Now the great bodhisattvas, headed by Vajragarbha, along with all the tathāgatas, made offerings and prostrated themselves to the Blessed One, then said: {9.1.1}

“Please give us, O Blessed One, O divine being, A detailed exposition of the state of nirvāṇa. In which place does one abide, Playing within the animate and inanimate universes?” {9.1.2}

The Blessed One said:

“Listen! I will explain the nature of The mind fixating on concepts as it really is. This nature, which has already been taught earlier, Is always present in everybody. {9.1.3}

“The body is said to be the maṇḍala, With four doors, as has been described. In the navel center there is a great lotus, Which is famed to be the seat of omniscient gnosis. {9.1.4}

“In that place dwells the valiant one. Without constituent parts he is indivisible. He plays within embodied beings, being himself Beyond any embodiment and completely pure. {9.1.5}

“Possessed of the great magical power of all the buddhas, He can magically transform himself— Sometimes into the great bodhicitta, Sometimes into the conduct that accompanies it. {9.1.6}

“Sometimes he dwells among the gods of the Tuṣita realm. At some point he makes the supreme descent to earth. At some point he takes a pure birth, And at some point he definitively renounces worldly life. {9.1.7}

“At some point he makes a great peregrination for the sake of awakening, And at some point he defeats Māra. At some point he attains complete and perfect awakening, And at some point he turns the wheel of Dharma. {9.1.8}

“At some point he defeats in debate the followers of other creeds, Using in his arguments truths acceptable to both parties. At some point he becomes the master of all attainments, And at some point he conquers the triple universe. {9.1.9}

“At some point he attains the unexcelled powers Of accomplishment that last throughout all the ages. Such infinite and supreme acts as these and others Are performed by those partaking of the nature of all buddhas, {9.1.10}

“Since they are free from both existence and nonexistence. Thus, one should abandon all delusion. ‘The set of vowels is the bee,’ they say; The bee is Vajrabhairava. {9.1.11}

“The set of vowels extends to the end of space, Since by its nature it is the sphere of phenomena. It is the secret container of animate and inanimate elements Of every being that has evolved a body. {9.1.12}

“It is the ‘ambrosia’ of the aggregates, the sense-fields, and the elements That constitutes all their vital power. Therefore, one should draw all the ambrosia inward And dissolve it in the middle of the root. {9.1.13}

“With the vajra sound of Bhairava, Taking the form of the fluid of the completion yoga, One should join the seven winds and fires With the syllable of Vajrī. {9.1.14}

“Surmounted with the anunāsika, this seed syllable Is known as ‘the torrent of rain.’ One should hold at the center of the [lotus at the navel] The first and original vowel (a). {9.1.15}

“The consonant syllabary (kāli) is the flower king; The flower is the body of vajra holders. It is the origin of cyclic existence for all And the mother all over the earth. {9.1.16}

“In that ocean with the water of gnosis There are sea monsters and fishes of insight. Right in the middle of the swamp of nonduality Sprouts the sprout of skillful means. {9.1.17}

“This receptacle of honey and ambrosia Resembles an open bandhūka flower. The mixing of consonants with the ambrosia Is like the mixing of ‘flower’ and ‘water.’ {9.1.18}

“Since the body is born from both the blood and the semen, The method of ‘ambrosia-water’ is supreme. The ‘ambrosia-water’ is said initially To have a fivefold nature. {9.1.19}

“Fire imparts its heat through contact, Wind is perceived as smoke, Water has the nature of fluidity, And because of the element earth, shapes can be discerned. {9.1.20}

“Wisdom consecrated by the vajra Becomes fivefold. To elaborate, water can assume every shape; Fire, for its part, brings destruction; {9.1.21}

“Wind is the continual breathing; And earth, for its part, is the nature of the witness. All the yoginīs are pleased With the song in the form of the syllable hūṁ. {9.1.22}

“By chanting the following song, one will become a son of the victorious ones.

“ ‘O vajra, lord of bliss, Who perceives with the five eyes! You are the nature of letters Who plays in emptiness. {9.1.23}

“ ‘Being devoid of existence and nonexistence, You are known as the essence. May you destroy all letters And all thoughts. {9.1.24}

“ ‘The practitioner of the coupling embrace, Performed for the purpose of producing the fluids, Attains the nondual Dharma, Which, quintessentially, is liberation. {9.1.25}

“ ‘For the sake of those deluded by the pleasures of saṃsāra You forestall your own liberation. In the nature of emptiness You play with the mantra of the yoginīs. {9.1.26}

“ ‘You show that the five yoginīs Are in reality the five buddhas. With magical displays of manifold forms You bring beings to spiritual maturity. {9.1.27}

“ ‘The purpose of extending the vajra Is to remove delusion about phenomena. May you bow to this teaching, good in its essence, For the sake of liberating the yoginīs.’ {9.1.28}

“By chanting this song, O sons of noble family, one will become a son of all the victorious ones—so said every blessed tathāgata.” {9.1.29}

“Listen, Vajragarbha, O mighty king, About how to do the oblation ritual according to procedure. One should delineate a circle of red sandalwood paste Measuring one cubit in diameter, {9.2.1}

“And then draw a white triangle surrounding it. Along with the honors such as the welcome offering of water and flowers and the five articles—fish, meat, and so forth—one should include wine that inspires amorous passion. On the left side one should place all the ritual implements, and on the right, a dish with water. In front there should be the welcome-offering dish. Having purified all these substances with the five ambrosias, one should enter the absorption of Vajrasattva or, alternatively, assume the identity of Heruka. {9.2.2}

“One should summon the wisdom ambrosia By means of gesture and mantras, observing the ritual procedure. One should offer red flowers, Lamps, and so on, and also perfume. {9.2.3}

“One should mentally summon all five ambrosias To the lotus dish marked with the syllable oṁ, In particular through hūṁ, the principle of the tongue, According to the divisions of the hooks of gnosis.” {9.2.4}

[Vajragarbha asked:]

“What, O Blessed One, are the so-called ‘hooks of gnosis’?” {9.2.5}

The Blessed One said:

“Prajāpati is said to be the first one. The second in this listing is Tārā. Pravarā is thought to be the third. The fourth is Bahulojātā. The fifth is Bālā.

“These names are mantras of the five families, following the division of the five wisdoms. {9.2.6}

“These five great gnoses Have been taught for your benefit. One should employ them in all activities, Following the division into the five ‘hooks of gnosis.’ {9.2.7}

“Should one wish these activities to occur incessantly, One should please all the yoginīs, But without sexual addiction; One should not become attached to bliss. {9.2.8}

“In order to benefit all beings, the practitioner Should arrange offerings of every kind. That which is famed as the moon Arises out of the thirteen vowels. {9.2.9}

“Then, in the center of the moon, he should gratify all the deities with syllables, by uniting the vowels and the consonants. {9.2.10}

“He should generate a blaze of light Distinguished by the arising of heat. He should visualize it in the form of a crystal And then distribute all of it. {9.2.11}

“Having extracted the ambrosia in its center, He should have [the lord of the maṇḍala and his retinue] taste of it. And with all the other articles, such as the remainder of ambrosia, He should satiate the members of the outer maṇḍala. {9.2.12}

“Holding the skull cup with the left hand, He should display the gesture of wrath with the right. With feet wide apart and upward gaze, The syllable pheṭ should emerge from his head. {9.2.13}

“Making his offerings on the fourteenth day, Or especially the eighth day, of the dark fortnight, Or also on the tenth day of the bright fortnight, He should himself become the inner offerings. {9.2.14}

“Under solitary trees, in charnel grounds, Mountains, wilderness, Caves, outskirts of villages, Empty fields, or, especially, in empty houses— {9.2.15}

“In particular, in places containing living beings, On dry land as well as on water— He should invoke Black Rudra and Great Rudra In union with their consort goddesses; {9.2.16}

“Black Kapālin, Bībhatsa, Nandātīta and Vināyaka; Caṇḍālī, Ghorarūpā, And Umādevī, in places all around; {9.2.17}

“Jayā, Vijayā, Ajitā and Aparājitā; Bhadrakālī, Mahākālī, And the yoginī Śūlakālī; {9.2.18}

“Indrī, Candrī, Ghorī, Duṣṭī, Lampakī, Tridaśeśvarī, Kambojī, Dipinī, Cūṣaṇī, And the yoginīs dwelling in villages. {9.2.19}

“All these goddesses have terrible, huge forms. Baring their formidable fangs, they each wear a garland of human skulls And hold khaṭvāṅgas in their hands. They are all endowed with great powers. {9.2.20}

“They hold in their hands a sword, An axe, a vajra scepter, and a bow. He should also summon the five ḍākinīs Of the five great elements who accomplish every type of activity, {9.2.21}

“And the great queen of the maṇḍala of the union, Along with the mighty vajra lord. In the great assembly of the tathāgatas She is the stainless emanation from the union. {9.2.22}

“By the command of the vajra queen, he should invoke all of them from all their respective places. {9.2.23}

“He should recite:

“ Oṁ, p-pp-pull, b-bb-bind, d-dd-devour! Kill, kill all the evil ones! S-ss-strike! Appease all negativity for such and such! Hūṁ hūṁ! Phaṭ phaṭ! Jaḥ, svāhā! {9.2.24}

“Relying on the contemplation of ambrosia and filling thereby the mouths of the deities with it, he should meditate on yogins and yoginīs as the executors of any activity he can think of. He will then succeed in every type of activity. {9.2.25}

“The syllable ha removes the ambrosia’s ordinary color, The syllable ho neutralizes its ordinary odor, And the syllable hrī removes its ordinary potency— This is the prescribed order of reciting these three syllables. {9.2.26}

“Repeating these three syllables thrice, He should meditate on them as the three deities. {9.2.27}

“Padmeśvara (Amitābha) possesses the beauty and loveliness of gold; The beautifully lucent one (Vairocana) possesses an incorruptible perfume; And Vajrapāṇi (Akṣobhya) is the vajra lord of good flavor. These three deities are known as the above three syllables. {9.2.28}

“ ‘See all phenomena here as pure! Discard nihilist meditation! Since brahmins, dogs, and outcastes are Of the same nature, eat [everything]!’ {9.2.29}

“Reciting the lines of this verse, he should offer [the ambrosia oblation], And then display the gesture of “turning the lotus” {9.2.30}

“With his left and right hands, Playfully and with supreme grace. He should proceed according to instruction Through the practice of his personal deity. {9.2.31}

“ ‘The Sugata’s teaching is priceless; It is free from the stains of passion And from grasping and non-grasping. Let us pay homage to it with devotion.’ {9.2.32}

“With this verse, he should receive [the ambrosia]. This is the principle of the yogin’s proper practice, pure in every respect. {9.2.33}

“He should then recite the following as he wishes:

“ ‘Let us pay homage to the one who is free from becoming And supplicate him that beings may reach pleasant destinies. May they be adorned with the magical display Of the coupling embrace, hūṁ hūṁ hūṁ!’ {9.2.34}

“He should sing this song of benediction To the accompaniment of the bell. {9.2.35}

“Folding his hands in the vajra gesture of añjali, He should position them at his heart. Then, he should make a dedication For the sake of all sentient beings, and so forth, reciting: {9.2.36}

“ ‘May all beings be happy! May all beings be well! May they traverse the path By which they will attain awakening! {9.2.37}

“ ‘I will deliver those who have not been delivered. I will release those who have not been released. I will be compassionate toward them in their present condition, Acting consistently with the teachings of yoga.’ {9.2.38}

“He should form the ‘vajra fist’ with both hands. Placing the left fist at his heart, He should extend the right one forward and, Placing it on the ground, dismiss the deities by saying: {9.2.39}

“ Oṁ, Please remain in my body! Hūṁ svāhā! {9.2.40}

“Subsequently, the deities are absorbed Into his body with his breath. In an instantaneous union, he should make offerings, Visualizing himself as the deity. {9.2.41}

“He should recite:

“ Oṁ, seize, seize the evil ones and depart! Hūṁ phaṭ! {9.2.42}

“He should snap his fingers three times and dismiss the outer deities.” {9.2.43}

While the Blessed One, ever-present in every body, Was abiding within the secret lotus, the pleasure realm of Sukhāvatī, The goddess who, for her own part, abides in secrecy, Requested the following: {9.3.1}

“Please tell me everything, O lord! Tell me about the hidden domain of sublime reality, About the maṇḍala of all the tathāgatas, And also about the wrathful ones and the deities. {9.3.2}

“I do know the ultimate reality Which is present within myself, But I am not certain regarding the methods Of making the painting and writing the manuscript. {9.3.3}

“I do not know that, so please tell me, O Great Bliss!” {9.3.4}

The Blessed One said:

“The painter should be a young person with a pure heart, Steadfast, gentle, and free of discursive thinking. He should be free of deceit and anger, well trained, Dexterous, and full of faith and compassion. {9.3.5}

“Alternatively, to do the painting, one should commission a painter who has been given the samaya. Such a sublime practitioner should paint Tārā, Mārīcī, or Parṇaśāvarī on cloth from a fallen war hero, cloth that wrapped a corpse, cloth used during childbirth, cloth stained with human blood, or cloth soaked with menstrual blood. {9.3.6}

“This is the procedure to follow. Staying at a secret location, one should have a well-focused person do the painting; he should paint the frightening form with a brush of a corpse’s hair, using the five colors as explained, mixed with olibanum, camphor, and other ambrosias, placed in a human skull. {9.3.7}

“First, the teacher, well focused, united in embrace with the consort (prajñā), adorned with all manner of jewelry, and abiding in union with the glorious Sampuṭa, should take off his clothes, while visualizing himself as wearing bone ornaments. {9.3.8}

“The wise should not have the painting done with leftover or impure materials.” {9.3.9}

[The goddess asked:]

“O Blessed One, if the paints are infused with olibanum (menstrual blood), how then would they not be impure?” {9.3.10}

The Blessed One said:

“The first purity is the messenger lady, Moon is regarded as the second, And all the dainty foodstuffs together Are said to be the third purity. {9.3.11}

“These purities should be undertaken By those who enjoy external yoga. Should one’s mind become impure, Of what use would be ritual ablutions? {9.3.12}

“Anyone who lives by a perverse Dharma, Desiring all kinds of sense pleasures, Will be born one hundred times as a dog, And later be reborn among the outcastes. {9.3.13}

“Just as someone who wants ghee But naively churns water, Does not obtain ghee But only physical exhaustion, {9.3.14}

“So too will the concentration and veneration Of those with other such aims be futile— If it is for the sake of vitality, They should rather resort to other types of yoga. {9.3.15}

“Who would disparage the skull That embodies the dharmakāya— The skull arisen from the material cause Common to the triad of conch, oyster shell, and pearl? {9.3.16}

“The means of purification of those invested with the sacred cord Is said to be their conduct conforming to the true Dharma. Since the purity is found in the glorious Heruka, One should worship with all perseverance Together with one’s consort (mudrā). {9.3.17}

“The practitioner should thus place his personal consort (mudrā) to his left. She should have a beautiful face and fine figure, be compassionately disposed, be graced with beauty and youth, and be fond of the practitioner. One should consecrate the brush and give it to the painter. {9.3.18}

“The painter should make a painting that inspires Dread and bounteously grants all accomplishments. It should be viewed by the painter and the practitioner, Without being shown to anyone else. {9.3.19}

“Listen, O goddess of great fortune! I will now teach you about the writing of the manuscript. One who has been given the samaya Should write it either on birchbark or palm leaf. {9.3.20}

“One should make the folios Twelve fingers long And use ‘great honey’ as ink. It should be written with a stylus of human bone. {9.3.21}

“Should an inappropriate person see Either the manuscript or the painting, No accomplishment will be had in this life, Nor in the domains of the afterlife. {9.3.22}

“One should never allow others To see the samayasattva. When in public view, one should hide The book in one’s hair or under the armpit. {9.3.23}

“One can, however, lend it to those who share the same samaya, So that they can copy it prior to performing the ritual.” {9.3.24}

“Listen, O goddess, I will now teach the music Characteristic (lakṣaṇa) of sampuṭa. {9.4.1}

“The mantra of Vajradhara (as sampuṭa) and the others is:

“ Ara ara, jeṁ jeṁ! Recollect recollect! Caṭa! Vaṁ, hoḥ hoḥ! Hulu hulu! Rulu rulu! Hūṁ, jaḥ jaḥ! Ala ala! Hūṇu Hūṇu! Hraṁ hraṁ hraṁ! Hū taṁ, ghai ghai, yai yai! Ta ṭa, gho gho, ṣeṁ ṣeṁ, taṁ taṁ, ghe ghe, hondo hondo, do! Hūṁ hūṁ! Kaka kaka, kau kau kau, vaiṃ vaiṃ, kaiṃ kaiṃ, krauṁ krauṁ krauṁ, vaiṁ! Vajra vajra, vajrīṁ vajrīṃ, vaiḥ, kaiṁ kaiṃ kaiṁ, hūṁ! Bhyo bhyo bhyo! {9.4.2}

“The mantra of Līlāgati is as follows:

“Ṭaki, hūṁ, jaḥ jaḥ jaḥ! {9.4.3}

“The mantra of Hayagrīva is:

“ Taḍava taḍava! To the steed, the steed! {9.4.4}

“The mantra of Yamarāja is:

“ Hrīṁ ṣṭrīṁ, hrīṁ ṣṭrīṁ, ṣṭrīṁ ṣṭrīṁ ṣṭrīṁ, hrīṁ ṣṭrīṁ, hrīṁ ṣṭrīṁ, hrīṁ ṣṭrīṁ! {9.4.5}

“The mantra of Tārā is:

“Hrīṁ hrīṁ, kuṁ hrīṁ, kuṁ hrīṁ, khe khe, kheṁ kheṁ kheṁ, padmaṃ padmaṃ, hrīṁ, padmaṃ padmaṃ padmaṃ, trīṁ trāṁ, trīṁ trāṁ, trīṁ trāṁ, hrīṁ hrīṁ hrīṁ, hrī taṁ, hrī taṁ, hrīṁ hrīṁ hrīṁ! {9.4.6}

“I will now describe the characteristics of the small hand drum used for these mantras.

“One should make this drum from the root of a sandal tree Belonging to the red variety found in the Himālayas, And also any other articles That are pleasing to the mind.” {9.4.7}

Then the Blessed One specified the following measurements:

“It should be twelve or ten finger-widths in length, With a drumhead that is six or five finger-widths in diameter. It can also be nine or eleven finger-widths in length, With the drumhead being half of that. {9.4.8}

“Optionally, to make a different kind of drum,

“One should stretch monkey skin on a human skull, So that it forms its drumhead. Inside each of the two hollows of the skull one should draw a lotus. To make it beautiful, one should draw it with menstrual blood. {9.4.9}

“One should tie together the two pieces of skull bone With a string twined from human hair recovered from a cemetery. Then, using only ‘secret flower,’ one should draw a maṇḍala On the pericarp of each of the two lotuses in the hollows of the skull. {9.4.10}

“One should go at nighttime to a crossroads and draw, With the big toe of one’s left foot, A vajra hook in each of the corners Of a four-sided maṇḍala. {9.4.11}

“Stepping there with one’s left heel, one should recite kheṁ hūṁ, Preceded by the summoning formula with the target’s name. While reciting kheṁ hūṁ, One should stomp one’s left foot in the manner of a lapwing. {9.4.12}

“In this way, all the six Kambojīs Will be summoned without a doubt. If they do not come, All these ḍākinīs will die. {9.4.13}

“So they will certainly respond to the ritual; There is no doubt about what I have said. {9.4.14}

“If the master plays the ḍamaru when agitated, the ḍākinīs will cry a torrent of tears. {9.4.15}

“[The following is a password song to get admitted to a gaṇacakra feast:]

“ ‘Your samaya conduct shines brightly, O Blue Angry One! In your hand you hold a staff set with precious stones. Behold me, O hero, amidst the yoginīs, entering the door to the assembly, The assembly that is the liberated saṃsāra.’ {9.4.16}

“Listen, O goddess, O greatly fortunate one, About the excellent things offered at the gaṇacakra. If one partakes of them, the accomplishment will follow— One that will bring the fulfillment of all wishes. {9.4.17}

“In a charnel ground, a mountain thicket, On the shore of a great ocean, In a deserted place or wilderness, One should prepare the following articles of enjoyment: {9.4.18}

“Flowers, incense, and lamps, And also hard and soft foodstuffs. The liquor is said to be a playful woman; The wine is said to be a wanton woman. {9.4.19}

“The rum is said to be the god of love; This best of alcohols is ambrosia. Through the outcaste of all buddhas, Ambrosia is the eightfold path. {9.4.20}

“The sweet grape wine is the Sole Hero; The oyster shell is the One with Harsh Desire. The rice brew (masculine) is said to be a sensualist, And the rice brew (feminine) is said to be a female slave. {9.4.21}

“By having the good fortune to partake, In this way, of such delicacies As various foods, alcoholic beverages, and fish, One will attain the level of glorious Vajrasattva. {9.4.22}

“Ripe mangoes, breadfruit, Grapes, coconuts, plums, and so forth— One should offer, at the gaṇacakra gathering, An assortment of different fruits. {9.4.23}

“A special dance should be performed, along with gestures and singing:

“Ka ka ka ka ka, hi hi hi hi, hīṁ hīṁ hīṁ hīṁ, hūṁ hūṁ hūṁ, hūṁ hūṁ hūṁ, hūṁ hūṁ hūṁ, hā hā hā hā, hā hā hā hā, hā hā hā hā, i hā hā, i hā hā, ḍā ḍā ḍā, jāṁ jāṁ jāṁ jāṁ, a i u, jaṁ jāṁ, iṁ jāṁ, iṁ jāṁ, iṁ iṁ, jeṁ jeṁ jeṁ, iṁ teṁ traṁ, hi hi hi hi, hīḥ hīḥ hīḥ, hi hi hi, hī hī hī, hī hī hī, hī hī hī, kajjaṃ, hi hī. {9.4.24}

“Singing thus, an outcaste woman shakes to this song. The dance, and in particular the ritual gestures, Should be performed while in meditative union with Heruka. {9.4.25}

“Since the gazes correspond with the fist gestures, And both are synchronized with the footsteps of the dance, They express the stages of yoga As performed by all the buddhas. {9.4.26}

“The consort could be one’s mother, Sister, younger sister, or niece. One should worship them ardently, And one will gain accomplishment at the gaṇacakra feast. {9.4.27}

“The pupil should present to his master, O fortunate lady, A human skull cup made from a single piece of bone, Filled with divinely delicious wine. Having made obeisance to him, he should drink of it himself. {9.4.28}

“He should hold it and offer it With the same hand forming a lotus gesture. The officiants should bow at this point To the master again and again.” {9.4.29}