Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Song of Symbols of the Vajra Ḍākinī is a cryptic instructional text that employs a series of enigmatic metaphors and paradoxical images to convey the view of realization. Rather than providing a linear philosophical argument, the text utilizes the genre of symbolic song to present a collection of riddles and allegories—such as the peacock consuming poison or the boatman tending the oar—which serve as pointers toward non-conceptual insight. The work is structured as a series of fragmented, evocative vignettes that challenge the reader's conventional perception of reality and the physical body. By presenting these symbols, the text commits the reader to a process of decoding and meditative contemplation, suggesting that the path to realization involves transforming ordinary experience and recognizing the inherent purity within the impure, as exemplified by the reference to the refined jewel and the dissolution of elements into their source.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise conveying the symbols of the view of realization, the Vajraḍākinīgīti belongs to the tradition of the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The work is attributed to the Vajra Ḍākinī, who provides instructions through a series of cryptic metaphors and paradoxical images. It was translated into the Tibetan language by zha ma lo tsA ba as the rdo rje mkha' 'gro ma'i brda'i mgur. This classical Tibetan translation is preserved in the Tengyur, appearing in volume ཟི across six pages. Rather than presenting a linear philosophical argument, the work enacts a process of decoding through enigmatic vignettes—such as the image of a man pouring water into a sieve or the use of a golden sword—to point toward non-conceptual insight. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to engage with its fragmented, evocative symbols and to explore how the text challenges conventional perceptions of the physical body and reality, suggesting that the path to realization involves transforming ordinary experience and recognizing inherent purity.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Symbolic Song of Vajraḍākinī” (Toh 2442), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2442
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant as an example of the 'symbolic' or 'coded' tradition within Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, where esoteric language is used to protect profound meanings from the uninitiated. For the modern reader, it illustrates the use of paradoxical imagery to bypass discursive reasoning in favor of direct experiential realization.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-6
Introduction and Symbolic Verses
The text opens with a title and homage, followed by a sequence of symbolic instructions and metaphors regarding the nature of realization, the body, and the elements.
Themes
Non-conceptual realization and symbols (1-6)
Transformation of the physical and elemental (2-5)
Paradox and the inversion of conventional value (3, 6)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Vajraḍākinī-gīti-nāma. In the language of Tibet: rDo rje mkha’ ’gro ma’i brda’i mgur zhes bya ba (The Song of Symbols of the Vajra Ḍākinī). Homage to the Venerable Lady!
The Vajra Ḍākinī taught the symbols of the view of realization:
Draw forth the golden sword with its sesame-oil whetted edge, and let the bee taste the nectar of the flower without exception. The various small streams are one in the ocean; they have the single taste of salt. The face is like the reflection in a mirror; do not think of them as separate. Children gaze in wonder at the moon in the water. Though this form of molasses appears distinct, its taste is sweet. How pitiable are the children who see the sky as a physical form! A mountain cannot be moved by the wind—this is most precious. If the trunk of a palm tree is cut, both the head and the root will wither. It is a great marvel how the color of the sky changes according to conditions. Though the bird dwells in the sky, its shadow moves upon the ground. This lamp in a crystal bowl is without stain. This person who has awakened from a dream is at ease in mind. Let the crow perched on the raft go wherever it pleases. The thief-dog inside an empty house is a great spectacle. Though crystal is smeared with pigment, it does not change from within. There is no need to polish the gold one has accumulated oneself. If one travels with a guide who knows the way, the jewel will be obtained. It is a great marvel that the sage has entered the forest. How deluded is the root of the kuśa grass stirred by the wind! How pitiable is the conduct of a wrestler who lacks confidence. When medicine and poison are mixed, the potency of both is lost. This image of an elephant has no capacity to carry a load.
Placing [the seed] in a precious vessel, one begs for sustenance in the village.
Wearing space as a garment, the elements dissolve into their source.
A man who pours water into a sieve does not know how to speak.
Having obtained the king’s permission, one has no fear of the executioner.
The wheel of the sword cuts through whatever weapon there may be.
A creature with two wings travels through the sky.
A child who has seen his mother cannot be led away by others.
The power of the seed and its cause-and-effect ripens in space.
The sun rising in the sky outshines the constellations.
Once the heart is extracted, how could one then move the limbs?
By recognizing a cairn as a man, one is then free from fear.
If bitten by a black snake, the harm of the poison is removed.
The king of elixirs transforms grains into essence.
The prince needs his father; this is effortless goodness.
The poor man enters the island of jewels through various means.
A great whirlwind tosses the three-thousandfold world system.
There is no doubt that the fire at the end of the eon burns the three realms of existence.
The water at the end of the eon washes away the vessel and its contents without exception.
Thus it was said.
The Song of the Vajra Ḍākinī: Symbols of the View. Fascicle One. The Buddha Ḍākinī’s Teaching on the Symbols of Meditative Experience:
When warmth and moisture are present, it is the time to sow the seed.
By sowing a seed that is not produced, the sprout is easily generated.
The river flows along the path, both upward and downward.
A man leading a chariot into the middle of a forest is a fool.
If one possesses the seven precious jewels, one is a universal monarch.
Unfired clay shatters when touched by water; do not pour lion’s milk into a base vessel. This poor body must not be left idle, but must be employed by all means. It is a great wonder how a sweet sound emerges from various causes. This refined and purified jewel is easy to use when employed. Give mercury to this person who guards the boundary. If one is tormented by illness, apply the surgical probe. Even if a precious jewel is hoisted upon the tip of a victory banner, if one makes offerings to it, all manner of needs and desires will arise. Remember this: the demoness has carried away the mother. A powerful man, wearing a stuffed lion’s skin, should look upon the hero’s face atop the sun and moon. Having tracked down whoever is the king’s thief, this wrestler’s jewel must be sought through skillful means. A mad elephant is tamed by letting it roam without restraint. The turbidity of water clears gradually if left undisturbed. This person who has finished their work is at peace in mind. Feed drops of water to this grain of salt. Ice, when heated by the sun, turns into water. Poison, when struck by mantra, becomes the supreme medicine. Foam is water; there is no difference between them. Exert yourself in this wind that scatters the clouds. The lamp that has neither thing to be illuminated nor illuminator is great bliss. It is most precious to be constantly accompanied by the river’s current. Keep this sorrow of Drowa Sangmo in your mind. This sentient sky is departing toward the eastern direction.
Thus ends the second volume of the Dākinī’s Song of Symbols for Meditation.
One should light a sesame lamp within a vase. This first-day moon gradually increases in size. Drowa Sangmo is skilled at nurturing her own child. Look at this bird hiding for the sake of its egg. When water and fertilizer meet, the fruit ripens quickly. The skilled physician relies on the various powers of medicine. Various conditions come to aid the forest fire. Can you describe the pleasure of a young maiden? Do not hold this drawing in the sky as precious. This cold breeze drives the water bubbles into the expanse. The lamp of the sky should be lit at all times. This silver mirror should be polished without distraction. What do you think of this gift placed upon the peak of high Mount Meru? What this bee, intoxicated by nectar, says are the words of a madman. There is a supreme medicine that expels diseases, yet it has become a tumor. The bee that drinks the essence of the lotus does not look back. Until the crystal stupa is seen, the act of looking is essential. The person holding a lamp in their hand finds the path of light easy. One whose heart is always intoxicated by the lion’s heart [will be overcome]. The alchemical elixir destroys things, whether good or bad. Riding upon a great river, one pursues the path of the birds in the sky. When the flow of the river is cut, one cannot turn the boat by oneself. When the spindle-cord of the wheel is broken, the potter’s mind is at ease. Clouds arise from the state of the sky and vanish back there. Look and look, but this sky is beyond being seen.
The Song of the Dakini of Experiences and Symbols, Fascicle Three.
"Keep in mind the thoughts of a person seized by illness, and observe the behavior and gait of this jackal in the charnel ground. Look at the lowly wild animals dwelling in the midst of the forest; this queen of the king has no fear of anyone. It is a great wonder to be able to rival a stone man! Observe the behavior of this monkey dwelling in the forest, or else look at this young prince. Why is it that these small birds wandering in the sky are so pitiable, tormented by hunger in the granary? Who would dare to act like this butterfly? One should consider whether this prisoner in the pit will ever be freed. The elephant, seeing suffering as an ornament, delights in its shackles. How pitiable is the deer in the midst of the lake chasing a mirage! The foolish captain returns empty-handed from the Island of Jewels. Accompanying the wind of the sky, it runs in all four directions. By the elephant's force, sell the bride and eat dog meat! Following after the madman, he offers the supreme medicine of the sky. Let this wild animal dwelling in the forest go free! Look at the footprints of this bird wandering in the sky. The man who holds a sword in his hand kills whoever he encounters. At this behavior of the wrestler, even the smallest sentient beings are terrified. The dog and the pig have blown the Brahmin’s secret words to the wind. The wooden man delights in the dry human head. If freed from the yoke of the chariot, it is right for it to run everywhere. The power of the snow will not remain in the lake. One cannot find the root of these tree leaves carried away by the wind."
If one becomes like the sun and moon, one is accompanied by the host of stars. It is right for this boatman to tend to the oar. This poison is the food of the peacock; for others, it brings ruin. One should abandon the attempt to travel through the sky without wings.
The Dākinī’s Song of Symbols on Conduct, Fascicle Four:
When a crystal ball is completely pure, light rays emerge from within. The person who enjoys the treasure of the sky is free from poverty. It is easy for the lotus filaments to ripen in the center of the heart. Through effort, milk possessing the proper warmth turns into butter. When this vessel of emptiness breaks, it merges with space. One will not find the rainbow vanishing into the sky at any other time. How wondrous are these various magical displays of space! The Universal Monarch gathers [treasures] from various places. Grapes do not ripen by being shaken; they ripen when left alone. Who gave the jewel its qualities? What is the intention of this? The sun and moon rising in the sky are free of conceptual thought. Through this magical display of emptiness, the fruits of the harvest ripen. What is the condition for this expanse of space to manifest such variety? Know the moon’s reflection in many vessels of water.
The Dākinī’s Song of Symbols on the Fruit, Fascicle Five:
Regarding the Dākinī’s Symbols, Fascicle Five: this was found as a scroll in the Secret Treasury. After the principal ladies of the expanse (dhātu) consulted together, they bestowed it upon the Holy Lord of India. Later, at Dingri Dakor, the translator Zhama translated it and entrusted it to the Guru Bodhisattva Kunga. This concludes the four cycles of symbols from among the eight great extraordinary songs.
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.