Then the goddess said, “Is it possible, O lord, to attain the level of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa even without a woman? Or is it not possible?”

The lord replied, “It is not possible, O goddess.”

The goddess said, “Is it impossible, O lord, because bliss does not arise?”

The lord said:

“The highest awakening is not attained Merely by the arising of bliss. Only by the arising of a particular kind of bliss Can it be reached, not otherwise.

“And this bliss is not felt without doing what needs to be done— It is produced only through the right cause. And the cause is union with a woman; There is no other cause, ever.

“Among all illusions, Only the illusion of a woman is praised. Whoever would transgress against her Will not attain accomplishment.

“Therefore separation from women Must never take place. So if there should occur suffering, Death, bondage, or fear—

“One should put up with all of this, Rather than abandon a woman, Since all women can cause one To attain buddhahood by means of the four joys.

“Without modesty, fickle, impudent, Wholly in pursuit of desires— Yet they alone grant accomplishment; They should be served with all one’s being.

“What can be said of the nature of woman— They can even die from love By merely being separated from their husbands. What more can be said than this?

“Therefore all women should be viewed As goddesses on all occasions. Even wood, stone, and other objects Should be imagined, in one’s mind, as such.

“For a woman, the man is a deity; For a man, the woman is a deity. They should honor each other By uniting the vajra and the lotus.

“No other god should one worship, Allowing him to take control. Therefore the yogin, filled with compassion, Should set up the maṇḍala in front;

“Then he should lead the woman there In her form, which is none other than Perfection of Wisdom‌. One must worship her with flowers, Lamps, incense, and so forth.

“Later one should pay obeisance to her, Prostrating with one’s whole body. Then one should circumambulate her clockwise— This will complete the worship of Caṇḍī.

“In the same way, a woman should worship a man— With respect, and with the mind filled with devotion. She should perform the worship, in reciprocity, As has been taught by the victorious ones.

“One must not scold a woman, Nor can one abandon her when being asked for a favor. One should speak nice words And give her things according to need.

“One should praise her with all one’s heart, So that she does not perceive one as a villain. One must never abandon a woman wherever one may be, After hearing this teaching of the Buddha.

“Whoever should act otherwise, That evildoer will end up in hell. Apart from causing his own death, Does he achieve anything by separating himself from women?

“This practice of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa Can never be accomplished by religious austerities. It would be fruitless due to the net of delusion— The pure mind would be blocked.

“A lover must not abandon lust, Lest he would be living a lie. By living a lie, evil is incurred; And from evil, a rebirth in hell.

“He who lives a lie will meet his death, There is no doubt. Through this lust alone, accomplishment is won— Only through lust—by the sons of the victorious ones.

“So one should not torment oneself with austerities, Abandoning the five sense-objects. One should notice beauty as it comes along, And listen to the sound.

“One should smell the odor And savor the supreme taste. One should experience the sensation of touch, Pursuing the five types of sense-objects.

“One will quickly become awakened, Being wholly devoted to Caṇḍaroṣa. There is no greater deception, And no greater delusion,

“Than a man spending his entire youth Without bringing enjoyment to women. No reward will be yours to see, But you will have incurred the greatest loss.

“Those who are wholly devoted to desire Serve their lovers regularly. Having seen that the seat of Caṇḍaroṣa Is nestled within the vulva of a woman,

“How would they be able to sleep, eat, or laugh, If they abandoned it? In order to destroy the wickedness of the world, The son of Māyādevī—the wise teacher—

“Abandoned his 84,000 wives And his entire harem, And went to the bank of Nairañjanā. He manifested the accomplishment of a buddha

“By turning away the advancing Māras, But this was not so from the perspective of the absolute truth. This was not so, since it was in the female quarters, that the Buddha, Experiencing pleasure in the company of Gopā, became accomplished.

“It is from the union of the vajra and the lotus That true pleasure is derived. Awakening is attained through pleasure, And there is no pleasure in being separated from women.

“However, he who enacts separation In order to remove the wickedness of the world— Namely the victorious master of illusory displays— Enacts his part in that very form

“Through which the people will come To him, the awakened one, for guidance. By criticizing women In all the sūtra and Abhidharma literature,

“He would teach different levels of training, His words concealing the truth. He would also explain nirvāṇa As being the result of the cessation of the five aggregates.”

Then the blessed lady Prajñāpāramitā said, “Who is that blessed one, the son of Māyādevī, and who is Gopā?”

The blessed lord said:

“I am the son of Māyādevī, Who has now become Caṇḍaroṣaṇa. And you are the blessed lady Gopā, In the form of Prajñāpāramitā.

“As many women as there are, All are known to possess your form. Men, on the other hand, are all said To be endowed with my form.

“So also does this world exist in a twofold mode, Being of the nature of wisdom and means.”

The Blessed Lady then said, “Why, O lord, do the listeners and their like belittle women?”

The blessed lord said:

“They all abide in the realm of desire— Those who are called listeners and so forth. They do not know the path to liberation And always see the woman as an ordinary being.

“In a situation where saffron and so on is close by And easy to obtain, It is not fit for a welcome offering. What is far away, however, is suitable for a great welcome offering.

“Because of their ignorance that had no beginning, Those people are devoid of faith; They do not turn their minds to the truth— I, for my part, have concealed it very well.

“But still, during this dark age, If there is any being among the infinite numbers, Counted one by one, For whom devotion and exertion are paramount,

“It is for the sake of that being that I have explained all this— For the sake of its swift attainment of awakening.”