The mere seeing of the colored powder Quickly brings about the attainment of buddhahood, As one progresses through the stages of perception of the maṇḍala. That shall now be explained correctly.

Four-sided and with four doors, It is adorned with four arches. In its center one should place the goddess, In a bhaga form of good color.

In the east an arrow should be drawn; And in the south, a bow; In the west, a hand of fearlessness, And in the north, an utpala.

All are in the border areas: The vajra, the wheel, and so forth. Wearing a red upper garment, And with his face covered by a red silken cloth, The disciple should enter there.

At this point the sattvavajrī mudrā should be displayed, a flower should be offered to the circle, and the words “praticcha vajra hoḥ” be spoken. Then, as the cover is removed, the maṇḍala is to be revealed. In the best case, the flower has fallen in the center. If it has fallen on the arrow, the student will be capable of performing the acts of enthrallment. If it has fallen on the giver of fearlessness, the student should study the removal of poison. If it has fallen on the utpala, it is the development of insight that should be studied. And if it has fallen on the bow, omniscient wakefulness is to be pursued.

At the time of the entry, the following should be declared: “You must not speak of this supreme secret of all the thus-gone ones in front of anyone who has not entered this maṇḍala. Your samaya vow would definitely degenerate. Having failed to avoid the distressful, you would certainly die and fall into hell.”

After that the samayas are to be given with the words, “The Three Jewels must never be abandoned…,” and so forth, just as it is extensively taught in the tantra. The oath is to be administered with the following words:

“If any among the great samaya vows of the King of Dharma That you have received from me should degenerate, The buddhas and bodhisattvas Who engage in the supreme conduct of secret mantra

“Will extract and consume The great blood and the great heart. I am the guardian of the Dharma; Do not displease me.

“You should always wear red clothes, A red mala, Vermillion powder, Apply red perfume,

“And adorn yourself with red jewels and the like. With the mind of passion you must meditate, Just as you must recite the mantra with a passionate mind. The palaces are to be painted With red ocher or sindhura,

“Vermillion powder, Saffron, red sandal, Or coral powder—all of these are appropriate.

“Karketa dust is used for the drawing. Whether for oblations, the circle, Or inauguration, Red substances are always to be applied.

“These are indicative of the saffron of the Buddha. You must not kill living beings, Not speak what is not true, Not take what has not been given,

“And not associate with another’s wife. Three acts of the body, Four of speech, And three of the mind—

“Give up these unvirtuous acts. Dharma, material things, Love, and fearlessness— You must always practice this fourfold generosity.

“If you possess nothing, be generous through acts of meditation. Also, you must always display the four means of magnetizing, Along with the body of the perfections, The powers, and the masteries.

“You must not look down on females, Particularly not anyone by the name of Tārā. Even a householder practitioner of secret mantra May not take such a woman.

“In a town, at a gate, in a marketplace— Wherever Tārā resides— In a high street, at a four-road junction, At the side of a wall,

“And in particular at a three-road junction— You should always pay homage at such places, Offer praise, and present great offerings. Having made such places your dwelling

“You should practice the mantra and so forth. Seeing a woman whose name is Tārā, Of white and red complexion and beautiful eyes, The yogin should respectfully

“Pay homage to her in his mind. Upon bandhūka flowers, The karavīra-holder, As well as other red flowers

The practitioner should never step.” As the vows are given in this way There is the clean and pure water of divine substance. The disciple should be purified with the water in the four vases And the water of mantra.

In the right order, the master should then Wash him with the gestures of the arrow, the bow, and so forth. First by means of the vase with the arrow,

And secondly, the one with the bow. The third is the one with the hand of fearlessness, And the fourth, the one with the utpala. “Just as the Lion of the Śākyas received

“From the buddhas and their offspring, the vajra holders, The empowerment for the great kingdom, So also do I empower you. The very essence of all the buddhas,

“That, indeed, you have found in this maṇḍala. Beholding these colored powders The buddhas are thoroughly delighted. Here there is no death and disease,

“No grief and no poverty. Through this pure Great Vehicle You will attain complete enlightenment.” Empowered through the arrow and the other three

The disciple has been made a vessel for the Dharma, And is, in accordance with the ritual, To be granted the secrets.

First one should train in the method of warding off the nāgas.

namo ratna­trayāya. namaḥ sarva­buddha­bodhi­sattvebhyaḥ. namo ˈṣṭasarpa­pudgalāya. namaḥ samastebhyo buddha­koṭibhyaḥ.. tadyathā. oṁ hrīḥ hrīḥ hrīḥ sarva­nāgānām ananta­kulānāṃ vāsuki­kulānāṃ takṣaka­kulānāṃ śaṅkha­pāla­kulānāṃ karkoṭa­kulānāṃ padma­kulānāṃ mahā­padma­kulānāṃ kulika­kulānāṃ varāha­kulānāṃ puṇḍarīka­kulānāṃ ghana­kulānāṃ megha­kulānāṃ jalada­kulānāṃ jala­dhara­kulānāṃ jīmūta­kulānāṃ saṃvarta­kulānāṃ vasanta­kulānāṃ airāvata­kulānāṃ kumuda­kulānāṃ kahlāra­kulānāṃ saugandhi­kakulānāṃ hana hana śareṇa bandha bandha cāpena tāḍaya tāḍaya utpalena bhītānām abhayaṃ dehi pralaya­kāla iva jala­dhāram avatāraya varṣaṃ tān nāgān vaśīkuru kuru phuḥ kulāpaya kulāpaya phuḥ phuḥ, oṁ kurukulle hrīḥ hūṁ phaṭ svāhā phaṭ

With this mantra, one should draw the maṇḍala with gaur dung. As prescribed, one should draw an eight-petaled lotus with sandalwood paste and place on its petals, starting from the eastern one, Ananta and the others—the eight nāgas—using candied sugar and bdellium. When the moon is in the Rohiṇī lunar house, one should perform a hundred and eight recitations, offer incense to the nāgas, and make offerings. If it does not begin to rain, they should be washed with wine and tormented with the fire of khadira wood. Doing this will bring rain. However, if the nāgas do not send rain, leprosy will break out.

This is to be carried out by a knowledge holder who is a performer of rites. Afterward, they should be gathered and released in a great river.

“May the gods send rain And may the crops be excellent. May the people prosper And the king be in accord with the Dharma.”

Thus one should perform the dedication.

One who wishes to stop excessive rainfall should obtain a snake from a snake charmer, anoint it with sandalwood paste, and feed it milk. One should pronounce this mantra over it seven times, put it in a red, unbaked jar, and seal it with the great seal. Breaking the vase will make the rain stop immediately.

Later, one should offer a feast for the gathering, Or make offerings to the saṅgha of listeners, And give food and drink to boys and girls. Doing this will delight the nāgas.

If, when it rains, One does not do this The nāgas will be displeased And so one will contract leprosy.

The king, along with his sons and queens, should bathe on the fifth day of the waning moon. They should obtain the root of pratyaṅgirā, blend it with milk or ghee, and having poured it into a silver dish, they should drink it. If the dish is offered to an ordained monk there will not be any danger from snakes for one year. Moreover, if, because of its unvirtuous actions, a snake does bite, the snake itself will die. Success comes with seven repetitions of the mantra.

Also, if one wishes to cure leprosy, one should, by means of this very mantra, neutralize a poison and then ingest it. This will cure leprosy.

If one recites the root mantra over water, and then uses that water to wash the wound from a snake bite, that will remove the poison.

Moreover, if one wishes to see nāgas, one should pronounce the mantra upon a red utpala petal one hundred thousand times for each of its syllables. The petal should then be tossed into a pond, or the like, that is inhabited by nāgas and blessed. This will make the females of the nāgas tremble. They will request orders from the practitioner: “What shall we do, O lord?” The practitioner of mantra should then request what he wishes.