similar site. Furthermore, it should be understood that one should remain there provided one has companions and the necessary materials. "Purpose" refers to the welfare of self and others. "Empowerment" and so forth refer to the accomplishment of the pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and wrathful activities, as well as the maṇḍala, yantras, meditative concentration, recitation, fire offerings, and so on.
A "charnel ground" (dur-khrod) refers to a place where the dead are brought, a site for corpses. "The edge of water" refers to a river or a lake; there, one should accomplish the male and female yakṣas and the male and female nāgas. "A solitary tree" is one whose shadow is not reached or touched by other trees. "A single sign" is a solitary place in an open field bearing the sign of Maheśvara. "A crossroads" is where four roads meet; there, one should perform the rite of paralyzing. Furthermore, one should understand that this is to be done while staying in a place provided with a village and goods. "A mountain peak" is the summit of a high mountain; it is the site for expelling. "An empty house" refers to an empty temple or a vacant dwelling; it is the site for the approach and accomplishment (sevā-sādhana) of the sword, eye-salve, pills, alchemy, elixirs, treasures, spirits, and zombies. "The house of the mātṛs" refers to the dwelling place of the wives of the eight gods; it is the site for magnetizing, summoning, and accomplishment. "A battlefield" is a place where many have died in mutual combat; it is the site for causing division. "A village or a thicket" refers to one's own home, the midst of trees, and the site for accomplishing the subjugation of piśācas.
Regarding the phrase "the yogi who has received empowerment into the glorious Great Vajrabhairava": this refers to a yogi who has performed the approach (sevā) endowed with the four yogas, having recited one hundred thousand times the hrīḥ ṣṭrīḥ ya of Vajrabhairava generated from ya, and ten thousand times each for the twelve retinue deities generated from kṣe ma and so forth, such as jina jik. Having thus performed the approach, they have received the preliminary rites, the accomplishment of the maṇḍala, and the four empowerments or as many as are appropriate.
By relying on the four yogas, one performs the approach practice to accomplish the empowerments and so forth, and applies them to the activities. Regarding the sword, eye salve, and so on, all the ritual substances distinguished by this deity, mantra, and tantra are no different from those in other tantras; this should be understood as common to all. "Bhūta" refers to Aparājita. "Vetāla" refers to a type of corpse that is without wounds, possessing strength, youthfulness, and so forth. "Piśāca" refers to the rākṣasa Caṇḍika. "Yakṣa" refers to Jambhala and his sons. "She" refers to his wife and Vasudhārā. "Nāga" refers to the eight great nāgas, Apalāla, and others who bring down rain. "She" also refers to the eight nāginīs and so forth. "And so forth" refers to those capable of acting as companions according to the specific location. The others are easy to understand. "One should draw the maṇḍala" refers to the time of accomplishment; it is to be drawn with the pigments of a charnel ground. Having first performed the ritual of the site and the preliminary lines, one draws it; the marking cord should also be made from the sinew of a corpse. "Square" means it is without unevenness and is characterized by equanimity. "Four doors" refers to the purity of emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, and the unconditioned. "Four archways" refers to the nature of the four dhyānas. "Bell" refers to the realization that all phenomena are empty. "Sword" refers to the purification of the eight consciousnesses. "Banner" refers to the purity of the nine branches of the excellent speech.
"Flower garland" refers to the purification of the five sensory qualities. "Vajra" refers to the indivisible. "Jewel" refers to the great compassion that expands the unsurpassed joy. "Crescent moon" refers to the increase of bodhicitta. "Lattices and half-lattices" refers to the purification of the protection of method and insight. "In its center" refers to the divine palace. "Nine squares" refers to the abodes of the nine deities, consisting of a crossed vajra and four variegated lotuses in the four intermediate directions. One should also draw the divine plinth, the vajra fence, and the gates, and arrange the symbols of the deities. "One gate" means that if there is only one practitioner, the others are excluded. For wrathful rites and this very [practice], one should use only the southern gate. For magnetizing and pacifying rites as well, one uses only the southern gate. Furthermore, regarding the completion stage, the gates are the four doors of liberation. A "gate" is so called because of going and coming: it is the going through the gate of the maṇḍala of clear realization, wherein the four yogas enter into the form of emptiness. It is not entering or going elsewhere. It is the coming through the four maṇḍalas into the gate of the winds, wherein the four mantras are inserted and the four methods of recitation are applied to the gate of the signless. It is the four dharmas at the gate of the wishless, and also at the navel: on the sixteen channel-petals, the syllables KṢE and so forth, blazing through the application of wind and fire; at the heart, on the eight channel-petals, the syllables HI and so forth, and at the navel, the syllables OṂ and HŪṂ and so forth, in the form of blazing; and at the throat, on the eight channel-petals, the essences such as OṂ YA and so forth, by way of their descending.
At the crown, the four channel-petals are marked with OṂ, YA, DHĪḤ, HŪṂ, and HAṂ; they enter the gateway of the navel and arise as great bliss. One should meditate on those three unconditioned gateways as indivisibly one, where form, mantra, and dharma are neither existent, nor non-existent, nor both, nor neither. Furthermore, they are restricted in that they proceed and return through their own respective gateways, without going to or coming from any other. Regarding the gateway of entry, the gateway of liberation also occurs through that very same one. As for the instruction to "draw a vetāla in the center," this is the deity’s seat: a single-headed, two-armed figure with red eyes, yellow hair bristling upward, naked and black in color, baring its teeth and fangs, holding a sword in the right hand and a skull-cup in the left. There are eight of these, and in the center, Mahādeva and Umādevī are to be drawn. In the four corners, four skull-cups filled with nectar are to be drawn atop vases. Regarding "heads in the east," this means that at the four gates, one should draw heads, hands, intestines, and feet. Regarding "skulls in the north," this refers to the northeast corner and so forth, proceeding clockwise. Then, regarding "the exterior of the maṇḍala," this refers to arranging the deity-platform starting from the Ishāna (northeast) position, arranged clockwise. Regarding "single-pointed weapons," these are iron spears equipped with bundles of peacock feathers. Regarding "single-pointed vajras," these are half-spears. The others are easy to understand. Regarding "great clarified butter," this is a lamp made of melted human fat. Regarding "great mantra," this refers to a domestic fowl. Regarding "thoroughly composed in meditative equipoise," this means the mind is placed upon the deity and emptiness, having abandoned all other conceptual thoughts.
Regarding the phrase "fire offerings, torma offerings, and so forth": within the blazing belly of oneself as Vajrabhairava, one generates the fire deity Vajrabhairava at the center of the fire in the heart. Having invited the wisdom deity and dissolved him into the fire deity, one visualizes the tongues of the fire deity and one’s own tongue as a vajra tube, through which all food is offered. The refined essence pleases the deities, while the dregs are cast into the hearth and visualized as turning to ash. Those meats are also offered to the torma and the deities, having been consecrated as nectar through the application of fire and wind as in other rituals. Regarding the phrase "sprinkle with great blood," this refers to the time of drawing the aforementioned maṇḍala. "All the divine food offerings should be presented" refers to the times of eating taught for oneself: when one is Vajrabhairava, at the time of the seven purifications, at the time of dissolving the wisdom being, at the time of conferring empowerment, and at all times of entrusting activities; during these, one offers to the glorious Vajrabhairava with the divine pride of oneself as the deity. "Ha ha" refers to the eight [syllables] such as Ho Hi, which are the eight laughs of the view. One laughs in order to dispel obstacles. "Remaining in meditative equipoise" means that the mind is not distracted from the sequence of the ritual. "Those who desire the accomplishments of the maṇḍala should enter" refers to the connection with meditating on the four yogas and conferring empowerment for whichever [activity] is desired, such as pacifying and so forth. "Delicious wine" refers to the gaṇacakra and the feast of the heroes. "Then, focusing on the desired accomplishment" refers to the time of the disciples receiving empowerment, or when the master or oneself has devotion, and one receives [the accomplishment] from the glorious Vajrabhairava.
"In its center" refers to the meditation on the deity at the time of empowerment and the receiving of accomplishments (siddhi) at the time of practice. At the time of conferring empowerment upon the disciples, the master remains together with the wrathful deities; for the secret empowerment and the wisdom-gnosis (prajñājñāna) empowerment, he remains upon the colored powder mandala or in a condensed form, endowed with Vajrabhairava. Then, "great terror" refers to the arrival of the Blessed One, or the appearance of unpleasant forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. "Obstacles" are those that harm the practitioner and create hindrances to accomplishment. If one does not become terrified, then subsequently, whatever accomplishment is desired will be granted. "Vidyādhara" refers to the practitioner. "All subtle activities" refers to the accomplishment of those teachings concerning activities related to yantras. "Yoga Tantra" refers to the seventh chapter on the practice mandala of the Great Vajrabhairava of Activity from among the five Father Tantra classes. Furthermore, practice is preceded by the approach (sevā) and empowerment. "The first chapter is complete" refers to the investigation of individual activities. "The first" is prior to the seventh; "the seventh is complete" indicates that the ritual of the mandala has been taught in its entirety. This is the explanation of the first chapter of the Glorious Vajrabhairava. As for what that mandala is: it is for the benefit of humans and non-humans of those lineages who cannot be tamed by peaceful means. From "Then" onwards, most of it is easy to understand.
Regarding the phrase "cloth from a charnel ground": one should take the cloth from a corpse that died by the blade and was brought to a charnel ground on the twenty-second day of the waning moon. It should be mixed with great ashes, white earth, the five nectars, the blood of humans, dogs, and so forth, various types of poisons, and the five pigments. It should be stretched out, either as a double-layered piece two cubits in width or as a single layer. One should then draw the wheel of the body of Yamāntaka, which is the wheel of the twelve links of dependent origination, and in the center, draw an eight-square grid. Regarding the "sixteen," as in the Kṛṣṇayamāri, one should arrange the activity mantras in the cardinal and intermediate directions, and between them, intersperse the name of the target. In the twelve [squares], the four directions, the center, and the five [totaling twelve], one should write the seventeen root mantras, interspersing the four human seed-syllables with the name of the target. One should arrange the activity mantras interspersed with the essence mantras at the locations such as the crown of the head. One should also write eight hūṃ and phaṭ syllables in the cardinal and intermediate directions, with the head facing south. According to the pith instructions, one should visualize the blazing form together with the locations of the deities. Regarding the phrase "if one wishes to afflict with fever": for those who harm the teachings and so forth, a compassionate yogi should employ the method of causing death through fever by sending a contagious disease. If one wishes for the target to die of a hot fever, one should smear the skull of one who died by the blade—such as by hanging—with lac and "great blood" (mahārakta), and using a mineral pigment, draw the target with the head facing [the practitioner], with a red body blazing upward, the body perspiring, intensely inflamed by heat, and with hot breath. If one wishes to send a cold fever:
One should draw [the figure] white, with a large belly, loose hair, trembling, and cold breath. Draw both [figures] similarly with three heads and three arms, appearing distressed. Furthermore, mix charcoal from a cremation ground, earth, brick, the footprints of the target, and the urine of a mother; fashion a form from this and place the mantra-wheel inside a skull at its heart. With the divine pride, perform the summoning and absorption, and cover it by drawing the same [mantra] on the upper skull. Smear it with poison, mustard seeds, and so forth, and anoint it with black butter and lac. Bind the target with a hair-cord, place it beneath the ashes of a cremation, and meditate on oneself as the extremely wrathful Vajrabhairava. If one recites a single section of the mantra and buries it, the target will certainly die of fever.
Regarding the instruction to "interweave and arrange the letters of the mantra": the seventeen [syllables] previously taught should be written interwoven with māraya phaṭ, uccāṭaya, and vidveṣaya; this also relates to the subsequent recitation. Regarding the "substances previously taught," such as human ash, white earth, and so forth, as well as the remains of an offering cake partially eaten by a crow, and the cloth from a corpse that has not been discarded from the dri chen (feces): one should draw a single wheel with sixteen spokes—consisting of the four inner spokes and the [outer] twelve. The previously drawn target is discarded; furthermore, for killing, it is the cremation ground itself. For expelling, one draws the form of a camel with a wheel on its back; by means of the wind-wheel and the activities below, the target will be expelled.
Furthermore, the application of the lower and upper wheels is the pith instruction. Regarding "water," it means the tongue is rendered motionless without flowing forcefully. For the rite of power (vaśya), one should conceal it in the bhaga of a woman. For the rite of separation (vidveṣaṇa), one should do so on the backs of a horse and a buffalo. Regarding "from the crown," this refers to the forehead, mouth, heart, secret place, and the blue crown. "The form of Yama" means that after performing the consecration (pratisthā), one should conceal it once the signs have appeared. Regarding "skin," one should take the inner skin stripped from the face and fill it with fragrances, water, and earth from a footprint. For seven nights, one should cast mantras and white mustard seeds into it and perform the suppression (māraṇa). According to the pith instructions of the text, for the rite of pacification (śānti), the ya in the center is to be removed, and the object of accomplishment (sādhya) should be placed upon a moon maṇḍala. For the rite of enrichment (puṣṭi), one should place it upon a yellow moon and perform the consecration of the wheel. This is the explanation of the second chapter of the Śrī Vajrabhairava-kalpa.
Then, as mantras are required for the wheels and the practice, and because they will not be accomplished if the mantras are corrupted, the extraction of the mantras (mantra-saṃhāra) is taught. To do so, one should smear the ground with fragrant scents, write the āli and kāli, make offerings, and also present torma offerings. The "first of the sixth" is ya. This is understood by dividing [the consonants] into seven groups: the ka-group, ca-group, ṭa-group, ta-group, pa-group, ya-group, and the śa-group. The "fifth" is ma. The "second of the sixth" is ra. The "second vowel" is the long ā; when joined with ra, it is called long rā. The "third of the second" is ja.
The "second vowel" is the long Ā; when joined with JA, it becomes the long JĀ. The "seventh" refers to the ŚA-group. The "third" is SA. The "fourth" is the TA-group. The "third" is DA. The "thirteenth vowel" is the short O; when joined with it, it becomes the short DO. The others should be understood in the same way, but they are not written here for fear of excessive length.
Regarding the "one hundred thousand," "three hundred thousand," and "seven hundred thousand," these refer to the accomplishment of the approach, the accomplishment, and the application of activities, which are achieved in two, six, and [seven] months respectively. Subsequently, one should perform them day by day with a mind endowed with compassion.
Furthermore:
The syllable YA becomes hatred itself.
The syllable KṢE is said to be delusion.
The syllable MA becomes slander itself.
ME is the Yamāntaka who subdues desire.
The syllable DA performs all activities from jealousy.
YA, CA, THO, BA, and DBYUG PA;
NI, RA, the lotus, and the sword Yamāntaka.
The syllable JA is the goddess Cāmuṇḍā;
Vārāhī is the very earth of the Mother.
From that, Sārasvatī is established as the Mother.
RU is the nature of Gaurī.
ṆA, YO, NI, RA are the four skull-cups.
The seventeen syllables are the seventeen deities.
Through them, all activities will be performed.
By this, the maṇḍala for the empowerment and the thirteen deities to be accomplished and invoked during the approach and accomplishment are established. From that very source: OṂ is Śakra; HRĪḤ is Yama; ṢṬRĪḤ and so forth are the directional protectors. The yogi entrusts the activities to them. "Yamāntaka makes one's own awareness manifest"—by this, one invokes the deities and performs the activity of invoking the Dharma protectors to explain the Dharma.
The instruction for subduing the wicked through the actual bestowing of wealth and through meditative concentration is as follows. Furthermore, the yogin should perform the summoning and so forth, as well as the purification and cleansing, by means of the thirteen deities, the thirteen maṇḍalas of the Buddha, the thirteen-deity colored-powder maṇḍala, and the thirteen-deity yantra. Regarding "all activities," this means that once the approach and accomplishment stages have been completed through such understanding, one performs all activities, such as the supreme and the pacifying. This is the explanation of the third chapter. Since accomplishment through mantra is not achieved without focusing on the deity, the sādhana is taught for the purpose of clear realization, beginning with the words "Then..." "Then" refers to the connection between the completion of the mantra extraction and the necessity of meditating on the deity. "I shall explain perfectly" refers to the method; it is the perfect explanation of the sādhana of Vajrabhairava. "Vajrabhairava" is the object to be accomplished, and the "perfect explanation of the method" is the means of accomplishment. Thus, it is the perfect explanation of the sādhana: through the guru’s oral instructions, the yogin realizes all phenomena as empty, and by means of the clear visualization of the deity, the mantra is accomplished. As for the oral instructions, one should first prepare the site as previously taught, including the ritual substances and companions, and then draw the maṇḍala, arrange the images, and offer the offerings and torma. "At the very beginning" means at that initial time: having sat on a comfortable seat in that place, having purified the mouth with the five nectars, and having become naked with hair loose, one should face south. By means of the protection of the lattice and pavilion from the syllable ma at the heart, [the protection is established].
By guarding the place, great compassion, the deity, and the meditative absorption on emptiness, the yogi is also protected. The light rays, endowed with five colors, from the seed syllable at the heart pervade all the world systems of the ten directions, thereby invoking all the Buddhas of the five families. Having purified the five continua of migratory beings, one visualizes all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, wrathful deities, and gurus in the space before oneself. From the seed syllable at one’s own heart, emanate offering goddesses, and perform the outer, inner, and suchness offerings with Vajracarcikā and the others. Having performed the confession of misdeeds and so forth, meditate on the four immeasurable abodes: the definition of loving-kindness is to pervade all sentient beings with affection without abandoning them; the definition of compassion is the desire to protect them from suffering; the definition of joy is the desire for them to have happiness and not be separated from it; and equanimity is the knowledge that does not differentiate between near and far and abandons the eight worldly concerns. Following that, having realized that phenomena are empty of being one or many, free from the four extremes, and that their nature as dependent origination is not established, recite: oṃ śūnyatā-jñāna-vajra-svabhāvātmako ’haṃ. Rest the mind without any focal point, pervading space as the unchanging nature of the wisdom of emptiness, the meaning of that mantra. Regarding the words, "From the syllable yaṃ in the center of space," this is through the power of the prior accumulation of merit and aspiration prayers from the nature of phenomena.
From the sequence of yaṃ, raṃ, vaṃ, laṃ, and suṃ, the maṇḍalas of the four elements—blue, red, white, and yellow—are formed. In the center of the four continents, from suṃ, Mount Meru, the king of mountains, arises with its four peaks. Upon it, from ma, arises a sun maṇḍala, and above that, from hūṃ, a crossed vajra is formed. One should then meditate on the vajra ground, the fence, the canopy, and the canopy-canopy.
Within that, the celestial palace arises from Mañjuśrī Jñānasattva; it is square with four doors and includes the charnel grounds, generated as before. Within that, from the syllable dhīḥ, one meditates on the Yoga, Anuyoga, Atiyoga, and Mahāyoga of the Primordial Buddha. At the time of the ritual application, the "Solitary Hero" is the very one clearly described in the main text. The distinction is that the dhīḥ and the sword are yellow, and one meditates on him holding a book in his left hand. He sits in the vajra posture upon a lotus and moon.
Regarding the phrase "that very vajra has nine faces": at the time of the fruition, when Vajradhara is established as Vajrabhairava, one should bless and take the divine pride of the nature of the dharmadhātu, the inseparability of existence and peace. This is completed with: oṃ vajradharmadhātu svabhāva ātmako ’haṃ.
Furthermore, the entry of the wisdom-being (jñānasattva), the blessing of the sense bases, the accomplishment of the body, speech, and mind, the empowerment, the offerings, the praise, the tasting of the nectar, and so forth, should also be performed according to the oral instructions.
The "nine faces" refer to the nine successive meditative absorptions (samāpatti), which bring sentient beings to maturity. The buffalo is for the sake of subduing the fierce deity Mahādeva. "Blazing like fire" is the subduing of Māras, the fruit of generating the mind of compassion. "Devouring the three realms" is the realization of all phenomena as emptiness. The "stacked faces" are for intimidating the four Māras. "Ha ha" is for invigorating the mind and providing relief. The "tongue curled back" is for bringing others under one's power. "Human flesh" refers to the accomplishment of great bliss (mahāsukha). The "threatening gesture" (tarjanī) is for acting for the benefit of beings without wavering. "Śakra" is shown as a sign that [the deities] obey his commands. The "skull garland" is the lord of the five families. The sound "Phaṭ" is for threatening all. The "garland of skulls" is the purity of the vowels and consonants. The "snakes" are for subduing the great nāgas. The "sixteen legs" are the sixteen emptinesses. "Left leg extended" is for acting for the benefit of beings. "Naked" is the dharmakāya, free from conceptual elaborations. The "upright phallus" is the body of great bliss. "Hair bristling upward" is for blazing with inner wisdom and threatening Māras externally. The "thirty-four arms" are the thirty-two factors of enlightenment. The two [arms] holding the elephant hide signify that, having purified delusion, one is never separated from the dharmadhātu, and that through skillful means and insight, others are also joined to the dharmadhātu.
To be "equipoised in the yoga of that very [reality]" refers to the stages of Mahāyoga. The vajra is the purification of the five external poisons through the essence of the five wisdoms. The trident pierces the faults of the three—body, speech, and mind. The pestle destroys forgetfulness. The knife cuts through craving. The single-pointed [spear] pierces the three aggregates. The axe cuts through the birth and aging of saṃsāra. The spear is the realization of the profound meaning: that all phenomena are emptiness. The arrow pierces ignorance. The hook draws in sentient beings. The ḍamaru proclaims the sound of the Dharma. The khaṭvāṅga clarifies the deities. The wheel dispels the four māras of obstacles. The curved knife cuts through the six defects, such as pride and so forth. The hammer is endowed with power and fearlessness. The sword is endowed with the siddhi of the sword. The staff defeats the asuras. The skull-cup filled with blood is the play of great bliss. The brahmin’s head removes the view of permanence. The shield protects all beings. The feet are endowed with the four bases of miraculous power. The lasso draws beings from the lower realms through great compassion. The bow possesses the insight of emptiness that conquers the three worlds. The intestines are the wisdom of equality. The bell is the wisdom of individual discernment. The hand is the wisdom of all-accomplishing action. The cemetery cloth is the mirror-like wisdom.
The corpse impaled on the stake is the single essence of all phenomena. The hearth is that which protects beings through the three appearances and burns away the māras. The skull-cup is so because it possesses the compassion of the nature of phenomena (dharmatā). The threatening gesture is the intimidation of the māras. The three-pointed banner is the single essence of the three bodies (kāyas). The wind-cloth is liberation from the extremes of permanence and nihilism. The seats under the right foot are the accomplishment of the eight common siddhis. The vulture and so forth under the left foot protect the beings of the celestial realm. The two horns are the two truths. The color of the face is the essence of the six classes of beings. The redness is the intense passion for beings. The wrathfulness is protection. The face of Mañjuśrī is the unchanging essence. The youthfulness is abiding in the body of a bodhisattva. The five locks of hair are endowed with the five primordial wisdoms (jñānas). The three eyes are the vision through the three types of compassion.
Having understood it in this way, focus the mind without distraction on the deity and recite the mantra. Arrange any appropriate seed-syllable in a clockwise direction upon a lotus and sun disk at the heart. By emanating it through the exhalation of the breath from the nostrils, invoke the heart-pledge of all the buddhas. Purify the obscurations of all sentient beings, and then, with the inhalation of the breath, draw it back and dissolve it into the mantra. Recite until weary, and accomplish whatever one desires. "Wandering at night" means speaking without being noticed by humans. This is the explanation of the fourth chapter of the Glorious Vajrabhairava Tantra.
In order to clarify the visualization of the deity, the basis for meditation is explained by the words "Then," and so forth; the rest is self-evident. "A skilled painter" refers to one who has received empowerment. "Free from conceptualization" means realizing all phenomena to be empty. "Not angry" means possessing compassion. "Pure" means possessing the samaya. "Possessing affection" means thinking, "I shall benefit this practitioner who has no other cause." "Draw according to the ritual of the hero" means that in a secluded place, the yogi of glorious Vajrabhairava should offer pūjā and bali cakes three times a day, bless the cloth as a maṇḍala, write the mantras of the essence in the heart, write the mantras of the face, place the root mantra at the navel, and place the sense bases such as the eyes with "Oṃ sarvatathāgata-vajra-cakṣu-svabhāva-ātmako ’ham," and so forth, and also place the essences of the three bodies in the three locations. The essence of empowerment should be placed on the crown of the head. "With great equanimity" means that having preceded the practice with the accumulations three times a day and completed the four applications, one should recite the activity mantra without distraction using a rosary of human bone. The rosary should be counted without mixing it with words, while visualizing the wrathful deities emanating from above the syllable Hūṃ. "The charnel grounds outside of that" refers to drawing the eight charnel grounds, including the eight directional guardians, the eight gods, the eight nāgas, trees, stupas, practitioners, hungry ghosts, birds, beasts of prey, and snakes.
One should draw [the deity] surrounded by various most terrifying corpses. "Naked" refers to the practitioner himself being drawn. "In a single place" means that the site for the drawing and the site for the approach and accomplishment stages must not be moved. "All food and drink" means to enjoy and consume them in abundance during the evening and afternoon. "If one desires the supreme" means that one should worship and meditate upon the painted image through the stages of generation and completion. One should meditate by connecting the first chapter with the final chapter. Some also say this refers to the oral instructions of the guru. This is the commentary on the fifth chapter.
In order to accomplish those collections of activities through fire offerings and to summarize the text: "Furthermore, for those who desire to perform the supreme ritual of fire offerings for the sake of sentient beings, Vajrasattva himself has taught that whatever activities are desired will be accomplished." Thus, the ritual of fire offering is to be performed. Regarding "the sequence of the past," this refers to the very sequence of killing and so forth previously taught for wrathful activities. "Desiring to kill" means that for those humans or non-humans who cannot be tamed by peaceful means, one should, with great compassion, perform the sequence of the approach to the Blessed One Vajrabhairava, the fire offering, and so forth, so that they are transferred in this life and their future body is established in the pure realm of Akṣobhya. One should first train in meditative absorption in that manner. Furthermore, having gone to a charnel ground, one should dig a triangular black hearth pit twenty finger-widths wide and ten finger-widths deep, surrounded by a garland of raised vajras, and also encircled by the syllable RAṂ and the wind [mandala].
In a cremation ground fire, or a fire produced from iron, or a caṇḍālī fire, kindle the fire with wood from a cremation ground. Generate the majesty of the fire with a great lamp. In the center of the fire, from paṃ, arises a multicolored eight-petaled lotus. Upon that, from raṃ, arises a sun seat, and from raṃ arises the fire god, black in color, with three faces and six arms. His hair, eyes, and faces are wrathful, and he is adorned with bone ornaments. In his right hands are a curved knife, a rosary, and the gesture of fearlessness. In his left hands are a skull-cup, a three-pointed staff, and a water-pot. Visualize him standing in the posture with the left leg extended. Summon the fire god from the seed syllable at his heart, and perform the foot-washing, hand-washing, face-washing, and offerings, and cause him to enter into the samaya. Visualize a raṃ in the mouth of that deity and burn the substances and the name of the object of accomplishment as appropriate, reciting ha ha oṃ agnaye. Then, generate the aforementioned glorious Vajrabhairava at his heart. Perform the consecration of the sense bases, and so forth, up to the invitation of the wisdom beings and the conferral of empowerment. Offer the various offerings in sequence and perform the praises and so on as appropriate. Within his belly is the great cremation ground of fire; meditate on all phenomena as emptiness. Visualize a raṃ and a triangular fire stacked in his mouth and on his two palates. By burning the substances together with the name of the object of accomplishment, it will occur just as it was taught. Alternatively, "in one direction" means that if one burns while facing south from one's own house, it will also occur just as it was taught.
Alternatively, the "waxing phase" refers to the completion of the rite from the fourteenth day of the waning moon. Then, regarding the phrase "if one wishes to separate," it is like the destruction of the hearth, the deity, and the fire-god. Then, regarding "if one wishes to expel," one should construct a hearth pit one cubit in width and depth, blue in color and bow-shaped, surrounded by a garland of hammers and vajra-staffs. The offerings and the substances to be burned should also be performed with the primary intention of expulsion. The fire offerings for expulsion are performed at the same time. One should kindle the fire and visualize the fire-god and others as yellow, as previously described. By placing the syllable RAṂ in the mouth and burning [the substances], they will not change into anything else. Regarding "if one wishes for pacification," the hearth pit is circular, and its dimensions and so forth are as in the other [rites]. The fire of the Saṅgha and so forth is white. The fire-god has one face and two arms, holding a rosary and a water-pot. Regarding "if one wishes for enrichment," this is to be performed if the yogi desires long life, merit, children, and a large retinue; the hearth pit is two cubits or one cubit, as in the others. The fire of the householder and the yellow deity and so forth are used. The direction one faces, the posture, the meditative absorption, and so forth should be understood as being complete as in the others. The oral instructions are: pacification on the eighth and fourteenth days; enrichment on the fifteenth; magnetizing and summoning on the twenty-second; paralyzing on the full moon; and wrathful rites only on the twenty-ninth. This is the explanation of the sixth chapter of the Vajrabhairava Tantra.
Because one becomes weary from those activities, and in order to make those activities meaningful, the passage beginning with "Then" is spoken, teaching meditative absorption since it depends upon dhyāna.
If the meditative concentration of intention is stable, all higher and lower activities will be accomplished. Regarding the phrase "having completed the approach," since nothing is accomplished without first performing the approach and accomplishment, it is taught that one should engage in the application only after the approach and accomplishment have been completed. Regarding the phrase "the complete transformation of the syllable Ra": one should generate the previously explained form of the object of accomplishment within a triangular, stacked fire-form, complete with its activity, shape, color, and name. At its heart, the seat of awareness, which is obscured by the darkness of ignorance and has generated various sins, one should generate a large, fierce fire mandala situated at the boundary of white and black, its interior filled with tubes. Then, regarding the phrase "from one's own form": five-colored lights radiate from the seed syllable at the heart in the ten directions, invoking all the buddhas; one should strike the vital point of their compassion. All the buddhas rejoice and grant permission; from their hearts, seed syllables are emanated and absorbed into oneself. A host of wrathful deities filling the sky is emanated from the pores of one's skin, and the object of accomplishment is summoned and absorbed into the one in front. One should generate a heart of compassion that makes the sinner's hair stand on end and say, "Do you see such a ripening of karma for your failure to listen, even though I have meditated on material gifts, refuge, and love for you?" Then, request the protective buddhas, bodhisattvas, and yidam deities to depart, and dissolve the protection wheel into oneself. One should imagine that the worldly deities are expelled and have departed, while the host of Yama and the sounds of hell cause [the sinner] to tremble and be terrified.
One should understand the ritual activity: by performing the aforementioned wheel-activity in a charnel ground, success is certain. These [activities] are not for others' domains if they are said to harm the Three Jewels; furthermore, without great compassion, they will not succeed and will cast oneself into the lower realms, and thus they are not to be performed. Regarding the phrase "from a hundred leagues," if the shape, color, name, and year are present, success is achieved by performing as before. Then, regarding the phrase "if one wishes to separate [them]," all such activities depend upon meditative absorption (samādhi). One should understand that the application of the activity is taught by performing the ritual through the wrathful deities, Yama, and so forth, in conjunction with the activity, provided the object is suitable, is embraced by compassion, and one is skilled in the means of substances, the wheel, the mantra, and the preliminary practices; specifically, by generating the support of the substance through meditative absorption, inserting the very object of accomplishment into it, and performing the activity. The rest is easy to understand. Regarding "one's own heart," one should generate the nāga at the heart of Vajrabhairava from paṃ as a lotus, and from a as a moon disc; on the eight petals of the lotus are the eight as, and at the head of the nāga is i. By its light rays, one takes the nectar of all the Buddhas and brings it down into the heart. It dissolves into the nāga, and one should then imagine it descending into the body of the object of accomplishment, pacifying the disease. Then, regarding "melting," the meditation on the object of accomplishment who has been brought under control is easy to understand. As for the yogi’s ritual for restoring physical exhaustion: having gathered all the deities of the wheel, they dissolve in sequence and are absorbed into the face and body of Mañjuvajra at the crown of the head. One should meditate on the syllables in the locations as explained: at the navel, from baṃ arises the maṇḍala, and at the crown, from haṃ, one meditates on that which gathers downward.
Wind ignites the fire; the fire boils the water; and the steam from the water heating the earth causes nectar to descend from the syllable Haṃ. Through this, the body is nourished and one will live for a thousand years. Furthermore, one should understand from the pith instructions that the seed syllable Dhīḥ summons the nectar of primordial wisdom (jñāna). The other points are easy to understand. This is the explanation of the seventh chapter of the Śrī Vajrabhairava-kalpa. The Commentary on the Śrī Vajrabhairava Tantra entitled The Precious Garland, composed by the great master Kṛṣṇācārya himself after receiving it from Vajraḍākinī herself, is hereby complete.
Having received the permission from the Ḍākinī, I have composed this commentary on the Bhairava Tantra. May the merit be like a wish-fulfilling jewel, and may all beings achieve Vajrabhairava. It was translated, edited, and finalized by the great Indian abbot and paṇḍita Śrī Vairocanarakṣita and the Tibetan translator Glan Dar ma blo gros.
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.