Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This brief instructional text provides a ritual protocol for summoning and subduing a specific entity identified as the Nāgī A-phu. The work functions as a technical manual for a practitioner, prescribing a two-stage process of mantra recitation to achieve a specific result. First, the practitioner is committed to a preliminary phase of reciting the mantra 'phuḥ aḥ phu' one hundred thousand times as an approach recitation. This is followed by a secondary phase requiring eight thousand recitations performed specifically at a nāga abode. The text asserts that the successful completion of these quantitative requirements leads to the subdual of the Great Protector. By linking specific phonetic formulas with precise numerical repetitions and a particular geographic locus, the text establishes a causal relationship between ritual discipline and the control of supernatural beings.
Provenance
About this text
A work of instruction concerning the Nāgī A-phu, the Nāgyaphūnāmopadeśa belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. Attributed to the Indian author Prajñārakṣita, the text was translated into Tibetan by Dānaśīla (III). It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཙི, where it comprises two pages and is situated within the canonical collection known as The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, a Sādhana Activity Garland of Red Yamāri. The work enacts a ritual protocol for the subdual of a Great Protector through a precise sequence of mantra recitations. It prescribes an initial approach phase consisting of one hundred thousand repetitions of the mantra phuḥ aḥ phu, followed by eight thousand recitations performed at a nāga abode. According to the text, this process compels the entity to submit to the practitioner and accept a maternal role, subsequently granting food. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the technical application of phonetic formulas and numerical repetitions used to establish control over supernatural beings, as well as the specific geographic requirements associated with such ritual activity.
Sanskrit title
Nāgyaphūnāmopadeśa
Indian author
Prajñārakṣita
Tibetan translators
Dānaśīla (III)
Canonical collection
The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, a Sādhana Activity Garland of Red Yamāri
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Personal Instructions on Summoning a Nāgī By Reciting “Aphūḥ”” (Toh 2051), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2051
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work illustrates the intersection of mantra practice and the propitiation or subdual of non-human entities within the Tibetan Buddhist ritual complex. It highlights the importance of quantitative precision and site-specific performance in the tradition's approach to the supernatural.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Ritual Instructions
Provides the title in Sanskrit and Tibetan and outlines the specific mantra and repetition counts required for the subdual of the Nāgī.
Themes
Mantra Recitation (1)
Subdual of Supernatural Entities (1)
Ritual Space (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaPersonal Instructions on Summoning a Nāgī By Reciting “Aphūḥ”·
In the language of India: Nāgī-apu-upadeśa. In the language of Tibet: The Pith Instruction on the Nāgī called A-phu.
Recite the mantra phuḥ aḥ phu one hundred thousand times as the approach recitation. Then, after reciting it eight thousand times at a nāga abode, the Great Protector will be subdued and say, "What shall I do for you?" At that point, say, "Be my mother!"
She will then grant food, clothing, ornaments, and the five fragrant substances to five people, including yourself, five of each every day. You must consume them yourself every day. If you do not do so, she will not give them in the future. In that same manner, the other nāgīs should also be accomplished.
Cross the two thumbs of both hands and form the shape of a nāga head. This is the mudrā of the nāgī. The brief pith instruction on the sādhana of the nāgī 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.