Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This ritual manual outlines the procedural and conceptual requirements for conducting a feast offering (gaṇacakra), specifically within the context of the Guhyasamāja and Vajramālā traditions. The text argues that the physical assembly of practitioners is a manifestation of the maṇḍala's deity sequence, asserting that strict adherence to ritual purity and samaya is essential to prevent the decline of yogic accomplishments. It establishes a hierarchy of roles, emphasizing the necessity of a qualified Lord of the Wheel (cakreśvara) to ensure the merit of the participants. The work commits the reader to a practice where external offerings—such as tormas and ritual drinks—are transformed through the yoga of the supreme deity into a means of generating bliss rather than intoxication. By integrating the inseparability of emptiness and compassion through vajra songs and specific behavioral protocols, the text aims to lead the practitioner toward the realization of the one taste of internal and external natures.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual describing the condensed form of tantric rituals, the Gaṇacakravidhicintāmaṇināma belongs to the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The work is attributed to the Indian author Ratnarakṣitapāda. It was translated into the Tibetan language by Ratnarakṣitapāda and bod kyi lo tsa ba shakya’i dge slong rdo rje ’dzin pa grub pa dpal bzang po, and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཟི, where it extends over eleven pages. The text opens with homage to the Noble Tārā and seeks to clear away faults by detailing the path and culmination of accomplishments. It enacts the ritual assembly of practitioners, asserting that the gathering of many is the very sequence of the deities of the maṇḍala. It emphasizes the abandonment of conceptual constructions and the necessity of abiding in meditative concentration with devotion to the guru. A scholar or serious reader consults this classical Tibetan work to understand the role of the master of the yoga stages, who guides the disciple through the pith instructions, the maṇḍalas, and the activities of the ultimate truth, ensuring the appropriate conduct required for these ritual activities.
Sanskrit title
Gaṇacakravidhicintāmaṇināma
Indian author
Ratnarakṣitapāda
Tibetan translators
Ratnarakṣitapāda, bod kyi lo tsa ba shakya’i dge slong rdo rje ’dzin pa grub pa dpal bzang po
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Ritual for Feast Offerings called “The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel”” (Toh 2494), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2494
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its detailed intersection of tantric ethics, ritual choreography, and the maintenance of samaya. It provides insight into how the gaṇacakra functions as both a social gathering and a sophisticated meditative technology for achieving siddhi.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-4
Introduction and Qualifications
Homage to Tārā and the definition of the assembly as a maṇḍala, including the requirements for the Lord of the Wheel.
5-7
Timing and Ritual Conduct
Specification of auspicious dates for Guhyasamāja and warnings against violating samaya.
8-11
Offering Procedures
Instructions on preparing tormas, distributing offerings to the guru and disciples, and the purpose of ritual drinks.
12-13
Vajra Song and Dissolution
The role of the guru's melody in revealing emptiness and the protocol for dissolving the maṇḍala.
14-15
Iconography and Habituation
Descriptions of deity families and the importance of perpetual habituation to the ritual sequence.
Themes
Samaya and Ritual Integrity (2, 6, 11)
The Non-duality of Internal and External (7, 11, 12)
Hierarchical Distribution of Offerings (4, 9)
Transformation of Consumption (10)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Ritual for Feast Offerings called “The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel”·
In the language of India: Gaṇacakra-vidhi-cintāmaṇi-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Tshogs kyi ’khor lo’i cho ga yid bzhin nor bu zhes bya ba. Homage to the Noble Tārā!
The basis for all supreme and common [attainments],
The path and the culmination of accomplishments—
In accordance with the rituals taught in the tantras,
I shall here describe them in a condensed form.
It clears away the faults of impaired samaya,
Subdues all discordant factors,
Accomplishes every desired aim,
And brings satisfaction even to the supreme deity.
It causes the swift attainment of the prophecy
Of the siddhi of Mahāmudrā.
Through this sequence of the gaṇacakra ritual,
The desired fruit is brought forth.
Listen, O Goddess, as I explain
How, through authentic application,
It accomplishes every desired aim
And bows to the accumulation of virtue.
By eating it, one attains the siddhi itself.
Likewise, from the Vajramālā:
"Furthermore, listen as I explain:
This sequence of the gaṇacakra
Should be practiced as an offering.
The siddhis of oneself and others are near at hand.
Here, there are the guests, the time,
The place, the substances, and the activities.
Through this supreme ritual,
Whoever [practices] will manifest the siddhi."
Regarding that, the term "gaṇacakra"
Is explained by way of its purpose.
I shall now explain the nature of the guests.
From the glorious Vajramālā:
"Having made the samādhi of Mahāyoga
Equal and unified,
And knowing the application of signs and mudrās,
Those possessing samaya enter."
In that regard, the assembly of many gathered together is the very sequence of the deities of the maṇḍala. This should be understood through these specific distinctions, as explained in the common [tantras]. In all cases, the samaya is one and the same; all conceptual constructions are completely abandoned. Abiding in meditative concentration with devotion to the guru, and adorned with the ornaments of qualities such as generosity and the rest, one enters the gaṇacakra without obstacles through this method. Otherwise, it will be accompanied by faults. Through the mutual union of method and insight, one is skilled in what is to be done and what is not to be done, captivating the mind. One should completely avoid those who are more than twenty-five years of age. One should not act with a single insight toward all methods of thorough knowledge. Here, the guru who is a single practitioner should take the disciples under his care. As it is said in the Saṃvarodaya: "Whoever makes the maṇḍala auspicious, having first directed himself toward the master—if the master's qualities are not restrained, he will be censured by the world. When there is no master, another who possesses the characteristics of a guru and has been made the lord of the maṇḍala should be practiced with a single-minded devotion." Furthermore, from the Vajramālā: "Knowing the activities such as pacification and the ritual procedures of mantra application, the guru’s ritual duties are performed through the twenty-fold divisions of activity. Generosity, ethical discipline, patience, diligence, and the perfection of meditative concentration—always delighting in virtue day and night, with sharp insight and skill in the arts, heavy with the qualities of non-duality—this is the glorious guru. Inwardly, he is one who practices the Guhyasamāja and so forth; outwardly, he possesses the conduct of a śrāvaka."
Through the specific stages of the pith instructions, the teacher who truly guides the disciple in the appropriate conduct, as well as in the maṇḍalas and so forth, the sūtras and the various ritual activities, and who is skilled in the activities of the ultimate truth, and who, having become familiar with the three appearances and so on, teaches them to others, is the master of the yoga stages. He is the master who gathers and captivates the mind.
He thoroughly knows the ten suchnesses and is skilled in the work of drawing the maṇḍala. He is capable of guiding disciples and has reached the culmination of the secret empowerment. Possessing insight and compassion in equal measure, he is skilled in the application of the tantric stages and is fully endowed with profound conduct. This is Vajrasattva in person.
As Vajrapāṇi stated in the Cakrasaṃvara-tantra: "The common cause for accumulating merit and the method for achieving the siddhi of wisdom—laymen, laywomen, and so forth, should turn toward the masters." In this ritual of the Secret Mantra Vehicle, there are three types of masters: the householder, the novice, and the monk; these are the inferior, the middling, and the supreme.
To prevent the patron’s intelligence from failing, one should not act as a master for whom common things are to be abandoned, who lacks compassion and is wrathful, who is arrogant, attached, and unstable, who is not restrained by the trainings, and who has great desire. One should not praise oneself.
In particular, a householder master who lives with women, consumes offerings, engages in farming, servitude, and trade, and who teaches the Dharma out of delusion for the sake of gain—this is not a master of the assembly.
Here, one who possesses the qualities of ethical discipline, who is the master of the maṇḍala and the yoga, and who is a worthy object of honor and veneration, shall become the Lord of the Wheel (cakreśvara). If one does not act as the principal of the maṇḍala, the merit of the patron will diminish. If the commitments (samaya) and vows are not unified within this very wheel of the maṇḍala, the Lord of the Wheel should not gather the yogis. If it is evident that they are trained in the tantras of others, the offerings should be made in another location. Because this is in accordance with the scriptures, the activity will be meaningful.
When some yogis and yoginīs have changed their stages of meditation, they should offer to their own meditational deities (iṣṭadevatā). Following that, by means of this sequence and through the yoga of instantaneous generation, the offering to the deity of the object of accomplishment is the authentic characteristic. For those who desire liberation through the training of various individual tantras, they do not know how to apply the mutual commitments (samaya) of the respective symbolic sequences; this is the very failure of the wheel ritual. These are the arrangements for the guests.
Then, with the divine pride (devatāhaṃkāra), preceded by the maṇḍala, one should offer with mantras and make supplications to the yoga as previously described. According to the Cakrasaṃvara Tantra, such as the Yogacaryā, one should make excellent offerings on the tenth day of both the dark and light fortnights. Likewise, on the fourteenth and eighth days of the month of the hungry ghosts (pretapakṣa), one should worship the glorious Hevajra. On the two full moon days of the Kālacakra, [one should worship].
For the Guhyasamāja, every month, on the fifth, eighth, tenth, fourteenth, and likewise the fifteenth, and also during the dark fortnight on the fifth—these are the ten times. These are the specific times. Here, it should be performed constantly and excellently, or as desired and as possible; if one is able to accomplish it, it should be done daily, or throughout the months and years. As for the place, in a secluded and secret location, one should thoroughly turn the maṇḍala. From the Mahāmudrā-tilaka: In a place free from all fears, secluded from people, and captivating—the village, the garden, the forest, the charnel ground, or a mountain cave. First, one should clean and prepare the site, and scatter flowers upon the maṇḍala. From the Vajramālā-tantra: Adorned with a celestial palace where various flowers are strewn. These are the arrangements of the place. One who lacks the samaya should not be admitted, not even one's own son or others. As it is said in the Saṃvarodaya: Regarding the entry into the seats in the fully established places, one should follow the master according to the distinction of senior and junior. Those who are unsuitable vessels, full of pride, who perceive faults in the guru, whose mental continuums are coarse, and who have not been ripened by the higher empowerments—even one's own son, wife, and likewise servants and maidservants—the practitioner, desiring siddhi, should not admit them into these samayas. If they are admitted in such a way, they will be deluded and far removed from siddhi. Lacking the samaya, they will suffer, and likewise experience [misery] through body, speech, and mind.
Departing from the site, excellence declines,
And one experiences various sufferings.
The practitioner who offers in this manner
To the object of worship causes the yogic accomplishments of others to decline.
A maṇḍala devoid of samaya
Should never be turned.
Regarding the formal arrangement of the objects of refuge:
In a place that accords with the proper method,
The yogi who has issued the formal invitation
Should follow the master.
Having performed the external yogic ablutions,
One should enter before the master who guards the gates
With this verse:
"O blue, beautiful wrathful one,
You are the delightful samaya.
Holding in your hand a staff
Adorned with precious jewels,
In order to liberate me from saṃsāra,
Open the excellent gate
In the midst of the yogic assembly,
And grant me entry, O Hero!"
Inside, on the seats, according to seniority,
Either in the sequence of the maṇḍala circle
Or in the sequence of the rows.
Then the master and the patron
Instantly visualize the celestial palace
Situated atop Mount Meru,
And view the central deity in the form of the supreme deity.
Into the nature of the samaya-sattva,
The jñāna-sattva should be absorbed.
Preceded by argha, water for the face,
And consecrated water,
One should present the common offerings
Such as flower garlands, incense, and so forth.
The patron should offer praise:
"Glorious Vajraḍāka,
Sovereign of the circle of ḍākinīs,
Possessing the five wisdoms and the three bodies,
I prostrate and praise you who protect all beings."
"As many Vajraḍākinīs as there are..."
I prostrate to all those who sever the bonds of conceptual construction and engage thoroughly in the activities of the world. I praise the heroes of the wheel and the rest, who are liberated from the conceptualization of existence and non-existence, for whom saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are non-dual, and who are filled with incomparable bliss.
By this, one performs the prostration of full extension. According to the master’s classification of the tantras, through the stages of meditative absorption (samādhi), one becomes the form of one’s own deity. One should meditate on the completion stage of whichever deity it may be. If the patron’s chosen deity (iṣṭadevatā) is different, first meditate on one’s own deity, and afterwards, in an instant, meditate on the yoga of the patron’s chosen deity.
Regarding the activities of the Karma-vajra, which possess the characteristics taught in the tantras, as it is said in the Śrī-saṃvara-udbhava: "Pure, peaceful, and endowed with intelligence, having completely abandoned delusion and avarice, one should look upon everyone with harmony; such is the conception of the Karma-vajra." Likewise, from the Vajra-mālā: "You are the self-arisen Vajrasattva, the peerless Karma-vajra itself." Then, with various feasts, meat and alcohol are combined equally. "The glorious Vajrasattva is pleased by the delightful enjoyments of bliss."
Regarding the offering of various fruits such as mango, banana, fig, pomegranate, and so forth, into the center of the gaṇacakra, it is taught in the Samputa-tantra. The noble Vajrapāṇi said: "For the yoga of the assembled gaṇa, one should sprinkle with the water of nectar pills and first offer the torma."
From the Mahāmudrā-tilaka:
First, the great torma should be prepared with various kinds of food and drink. Through the yoga of the supreme deity, the torma is to be offered at the beginning, middle, and end. In front of this, smear the ground with fragrant substances and the like. Upon the maṇḍala marked with drops of fragrance, generate and make offerings to the wheel of one’s own deity according to the ritual. From the space of the samaya-sattva, summon the jñāna-sattva. On the ten spokes of the wheel are the ten wrathful deities, and at the hub of the protection wheel is the deity of the practitioner. Outside the protection wheel are the directional guardians with their retinues, the field protectors, the charnel ground deities, and so forth. According to the visualization and the mantra, in an instant, view one’s own deity in the form of the maṇḍala wheel. Meditate on them together with their consorts and cause them to enter into the samaya. Having blessed the torma as nectar according to the ritual and so forth, offer it with the respective mantras. Because the individual visualizations for each are numerous, I have not written them here for fear of prolixity; I have set down only what is well known.
Then, joining the ring finger and the thumb of the left hand, bless the seminal fluid of insight. In front of that, draw a source of phenomena (dharmodaya). Sprinkle it with the seminal fluids of insight and method. View the maṇḍala of the supreme deity as clearly as a reflection. In the place blessed by the protection, do not interrupt the flow of meditative concentration. Then, by the action vajra...
To the master, two vessels should be offered; to the others, one each. The offering substances for the guru are double; the others are known to be equal. Even if some are not satisfied, one should not take [the remainder] oneself; if one takes it from the karmavajra, it does not become a downfall. Whatever falls from the hand should be covered with another object. The server should not be overly full; the receiver should not be overly empty. They should not say with their words, "I do not want it," as if they were not in harmony with one another. The server should perform the lotus-circling mudrā, moving it upward with the left hand; the receiver should do the same. Having prostrated, the offering should be made, and the server should understand it accordingly. Placing the right knee on the ground, first [recite]: "Behold the sublime Dharma of method and insight! One should not entertain doubt regarding this. O Brahmin, dog, and outcaste, enjoy it, realizing them to be of one nature." With this verse, the offering should be given. Furthermore, the receiver should say: "The Dharma of the Sugatas is priceless; it is free from the stains of passion and the like. By abandoning subject and object, I take refuge in suchness." With this verse, one should receive it. The vessel granted by the guru’s kindness must not be placed on the ground; once permission is granted, it may be set down. Otherwise, a transgression will occur. Without the master’s subsequent permission, the yogi’s eating and drinking are for no other purpose. First, the master should worship his own consort and then enjoy [the substances]; the drinking is merely for the sake of generating joy.
There is nothing more nor less than this. It is a drink for the sake of generating bliss, not for the sake of intoxication. The pride of the deity of yoga should be maintained at all times. From the Vajramālā Tantra: "When gathered in the gaṇacakra, one should likewise abandon distractions such as seeking gain through conversation. One should not spit and so forth, nor should one pick the teeth, laugh, or stretch out the limbs. One should always avoid rising and sitting repeatedly, or twisting the neck and so on. For whatever specific purpose, one should employ the symbolic language and mudrās. Unless permission has been granted by the Lord of the gathered maṇḍala, one should not otherwise sing, dance, play musical instruments, and so forth, nor inquire about profound speech and the like. Once permission is obtained, one may act as one pleases. Regarding whatever food and drink there may be, one should transform it all into nectar. Then, at one's own navel, one should visualize the deity maṇḍala abiding according to the specific requirements. One's own right and left hands are the sruva and darvi ladles in their own form. In the manner of making offerings to the deity at the navel, one should make offerings with the feast of enjoyments. Likewise, the objects such as forms and the sense faculties such as the eyes—just as they are the forms of the deities—one should [perceive them] through the mutual knowledge of the single taste of purity." Furthermore, from the Vajramālā: "In the center of the navel lotus, one should remember the Lord of Heroes. If one does not know the mutual purity of one another..."
In that regard, there is no fruit of the wheel; the fruit of all accomplishments will be lost. Wherever, by means of this sequence, one practices all internal and external natures as being of one taste, that very thing will be accomplished. The authentic gaṇacakra yields the fruit. When the intoxicant produces bliss, if one wishes to perform song and dance, having obtained permission, the yogi should perform the vajra song and dance. Furthermore, from the Two-Part King (Hevajra Tantra): "Song abides as the pure mantra; dance is the very act of restraint. Therefore, the yogi should constantly perform song and dance. Through the binding of the vajra of joy, with the feet in the single-pointed vajra posture, and with the yogi in meditative equipoise, dance itself is for the sake of generating bliss; it is said to be the cause of liberation. This is the sequence taught in the Tantra; otherwise, permission is not granted." Likewise, from the Vajra Garland: "Having generated joy, by means of permission, one should perform song and dance. Whatever [postures] such as the vajra-binding and so forth, they likewise please the deity. The vajra song taught in the Tantra is: kolla ireṭṭhi ābola / mummuṇire kakkola / ghaṇe kṛpiṭa ho vājjai / karuṇeki a i naro la / tahiṃ bala khājjai / gāḍheṃ ma aṇā pijjai a i / hale kva ye kāliñjara paṇi a i / dundura vājjai a i / ca u sama kaccharī siṃhala / kappura lāi a i / māla andhaṇa sāliñja / tahiṃ bharukhāi a i / phreṃ khana khaṭakarente / śuddha aśuddhaṇa muṇi a i."
Niraṃsu aṃgeccha ḍāvi | Tahiṃ jasāravāpaṇi a i | Mala aje kundu rūpāṭa iḍeṇḍi matahiṃ ṇa vājji a i |
The melody spoken by the accomplished guru is the very vajra song that reveals the meaning of the inseparability of emptiness and compassion. Otherwise, a song that merely links various conceptualizations together is not a vajra song. Since the vajra-footed dance and so forth are well known elsewhere, they are not elaborated upon here. In this context, the sequence of song, dance, and so forth, performed according to the ritual, will indeed become a blessing.
Regarding the signs of common blessings, they should be understood in the order taught in the King of the Two Sections (Hevajra Tantra): "In the presence of the Lord of the Mandala, whoever performs song and dance with devotion, the characteristic of the scent will first be the smell of garlic, then the smell of vulture, and then the scent of camphor and Malaya sandalwood; such is the characteristic of the blessed song. By hearing the sounds of swans and bees, the distinction of the song is realized. The sound of the cow-elephant is the characteristic of the external proximity."
Regarding the signs of the specific blessing, the Vajra Garland states: "If a common yoginī comes into the assembled gathering, one should perform the mudrā of bliss using the left-hand cchoma signal. In that regard, the practitioner should not engage in conversation or conceptualization. Even if one wishes to ask a slight question, the Vajra Master or the Vajra of Activity shall inquire using signs and mudrās. The yoginī of various forms..."
One should not repeatedly come and go, harbor doubts, or act with wonder, fear, or the like; if one does so, the siddhi will surely decline. Then, when dissolving the maṇḍala, the remaining offering cake (śeṣa-bali) should be given. Regarding this, the Vajramālā states: "Through the application of the remaining offering cake, the yoga of great siddhi will be attained." Reciting the mantra oṃ kṣi ucchiṣṭe kṣetrapālāya svāhā, one should sprinkle the water from the mouth.
Alternatively, if the master has not previously [seen the signs], the yogi should understand the characteristics of the signs of application. One who has a round face and a red complexion, with a fine countenance and long eyebrows, should be known as belonging to the family of Amitābha. To her, the tortoise mudrā should be shown. One who is somewhat stout with long, almond-shaped eyes, a charming complexion of white and yellow, wearing various garments, and marked on the forehead with three vertical lines—wherever she dwells, she speaks of village deaths and the like; she is the yoginī of Ratnasambhava, to be viewed as the glorious Ḍākinī. To her, the trident mudrā should be shown, and one should gaze at her while in the dancing posture with the left leg extended. Having placed [the offering] in her left hand, she displays the mudrā. One who is black in color and wears black clothes, with curly hair and a forehead shaped like a bow, displays the conceptualization of signs; she is renowned as the butter of the moving mind. To her, the mudrā should be shown with the left leg drawn in and a virtuous dance.
Know her to be of the Akṣobhya family; she responds with a gesture of the left. With a stout body and a slightly protruding belly, wide eyes and thick eyelashes, and shapely, thick calves—know her as one who has attained the siddhi of the underworld. Because she is known to be of the Vairocana family, show her the conch mudrā. With dry eyes and all the body hairs standing on end, a thin body and long arms—she is proclaimed by the sound "Ḍākinī." Know her to be of the Amoghasiddhi family; look at her well and circumambulate her. With the gesture of the left hand, show her the banner mudrā. Just as the wise should understand these, one should do so with great effort. When asking questions or performing mudrās, express the offering through their meaning. When all of these are performed by a solitary hero, it is called a "hero's feast." It is not so for the Lord of the Assembly. Likewise, when it is for a solitary heroine, it is the "heroine's feast of the Sovereign." Similarly, for the Lord of the Wheel, it is the union of insight and method. Furthermore, if one uses only strength or only the intoxicating fluid, one lacks the qualities of the Noble Vajrapāṇi’s feet; strength and the intoxicating fluid are lacking, and merit and qualities will decline. The Lord of the Assembly, the Principal, should place the special insight to the left. Here, according to one's wealth and according to one's capacity, one should worship the maṇḍala of the fivefold nature and so forth through the ritual of complete purity. Since one desires virtue here through one's own yoga, one should perform the yoga of the pure deity.
The disciple, having familiarized themselves with the yoga of the feast gathering, becomes an inner lord. Through constant and thorough habituation, when one engages in this sequence by means of this ritual, then, through perpetual habituation, the elaborate and the unelaborate are established. Then the practitioner should offer water for rinsing the mouth, a towel, and betel; they should please [the deities] with offerings of qualities and so forth. First, one’s own mandala of deities becomes liberated; then, one should dedicate the merit. Having requested forbearance, the mandala of the feast gathering should be dismissed. Since one has become the lord oneself, there is no need to prostrate to others. If one strives according to the appropriate sequence of this ritual, the limit of that merit cannot be measured. Thus, one should follow what was spoken by Vajrapāṇi.
The Gathering of the Feast Circle Ritual: The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, composed by the Paṇḍita Ratnarakṣita, is complete. It was translated from the presence of the Eastern Indian Paṇḍita Ratnarakṣita by the Tibetan translator, the Śākya monk and Vajradhara Drubpa Palzangpo.
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.