Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This sādhana provides a ritual manual for the practice of the Blue-Clad Ārya Vajrapāṇi, focusing on the construction of a complex mental maṇḍala and the subsequent identification of the practitioner with the deity. The text guides the user through the visualization of a sacred space—including fences, tents, and canopies—and the precise placement of Vajrapāṇi and attendant figures such as Vaiśravaṇa and Amṛtakuṇḍalin. The ritual process involves the use of seed-syllables (HŪṂ, PAṂ, RAṂ) to generate the deity's form and attributes, followed by the recitation of mantras intended to invoke power and clear obstacles. By committing to these visualizations and the specific mantra sequences, the practitioner aims to transform their own identity into that of the five-pronged vajra and eventually the deity himself. The text concludes with practical instructions for integrating the practice into daily life, including the ritual purification of water during bathing, thereby extending the sacred space of the maṇḍala into the physical environment.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual for the practice of the Blue-Clad Ārya Vajrapāṇi, the Āryanīlāmbaradharavajrapāṇisādhana belongs to the genre of sādhana and is situated within the classical Tibetan tradition. The work is attributed to the Indian author Bhavapa, Vajrapāṇi. It was translated into Tibetan by Vīryagupta and dge slong gzhon nu tshul khrims, and is preserved in the Tengyur (vol. ཚི) as part of the Other Skillful Means Tantras collection, where it spans eight pages. The work enacts a complex ritual process centered on the visualization of a sacred space, including the establishment of a fence, tent, and canopy. Through the use of seed-syllables and the contemplation of specific signs, the practitioner generates the deity's form and attributes, such as the iron chain, bell, and hammer, while meditating on the source of phenomena pervading space. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the precise technical requirements of the visualization and the symbolic architecture of the maṇḍala used to invoke the fierce and wrathful aspects of Vajrapāṇi.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Sādhana of the Blue-Clad Ārya Vajrapāṇi” (Toh 2167), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2167
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as it illustrates the technical precision of Vajrayāna deity yoga, specifically the synthesis of the three families. For the modern reader, it demonstrates how ritualized visualization and mantra recitation are used to bridge the gap between the practitioner's ordinary sense of self and a transcendental, wrathful archetype of power.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-5
Maṇḍala Construction
Initial invocations and the detailed visualization of the ritual environment, including the central deity and the surrounding directional figures and their attributes.
6-9
Ritual Invocation and Synthesis
The process of summoning the wisdom wheel through seed-syllables, the performance of offerings, and the recitation of mantras associated with various wrathful entities.
10-11
Deity Identification and Daily Application
Instructions for the practitioner to visualize themselves as Vajrapāṇi in all postures and the application of mantras to physical purification rituals.
Themes
Deity Yoga and Visualization (2-6, 10)
Mantra and Seed-Syllables (1, 3, 8, 9, 11)
Ritual Purification (6, 11)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Ārya-nīlāmbaradhara-vajrapāṇi-sādhana-nāma. In the language of Tibet: ’Phags pa phyag na rdo rje gos sngon can gyi sgrub thabs zhes bya ba. Homage to the noble Vajrapāṇi!
Oṃ, to the body, fierce, extremely wrathful, and terrifying; Āḥ, to the speech, which strikes terror with a great roar; Hūṃ, to the mind, majestic, unbearable, and free from conceptualization—homage to these three essences!
This sādhana of Vajrapāṇi Nīlāmbaradhara, titled "The Vajra Flame," shall be explained in detail by Vajrapāṇi for the benefit of wandering beings.
In a forest, an empty house, a charnel ground, a stūpa, or similar locations, one should thoroughly sprinkle with fragrant water and scatter blue flowers. Sitting upon a comfortable seat, first generate the mind of awakening (bodhicitta). Visualize a white moon maṇḍala arising from the syllable A at the heart. Above that, light radiates from the syllable Hūṃ, through which one clearly perceives in the space before oneself Vajrapāṇi himself, who has been accomplished from the very beginning, as well as the Buddhas, the Guru, and so forth. Having properly presented offerings such as water for the face and water for rinsing, one should then confess misdeeds, rejoice in merit, dedicate the merit, take refuge, and perform the four vajra verses. Following that, one should meditate on emptiness and recite the mantra of emptiness:
Oṃ svabhāva-śuddhāḥ sarva-dharmāḥ svabhāva-viśuddho ’haṃ.
Oṃ śūnyatā-jñāna-vajra-svabhāvātmako ’haṃ.
In front, visualize a sun disk arising from the syllable Raṃ. Above that, visualize the supreme syllable Hūṃ.
Visualize that as the variegated vajra. From that, the ground, the fence, the tent, the canopy, the lattice, and so forth are firmly established. One should not conceptualize oneself as being pervaded by them; rather, within that, one should meditate on the source of phenomena (dharmodaya) pervading space. With the syllables E, YAṂ, RAṂ, BAṂ, LAṂ, SUṂ, BHRŪṂ, and so on, within the source of phenomena, one should meditate on wind, fire, water, and earth in sequence. These are shaped like a bow, a triangle, a circle, and a square, and are renowned as being blue, red, white, yellow, and green. At the corners, they are adorned with banners, vases, and mountains of fire, as well as vajras. Above that is Mount Meru in the form of a skeleton. These are thoroughly ignited by the wind, and from their complete melting, there arises a square with four doors, adorned with eight pillars. It is complete with jewel friezes, the ground of sensory qualities, lattices and half-lattices, parasols, and deer. It is adorned with four archways (toraṇa), and is perfectly decorated with skeletons, vajras, snake heads, and garlands of flames. Inside the vajra fence are the eight charnel grounds, where jackals and other creatures dwell in a terrifying play. In the maṇḍala of the Great Fierce One, there are twenty-two seats. In the center, Brahmā and Śakra are placed facing one another. On the surrounding sides and intermediate directions, twenty terrifying skeletons reside. Above those, one should visualize the seed syllables; these should be understood in their proper order: HŪṂ HŪṂ, MAṂ BAṂ AṂ, YAṂ BAṂ CAṂ TAṂ, PAṂ MAṂ RAṂ GAṂ, CAṂ LAṂ PAṂ BAṂ. From the complete transformation of these—
One should contemplate the signs with certainty. From the second HŪṂ and the PAṂ, the RAṂ arises, perfectly endowed with two vajras. The stake, the staff, the stūpa, the threatening gesture, the sharp curved knife, the iron chain, the flame, the elephant hide, the flower, the conch bowl, the supreme flavor, the bell, the hammer, the skin bag, the hom ladle, and the sharp curved knife are certain. From all of those is the seed syllable; from the complete transformation of those two, the bodies should be meditated upon in sequence. The Great Pervasive Lord in the center is blue in color and fierce in manner. His tawny hair bristles upward, and his eyes blaze like the fire at the end of an eon. Baring his fangs, his belly is coiled. On his right shoulder the sun moves, and on his left the moon certainly courses. In his right hand is a nine-pronged vajra; with his left, he holds a fierce garuḍa. He is adorned with five skulls and possesses the seven ornaments of snakes. One should visualize him gazing slightly to the left. In the east is Trailokyavijaya, with three heads and six arms. He is red in color and dwells in the posture of one leg extended and one drawn in. In the first right hand is a vajra, and in the left is a battle-axe. With the two middle hands he performs the "seizing" gesture: having knotted the middle, ring, and thumb fingers together, the others are fully extended. Holding that at his heart, below that in the right hand he holds a noose, and in the left he possesses a sword. In the south is Mahākāla, smoke-colored like a cloud, with one face and two arms. In his right hand he carries a great sandalwood club.
On the left, he holds a noose. In the west is the king Vaiśravaṇa, who is green in color and adorned with a vajra-eye upon his crown. He has one face and two arms; in his right hand is a stūpa, and in his left he holds a mongoose-skin pouch. In the northern direction is to be placed Amṛtakuṇḍalin, who dwells there. He is blue in color with a frowning face, in a posture with the right leg bent and the left extended. His two hands are crossed at his chest, and he glances slightly to the left. In the northeast is Vajrayakṣa, dark red in color and terrifying. He has one face and two arms; with his right hand he brandishes a sharp curved knife (kartṛkā), and with his left he beats a fierce hand-drum (ḍamaru). He is in a dancing posture with the right leg extended and the left bent. In the southeast is Vajravetāla, pale blue in color and of terrifying form. He has one face and two arms, and having firmly grasped a vajra chain, he tightly binds the three fingers—the middle, ring, and little fingers—while extending the four fingers—the thumb and index finger—and crossing them at the crown of the head in a state of rigidity. In the southwest is Vajradāka, pale red in color, with one face and two arms. He is extremely fierce and wrathful, standing with the soles of his two feet joined, and is held to be square in the sky. With his two hands joined at the crown of his head, he completely holds blazing tongues of fire. In the northwest is Vajrabhairava, dark blue in color and of terrifying form. He has three faces and six arms, and his two legs are fully described.
The first [hands] on the right and left are completely adorned with an elephant hide. Below that, the left [hands] are perfectly adorned with a battle-axe and a vajra. In the third [pair], the right holds a hook, and the left holds a fresh human head. In the intermediate corners, there are the goddesses Jyotsnā (Light-Producer), Manoharā (Captivating), Samantabhadrī (All-Good), and Gītā (Song-Sound). Each has one face and two arms, and they are colored white, yellow, red, and blue, possessing a graceful, swaying posture. With their two exceedingly beautiful hands, they hold [offerings] to their crowns: flowers, incense, food, and the play of melodious music and dance. At the gates are the gatekeepers: Jīvitāntikā (Life-Taker), Śvāsinī (Breather), Raktapā (Blood-Drinker), and Māṃsāśinī (Flesh-Eater). Each has one face and two arms, and they abide with the faces of a tiger, a lion, a snake, and a cat. They possess the colors of their respective families, and in their right hands they hold a hammer, a leather bag, a sacrificial ladle, and a sharp curved knife. In their left hands, they all hold a noose. Their bodies have bared fangs and a fierce mien, with faces of great wrathful frowns. With the right leg tucked and the left slightly extended, they roar the sound "hala hala." Furthermore, all those deities have their heads adorned with five skull-cups and are perfectly endowed with ornaments. They are wrapped in a lower garment of tiger skin. The principal deity resides in the center of an eight-petaled lotus; the deities are on the petals, and the exterior is adorned with a garland of skeletons. In the intermediate corners are the four goddesses, and at the gates are the gatekeepers.
Having visualized the maṇḍala in its entirety, one should contemplate one’s own seed-syllable at the heart. From that, light rays are emitted, and the wisdom wheel is summoned. To the one who remains in front, one should repeatedly offer water for the face, the ritual rinsing, the sprinkling, and so forth. Then, with the four mudrās of the hook, the noose, the chain, and the bell, while reciting jaḥ hūṃ baṃ hoḥ, one who knows how to apply the mantras and mudrās should swiftly cause the samaya wheel to enter. Then, light rays radiate from the heart of the wisdom being, and the four goddesses, Samantabhadrī and the others, holding vajra vases, should be visualized as definitely conferring empowerment upon oneself through the application of the five nectars. At the moment of that conferral, these mantras are recited: oṃ abhiṣiñcatu māṃ vajrapāṇaye hūṃ. Then, the pervasive lord should mark the crown of all. Next is the donning of the armor: visualize a hūṃ atop a plantain tree; that transforms into a vajra armor, which one should visualize. With this mantra, one should place it upon the crown and contemplate it pervading all: vajrakava hūṃ. While one remains in the aforementioned form, one should visualize a substance like an eye above; from that, it transforms into the nine families of Bhairava, which should be clearly visualized. By joining the dissimilar tubes, they appear clearly above the heart. By accomplishing the water above the heart, it possesses a thousand limbs. Facing toward the pores, by that which is above oneself, of the two hūṃs, the upper one—
Having made it clearly manifest, one should proceed to the initial essence. From that, endowed with the immortal, one abides upon the Terrifier (Bhairava). Possessing the eight limbs like an eye, one applies the dance of the Destroyer like an eye. It is certain as the triad of method and insight. Having passed through the three entities, one abides upon the essence and proceeds certainly upon the non-similar. Within the extent of one's own dance, the sixteen specific moments are fully perfected as the method; one should not analyze the initial entity. From the perfection itself, fire blazes, and that very sequence does not remain. Whatever the initial appearance may be, like the tip of a lamp flame, the inner and outer nature is luminous. One should thoroughly analyze the first; it is the perfection of the third sequence. Upon the tenth specific moment, the two lotuses blaze intensely, and the body of the Sage born from HŪṂ is truly analyzed. However, it is to be generated solely from the seed-syllable above. With the certainty of the two beings, the emanation of the wheel is like rain. Having cleared away the faults that ripen misconceptions, one abides perfectly in that very essence once again. Thus, without confusion and clearly manifest, it is stainless and untainted by defects. From the three mantra rituals, one should focus with certainty upon the pervasive; one abides in the form of the ordinary self. These are mutually interconnected; one should contemplate them like a waterwheel. That itself is the fierce recitation and the natural vajra recitation.
Oṃ vajrayakṣa hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ vajravetālī hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ vajrabhairavāya hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ vajrapravidyapataye hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ manoharanāya hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ samantabhadraye hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ śabdagītaye hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ praptitanāya hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ sośo sogapaya hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ rakatiprayani hūṃ phaṭ | Oṃ masabhakṣi hūṃ phaṭ |
Then, from the agitation of the ten directions, whatever the definitive syllables may be, one should recite them condensed into one through the clear instructions of the guru. Regarding the self, the self-arisen mantra practitioner, whatever the number of recitations to be maintained, I shall explain according to the [specific] family. Abiding in an ordinary form, one should offer this praise to the Principal:
Hūṃ! Great yakṣa general, you blaze like fire against the malevolent. To the great blazing one who terrifies the entire trichiliocosm without exception, I pay homage!
By the certain proclamation of "Ha Ha," you cause the three realms of existence to tremble without exception. To the great-bellied one with a roar like a flash of lightning, I pay homage!
With a mind of extreme, unbearable ferocity, you are the master of abuse and wrathful ferocity. To the vajra mind, free from conceptualization regarding the nature of phenomena and karma, I pay homage!
With the flames of the vajra maṇḍala, you cause red clouds to radiate intensely. To the male and female wrathful deities of great light rays, the Principal and retinue, I bow and pay homage!
Then, by establishing the protection wheel, obstructors will not enter. Therefore, one is protected by the protection wheel. Below, one should correctly visualize a vajra arising from the syllable Hūṃ, the source of all.
Above that, I imagine myself as a five-pronged vajra born from the syllable HŪṂ. Whether walking, moving about, sitting, or lying down—in all such activities—I should visualize myself as Vajrapāṇi. Light radiates from him to all, and I should meditate on a blazing mass of flames. By this, all will be protected. One should then practice the yoga of eating.
Visualize a śramaṇa arising from the syllable A. Below that, visualize the seed syllable itself. Within the continuum of that entity, in the directions of the east and so forth, correctly meditate on the five nectars of immortality. Within that, a blazing HŪṂ causes all entities to melt. While visualizing that, the mantra is VAJRA AMṚTA HA. It is marked above by OṂ and adorned at the end with HŪṂ. Then, from the seed syllable at the heart, light rays are emitted into the directions of space. One should visualize that it is completely filled with the nectar of the Sugatas and thoroughly blended.
From the syllable RAṂ abiding in its own place, there is a chariot with ten [spokes]. Above that, from PAṂ, there is a sixteen-petaled lotus, which should be perfectly endowed [with its parts]. It is also possessed of a filament and a center. At the center is the principal deity, and upon the petals are the deities themselves; one should clearly examine their natural state. Below, from RAṂ, one should visualize the fire mandala blazing in the center.
Then, on the right hand, the four [fingers] are the nature of the pouring ladle (dguṅ-gzar). First, visualize the dipping ladle (blugs-gzar) and, reciting this mantra, one should eat. By eating in that way, one performs a vast offering to the gaṇacakra. OṂ VAJRAPĀṆI GAṆĀYA SVĀHĀ.
If a person is intent on bathing, having gone to the bank of a river, they should first prostrate to the Lord and then empower the water with the mantra. Then, having performed the purification, one should meditate on a five-pronged vajra arising from the syllable HŪṂ upon the first of the five [elements], earth and so forth. Through the vases of the goddesses who have generated these four, the empowerment of nectar constitutes the bathing. Then, having formed a fist and raised the thumb, one should press the water upon the crown of the head with this mantra. By doing so, the head is bathed, and it is explained that all wandering beings without exception are purified. OṂ VAJRA SNĀNA HŪṂ. If one performs the recitation and bathes, the qualities are beyond description. Regarding those outer baths, the inner bath is through non-conceptuality; by this, everything becomes pure. Through whatever stainless virtue I have gained by composing this sādhana for the sake of the world, may all wandering beings without exception, by relying upon this path, attain the very essence of all Buddhas, Vajrapāṇi. This concludes the sādhana of the Jvālāmālā (Garland of Flames), composed by the great master Vajrapāṇi, who attained the siddhi of the mudrā.
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.