Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragmentary text is a praise dedicated to the deity Mañjuśrībhairava, blending devotional address with ritualistic elements. The work functions as a liturgical invocation, beginning with formal homages and transitioning into a vivid description of the deity's terrifying physical form, characterized by distorted anatomy and an awe-inspiring presence. The text integrates seed syllables and mantra-like phonetic sequences (such as 'jā jā kai kai'), suggesting that the praise is not merely descriptive but is intended to activate specific spiritual or ritual outcomes. By linking these sonic elements to the performance of 'all activities without exception,' the text commits the practitioner to a ritual framework where the sonic and the visual are used to harness the power of the deity. The fragment concludes by addressing the moral or karmic consequences for those who harm the master or his property, indicating a connection between the deity's wrathful nature and the enforcement of ethical boundaries within the teacher-student relationship.
Provenance
About this text
A eulogy dedicated to the deity Mañjuśrībhairava, the Mañjuśrībhairavanāmastuti is a work of the classical Tibetan period. The text is attributed to the Indian author Karmarāja. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume མི, where it extends over three pages, and is situated within the Other Skillful Means Tantras collection. In the Tibetan tradition, it is known as the 'jam dpal 'jigs byed mtshan gyi bstod pa. The work enacts a ritual invocation, beginning with formal homages to Vajrabhairava and transitioning into a vivid description of the deity's terrifying form and presence in the charnel grounds. By integrating seed syllables and phonetic sequences, the text seeks to perform all activities without exception and addresses the liberation of those who have violated samaya or harmed the master. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the intersection of devotional praise and ritual activity, specifically how the blending of sonic elements and wrathful imagery is used to harness spiritual power within the tantric framework.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Praise of the Name Mañjuśrībhairava” (Toh 2012), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2012
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its representation of the synthesis between the wisdom of Mañjuśrī and the wrathful power of Bhairava. It illustrates the use of 'terrible' imagery and seed syllables in Vajrayana practice to transform negative states or protect the sanctity of the lineage. The emphasis on the protection of the master suggests the text's role in maintaining the hierarchical and ethical integrity of the ritual community.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-2
Invocation and Description
Initial homages followed by a description of the deity's terrifying form and the use of ritual syllables to perform activities.
Themes
Wrathful Iconography (1-2)
Ritual Phonetics (2)
Protective Ethics (2)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Vajraśrībhairavanāmastuti. In the language of Tibet: ’Jam dpal ’jigs byed mtshan gyi bstod pa (Praise of the Names of Mañjuśrī Bhairava). Homage to the glorious Vajrabhairava!
A la la ho! Terrifying Bhairava, you of terrifying form, the King who strikes awe, possessing the playful display of fear. In the charnel grounds, you sport in the attire of a wrathful body. Great Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Kumāra, and the hosts of gods, as well as Īśvara and Vemacitrin—all without exception, you devour in your mouth.
In your wrathful and fierce state, you roar "ru lu ru lu." You drink the blood of the skull-cup in your central mouth. Your throat is adorned with the dangling hair of many great and small beings. You wear an elephant hide as your garment. Your nine faces are wrathful and baring their fangs; you are Mañjuśrī, the Dharmakāya. Holding the face of a buffalo, you strike terror into the animal realm. Your horns radiate the light of sapphire. You proclaim the terrifying sounds of "Hūṃ," "chem," and great roars.
From your mouths, your tongues curl as you utter "He he he he ja." Your youthful, terrifying faces are like autumn rain clouds. One appears blue, like the color of the sky or añjana. Two are like the color of a lotus or ruby. One is like refined gold, possessing the quality of greatness. One is like crystal or a conch, in the peaceful manner of the moon. One is smoke-colored like seriyaka, extremely fierce. The ninth face is wrathful, adorned with the ornaments of a child. You wear fifty skulls as a sash. You consume marrow, fat, blood, grease, lungs, and hearts.
SRIKA DUṢṬĀN HŪṂ NAMARA NA | ŚĀNTIṂ PUṢṬA MAHĀ MARA JA |
By bringing all activities to their complete and final perfection, please accomplish the welfare of all realms of sentient beings without exception. You possess the complete symbolic implements, such as the curved knife.
The great heads of the assembly are raised upward; the coarse limbs and bellies hang downward. Jā jā kai kai hūṃ hūṃ hala ha, ha ha ya ya ma ma ra ra—thus, through the letters ca and cha, all activities without exception are performed. Those who steal from the master or his property, those who harm all beings, those who slander the sublime, and those who do not abide by the samaya are liberated. Possessing the terrifying sound of the vajra and skull-treasure, he stands with a body treading upon humans, buffaloes, and the like, as well as crows, owls, and vultures. He partakes of the great clarified butter of the hala and the fine-throated [deities], and delights in the center of the aśvattha and other trees. The assembly of fierce ones—wolves, kaṅka birds, jackals, crows, hawks, and the great rulu—who devour the flesh of all malevolent beings without exception, gathers like clouds in every direction. In the center of such a celestial palace, he dwells in the proper manner, acting for the benefit of sentient beings. Homage to the emanation of playful compassion! Homage to the one who devours the malevolent! Homage to the one who brings all activities to completion! Homage to the terrifying body of the wrathful assembly! Homage to the body resembling a blue utpala lotus! Homage to the one possessing the splendor of a hundred suns! If some should hold his name and offer praise, or even grasp a mere fraction of his qualities and keep them in mind without speaking of them to others, he will bestow accomplishments and summon all activities without exception. The Praise of the Name of Mañjuśrī Yamāntaka, composed by the master Karmarāja, 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.