Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragmentary text is a sādhana, or ritual manual, dedicated to the deity Aparājita (the Invincible). The text establishes a specific ritual framework for a practitioner of the Yamāntaka tradition, positioning the practice under the spiritual authority of Vajradhara. The primary commitment required of the practitioner is the completion of a hundred-thousand-fold recitation of a specific mantra, though the fragment terminates before the mantra is fully provided. By framing the practice within the Yamāntaka cycle, the text situates the ritual as a method for overcoming obstacles or achieving a state of invincibility through disciplined repetition and visualization. The structure follows the standard format of Tibetan ritual texts, beginning with the Sanskrit title and its Tibetan translation, followed by the seed syllable and the specific quantitative requirements for the recitation process.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual for the practice of the deity Aparājita, the Aparājitānāmasādhana belongs to the Yamāntaka tradition. The work is attributed to the Indian author Prajñārakṣita. It was translated into the Tibetan language by Dānaśīla (III) and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཙི, where it occupies two pages. Within the Tibetan canon, it is situated in the collection known as The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, a Sādhana Activity Garland of Red Yamāri. The text enacts a specific ritual framework under the spiritual authority of Vajradhara, requiring a yogin of the noble Yamāntaka to perform one hundred thousand recitations of the service followed by a great offering on the day of the full moon. A scholar or serious reader consults this classical Tibetan work to examine the quantitative requirements and ritual structures used to achieve a state of invincibility or to overcome obstacles through disciplined repetition and visualization.
Sanskrit title
Aparājitānāmasādhana
Indian author
Prajñārakṣita
Tibetan translators
Dānaśīla (III)
Canonical collection
The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, a Sādhana Activity Garland of Red Yamāri
The text is significant as it illustrates the integration of Sanskrit ritual terminology with Tibetan translation practices in the Anuttarayoga Tantra tradition. It highlights the importance of quantitative recitation (the hundred-thousand-fold practice) as a standard metric for spiritual attainment in Vajrayana Buddhism.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Provides the Sanskrit and Tibetan titles, the seed syllable, and the initial instructions for the recitation count within the Yamāntaka tradition.
Themes
Ritual Recitation (1)
Yamāntaka Tradition (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Aparājitanāmasādhana. In the language of Tibet: Gzhan gyis mi thub pa zhes bya ba'i sgrub thabs (The Sādhana Known as "Invincible"). Oṃ hrāṃ ji.
In the presence of the glorious Vajradhara, a yogin of the noble Yamāntaka should perform one hundred thousand recitations of the service. Then, on the day of the full moon, having made a great offering, one should prepare an offering cake (bali) of white dough mixed with curd, molasses, and milk-rice, and offer incense of guggulu. By reciting the mantra throughout the night, [the deity] will arrive at dawn. If he does not come, one will surely die. If he appears and asks, "What shall I do?", one should say, "Be my servant!"
Thereafter, he will perform all the tasks of a servant, act as a king of the vidyādharas, slay all enemies, summon and bestow the goddess Candrā, carry one to show the celestial realms, act as a lord of the gods, and cause one to remain for seven eons. This concludes the sādhana of the spirit Aparājita.
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.