Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text serves as a ritual manual providing specific instructions for the application of the Vajrapāṇi Tongue-Descent and the Dhāraṇī of the Vajra Flame. Rather than offering a philosophical treatise, the work functions as a technical guide for practitioners to manipulate environmental and spiritual forces. It commits the reader to a rigorous set of physical and meditative protocols, including the construction of specific maṇḍalas, the use of ritual implements like the kīla and skull-cup, and the precise timing of recitations relative to the sun's position. The text focuses on the practical application of wrathful means to achieve specific outcomes: summoning or repelling nāgas, inducing hail, suppressing malevolent spirits (māras, mamos, and tsen), and neutralizing enemy sorcery. By combining mantra recitation with material offerings—ranging from medicinal elixirs to foul-smelling substances and human fat—the text outlines a system of ritual coercion and protection designed to safeguard individuals, particularly kings, from supernatural interference.
Provenance
About this text
A commentary on the Vajrapāṇi Tongue-Descent, the Pearl Garland belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. It is attributed to the Indian author Rājaputra Meghavegin. The work was translated into Tibetan by Jayākara and the lo tsa ba Mar pa, and it is preserved in the Tengyur (vol. ཛི) within the collection of Other Skillful Means Tantras, where it extends over eleven pages. Rather than presenting a philosophical treatise, the work enacts a technical ritual manual. It provides specific instructions for the application of the Vajrapāṇi Tongue-Descent and the Dhāraṇī of the Vajra Flame, guiding the practitioner through the construction of maṇḍalas, the use of ritual implements such as the kīla, and the precise timing of recitations relative to the sun's position. The text focuses on the practical application of wrathful means to achieve specific outcomes, including summoning or repelling nāgas, suppressing malevolent spirits, and neutralizing enemy sorcery. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to understand the rigorous physical and meditative protocols involved in manipulating environmental and spiritual forces through the combination of mantra recitation and material offerings.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Commentary on “The Dhāraṇī of the Vajra Flame” called “The Garland of Pearls”” (Toh 2185), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2185
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as an example of the ritualistic and apotropaic dimensions of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, where tantric power is applied to mundane and environmental crises. It illustrates the intersection of Buddhist deity yoga with folk beliefs regarding elemental spirits and the use of 'wrathful' substances in ritual practice.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-4
Preliminary Rituals and Naga Offerings
Instructions on maṇḍala preparation, the use of seed syllables, and specific mantras for summoning and offering to nāgas.
5-8
Environmental and Spirit Manipulation
Procedures for inducing hail and repelling nāgas or local earth-lords using flour images, mantra-knots, and specific materials.
9-11
Universal Protection and Suppression
Rituals for averting elemental spirits and malevolent sorcery, including the use of kīlas and counter-clockwise circumambulation.
12-13
Wrathful Rituals and Homa
Advanced techniques for neutralizing enemies using footprint earth, charcoal from charnel grounds, and fire offerings involving poisons.
Themes
Ritual Space and Geometry (1-7, 12)
Apotropaic Magic and Spirit Control (3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11)
Materiality of Wrathful Offerings (8, 12, 13)
Temporal Precision in Ritual (3, 10)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Commentary on “The Dhāraṇī of the Vajra Flame” called “The Garland of Pearls”·
The Pearl Garland: A Commentary on the Vajrapāṇi Tongue-Descent
The Pearl Garland: A Commentary on the Vajrapāṇi Tongue-Descent. Homage to the glorious Vajrapāṇi!
First, regarding the stages of the approach (sevā):
A square maṇḍala one fathom in size
Should be cleansed with the five products of a cow.
In the center, arrange a five-colored nine-headed serpent.
In front, arrange a vase, a water-offering bowl,
And the five types of offerings.
In a beautiful vessel of bell-metal or the like,
Fill it with milk and various medicinal herbs,
And place it in front.
This means that various nāga medicines should be poured into the milk and set aside. As for the substances to be placed upon that: they are the materials previously collected. To show to whom those substances are to be offered:
"Upon a very clear seat,
The five-colored, nine-headed Ananta."
This means that in front, one should visualize a great ocean. Within it, from the syllable phuḥ, arises the nāga Ananta, yellow in color, with his two hands joined in prayer at his heart, and nine serpent heads upon his crown, seated atop five coiled serpents. From the syllable hūṃ, Vajrapāṇi is generated instantaneously, like a fish leaping from water. He is blue in color, with his hair tied in a single topknot, his mouth agape with bared fangs, his eyes rolling back, and he eats serpents as food. Adorned with all ornaments, visualize him holding a vajra and a bell in his two hands. With jaḥ hūṃ baṃ hoḥ, invite the wisdom being (jñānasattva), and perform the summoning, entering, binding, and dissolving. Then, the branches of offering...
Offer with the five types of offerings and perform the praise. Bless the three places with the three syllables OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ. Then, in order to make offerings to the nāgas, it is said: "Offer medicinal elixirs and remain in the presence [of the deity]." Thus, having summoned, entered, bound, and dissolved the wisdom being (jñānasattva) into the nāga generated above, offer the five types of offerings. Then, reciting the mantra, offer medicinal elixirs together with milk. Recite and praise, saying: "May [the nāga] be freed from all diseases and malevolent harms." Then, recite this mantra seven hundred thousand times: OṂ VAJRA NYIMA SA BLA NA KLAD PA NAṂ / KUNA ZHI / CITTA KULI NAṂ / CITRA MUTRA ZLOG JER. One should perform the offerings of the four times continuously. Offer the nāga torma at the four times. Finally, in order to suppress the conclusion of the activity, it says: "The yogin, looking with a wrathful gaze..." This means: remaining in the divine pride of Vajrapāṇi, dig a dark blue triangular pit in front. Make a liṅga from substances such as flour and the like. Write the name and clan on birch bark or tree bark and insert it. Join it with the belly of a black frog, wrap it with colored thread, and place it in the triangular pit. To demonstrate the summoning of the soul (bla), it says: "Furthermore, forming the hook mudrā, dissolve [the soul] into the aforementioned liṅga." This is easy to understand. The mantra for summoning is: OṂ VAJRA NYIMA SA BLA NA, followed by VAJRA AṄKUŚA JAḤ. Then, to demonstrate the liberation of the enemies and obstructors, it says: "Strike and suppress with a khadira wood kīla." This means: take white mustard seeds in the hand.
After the sun has passed the zenith, recite "So-and-so, māraya rbad" and scatter white mustard seeds into a triangular mandala. Strike with a kīla made of acacia wood and, after the sun has passed the zenith, recite: "Oṃ vajra kīli kīlaya, so-and-so māraya sarva vighnān baṃ hūṃ phaṭ," and strike with the kīla. Regarding the eight collections of consciousness: then, clapping the hands, one should visualize that all illnesses, demons, and obstructors are destroyed. This means that by clapping the hands, one says: "Destroy the eighty thousand classes of obstructing spirits, all enemies who dedicate [harm] to the body, and having brought the consciousnesses under control, grind the body into atoms!" Then, in order to bring the activity to its conclusion, it is said: "Perform the burning, the suppression, and the repetition in accordance with the experience." Thus, one should kindle a fire with poisonous wood in either an old or a new hearth and perform the fire offering (homa) and the repetition of the suppression according to the pith instructions. This concludes the explanation of the stages of the approach practice.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Vajra Holder. The praise is as follows: From the supreme and sacred abode of Alakāvatī, Lord of all vidyā-mantras and secret mantras, You who subdue the hosts of misleading obstructors, Homage and praise to the Blessed One, the Vajra-Wielder. To the great nāga king Ananta, green in color and of various hues, with two hands joined in prayer holding jewels, embraced around the neck by his queen with nine serpent heads and his retinue—to you I offer, praise, and prostrate. I offer the sweet nectar of ambrosia and medicine; may the malice of the nāgas be pacified. Oṃ nāga vajra puṣpe hūṃ.
Oṃ nāge vajra dhūpe hūṃ. Oṃ nāga vajra āloke hrīḥ. Oṃ nāga vajra gandhe gaṃ. Oṃ nāga vajra naivedye hūṃ. Oṃ nāga vajra bodhakare hūṃ. This is the sequence of praise and offering.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajrapāṇi. If one wishes to bring down hail, construct a square maṇḍala. Upon it, arrange the form of the five-colored Ananta serpent, a water-offering bowl, the five types of offerings, various poisonous substances, materials such as white mustard seeds, and various foul-smelling substances. Inside a skull of a person of ill-repute who has no descendants, pour the fat and the blood of a black dog, a black donkey, and a black horse. Smear these on the outside of the skull as well. Pour the fat and blood into a small pit, half and half, and set it aside as a substance for the ritual weapon (zor-thun). Pour water from a place where hail has fallen into the skull. Wrap the skull in the discarded shoes of a widow and place it upon a triangular mound in the northeast of the maṇḍala. Insert an acacia wood dagger (kīla) beside it. Then, generate Vajrapāṇi and perform the offerings, praises, and mantra recitation just as in the stage of approach.
Next, for the application of the activity: perform the offerings and praises as before. Recite this mantra seven hundred thousand times, and cast the ritual substances, such as white mustard seeds, into the skull within the small pit amidst the hail-horses. Recite: "Ni-ma sa-bla-na ser-ba phob! Klod-pa nan ser-ba phob! Kun-zhi ser-ba phob! Tsitta kuli nan ser-ba phob! Tsitra mutra ser-ba phob!" (Bring down hail from the sky above the sun! Bring down hail upon the brain! Bring down all-pacifying hail! Bring down hail upon the heart-kula! Bring down hail upon the citra-mudra!)
"Repel! Scatter! Send down hail! Nāga hril hril, send down hail! Nāga phrom, send down hail! Nāga phob, send down hail!" Thus one recites. Those mantras should be written down and placed inside a skull-cup. Then, from time to time, one should offer the torma. Then, taking the skull-cup, one goes to a spring in the region or to the base of a deity pillar and offers the golden libation. One makes a curse upon the gods and demons and places the skull-cup there. Beside it, one installs Vajrapāṇi through consecration. Then, one also scatters a piece of blood from a small pit. Then, adding another piece of blood to the blood from the small pit, one should perform the ritual of the zor weapon for five or six days as before. Then, one should always place it at the head of the bed and strike with the thun substances. Then, having gone to the enemy's territory, one hurls the zor weapon upon the fields and the horses of the hail. One strikes with the thun substances. One should recite the mantra in this place and cause hail to fall. This is the sequence for causing hail.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Vajra Holder. If one wishes to protect against hail, one should perform the mandala and offerings as before. Having gathered human ashes, mustard seeds, and ritual daggers (kīla), one consecrates them as Vajrapāṇi. At the end of the day, one recites "Vajra praveśaya phaṭ! Protect this earth! Scatter!" about one hundred thousand times. From time to time, one should offer the torma. One should pierce the human ashes and mustard seeds into a cloth pouch and attach it to the neck of the ritual dagger. Taking the ritual dagger, one goes to the four cardinal and eight intermediate directions of the region and, visualizing that the ritual daggers are being driven into the eight classes of gods and demons, one sets up the pillars. Then, if hail occurs:
In the direction from which the hail is coming, cast great ashes and mustard seeds while reciting the mantra. Make finger-seals to the left and right to provide protection. If that does not suffice, visualize the field or region to be protected in your right and left hands. With palms facing downward, imagine casting the hail onto the mountain opposite. The mantra is: vajra praveśaya phaṭ. Recite: "Protect this place! Disperse!" By this, the hail will be averted. This is the sequence for protecting against hail.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajrapāṇi. If one wishes to bring down rain: at the site of a nāga’s support, such as a spring, pitch a low tent and prepare a maṇḍala. Make offerings and praises to Vajrapāṇi and the Fivefold Nine-headed Nāga, and recite the dhāraṇī. Make offerings to the nāgas and offer water torma. Then, dig a triangle in front and place an image of a nāga made of dough inside. Then, maintaining the divine pride of Vajrapāṇi, hold an acacia wood kīla and, after sunset, recite many times: nāga hril hril, nāga phrom phrom, nāga phob, char pa phob ("nāga, roll, roll! nāga, swirl, swirl! nāga, let fall! let the rain fall!"). Drive the kīla into the crown of the nāga’s head and say, "Let the rain fall!" Then offer the torma. Cover the pit with earth and say, "Let the rain fall!" Regarding "raising it from time to time": every day, pitch the tent over the spring and perform the maṇḍala and so forth. Do this every night for seven days. On the seventh day, pitch the tent over the spring, perform the maṇḍala, offerings, and praises as before, recite the mantra over the nāga image, and drive the kīla. Do this for seven days. This is the sequence for bringing down rain.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajrapāṇi. If one wishes to repel nāgas: perform the maṇḍala, the generation, the offerings, and the praise exactly as before. In front, dig a triangular pit and place inside it an image of a nāga made from flour. As for the substances: great fat, musk, and a mantra-knot made from five-colored threads, as well as a stake of acacia wood. Generate these as deities, perform the offerings and praise, and recite this mantra:
nyima sa bla na klad pa naṃ | kuna shi tsitta kuli naṃ | tsitra mutra bzlog byer | nāga shig nāga byer | nāga naṃ | nāga mgo naṃ | nāga hana hana | nāga hana hana māraya rbad naṃ
Recite this many times. Anoint the great fat on the soles of the feet, smear the musk all over the body, and fasten the mantra-knot to the body. In front, dig a triangular pit, fashion an image of a nāga from flour, and place it inside. Summon and dissolve the nāgas who harm you into it. Generate yourself as Vajrapāṇi, brandish the stake, and recite the mantra. Drive the acacia stake into the nāga. Then, place that nāga image inside a skull-cup and suppress it beneath the threshold of a temple. At all times, maintain the divine pride and perform the recitation. By this unsurpassed ritual of protection, whatever [harm] there may be will be overcome. This is the sequence for repelling nāgas.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajrapāṇi. If one wishes to repel harm from the lords of the earth (bhūmipati), perform the approach retreat as before. Perform the maṇḍala and all the offerings.
In front, dig a triangular pit and fashion an image of the local earth-lord (sa bdag) from flour; tie it by the neck with colored thread and place it inside. For the substances, use human fat and five-colored thread from which mantra knots have been made. Recite this mantra seven hundred thousand times over musk and a kīla (ritual dagger) made of acacia wood. From time to time, offer torma. At the end of the day, recite: "Kill the black earth-bear! Kill the black earth-bear! Suppress the black earth-bear! Suppress the black earth-bear!" Apply the human fat to the site of the ailment, tie the mantra knots to the body, wash the entire body with musk, and strike the heart of the earth-lord with the acacia kīla over which the mantra has been recited seven hundred thousand times. Place the earth-lord in a skull-cup and suppress it beneath a stūpa. Perform this at all times as described above. This is the sequence for averting the earth-lords.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Vajra-Holder. If one wishes to avert the harm of māras, mātṛs, btsan spirits, and ordinary bhūtas, first perform the preliminary retreat. Then, having performed the maṇḍala, the generation of the deity, the offerings, and the praises, dig a triangular pit in front. Fashion an image of the bhūta from dough, tie it by the neck with colored thread, and place it inside. Summon and dissolve the harmful bhūta into that image. Abiding in the divine pride of oneself as the deity, recite this mantra over the kīla and white mustard seeds, and strike the bhūta with a mustard-seed powder (thun). At the end of the day, recite as much as possible: "Phyug tsi phaṭ! Tsi ga phyu phaṭ! Lce ba ti phaṭ!" Place the image of the bhūta in a skull-cup and suppress it beneath a stūpa. Strike it also for any swellings or boils that have arisen.
This is the sequence for averting māras, mamos, tsen spirits, and all elemental spirits. Homage to the Blessed One, Vajradhara. This universal protection should be performed especially for kings. Having performed the preliminary service (sevā) as described above, one should prepare a maṇḍala, generate the deity, and perform the offerings and praises. In front of this, in a triangular pit, one should fashion an effigy of the king out of dough (ngar zan) and place it inside, tying a colored thread around its neck. Then, one should recite the following mantra many times over kīla-stakes, white mustard seeds, black mustard seeds, skye tse seeds, and human ashes:
E pa ka ra tse | di nā ga bar ma pa la se to ye
Tying the hair at the crown of the head, one should recite this at the end of the day when the sun is setting: E pa ka ra tse | di nā ga bar ma pa la se to ye. One should then strike the effigy with the ritual substances (thun) such as white mustard seeds and so forth. Having driven a kīla into its heart and placed it in a skull-cup, one should suppress it beneath a ce ti stone. This is the sequence for averting kings.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajradhara. If one is to provide universal protection, the preparatory basis is the same as above. Tying the hair at the crown of the head, one should recite this mantra: E pa ka ra tse | di nā ga bar ma pa la se to ye | shig byer nan | go nan | ha na ha na mā ra ya rbad nan. One should recite this many times, and perform the ritual substances and suppression as before. This is the sequence for protecting all.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajradhara. If one is afflicted by gong po spirits, one should act as follows: having first performed the preliminary service, one should dig a triangular pit in front. Inside the pit, one should place fifty pieces of dough, tie them by the neck with a colored thread, and set them there. One should draw the gong po spirit that is causing the harm and insert it into the body [of the dough].
Then, having prepared a maṇḍala, generate the deity, perform the offerings and praises, and recite the mantra. After the sun has passed the zenith, recite "Mgo ste sa ste nan" many times and strike the session. Drive in the kīla and place it in a skull-cup. Suppress it beneath a consecrated stūpa. Establish the boundary with the divine pride and the ritual dance of Vajrapāṇi. This is the sequence for repelling all 'gong po spirits.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Vajra Holder. Regarding the "Universal Protection": if a mantra practitioner wishes to protect against the sorcery of others, they should first perform the preliminary retreat. Then, prepare a maṇḍala, arrange the offering bowls and offerings, and construct a hollow black stūpa upon the maṇḍala. Inside it, fashion an effigy of the opponent from dough, insert their name and clan, and place it there. Inside a vase, fashion an image of Vajrapāṇi from dough and place it within. Visualize that the vajra crushes their body.
Dig a triangular pit beneath the stūpa. Inside it, place the effigy and the name and clan, and insert them into the bellies of a snake and a frog. Visualize that they are being devoured by a nine-headed snake possessing the five nāgas. Place this in a skull-cup and put it into the triangular pit. Once, perform the suppression according to the ritual manual. Visualize yourself as Vajrapāṇi; by rolling the kīla and reciting the mantra, visualize that their protectors obey your command and carry out your work. Visualize that by your incitement, their own life is cut.
Then, having gathered the ritual substances and kīlas, generate the deity, perform the offerings and praises, and recite the mantra after the sun has passed the zenith.
Recite the intermediate mantra: māhā āḥ hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā as many times as possible. Perform the circumambulation in a counter-clockwise direction. Strike the ritual session. This concludes the suppression of the zor ritual. This is the sequence for averting all malevolent sorcery.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajrapāṇi. In front, within a triangular pit, place the liṅga of the enemy and the obstructors. The liṅga of the enemy should be made from footprints, stains, excrement, and urine. Place it inside the skull of a person of broken lineage and wrap the skull in the hem of a widow’s garment. Place that upon a felt mat. Beside it, set out various poisonous substances and wrathful materials. From time to time, strike it with the poison-ritual and material-ritual substances. Beside that, prepare a maṇḍala and arrange the offering bowls and the five types of offerings. One should generate oneself as Vajrapāṇi endowed with the five [attributes], invite the deity, and perform the offerings, praises, and supplications. Then, for the mantra recitation: nyi ma sa bla naṃ, klad pa naṃ, (kun, ku na) zhi tsitta kuli naṃ, tsitra mutra bzlog byer, thum ril rbad che ge mo māraya jaḥ rbad naṃ. Recite this one hundred thousand or three hundred thousand times. From time to time, strike it with the thun substances while chanting ag tse ba na mar thun. Having done so, take the skull and perform the suppression according to the ritual manual at a crossroads, a stūpa, a charnel ground, a mountain pass, a spring, a mountain pass cairn, or an island in a river. This is the sequence for preparing the liṅga of the enemy and obstructors.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajrapāṇi. Regarding the sequence for killing the enemy: first, the yogin should dig a triangular pit one finger-width deep in front of himself.
Smear [the vessel] black with charcoal from a charnel ground. Inside it, fashion a liṅga from the earth of an enemy’s footprint and flour; insert the name-card and place it within a triangular pit. On top of that, upon a blue slate, draw the form of Mount Meru and a crossed vajra with yellow turmeric, then cover it and set it down. Arrange an offering bowl and the five types of offerings nearby. Visualize yourself as Vajrapāṇi and generate the Fivefold One in front, then invite them. Present the offerings, offer praise, and make supplications. Separate the deity [from the enemy] with guggulu incense. Having gathered the substances for the thun ritual, recite the wrathful mantra: nyi ma sa bla naṃ, klad pa naṃ ku na shi, tsitta ku li naṃ, tsitra mu tra bzlog byer, thum ril rbad che ge mo mā ra ya jaḥ rbad naṃ. Recite this one hundred thousand times. Then, sever the head of the liṅga. Place both the head and the liṅga inside the skull of a person of a broken lineage. Perform the ritual of suppression according to the rules and bury it in a place where gods and demons dwell. Chop the body of the liṅga and the fresh [substances] into pieces with a sword, and perform the fire offering according to the rules using wrathful substances and wood from a poisonous tree. This is the sequence of actions to be performed against the enemy.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Vajra Holder. If performing a fire offering, use a pan or an old hearth. Recite [the mantra] a hundred times, or five, four, or one, and apply it repeatedly to the rite. Burn various poisonous substances, black butter, human fat, mustard seeds, sesame, and the name-card. Generate the Fire God and present the fire offering.
Regarding the mantra: after the phrase "On the day of the sun above the earth," recite "So-and-so rakṣa śāntiṃ kuru māraya rbad." Perform the fire offering (homa) with various types of poison, various foul-smelling substances, various wrathful materials, black butter, and so forth. In meditative absorption, visualize the enemy or obstructing spirit. Perform the fire offering by synchronizing each substance with the mantra. Having generated Vajrapāṇi, the Fivefold [Deity], invited [the deities], made offerings, and offered praise, then generate the Fire God (Agni) and perform the fire offering. This is the sequence for the wrathful and peaceful fire offerings.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Vajra Holder. Draw a double triangle and smear the interior with smooth ash. Encircle the rim with red [pigment]. This is to be applied on the day of the sun above the earth and so forth: "Shig jer nan! Mgo nan! Ha na ha na māraya rbad nan!" If tracks like those of a frog or a snake appear, it is an gong po spirit. If tracks like those of a donkey appear, it is an gong po spirit. If tracks like the confession of Uma appear, it is a rgyal po spirit. If tracks like tree leaves or matted locks appear, it is a bdud spirit. If tracks like many arrows set down appear, it is a btsan spirit. If tracks like a pigeon’s droppings or an iron chain appear, it is a ma mo spirit. Whichever of these occurs, apply the appropriate ritual activity.
This concludes the sequence of the commentary on the "Descending of the Vajra Tongue" entitled "The Pearl Garland," composed by the Indian Abbot Prince Meghavega. Later, it was translated, edited, and finalized by the Paṇḍita Jayākara and the translator Marpa.
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.