Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text is a ritual manual, or sādhana, dedicated to the deity Ekajaṭā (the Single-Tufted One). The fragment outlines the preliminary and core stages of a tantric practice, beginning with formal homages and the specification of the deity's iconographic color as green. The text commits the practitioner to a structured sequence of meditative events: the establishment of samaya (sacred bond), the introduction of the wisdom being, the recitation of secret mantras, and the execution of the meditation. By referencing the ritual of the completion stage, the work positions itself within the advanced technical framework of Vajrayāna Buddhism, directing the practitioner toward a specific somatic and mental transformation through the visualization and invocation of the deity.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual for the practice of the deity Ekajaṭī, the Śrībhagavadekajaṭāsādhana belongs to the genre of sādhana and is situated within the Other Skillful Means Tantras. The work is attributed to the Indian author Ajitamitragupta. It was translated into the Tibetan language by Mitrayogin and gnubs lo tsa ba mai tri shri, and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཚི, where it extends over two pages. The practice enacts a structured tantric sequence beginning with the accumulation of merit and the visualization of a lotus, a kapāla, and a corpse seat. The practitioner is directed to meditate on the green color of the deity, generate the samaya, receive the introduction of the wisdom being, and recite secret mantras according to the rituals of the completion stage. A scholar or serious reader consults this classical Tibetan text to examine the technical framework of Vajrayāna meditation and the specific somatic and mental transformations invoked through the visualization and invocation of the Single-Tufted One.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Sādhana of the Glorious Bhagavatī Ekajaṭā” (Toh 2123), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2123
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as a representative example of the deity-yoga practices centered on Ekajaṭā, a powerful female figure in the Indo-Tibetan tradition. For the modern reader, it illustrates the precise procedural requirements of tantric ritual, specifically the integration of mantra, visualization, and the completion stage.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction and Preliminaries
Provides the title in Sanskrit and Tibetan and offers homage to the deity.
2
Ritual Procedure
Details the visualization of the deity's color and the sequence of the practice, including samaya, mantra recitation, and completion stage meditation.
Themes
Deity Yoga (2)
Ritual Sequence (2)
Completion Stage (2)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Sādhana of the Glorious Bhagavatī Ekajaṭā·
In the language of India: Śrī-ekajaṭī-bhagavān-sādhana. In the language of Tibet: dPal bcom ldan ’das ral pa gcig pa’i sgrub thabs (The Sādhana of the Glorious Blessed One, the Single-Tufted One). Homage to the Venerable Single-Tufted One.
First, the practitioner, having preceded the practice with the accumulation of merit, should visualize a lotus, a kapāla, and a corpse seat. Upon these, from the syllables HŪṂ and BAṂ, one should meditate on the Blessed Father and Mother, the Single-Tufted One, with a single lock of hair hanging down. On the lotus petals of the east, south, west, and north, one should contemplate a vajra-wheel, a vajra-jewel, a vajra-lotus, and a crossed vajra. In the four intermediate directions, such as the northeast, are kapālas of nectar.
Outside of that, in the four directions of the courtyard, one should meditate on Mohavajrī, white, holding a lamp; Vāsanāvajrī, yellow, holding a vajra; Rāgavajrī, red, holding a noose; and Dveṣavajrī, green, holding a sword. In the four corners of the courtyard, starting from the northeast, one should place Dṛḍhavajrī, yellow, holding Mount Meru; Yogavajrī, white, holding a moon; Jvālāvajrī, red, holding a sun; and Balavajrī, green, holding a banner. These eight are to be arranged upon lotus and corpse seats.
Likewise, at the four gates of the east, south, west, and north, in their respective order, are those holding a vajra-hook, a noose, a chain, and a bell—white, yellow, red, and [green].
One should meditate on those of green color. Just as the samaya is generated, the wisdom being is introduced, the secret mantra is recited, and the meditation is performed, according to the ritual of the completion stage and so forth. This concludes the Instructional Manual of the Glorious Blessed One Ekajaṭī, sourced from the original tradition and compiled by the great master Ajitgupta. It was translated by the lord of yogis, Śrīmitra, and the translator Gnubs Lo-tsā-ba Maitriśrī.
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.