Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragmentary text provides the introductory framing for a sādhanā dedicated to the yakṣa Nandikara (also referred to as Ānandika). The author positions this specific practice as a refinement or a distinct variation of a broader system of yakṣa sādhanas, specifically referencing a prior work concerning the mantra of Ṇaṇḍakupara. By distinguishing this practice from the general application of yakṣa rituals, the text commits the reader to a specialized methodology for engaging with this particular entity. The fragment serves primarily to establish the linguistic equivalents of the title in Sanskrit and Tibetan and to justify the necessity of a separate ritual manual despite the existence of more general yakṣa practices.
Provenance
About this text
A sādhana dedicated to the yakṣa Ānandika, the Yakṣanandikarasādhana belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. It is attributed to the Indian author Prajñārakṣita. The work was translated into Tibetan by Dānaśīla (III) and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཙི, where it is included within the canonical collection known as The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, a Sādhana Activity Garland of Red Yamāri. In the Tibetan canon, it appears under the title gnod sbyin dga' byed kyi sgrub thabs. The ritual enacts a specialized methodology for engaging with a young yakṣa maiden called Ānandika, utilizing the mantra Namaḥ priyaṃkarāya rāhitiśe svāhā. While the text acknowledges that the application of sādhanas for all yakṣas is shown in the Sādhana of the Mantra of Ṇaṇḍakupara, it argues for a slight distinction in this specific practice. A scholar or serious reader consults this one-page text today to examine how this particular ritual distinguishes itself from broader yakṣa practices and to study the specific linguistic and ritual framing used to justify a separate manual for this entity.
Sanskrit title
Yakṣanandikarasādhana
Indian author
Prajñārakṣita
Tibetan translators
Dānaśīla (III)
Canonical collection
The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, a Sādhana Activity Garland of Red Yamāri
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Sādhana of the Yakṣa Nandikara” (Toh 2055), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2055
Summary & commentary
Significance
The text is significant for illustrating the taxonomical precision of ritual manuals in the Indo-Tibetan tradition, where general practices are often supplemented by specific variations. It provides insight into the transmission of yakṣa rituals and the linguistic translation process between Sanskrit and Tibetan.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Provides the title in Sanskrit and Tibetan and explains the relationship between this sādhanā and the general practices associated with Ṇaṇḍakupara.
Themes
Ritual Specialization (1)
Linguistic Translation (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Yakṣānandikarasādhana. In the language of Tibet: Gnod sbyin dga' byed kyi sgrub thabs (The Sādhana of the Yakṣa Ānandika). In the aforementioned Sādhana of the Mantra of Ṇaṇḍakupara, the application of the sādhanas for all yakṣas is shown. However, to show a slight distinction: Namaḥ priyaṃkarāya rāhitiśe svāhā. By means of a young yakṣa maiden called Ānandika, all activities will be accomplished. As for her ritual: having recited the mantra three hundred thousand times, then, on a wooden board made of ṇaṇḍakupara wood or kaṭaṃbala wood, one should visualize Ānandika, who has one face and six arms, in the form of a youth. In her first left hand she holds a fruit; the second is in the mudrā of supreme generosity. Sitting before her on a bundle of kuśa grass, if one performs a fire offering (homa) of eight thousand oblations of cow meat mixed with guggulu resin, one will obtain eight cities. Furthermore, if one performs a fire offering of eight thousand pills made of pure guggulu resin before her, one will obtain whatever food one desires from a retinue of one thousand. By mere recitation, food will be obtained. By constant recitation, one will see treasures. Furthermore, the Sādhana of the one called Ānandika, who performs all activities, 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.