Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragmentary text provides a ritual procedure for the invocation of the Piśācī Karṇagṛhyā, a flesh-eating spirit known for seizing ears. The work functions as a sādhana, prescribing a specific set of actions to achieve a particular result through the use of a mantra and a physical offering. The ritual requires the practitioner to cast two handfuls of chaff in a secluded location during a full moon and then depart the area. The text commits the reader to a period of waiting, specifying a twenty-one-day interval before the next stage of the process occurs. By combining a Sanskrit mantra with precise timing and material offerings, the text aims to establish a connection with or exert influence over a specific non-human entity within the framework of esoteric ritual practice.
Provenance
About this text
A sādhana for the invocation of the flesh-eating ear-seizing female spirit, the Piśācīkarṇagṛhyāsādhana is a work of the classical Tibetan period. The text is attributed to the Indian author Prajñārakṣita. It 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 tradition, the work appears under the title sha za mo rna ba 'dzin pa'i sgrub thabs. The ritual enacts a specific procedure for summoning a ḍākinī: the practitioner must cast two handfuls of chaff in a secluded place during a full moon and wait twenty-one days for the entity to arrive. The process involves the recitation of a mantra and the management of the practitioner's fear should the spirit appear in a hideous form. A scholar or serious reader consults this single-page text today to examine the precise material offerings, timing, and mantras used in esoteric ritual practice to establish a connection with or exert influence over a non-human entity.
Sanskrit title
Piśācīkarṇagṛhyāsādhana
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 Piśācī Karṇagṛhyā” (Toh 2081), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2081
Summary & commentary
Significance
The text is significant as an example of the intersection between Buddhist ritualism and folk practices involving the propitiation of spirits. It illustrates the use of specific material offerings and lunar timing to interact with the Piśācī class of beings. For the modern reader, it provides insight into the technicalities of Tibetan ritual manuals and the conceptualization of supernatural entities.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Ritual Instructions
Provides the Sanskrit and Tibetan titles, the mantra, and the initial steps for the offering and timing of the ritual.
Themes
Ritual Invocation (1)
Piśācī (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Piśācikarṇagrahasādhana. In the language of Tibet: The Sādhana of the Flesh-Eating Ear-Seizing Female (Piśācī). Ucchuṣmā piśācikarṇagraha svāhā.
At the time of the full moon, take two handfuls of chaff, cast them in a secluded place, and depart. After twenty-one days, the female spirit (ḍākinī) will arrive. If she displays a hideous form, do not be afraid. Recite the mantra and converse with her, speaking in a low voice. Then, if she asks, "What shall I do?", say, "Grant me accomplishment." If she then says, "Give me an offering cake (bali)," go to a charnel ground and offer an offering cake of peas. Then, the sādhana of the female spirit who reveals treasures, increases the intellect, grants all desires, and provides protection for all 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.