Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Garland of Yamāri Yantras is a ritual manual attributed to the master Virūpa and derived from the Great Tantra of the Three Hundred Thousand Verses of the Glorious Red Yamāri. The text provides a series of technical instructions for performing specific magical activities through the use of yantras (magical wheels), mantras, and visualization. It organizes these activities by the desired outcome—summoning, suppressing speech, causing muteness, and expulsion—and specifies the necessary directional orientations, colors of the deity Yamāntaka, and material offerings. The reader is committed to a precise set of ritual actions, including the drawing of wheels on cloth from charnel grounds and the visualization of the target's destruction or submission. The work functions as a practical guide for the practitioner to exert control over others or remove obstacles by manipulating the energetic and symbolic properties of the Yamāntaka deity.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise on the ritual application of magical wheels, the Yamāriyantrāvali belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. The work is attributed to the Indian author Virūpa. It was translated into Tibetan by Dānaśīla (III) and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཙི, where it is situated within the Other Skillful Means Tantras. Spanning seven pages in this edition, the work is known in Tibetan as the gshin rje gshed kyi 'khrul 'khor gyi phreng ba. The text enacts a series of ritual procedures centered on the deity Yamāntaka, providing technical instructions for meditation and the use of mantras. It specifies the use of distinct colors—red, yellow, black, green, and white—and directional orientations to achieve specific outcomes. For example, the practitioner is instructed to face east to meditate on white Yamāntaka for the purpose of conferring empowerment, or to face west as Red Yamāntaka to intoxicate a target. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine the precise intersection of visualization, material offerings such as butter and honey, and the deployment of mantras to exert influence or accomplish specific ritual goals.
This text is significant as it illustrates the application of wrathful deity yoga for worldly and coercive purposes within the Indo-Tibetan tantric tradition. It provides evidence of the integration of yantra-based magic with complex visualization and mantra recitation. For the modern reader, it highlights the diversity of tantric practice beyond purely soteriological goals.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-4
Rituals of Accomplishment
Instructions on meditation, visualization of white and red Yamāntaka, and the ritual of summoning.
5-7
Rituals of Suppression and Harm
Procedures for suppressing speech, inducing muteness, and the visualization of the target's physical destruction.
8-10
Rituals of Expulsion and Control
Methods for driving away enemies, the modification of yantras for pacification, and the concluding attribution to Virūpa.
Themes
Ritual Visualization (2-3, 6-8)
Yantra and Mantra Application (4-5, 9)
Coercive Magic (4-8)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Yamāriyantrāvalī. In the language of Tibet: Gshin rje gshed kyi ’khrul ’khor gyi phreng ba (The Garland of Yamāntaka’s Magical Wheels). Homage to the Blessed One, Yamāntaka!
One should meditate according to the activities [to be performed], distinguished by the colors red, yellow, black, green, and white. Then, for the recollection of the mantra: OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ NAMAḤ [Name] ŚĀNTIṂ KURU NAMAḤ SVĀHĀ. For enrichment, use BOṢAṬ; for summoning, JAḤ; for expelling, BAṂ; for magnetizing, HOḤ; for paralyzing, LAṂ; for inciting, HŪṂ; and for killing, HŪṂ PHAṬ. These should be applied to the respective activities such as the certain [killing] and so forth.
OṂ YAMARĀJA SADO MEYA YAME DORU ṆAYODA YA YADAYONI RAYAKṢEYA YAKṢEYACCHA NIRĀMAYA HŪṂ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ. This is the king of mantras that performs all activities.
For the protection and pacification of women, one should clearly draw two wheels with bezoar on white silk, birch bark, bamboo bark, or white cotton. Attach the syllable NAMAḤ to the name [of the person to be protected], place it inside a pair of clean clay bowls joined together, and immerse them in butter and honey. Wrap them with white thread and offer white flowers during the three sessions.
Looking toward the east, one should meditate on white Yamāntaka. Visualizing the object of accomplishment upon a moon maṇḍala in front, one should imagine that white Yamāntakas, emerging from light rays shaped like hooks from one's own heart, confer empowerment with white vases completely filled with the nectar-water of the moon. The mantra to be recited is: OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ NAMO [Name] ŚĀNTIṂ KURU NAMO SVĀHĀ. This is the rite of pacification.
For men, for the rites of pacification and enrichment, one should clearly draw two saffron wheels together with the syllable VAUṢAṬ. The syllable SVĀHĀ should be attached to the name, and the wheel should be placed inside ghee and honey. Wrap it with yellow thread and offer yellow flowers during the three sessions. Facing north, meditate on yellow Yamāntaka. Visualizing the object of accomplishment residing upon a yellow moon maṇḍala, one should imagine that immeasurable yellow Yamāntakas, emerging from yellow light rays from one's own heart, confer empowerment with yellow golden vases filled with yellow nectar. The mantra to be recited is: OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ VAUṢAṬ [Name] PUṢṬIṂ KURU VAUṢAṬ SVĀHĀ. This is the rite of enrichment.
On birch bark or white cloth, one should clearly draw two wheels using lac juice or red sandalwood mixed with the blood of the ring finger. The syllable HOḤ should be attached to the name. Place them inside a pair of well-fired, clean red clay bowls joined together.
Place it inside butter and honey, wrap it with a red thread, and offer red flowers. Facing west, meditate on yourself as Red Yamāntaka. Visualize the person to be accomplished (sādhya) situated upon a red moon maṇḍala in front of you. Imagine that red light rays emanating from your heart fill their entire body, causing them to become intoxicated. Think of them as being bound at the two feet and recite the mantra with confidence: OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ HOḤ [Name] DEVADATTASYA VAŚYAṂ KURU HOḤ SVĀHĀ. If they do not come under control, fumigate the wheel itself—without the butter and honey—in smokeless acacia fire, and recite the mantra as explained while in your own yoga. Alternatively:
OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ VAUṢAṬ! [Name], bring [him/her] under my power! VAUṢAṬ SVĀHĀ! This is the ritual for subjugation.
On a cloth from a charnel ground or a cloth stained with menstrual blood, draw two wheels using dye. Attach the syllable JAḤ, HRĪḤ, or both to the name of the target. Place this inside a pair of joined earthenware bowls or a pair of joined female skulls. Offer red flowers and wrap it with red thread. During the evening session, meditate on oneself as Yamāntaka, like the sun. From the light rays of one's own heart, meditate on a red Yamāntaka holding a noose and a hook. Visualize that the hook draws the heart of the target, and the noose binds the neck, thereby summoning them. As for the recitation of the mantra:
OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ JAḤ. For the sake of [Name], ĀKARṢAYA JAḤ SVĀHĀ. Alternatively, [use] HRĪḤ, or both. If [the target] does not come, one should fumigate that very wheel with smokeless acacia wood and recite the mantra. This is the ritual of summoning.
On a cloth from a charnel ground, one should clearly draw two wheels with either candana (sandalwood) or turmeric. Having attached the letter LAṂ to the name of the person to be accomplished, one should place it inside a pair of joined earthenware bowls that are free of stains and the like. On top of those bowls, one should draw seven yellow squares. Above that, one should draw Mount Meru, possessing eight peaks marked with the three syllables HŪṂ BAṂ HŪṂ. Above that, one should draw the maṇḍala of the Great Powerful One (Mahendra), marked with LAṂ and pressed down by a crossed viśvavajra. One should worship it with yellow flowers, wrap it with yellow thread, and facing south, meditate on oneself as yellow Yamāntaka. One should visualize the person to be accomplished as yellow upon the maṇḍala of the Great Powerful One in front. Visualizing a maṇḍala of earth upon the head of the person to be accomplished, and above that, Mount Meru pressed down by a crossed viśvavajra, one recites the mantra: OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ. LAṂ [Name] STAMBHAYA LAṂ. This is the ritual of immobilization.
For one who wishes to suppress speech, one should likewise clearly draw two wheels. Having attached the letter LAṂ to the name of the person to be accomplished, the recitation is: OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ. LAṂ. [Name], such as Devadatta, may the suppression of whatever they intend to think be effected. This is the ritual of suppressing speech.
Perform the ritual of suppressing the speech of those who speak unpleasantly. One should recite the mantra LAṂ. This is the ritual for suppressing speech.
To cause muteness, one should draw two wheels on a cloth from a charnel ground. Having attached the syllable VAṂ to the name of the person to be accomplished, one performs the yoga of yellow Yamāntaka according to the ritual. Having summoned that person into the heart of a sheep and joined them together like a casket using the four wheels of Mahendra, one should recite the mantra for the "stiffening casket": OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ VAṂ. Bind the mouth of Devadatta! Bind the mind! Make him mute! VAṂ! He will become deluded regarding his country, the Dharma, and so forth.
On a cloth from a charnel ground, one should prepare ink using poison, kaliñjara seeds, salt, black oil, the juice of nimba leaves, the juice of datura leaves, charcoal from a cremation, and the blood from one's own threatening finger. Using a pen made from a crow's feather, one draws the two wheels. Having attached the syllable HŪṂ to the name of the person to be accomplished and placed it inside a joined skull-cup, one winds it with blue thread. At noon, having buried it in a charnel ground and facing south, one visualizes black Yamāntaka sitting upon a sun-disc seat with his right leg tucked and left leg extended. His face is hideous and his fangs are bared; his tongue flickers like lightning and he is extremely fierce. He blazes intensely like the fire at the end of an eon, brandishing various weapons in his hands. His belly hangs down like a summer rain cloud, and his hair and beard blaze upward like a fire.
Visualizing oneself as the throat cavity being filled with a hūṃ sound like the roar of thunder, one should imagine the object of the rite in front, wearing tattered and dirty clothes, with filth clinging to the body. Having destroyed the rituals and protections performed through mantra rites upon their crown, the fontanelle, the heart, the shoulders, and the knees, one should withdraw the deities residing in their body and cause them to enter one's own body. Then, visualizing the body of the object of the rite as being like an empty house, one emanates wrathful deities holding various weapons. With pride, one should cut the object of the rite into pieces, and [the emanations] drink and eat the blood, melted butter, fat, marrow, and flesh, while burning the bones to ashes. One should then imagine that [the object] is being devoured by a deity who is the color of a rain cloud, standing upon a buffalo, holding a skull-staff and a noose, with a protruding belly and bared fangs, and that this deity resides in the heart. The mantra to be recited is: oṃ hrīḥ ṣṭrīḥ vikṛtānana hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ | hūṃ devadattaṃ māraya hūṃ. Alternatively, by this rite, one should clearly draw two wheels, attaching the syllables hūṃ phaṭ to the name of the object of the rite. Likewise, through the rite of abiding in meditative concentration, the object of the rite is separated from the deities and becomes foul-smelling. Visualizing the object of the rite as standing upon a fire-maṇḍala, one should imagine various wrathful deities with swords, clubs, pestles, axes, kaṇapa weapons, bows and arrows, wheels, tridents, tridents with three points, spears, and scimitars.
Striking with hand implements possessing the ṭaṇḍapa [weapon], one should visualize the target cut into a hundred pieces and being devoured by crows, owls, vultures, wolves, rākṣasas, ḍākinīs, and so forth. The mantra to be recited with confidence is: oṃ hrīḥ ṣṭrīḥ vikṛtānana hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ | hūṃ phaṭ devadattaṃ māraya hūṃ phaṭ. This is the ritual for killing. If success is not achieved, it is said that by reciting the previously explained mantra in reverse, success will be attained.
For the rite of causing enmity, likewise, two wheels are clearly drawn; the name of the target is appended with the syllable phaṭ, placed inside a joined skull-cup, and wrapped with black thread. At noon, it is buried in a charnel ground. While abiding in the yoga of Yamāntaka, one visualizes two targets mounted on horses and buffaloes, with emanations of the vajra wrathful deities holding weapons stationed on both sides, devouring and fighting one another. The mantra to be recited is: oṃ hrīḥ ṣṭrīḥ vikṛtānana hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ | phaṭ | devadattaṃ yajñadattaṃ ca vibhajā phaṭ. This is the ritual for causing separation.
For this very ritual, two wheels are clearly drawn; the name of the target is appended with the syllables hūṃ phaṭ, placed inside a joined skull-cup, and wound with black thread before being buried in a charnel ground. In front of the yoga of Yamāntaka, one visualizes the target mounted on a camel, situated upon a wind mandala arisen from yaṃ.
Visualizing the hosts of Vajra Wrathful Deities in the southern direction, brandishing various weapons and striking [the enemy] as they advance, the recitation is: OṂ HRĪḤ ṢṬRĪḤ VIKṚTĀNANA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ PHAṬ. HŪṂ PHAṬ! Drive Devadatta away! HŪṂ PHAṬ! This is the ritual for expulsion.
The ritual for self-protection of Yamāntaka is as follows: OṂ YAMĀRĀJA SADO MEYA NAMAḤ. [This is] for the heart. OṂ YAME DORU SVĀHĀ. [This is] for the crown of the head. OṂ ṆAYODAYA HŪṂ. [This is] for the top of the head. OṂ YONIRĀVA KHAṬA YAKṢEYA. [This is] for the right eye. OṂ YAKṢEYACCHANIRĀMAYA. [This is] for the left eye. OṂ DAYA PHAṬ. [This is] for the intestines. Having performed these six modes of generation, one should visualize a HŪṂ upon a sun maṇḍala at the heart.
The yogin, in a state of wrath, should draw two concentric wheels on a cloth from a charnel ground using his own blood, the ashes of a cremated corpse, poison, salt, mustard seeds, black oil, and the juice of datura leaves.
Killing resides in the form of Yama; hatred in a horse or a buffalo; expulsion on the back of a camel; pacifying on a moon maṇḍala; magnetizing in the heart of a woman; enriching on the back of a horse; muteness in the heart of a sheep; paralyzing in the center of Mount Meru; and summoning in a lion or a śarabha.
These should be drawn on birch bark and the like using bezoar and saffron. Place them inside a pair of joined clay bowls. With a mind of total submission, use a large crow’s quill to write at midday and bury them in a cremation pit. Having placed them inside a pair of joined skull-cups, one should maintain the perception of a hideous face.
One possessing the yoga of Yamāntaka should face south and perform the rite of suppression. To pacify, one should erase the right-hand border. The two syllables ni are likewise erased, followed by the central syllable ya. The remaining syllables remain as they are. One who desires authentic siddhi should recite this mantra ten thousand times as the approach practice. In whichever house this is written and kept, constant strife will arise.
Having drawn three circles, one should arrange the grid squares of eight, twelve, and sixteen. Upon that grid, the mantra should be written as follows: yamarāja, sadomeya, yamedoru, nayodaya, yadayoni, rayakṣeya, yakṣeyacchanirāmayā. This also appears in the center. In the directional grid squares of the inner wheel, kṣemameda appears. In the empty intermediate directions, the object of accomplishment should be inserted between two hūṃ syllables.
On the second wheel, starting from the left and proceeding clockwise, one writes: yakṣemamedayacchanirājasadorunayonirā. On the third wheel, starting from the eastern direction, one should write in the alternating grid squares: oṃ hrīḥ ṣṭrīḥ vikṛtānana hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā. In the alternating grid squares between those, one should write according to the specific activity: "Expel so-and-so! Kill! Subjugate! Cause enmity! Prosper! Pacify! Svāhā!" and so forth. At the beginning is oṃ, and at the end are namaḥ, vaṣaṭ, vauṣaṭ, and the seed syllables accompanied by hūṃ phaṭ for the rites of pacifying, prospering, and so on.
They will be brought under control and will be slain. All of these will be accomplished through meditating on oneself. This concludes the work composed by the master Virūpa, extracted from the Great Tantra of the Three Hundred Thousand Verses of the Glorious Red Yamāri originating from Oḍḍiyāna. It was translated at Ṛṣi Śiṅpo Ri, a site of attainment in the Middle Country, by the great and glorious scholar of Eastern India, the Paṇḍita Dānaśīla.
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.