The Mahmy Tantra Mahmytantra

dpal sgyu phrul chen moi rgyud kyi rgyal po

The King of Tantras, the Glorious Mahmy rmahmytantrarjanma

Toh 425, Deg Kangyur vol. 80 rgyu! "#um, nga$, folios %&'a(%'%a

)u#lishe! #y 84000 20%*$ +++.84000.,o

This +or- is .rovi!e! un!er the .rote,tion of a /reative /ommons // 0123/23D 4ttri#ution 2 3on2 ,ommer,ial 2 3o2!erivatives$ *.0 ,o.yright. 5t may #e ,o.ie! or .rinte! for fair use, #ut only +ith full attri#ution, an! not for ,ommer,ial a!vantage or .ersonal ,om.ensation. 6or full !etails, see the /reative /ommons li,ense.

Contents

7ummary 4,-no+le!gements 5ntro!u,tion

The Translation

The Mahmy Tantra The 6irst 5nstru,tion The 7e,on! 5nstru,tion The Thir! 5nstru,tion 3otes 0i#liogra.hy

Summary
The Mahmytantra, name! after its .rin,i.al !eity Mahmy, is a tantra of the 1ogin8 ,lass in +hi,h Mahmy .resi!es over a maala .o.ulate! .rimarily #y yogins an!kins, those semi2 !ivine female figures -no+n throughout 7outh 4sian tantri, tra!itions for the .o+er they !erive from #eing .ro.itiate! +ith #loo!, flesh, an! se9. The .ra,titioner engages the antinomian .o+er of these #eings through a threefol! system of yoga involving the visuali:ation of the maala !eities, the re,itation of their mantras, an! the !ire,t e9.erien,e of a#solute reality. 4s +ell as .ra,ti,es involving the mani.ulation of the #o!y"s su#tle energies, the Mahmytantra in,or.orates the transgressive .ra,ti,es that are the hallmar- of the earlier tantri, systems su,h as the Guhyasamjatantra, s.e,ifi,ally the ingestion of se9ual flui!s an! other .olluting su#stan,es. The tantra .romises the gra,e ofMahmy in the form of mun!ane an! trans,en!ent s.iritual attainments to those +ho a..roa,h it +ith !iligen,e an! !evotion.

Acknowledgements
This te9t +as translate! #y the Dharma,ha-ra Translation /ommittee. The translation +as .re.are! #y ;yan Damron +ith the assistan,e of /atherine Dalton, an! +as e!ite! #y 4n!reas Do,tor.

Introduction
The Mahmytantra, name! after its .rin,i.al !eity Mahmy, #elongs to the ,lass of 1ogin8 tantras. 4,,or!ing to the .ost2tenth2,entury ,lassifi,ation s,heme of the Ti#etan 3e+ 7,hools gsar ma$, the Mahmytantra is ,ategori:e! as a Mother tantra ma rgyud$ among <ighest 1oga tantras bla na med pai rnal byor gyi rgyud,yoganiruttaratantra$. 5t earns this ,lassifi,ation !ue #oth to the im.ortan,e .la,e! on female !ivinities in the tantra"s maala an! to its in,lusion of .ra,ti,es fo,use! on the mani.ulation of the #o!y"s su#tle energies. 5n this tantra, Mahmy .resi!es over a maala .o.ulate! .rimarily #y yogin8s an! -in8s, those semi2!ivine female figures -no+n throughout 7outh 4sian tantri, tra!itions for the .o+er they !erive from #eing .ro.itiate! +ith #loo!, flesh, an! se9. The .ra,titioner engages the antinomian .o+er of these #eings through a threefol! system of yoga involving the visuali:ation of the maala !eities, the re,itation of their mantras, an! the !ire,t e9.erien,e of a#solute reality. TheMahmytantra also in,or.orates the transgressive .ra,ti,es that are the hallmar- of earlier tantri, systems su,h as the Guhyasamjatantra,% s.e,ifi,ally the ingestion of se9ual flui!s an! other .olluting su#stan,es. The tantra .romises the gra,e of Mahmy in the form of mun!ane an! trans,en!ent s.iritual attainments siddhi$ to those +ho a..roa,h it +ith !iligen,e, ,ourage, an! !evotion. Though it is !iffi,ult to .in.oint .re,isely +hen the Mahmytantra first #egan to ,ir,ulate +ithin 0u!!hist tantri, ,ommunities, the +or- rose to .rominen,e to+ar! the en! of the first millennium /= as .art of an efflores,en,e of ne+ tantri, material asso,iate! +ith yogin8s, -in8s, an! other female !ivinities. The !esignation >1ogin8 tantra? +as ,onferre! on these te9ts .re,isely #e,ause of their in,or.oration of a more femini:e! vision of !ivinity an! .o+er. 1ogin8 tantras vary in style an! ,ontent, ranging from some+hat !isor!ere! an! o#s,ure +or-s li-e the Cakrasavaratantra to refine! an! !o,trinally ,oherent te9ts su,h as the Klacakratantra. @ith its !istin,t narrative style, fo,us on the mun!ane s.iritual attainments, an! near total a#sen,e of ,learly arti,ulate! 0u!!hist !o,trine, theMahmytantra !emonstrates a themati, an! rhetori,al similarity to the Cakrasavaratantra, one of the earliest 1ogin8 tantras.2 4!!itionally, ,onsi!ering instan,es of interte9tuality +ith the earlier Guhyasamjatantra,* an! a seeming la,- of a+areness of more !o,trinally an! stru,turally !evelo.e! 1ogin8 tantras su,h as the evajratantra an! Klacakratantra, it is reasona#le to assume that theMahmytantra +as among the earlier of the 1ogin8 tantras, a..earing in 0u!!hist tantri, ,ir,les in the late ninth or early tenth ,enturies. 5t ha! ,ertainly gaine! enough .o.ularity #y the eleventh ,entury to !ra+ the attention of the .rominent monasti, s,holars of the .erio!. viii
T<= M4<AMA1A T43T;4

5n 5n!ia the Mahmytantra .ro#a#ly ,ir,ulate! +ithin #oth the maBor monasti, institutions an! the ,ommunities surroun!ing ,harismati, tantri, masters. 6oremost among the monasti, s,holars +ho ,ommente! on the te9t +as ;atn-araCnti fl. %%th ,entury$,4+hose Guavatk ! Commentary "ndo#ed #ith $ualities$ groun!s the often enigmati, verses of the Mahmytantra in mainstream 0u!!hist .hiloso.hy, es.e,ially that of 1og,ra. KavaBra"s fl. %%th ,entury$ ,ommentary,5 the Mahmytantrasya %tti &mti 'ecollection( ! Commentary on the Mahmy Tantra$, freDuently ,ites the oral tra!ition, .ointing to the #o!y of un+ritten instru,tions that .resent the .ra,ti,al te,hniDues almost ,om.letely a#sent in the Mahmytantra itself. /ontri#utions to theMahmytantra ,or.us ,ame from outsi!e the +alls of the monastery as +ell.Ku--uri.a an! K,rya, #oth of +hom +oul! eventually #e ,ounte! among the eighty2

four mahsiddhas, ,om.ose! .ra,ti,e liturgies sdhana$ for the tantra, +hile the si!!has3ro.a an! Kaha are sai! to have taught the tantra to Mar.a, thus fa,ilitating its transmission to Ti#et.& The Mahmytantra arrive! in Ti#et in the early eleventh ,entury as .art of the se,on! +ave of 0u!!hist tea,hings to rea,h the Ean! of 7no+s. 5t a..ears to have entere! Ti#et via t+o !istin,t lines of transmission, through Mar.a /hF-yi Eo!rF mar pa chos kyi blo gros, %0%2(%0G'$ an! GF Ehets "gos lhas btsas, fl. %%th ,entury$. The lineage ofGF Ehets, a .rolifi, translator an! im.ortant tea,her of the Guhyasamjatantra,'a..ears to have !ie! out, though the translation of the Mahmytantra an! the maBority of its asso,iate! te9ts .reserve! in the Kangyur an! Tengyur are his. The ,onverse is true of Mar.aH if he ever .ro!u,e! a translation of the Mahmytantra, it has #een lost, an! yet it is his lineage, as .asse! through his !is,i.le 3go-tFn /hF-u DorB rngog ston chos sku rdo rje, %0*&(%%02$, that ,ontinues to #e transmitte! to this !ay. TheMahmytantra also re,eive! a great !eal of attention from the Ti#etan .olymath Trantha %5'5(%&*4$, +ho ,om.ose! t+o ,ommentaries an! a .ra,ti,e manual for it.8 The Text The Mahmytantra !es,ri#es, in verses #oth terse an! enigmati,, the .ra,ti,es an! attainments asso,iate! +ith the !eity Mahmy an! her retinue of yogin8s. 1ogin8s, an! their ,lose ,ounter.arts the -in8s, are reno+ne! for their a#ility to grant mastery of tem.oral an! trans,en!ent s.iritual attainments to !evote! an! ,ourageous .ra,titioners +ho are +illing to #rave an en,ounter +ith these often fero,ious #eings. 5n this tantraMahmy is invo-e! as the Dueen of -in8s, the Dueen of the yogin8s, an! the su.reme se,ret of these se,ret go!!esses, ma-ing her the .aramount sour,e of s.iritual attainment. The tantra .romises the a,,om.lishment of su,h .o+ers through the visuali:ation of its !eities an! their maalas, the mani.ulation of the #o!y"s su#tle energies an! the ,ultivation of the .o+er of transgression through the ingestion of im.ure su#stan,es. 4n! yet these .ra,ti,es are only hinte! at +ithin the tantra itselfH the s.e,ifi,s are reserve! for initiates an! are to #e s.o-en only #y a lineage hol!er. Thus, as is the ,ase +ith most tantras, this te9t is meant to #e .ra,ti,e! only after re,eiving initiation an! instru,tion from a Dualifie! master.
T<= M4<AMA1A T43T;4

The Mahmytantra"s three ,ha.ters an! eighty2one verses !e.art from the tra!itional narrative stru,ture of 0u!!hist s,ri.ture. 0u!!hist tantras ty.i,ally follo+ the sItra tra!ition #y #eginning +ith a formulai, intro!u,tion meant to esta#lish the time, .la,e, au!ien,e, an! a#ove all the authority of a given s,ri.ture. This formula, +hi,h #egins >Thus 5 have hear!...? eva may )ruta$, is a#sent in the Mahmytantra, +hi,h #egins instea! +ith a .erfun,tory >3o+...? ata$.G This !eviation is in .art e9.laine! #y the fa,t that this is not a !is,ourse of the 0u!!ha, #ut rather a !ialogue #et+een t+o !eities asso,iate! +ith the tantra. <o+ever, the la,- of a formal intro!u,tion leaves it un,lear .re,isely +ho these !eities are. The interlo,utor a..ears to #e none other than MahmyherselfH verse %.25 invo-es her #y name as the re,i.ient of the tantra"s instru,tion. The s.ea-er, ho+ever, is never e9.li,itly i!entifie! +ithin the te9t. KavaBra ventures a guess, suggesting JaBra-in8 as the sour,e of the tea,hing.%0 ;atn-araCnti ta-es a !ifferent a..roa,h an!, instea! of ,on,erning himself +ith i!entifying figures not e9.li,itly name! in the te9t, ,onsi!ers the Mahmytantra to #e !erive! from a mu,h larger mythi,al ,om.en!ium of tantras +hi,h he refrains from i!entifying$. %% 5t is in that ,olle,tion, he !e,lares, that one may fin! the tra!itional intro!u,tion that esta#lishes the im.ortant !etails of the Mahmytantra"s setting.

6rom this a#ru.t #eginning, the first ,ha.ter ,ontinues +ith several verses invo-ingMahmy"s Dualities an! !es,ri#ing the .o+ers a,Duire! through her su,,essful .ro.itiation. Tantras ,entere! u.on yogin8s an! -in8s, +hether 0u!!hist or non20u!!hist, ty.i,ally em.hasi:e the attainment of mun!ane .o+ers over the trans,en!entH in this theMahmytantra is no !ifferent. The yog8 +ho masters the .ra,ti,es of Mahmy +ill, the te9t .romises, #e a#le to magi,ally influen,e an! atta,others, a,Duire +hatever he !esires, fly through the s-y, travel through other realms, #e,ome invisi#le, .ossess the #o!ies of others, an! #e,ome immortal. /om.are! to this ,om.rehensive an! re.etitive list of mun!ane attainments, the tantra ma-es only .assing referen,e to the more altruisti, an! trans,en!ent attainments. Knly on,e !oes the te9t mention that its attainments ,an #e use! to #enefit others v %.28$, an! only on,e !oes it e9.li,itly announ,e that its .ra,ti,e ,an result in #u!!hahoo! v. *.25$. 6ollo+ing this e9haustive a,,ount of the attainments, the first ,ha.ter ,loses +ith a !es,ri.tion of a short seDuen,e of visuali:ation. The rea!er may #e .u::le! at this .oint to fin! that Mahmy, +ho ha!, u. to this .oint, #een invo-e! using e9.li,itly feminine e.ithets, is su!!enly referre! to using un!enia#ly mas,uline terms. Though some suggest this is the tantra of a male !eity +ith a feminine name,%2 Mahmy is a female !eity, as the verses of invo,ation ma-e ,learLshe is the great Mueen Mahmy, the mother of theguhyakas, an! the Dueen of yogin8s. 7he is ,onsistently a!!resse! using a s.e,ifi,ally feminine e.ithet, vidy, that simultaneously invo-es her status as the em#o!iment of-no+le!ge an! as the female !eity .resi!ing over a maala. 4n! yet here, an! in the thir! ,ha.ter +here her i,onogra.hy is fully !es,ri#e!, she #e,omes the male <eru-a, the Jirile Kne vra$ em#ra,ing the ,onsort 0u!!ha -in8. This gen!er am#iguity is ,larifie! +hen +e ,onsi!er that the tantra !es,ri#es Mahmyas a femini:e! form of a#solute reality. 7he is sai! to .erva!e everything in the three +orl!s, to #e the sour,e of all the go!s, an! to ,reate, sustain, an! !estroy the universe. Most im.ortantly, she is e9a,tly +hat her name suggests, the >great illusion? that ,onstitutes a..arent reality. @hen she ta-es em#o!iment, she ,an !o so in any form ne,essary, +hi,h in the ,onte9t of this tantra is <eru-a, the male !eity most freDuently foun! at the ,enter of tantri, maalas. ;atn-araCnti ma-es e9.li,it the ontologi,al .rima,y of the feminineMahmyH in his ,ommentary he eDuates her +ith JaBra!hara, the em#o!iment of a#solute reality, +ho is ty.i,ally male, an! i!entifies her as >she +ho has the form of <eru-a.?%* The se,on! ,ha.ter is the tantra"s shortest an! most ,hallenging. 5ts verses only hint at the te,hniDues an! visuali:ations to +hi,h they refer. The ,ommunities in +hi,h theMahmytantra ,ir,ulate! +oul! have guar!e! their tea,hings an! te,hniDues ,losely, ma-ing ,om.lete e9.lanations a,,essi#le only to an intimate ,ir,le of initiates. The tantra"s versesLes.e,ially those that a..ear to refer to s.e,ifi, te,hniDuesLare not meant to #e e!ifying, only allusive. 5t is the role of the tantri, master to un.a,- ea,h verse an! ,onvey its .ra,ti,al ,ontent to those .re.are! to re,eive it. Thus in this ,ha.ter +e are offere! only the #arest of intro!u,tions to +hat +as li-ely a ,om.le9 seDuen,e of te,hniDues. The fifth verse of the se,on! ,ha.ter intro!u,es the .rimary stru,ture of the tantra"s .ra,ti,es, one the later Ti#etan ,ommentators +oul! i!entify as a frame+or- for the!evelo.ment stage utpattikrama$ an! ,om.letion stage nipannakrama$ .ra,ti,es uniDue to the Mahmytantra.%4 Jerse 2.5 statesN The threefol! .ra,ti,e is sai! to #e essentially mantra, a..earan,e, Through three as.e,ts of +is!om he +ill not #e staine! #y the faults of e9isten,e. KavaBra .rovi!es the ne,essary ela#orationN an! reality.

Mantra refers to those mantras su,h as o an! so forth that are fi9e! in the si9 .la,es, the eyes an! the rest. !ppearance refers to the O!eity"sP manner of a..earan,e as e9.laine! #elo+Lhis ,olor, form, .osture an! fa,es. 'eality refers to the fun!amental nature +hi,h is ,om.letely free from all ,on,e.tual fa#ri,ation.%5 The visuali:ations, re,itations, an! seDuen,es of .ra,ti,e that follo+ in the te9t are to #e un!erstoo! an! em.loye! in terms of this threefol! stru,ture. The remain!er of the ,ha.ter .resents a series of .ra,ti,al te,hniDues for attaining mastery over the .henomenal +orl! an! generating #o!ily energies an! flui!s for use in ritual .ra,ti,e. =a,h verse from 2.' to 2.%4 allu!es to a s.e,ifi, visuali:ation ,entere! on a single mantri, sylla#le an! its asso,iate! !eity, the .ra,ti,e of +hi,h lea!s to the state! out,ome. 1et it is im.ossi#le to !etermine, #ase! on the verses alone, +hat .ra,ti,es are #eing !es,ri#e!. 5t is left to the ,ommentators an! the oral tra!ition to fill in the !etail. /onsi!er verse 2.'N Me!itate u.on the first sylla#le +hi,h is the Merge! fully +ith one"s o+n a+areness it is summone! in an instant. ;atn-araCnti ,ommentsN ,olor of 5n!ra.

This is e9.laine! as follo+sN on,e the vulva of 0u!!ha -in8 an! so forth is ren!ere! re! li-e saffron, imagine the sylla#le o re! li-e saffron in the vessel of the Jirile Knean! fi9 the Jirile Kne in the su#tle s.here. Kn,e the Jirile Kne has #een ma!e re! #y the light of the sylla#le o, t+o rays of re! light emerge from the Jirile Kne. 5magine a noose on the ti. of the first an! a hooon the se,on!. 0in!ing the ne,- of the o#Be,t to #e a,,om.lishe! +ith the noose an! .ier,ing its heart +ith the hoo-, imagine that it is Dui,-ly summone!.%& 5t thus #e,omes a..arent that the +or!s of the tantra itself .rovi!e merely an outline, a shorthan! version for tantri, .ra,titioners alrea!y +ell verse! in its .ra,ti,es. Ei-e+ise, ea,h of the su#seDuent verses of this ,ha.ter .oints to ,om.le9 me!itation te,hniDues, a ty.e of -no+le!ge that is, as verse 2.%' in!i,ates, >se,ret, o#s,ure, an! un+ritten.? The thir! an! final ,ha.ter #rings the tantra to a ,lose +ith a !es,ri.tion of the rites for .re.aring an! ,onsuming im.ure su#stan,es, follo+e! #y a ,om.lete .resentation of the i,onogra.hy of Mahmy an! her retinue. The ,ultivation of the .o+er of transgression through !eli#erate ,onsum.tion of im.ure, .olluting su#stan,es is an im.ortant as.e,t of 0u!!hist tantra. 3otions of .urity an! .ollution have #een formative elements of 7outh 4sian i!entity sin,e Je!i, times. 7u,h an i!entity is !esta#ili:e! through ,onta,t +ith an! ingestion of im.ure su#stan,es an! #o!ily flui!s. 5n!ian 0u!!hist tantras, es.e,ially those of the later 1oga tantra ,lass su,h as the Guhyasamjatantra,%' .ositione! the ,onsum.tion of se9ual flui!s at the ,lima9 of the ritual .ro,ess so as to harness the for,e of the transgressive a,t into a .o+erful soteriologi,al moment. The same hol!s true for the ingestion of illi,it meatsN their ritual ,onsum.tion negate! a so,ial i!entity forme! through the o#servation of !ietary an! #ehavioral .ros,ri.tions. Through the eating of ta#oo su#stan,es, .ra,titioners" #on!s +ith mun!ane so,iety are fully severe! an! their a,,e.tan,e into the ,ommunity of s.iritual a!e.ts is ,onfirme!. 1ogin8 tantras, in,lu!ing the Mahmytantra, ,arrie! on the transgressive .ra,ti,es that !evelo.e! in tantras su,h as the Guhyasamjatantra an! the Guhyagarbhatantra. 5n the Mahmytantra, the ,onsum.tion of se9ual flui!s is .resente! at the en! of the se,on! ,ha.ter an! the ingestion of illi,it meats in the early verses of the thir!. The final t+o verses of the se,on! ,ha.ter !es,ri#e, in a ty.i,ally o,,lu!e! fashion, the ingestion of se9ual flui!s that mar-s the ,ulmination of the me!itation seDuen,e. The verses instru,t the yog8 to -ee. his min! free of ,on,e.ts an! ta-e the >+ish2granting Be+el?

#et+een his thum# an! ring finger an! .la,e it in his mouth. KavaBra e9.lains that this refers to the ingestion of >relative bodhicitta? kun rd*ob kyi byang chub sems, i.e., semen$ after its .rolonge! retention in the ti. of the .enis.%8 5n the .arlan,e of the later tra!ition, this mar-s the ,om.letion stage se,tion of the .ra,ti,e. 5n the +or!s of the tantra itself, the ingestion of se9ual flui!s triggers >everlasting s.iritual attainment.? Moving into the thir! ,ha.ter, the tantra intro!u,es a seDuen,e of verses outlining the rites asso,iate! +ith the ingestion of sa,ramental su#stan,es samayadravya$. The yog8 is instru,te! to gather the five illi,it meats ele.hant, horse, ,o+, !og, an! human$, roll them in!ivi!ually into .ellets, an! store them for seven !ays. 3e9t they are mi9e! together an! store! in the ,avity of a rotting Ba,-al for an a!!itional seven !ays. 6inally they are ta-en out an! ,onsume!, resulting in an e9.erien,e of >the great fruitions? mahphalni, v. *.&$, +hi,h ;atn-araCnti i!entifies as >the state of +is!om.?%G Though the five illi,it meats are ,ommon enough in tantri, literature, the es.e,ially .olluting a!!ition of a Ba,-al ,or.se a..ears to #e a uniDue ,ontri#ution of the Mahmytantra. @e ,an un!erstan! this !istin,tly un.alata#le .ro,ess as inten!e! to ,olla.se the #inaries of .ure an! im.ure, .re,i.itating a more ,om.lete reBe,tion of !ualisti, ,on,e.ts an!, as verse *.% states, lea!ing to >omnis,ien,e.? The final se,tion of the tantra ,on,erns the metho! of .ra,ti,e sdhana$ for the !eity, in,lu!ing the !etails of the visuali:ation of Mahmy an! her maala. The stages #y +hi,h a tantra is to #e .ra,ti,e! are freDuently ,on,eale! +ithin the te9tLthe or!er +ill #e s,ram#le! an! the !etails eli!e!.20 The a,t of organi:ing these elements is left to tantri, tea,hers an! lineage masters, +ho ,om.ose! in!e.en!ent an,illary te9ts to ,o!ify the .ro.er seDuen,e of .ra,ti,e. These te9ts in,or.orate! .ra,ti,es !ra+n from the oral tra!ition an! em#e!!e! the #asi, outline .rovi!e! #y the tantra +ithin an esta#lishe! s!hana frame+or- that normally in,lu!e! ,ommon 0u!!hist elements su,h as refuge in the Three Qe+els, the generation of the as.iration for a+a-ening, the offering of ,onfession, an! so forth. Thus +hile the ,ore material for a s!hana is foun! +ithin the tantra itself, ea,h s!hana is uniDue, refle,ting styles an! inter.retations that are as !iverse as their authors. 7!hanas ,om.ose! on the Mahmytantra #y the 5n!ian authors ;atn-araCnti,Ku--uri.a, ;atnavaBra, an! Kum DorB sku med rdo rje$, as +ell as a num#er ,om.ose! #y Ti#etan authors, have #een .reserve! in 7ans-rit an! Ti#etan. @ithin the Mahmytantra, although verse *.' announ,es the ,ommen,ement of the s!hana, the maBority of .ra,ti,es have alrea!y #een intro!u,e! in the .re,e!ing t+o ,ha.ters. 0ut it is only here, at the en! of the tantra, that +e are finally given the ,om.lete i,onogra.hi, !es,ri.tion reDuire! for the self2visuali:ation of the !eity that .re,e!es all other .ra,ti,es. 2% The visuali:ation #egins #y imagining a re! lotus flo+er +ith four .etals, in the mi!!le of +hi,h sits a single su#tle s.here. 6rom this s.here, four a!!itional su#tle s.heres emerge an! ,ome to rest on ea,h of the four .etals. These four s.heres then transform into four yogin8s, ea,h !istin,t in ,olor an! +iel!ing the s.e,ifi, im.lements !es,ri#e! in the tantra. They sing a song of invo,ation in the language of the yogin8s 22 to the ,entral su#tle s.here, summoning Mahmy an! ,onsort from their essential state, first in the form of mantra sylla#les, then in full i,onogra.hi, !etail. Mahmy ta-es the !ar- #lue form of <eru-a em#ra,ing the re! 0u!!ha -in8. 7$he has four fa,esL#lue in the east, yello+ in the south, re! in the +est, an! #lue2green in the north. 7$he has four han!s, ea,h hol!ing a !ifferent im.lementN a s-ull ,u., a khavga, a #o+, an! an arro+. Kn,e this five2!eity maala has #een fully imagine!, the .ra,titioner is .re.are! to a..ly any of the !iverse .ra,ti,es that have #een !es,ri#e! throughout the +or-N the visuali:ation of mantra sylla#les an! a!!itional maala !eities, the mani.ulation of su#tle energies, or the ,onsum.tion of se9ual flui!s an! illi,it meats. Through i!entifi,ation +ithMahmy an! engagement in these .otent .ra,ti,es, the !iligent .ra,titioner +ill #e re+ar!e! +ith mun!ane .o+ers, rea,h >highest attainment of su,hness? v. *.25$, an!, as +e are tol! in the tantra"s final verse, #e forever .rote,te! #y Mahmy, >the Dueen of the yogin8s.?

About the Translation This translation is #ase! u.on a ,om.arative e!ition, ma!e #y the translator, of the Ti#etan re,ensions of the Mahmytantra !ra+n from the Deg sde dge$, Ehasa, 3artang snar thang$, )e-ing, an! Tog )ala,e stog pho brang$ e!itions of the Ti#etan Kangyur. Though the tantra itself no longer e9ists in 7ans-rit, ;atn-araCnti"s im.ortant ,ommentary, the Guavatk, is .reserve! in t+o 7ans-rit manus,ri.ts hel! in 3e.al"s ;oyal 4r,hive, +hi,h have #een e!ite! #y the /entral 5nstitute of <igher Ti#etan 7tu!ies. 0e,ause the Guavatk attests to the maBority of the 7ans-rit terms, it allo+s a,,ess to mu,h of the Mahmytantra in its original language. @e have therefore given ,areful ,onsi!eration to #oth the 7ans-rit e!ition of this ,ommentary an! the manus,ri.ts u.on +hi,h it is #ase!. @here the 7ans-rit term is availa#le, +e have .rivilege! the semanti, range of the 7ans-rit over that of the Ti#etan, allo+ing us to re,a.ture something of the flavor of the original 7ans-rit. The ,ommentaries of ;atn-araCnti an! KavaBra +ere ,onsulte! throughout the translation .ro,ess an! greatly influen,e! our rea!ing of the root te9t. The Mahmytantra is a ,hallenging te9t. 5t is themati,ally in,onsistent an! !isBun,tive in .la,es, an! at times the referent of a given verse is un,lear. Though this is ,ertainly !ue in .art to attem.ts #y its authors to ,on,eal the meaning or .ro.er seDuen,e of the tantra, it is ,lear that a grammati,ally fla+e! +or- is hi!ing #ehin! the Ti#etan translation. This is ,ommon among 0u!!hist tantras, as their authors !i! not al+ays .ossess a soli! ,omman! of the 7ans-rit language. @here .ossi#le +e have ,larifie! the te9t to ma-e it more rea!a#le, #ut there remain .assages that are enigmati, an! !iffi,ult to follo+. Note 5n the translation, num#ers +ithin sDuare #ra,-ets .re,e!e! #y 6. in!i,ate the folio num#ers of the Deg e!ition of the Ti#etanH num#ers +ithout letters in!i,ate the .age num#ers of the dpe bsdur ma ,om.arative$ e!ition of the Ti#etan see #i#liogra.hy$.

The Translation

The King of Tantras, the Glorious Mahmy

The +irst ,nstruction

<omage to the Glorious JaBra-in8R %.%5 .ay homage to the .rote,tor of #eings, Glorious JaBra-in8, Sniversal sovereign of the -in8s, the very essen,e of the five +is!oms an! three #o!ies. %.2.5 .ay homage to all the vaBra-in8s @ho ,ut the #on!s of ,on,e.tual thought an! !es,en! to a,t in the +orl!. %.*.3o+, follo+ing that, 5 +ill e9.lain the tantra ,alle! The &upreme &ecret o- the &ecret Goddesses. the %ajrakins. O6.%&'.#P %.4.7he .erva!es the entire =gg of 0rahm, the animate an! inanimate. 7he is the sour,e of all go!!esses an! rules over 0rahm an! the rest. %.5.7he is their great se,ret, the great Mueen Mahmy. 7he is the great illusion, intensely fier,e, +ho !estroys all that e9ists2*. O50'P %.&.7he .erva!es all of thisN the animate an! inanimate, the three +orl!s. Time after time she gathers in an! again emanates the tri.le +orl!. %.'.This mother of the guhya-as is ,ele#rate! as the essen,e of illusion. 7he is the -no+le!ge that .erfe,ts the three +orl!s an! fulfills all !esires. %.8.Through the mere thought of the Dueen of the a,,om.lishe!, -no+le!ge itself, The !evas, !navas, gan!harvas, ya-as, suras, an! humans, %.G.The vi!y!haras, the -innaras, an! maho!aras, The r-asas an! .iC,asLall are mastere! for .ra,titioners. 4ll ,reatures are su#!ue!N those #orn in the +ater an! on lan!. %.%0.)henomena are naturally luminousH they are .rimor!ially .ure an! +ithout stain. The metho!s of those .ossessing the self2arisen five +is!oms are to #e .raise!H24 %.%%.These are the yogin8s, the mother of yoga, an! the entirety of the three +orl!s.25 The entire .lay of illusion is a,,om.lishe! +ithout e9,lusion or remain!er.2& %.%2.4#!u,te! from the #u!!has, the mai!ens of the highest go!s are enBoye!. The yog8 has -no+le!ge, masters yoga an! +eaves 5n!ra"s @e#.2' %.%*.<e #eguiles an! .araly:es, slays, !issua!es, an! more. <e tames, magneti:es, an! so forthH he flies through the s-y. <e enters the ,ita!el of another, is invisi#le, an! so on. %.%4.<e ,auses hostility, ren!ers mute an! moves un!er the earthH 0e,omes the universal sovereign of vi!y!haras, !oes not age, an! is !eathless. %.%5.Kne +ith -no+le!ge of yogi, illusion is li-e+ise free from !iseaseL 1og8s revel in the form of the mantra"s sylla#les. O6.%&8.aP

%.%&.Through re,itation an! ,ontem.lation, me!itation an! a#sor.tion, O508P The vi!y ,reate! through re,itation #rings a#out the a,,om.lishment of-no+le!ge.28 %.%'.@ithout !is,i.line or austerities, +ithout har!shi., fasting, or vo+s, 0liss an! Qoy #ring a,,om.lishment through ,onstan,y in -no+le!ge an! metho!.2G %.%8.The Jirile Kne stan!s in the ,enter of the navel, in the hi!!en s.a,e of the #lossomH <e is min!, the a#sen,e of min!, an! mental formLthe nature of -no+le!ge an! +hat ,an #e -no+n. %.%G.5 +ill no+ !es,ri#e himLthis is the .rofoun! instru,tion of the 0u!!haN 4 ,hain eDual to that of the li kli is ,oile! there. %.20.The u..er ,hain ignites an! is ma!e to flo+ !o+n+ar!, 4 !ro. of ne,tar flo+ing in the form of semen. %.2%.@hatever ,omes on the .ath of the senses is naturally Bust that. Through the .ra,ti,e of su.reme #enefit all #e,omes the nature of the 0u!!ha.*0 %.22.The s.iritual attainment of the great ,ommitment is the .erfe,tion of the great .ill.*% 5n the em#ra,e of Mahmy you shoul! .ra,ti,e yogi, union.*2 %.2*.=n!o+e! +ith the five offerings together +ith the five o#Be,ts of !esire, The .o+er of a,,om.lishment +ill #e -no+n an! s.iritual attainment ma!e .ermanent. %.24.5 +ill e9.lain this s.iritual attainment of +is!om, 0y +hi,h the state of a go! is s+iftly attaine!LGo!!ess, 5 s.ea- truthfullyR %.25.To you, Mahmy, 5 +ill e9.lain the a,,om.lishment of the three +orl!s, The garlan! of sylla#les of the most e9,ellent among the great yogin8s.** %.2&.The great yog8 +ho masters the animate an! inanimate +ith thought alone 5s ,onstantly offere! !esira#le things an! serve! a,,or!ing to his .leasure. %.2'.<e is al+ays at .lay an! a,,om.lishes the vaBra yogin8s. O50GP 5n a variety of forms the essential .ra,ti,e is reveale!. O6.%&8.#P %.28.The great attainment, the s.len!or of the tathgatas, is grante!H*4 Through e9tra,ting various essen,es the yog8 ,onstantly #enefits #eings.*5 %.2G.@ith the ,olle,te! semen, liDuor, an! e9tra,te! large .ill, <e mi9es in the great flesh an! unites +ith the yogin8. %.*0.<e gains long life, great virility, great s.len!or, an! #e,omes e9,ee!ingly .o+erfulH*& <e .ossesses !ivine sight, magi,al a#ility, an! !rin-s the moon !ay after !ayH %.*%.<e #e,omes long2live! so that he lives for a great ageH <e manifests an alluring form an! ,onBures mira,lesH %.*2.@ith merely a thought his a..earan,e is transforme!L The Dueen of vi!ys, the great en,hantress, is unfailingly a,,om.lishe! through re,itation. %.**.Ji!yR 5n the three +orl!s there is nothing eDual to my -no+le!ge.*' This transmission of all tantras has #een e9.laine! to you, Magnifi,ent KneR

This ,om.letes the first instru,tion on the signs of s.iritual attainment of The Great %idy. $ueen othe /ogins.

The &econd ,nstruction

2.%.3o+, follo+ing that, 5 +ill e9.lain the su#lime se,ret sylla#le that #esto+s the result of the s.iritual attainment for the .ra,ti,e of the great Dueens of yoga. 2.2.Merely visuali:ing her, the yogin8 grants the #est of things. 4..ly the first sylla#le an! sustain the u.+ar! #reath.*8 2.*.Ta-ing that +hi,h ,omes at the en! of the eight together +ith 0 an! the #in!u, The yog8 moves the !o+n+ar! #reath, a#an!oning the real an! unreal. O5%0P 2.4.The o#servan,es are not e9.laine!N the a,tivities of the garlan! mantra, Kf retention, an! of fire offerings are all omitte!.*G 2.5.The threefol! .ra,ti,e is sai! to #e essentially mantra, a..earan,e, an! reality. Through three as.e,ts of +is!om he +ill not #e staine! #y the faults of e9isten,e. 2.&.The yog8 +ho ,onstantly me!itates on this +ithout interru.tion 5s eDual to JaBrasattva an! gains a,,om.lishment in a single month. O6.%&G.aP 2.'.Me!itate u.on the first sylla#le +hi,h is the ,olor of 5n!ra. Merge! fully +ith one"s o+n a+areness it is summone! in an instant. 2.8.The one .ossessing the se,on! sylla#le is imagine! an! ,ultivate!. Kne gains .o+er over everything +ithin the +hole of the three +orl!s. 2.G.0rahm, an! lor! Jiu, so too 5n!ra an! the Eor! of DesireH 5nvo-e! +ith the +is!om sylla#le, they are summone! along +ith their +ives.40 2.%0.=n!o+e! +ith the sylla#le , settle! in a+a-ene! #o!y, s.ee,h, an! min!,4% )erform the threefol! unionLthis is the su.reme e9tra,tion of the .ill. 2.%%.)ossessing the sylla#le khe is the four2fa,e! one +ith a re! #o!y.42 7-ull ,u. in han! he is .assion itselfLthis is the su.reme e9tra,tion of semen. 2.%2.)ossessing the sylla#le ci 4* is one yello+ in ,olor +ho shines #rightly, @ith the form of a horse"s fa,eLengaging him is the su.reme e9tra,tion of the liDuor. 2.%*.The one .ossessing the sylla#le ra is re! in ,olor an! e9,ee!ingly #right, <as four arms an! four fa,es, an! a..ears in the form of a Ba,-al. 2.%4./ultivating this +rathful min! is the su.reme e9tra,tion of #loo!. =n!o+e! +ith the si9 sylla#les, they are fi9e! in the si9 .la,es. 2.%5.The .ra,ti,e, the host of -in8s, an! the vaBra yogin8s are a,,om.lishe!, O5%%P The t+o eyes, the ears, an! so too the nose an! the min!. 2.%&.1og8s ta-e the .osture of a s.orting lionH44

@hile me!itating +ith the movement of #reath ,ontrolle!, it #la:es in an instant45 Throughout 4-aniha, the summit of e9isten,e, an! in the seven +orl!s of the animate an! inanimate. 2.%'.4ll me!itate u.on it, #ut they !on"t reali:e it. 5f everyone reali:e! it, the manifestations of #eings +oul! utterly ,olla.se. Therefore this +is!om is se,ret, o#s,ure, an! un+ritten. 2.%8.0e,ause the a+a-ene! ones -no+, they +ho are immerse! in yogi, slee.,4& They ,on,entrate u.on the .ill an! me!itate on the singular nature of forms. O6.%&G.#P 2.%G.They me!itate on the essen,e of the su#stan,es arisen from the nine !oors,4' 4n! ,onsume them +ith a min! free of ,on,e.ts an! !evoi! of intrinsi, nature. 2.20.@ith the thum# an! ring finger, .la,e the +ish2granting Be+el in the mouth, 4n! attain the everlasting s.iritual attainment arisen from the nature of the ne,tar. This ,om.letes the se,on! instru,tion on the .ra,ti,e of The Great %idy. $ueen o- the /ogins.

The Third ,nstruction

*.%.3o+ ,omes a thorough e9.lanation of the su.reme a,,om.lishment of the samayaN The ingestion of the other gathere! su#stan,es that #esto+ the result of omnis,ien,e. *.2.0y their mere ,onsum.tion the mothers of the s.irits are a,,om.lishe!N48 =le.hant an! horse, an! so too ,o+ an! !og. *.*.Mi9e! +ith the great one an! also the five +is!om ne,tars, 6rom the fourteenth to the eighth they are ,om#ine! an! mingle! together.4G *.4.Eeft insi!e a Ba,-al for seven !ays, remove them. O5%2P ;oll the five into .ellets the si:e of mustar! see!s. *.5.5n!ee! this tantra tea,hes that from the eighth to the fourteenth /ultivate them in!ivi!ually for seven !ays, mi9 them, an! .la,e them in a Ba,-al.50 *.&.Ta-e them outLfrom the five ma-e .ellets the si:e of the fruit of s.iritual attainment. 0e,ause the great fruition is .erfe,tly reali:e!, it is taught in this tantra #ut fully ,on,eale! The #u!!has have ,on,eale! the great fruition in every instan,e. *.'.3e9t follo+s the metho! of .ra,ti,eN visuali:e a min! lotus Glo+ing re! in ,olor an! en!o+e! +ith the four go!!esses. 5t is a!orne! +ith the figure of the 0u!!ha. *.8.5n the east he shines li-e a #lue lotus, to the south he is yello+, To the +est +hitish re!, an! in the north he glo+s emeral!.5% 7hrou!e! in a garlan! of flames, he is #eautiful +ith three eyes, four fa,es, an! four arms. *.G.5magine that the go!!ess in the east has three eyes an! hol!s a -havga an! #ell in her left han!s an! a vaBra an! s-ull ,u. in her right han!s. The go!!ess in the south +iel!s a tri!ent, a Be+el, a

#anner, an! a Ba,-al. The go!!ess in the +est hol!s a #o+, an arro+, a multi2,olore! lotus, an! a s-ull ,u.. O6.%'0.aP The go!!ess in the north +iel!s a s+or!, a noose, a han! !rum, an! a s-ull ,u.. *.%0.5n its ,enter visuali:e the vaBra #o!y, s.ee,h, an! min! 0earing a s-ull ,u. an! -havga, an! so too a #o+ an! arro+. *.%%.Me!itating on that +hi,h .ossesses the first mantra, it #la:es for an instant. )ra,ti,ing li-e this, the yog8 is grante! the s.iritual attainment of the su#stan,e. O5%*P *.%2.Through the a,,om.lishment of the yogin8, ,onfi!en,e s+iftly !evelo.s.52 Kne ,an #e,ome entirely invisi#le an! manifest a thousan!fol! at on,e.5* *.%*.)lun!er from the #u!!has an! enBoy su#lime ,elestial girls.54 @ith vaBra eyes one +ill see, li-e an mala-a fruit in the .alm of one"s han!. 0u!!has eDual to grains of san! in the Ganga resi!ing in their vaBra realms,55 *.%4.)ure realms numerous as san! in the Ganga, the features of a+a-ene! #o!y, s.ee,h, an! min!,5& The intrinsi, ,on!ition of all o#Be,tsL-no+ them to arise from the min!"s !an,e.5' *.%5.4..ly the sylla#les in reverse an! me!itate on the mantra. 5ngest ea,h one of the .ills infuse! +ith the vaBra !rin-. *.%&.Ta-e the last of the eight sylla#les together +ith the 0 an! #in!uH 6i9 it firmly at the en! an! ,learly .ronoun,e the mantraN guhya bhaka abhake hug.58 *.%'.5n .erfe,t union +ith the yogin8 ta-e .ossession of the first sylla#le. 5f !esiring a,,om.lishment through the vaBra hol!er, a yog8 ,onsumes the manifest mantra seven times. *.%8.The last of the three sylla#les sits ,learly at the en! of the eight. =n!o+e! +ith the 0 an! #in!u it remains as the su.reme sylla#le. *.%G.The one lin-e! to the first sylla#le is unite! +ith hr. O6.%'0.#P 4..ly the last of the sylla#les an! fi9 in .la,e the five see!s. *.20.Me!itate u.on the sylla#le an! ,ause the lotus to fully #loom. 6or those +ho see- the a,,om.lishment of a vaBra hol!er, this union shoul! #e fully -no+n. *.2%.Then, the su#lime vaBra song +hi,h is the reali:ation of the vaBra yogin8s +el,omes the one +ho thoroughly a,,om.lishes e9isten,eN5G ><ey, frien!R The vaBra ma-es the lotus s+ell an! #loom. ! la la la la hoR 1ou have #een arouse! #y the !an,e of great #liss. The rays of the sun fully o.en the fa,e of the lotus. O5%4P 1ou have #e,ome arouse! #y the !an,e of great #liss.?&0 *.22.Then, sim.ly through this song sung to the great vaBra hol!er The vaBra-in8s !an,e an! ,all out to JaBrasattva. *.2*.5n this +ay one +ith ,onsistent !evotion gains the s.iritual attainment of union. Through .erfe,t union in the four times, a,,om.lishment is gaine!Lthis is the su.reme me!itation. *.24.4!orne! +ith all .erfe,t ornaments an! +reathe! +ith flo+ers an! .erfume, 7o the s.iritual attainment that #esto+s the su#lime three #o!ies is ,ertainly attaine!, /ausing its .erfe,t illumination +ithin a hun!re! miles.

*.25.6rom the .erfe,t a..li,ation of the t+o .o+ers arise the su#stan,es of the nine !oors. Kne +ill a,,om.lish the unsur.assa#le essen,e, the .ea,e of a#i!ing in the a+a-ening of #u!!hahoo! *.2&.3o+, in verse formN The forms, the seals, an! the The su#stan,es, a#sor.tions, an! These various ritual metho!s have #een Taught a,,or!ing to the !esires of the go!!ess"s min!. attri#utes, me!itationsL set forth,

*.2'.@hoever -ee.s this tantra at home, -ee.s it +ith him al+ays, an! ,hants an! me!itates u.on it +ill no longer e9.erien,e illness, aging, o#sta,les, or !eath. <e +ill #e forever .rote,te! from o#sta,les #y the Dueens among yogin8s. This ,om.letes the thir! instru,tion on the metho! of .ra,ti,e an! an,illary a,tivities, the su.reme se,ret of se,rets, that are the intent of the great vaBra-in8s. O6.%'%.aP This completes the Mahmy Tantra1 ,t #as translated and edited by the ,ndian paita 2inavara and the great Tibetan translator G3 O5%5P 4hets51

Notes
6or a##reviations G, 7, 7M$, see #i#liogra.hy.
%

2 * 4 5 & ' 8

The Mahmytantra ,learly .ost!ates the Guhyasamjatantra #e,ause of the instan,es of interte9tuality in!i,ate! #elo+ in notes * an! *5(*8. The Guhyasamjatantra, an! similar +or-s li-e the Guhyagarbhatantra, !emonstrate signifi,ant i,onogra.hi, an! ritual innovations over those +or-s ty.i,ally i!entifie! as 1oga tantras, su,h as the &arvatathgatatattvasagraha. 0eginning in a..ro9imately the eighth ,entury /=, the .a,ifi, an! regal Jairo,ana +as re.la,e! at the ,enter of tantri, maalas #y !eities asso,iate! +ith the vaBra family, freDuently in the +rathful form of 4-o#hya -no+n as <eru-a. This shift is relate! to the intro!u,tion of transgressive .ra,ti,es an! a +rathful, mortuary aestheti, into the esta#lishe! stru,ture of the 1oga tantras, lea!ing some 5n!ian 0u!!hist ,ommentators to #egin to refer to mahyoga, or >Great 1oga,? tantras. 5n the later Ti#etan !o9ogra.hi,al s,hemes of the 3e+ 7,hools these tantras +oul! #e i!entifie! as 6ather tantras pha rgyud$, Boining the 1ogin8 tantras in the ,lass of <ighest 1oga tantra yoganiruttaratantra$. The 1ogin8 tantras +oul! #uil! u.on the frame+or- of these tantras as they intro!u,e! their o+n uniDue i,onogra.hies an! .ra,ti,es. Kn the !ating of the Cakrasavaratantra, see Gray 200', ... %%(%4 an! 7an!erson 200G, ... %58(&G. Jerses *.%2(%4 of the Mahmytantra ,ontain a num#er of ,lose ,orres.on!en,es +ith verses %2.52, 5*, an! 55 of the Guhyasamjatantra. ;egar!ing ;atn-araCnti"s !ating, see 5saa,son 200%, .. 458, n. 4. 6or the !ating of KavaBra, see 5saa,son 200%, .. 45', n. 2. Trantha, *r.'(*v.&. 7ome assert that Kaha an! Kn,rya are i!enti,al, #ut there is not yet !efinitive evi!en,e to ,onfirm this.

"gos lo tsa +a %G88, ... 208(G.

7ee The 4amp o- &uchness( ! 6etailed "7planation o- the Glorious King o- Tantras. the Mahmytantra dpal rgyud kyi rgyal po sgyu phrul chen mo ma ha ma yai rgya cher bshad pa de kho na nyid kyi sgron ma$H The "7cellent 8ath o- the %ictorious 9nes( The ,nstruction Manual -or Mahmy sgyu phrul chen moi khrid yig rgyal bai lam b*ang *hes bya ba$H an!The 2e#eled &prout( ! 8ractice Manual -or the Maala o- the Glorious Mahmy dpal ma ha ma yai dkyil khor gyi sgrub thabs rin chen myu gu$.

G %0 %% %2 %*

%4

%5

%&

%' %8 %G 20 2% 22

2*

24

25 2& 2'

The Cakrasavaratantra shares this a#ru.t #eginning. 6or an in2!e.th !is,ussion of the im.li,ations of this style of intro!u,tion, see Gray 200', ... 28(*5. 7, f. %08#, lines &('. <is attri#ution is some+hat .ro#lemati, as he ,ontra!i,ts the tantra #y stating the re,i.ient of the !is,ourse to #e 0u!!ha-in8, not Mahmy. G, ... 2(4. =nglish 2002, .. 4'. G, .. &N saieti herukarup mahmy. =lse+here OG, .. 20P ;atn-araCnti i!entifies Mahmy as the fun!amental i!entity of #oth the male <eru-a an! his ,onsort, 0u!!ha -in8. <e +rites, >The lor! of the maala is the glorious <eru-a, +ho is MahmyH the vi!y 0u!!ha -in8 is alsoMahmy #e,ause they #oth .ossess a singular intrinsi, nature maaldhipati )rheruko mahmy. tadvidy api buddhakin mahmy tayo ekasvabhvatvt$.? 7ee .arti,ularly QamgFn Kongtrul 2008, ... &G('0 an! ... %8*(8&$, +ho +ritesN >The Mahmyan! other tantras set forth the threefol! Oformulation ,onsisting ofP a..earan,e, mantra an! reality OyogasP. These three a..ly to #oth .ath an! resultH an! +ithin the .ath itself, to #oth the ,reation .hase an! ,om.letion .hase.? @e have emen!e! >sha.e? to >a..earan,e? to ,onform +ith the terminology use! in this translation.$ Though the ,on,e.ts of the !evelo.ment an! ,om.letions stages +ere .resent in the 5n!ian 0u!!hist tantri, tra!ition, they never rea,he! the !egree of uniformity there that they !i! in the Ti#etan tra!ition. The terms a..ear no+here in the ,ommentarial literature of the Mahmytantra. 7, .. %0G#.*(4N sngags *hes bya ba ni mig la sogs pai gnas drug tu bkod pai o la sogs pai sngags so : dbyibs *hes bya ba ni og gnas byung bai tshul dang : mdog dang dbyibs dang phyag dang *hal gyi bdag nyid can no : chos *hes bya ba ni kun brtags pa thams cad las rnam par grol bai rang b*hin nyid do1 G, .. 28N etadukta bhavati buddhakinydiyoga kukumrua ktv vrabhjane kukumrua praava vicintya tadbindau vra vinasya praavara)mibhirvramaruktya vrdaruara)mirekhdvaya ni srya ekasy agre p)a dvityasy aku)a vicintayet : sdhya p)ena kae baddhv aku)ena hdi viddhv k)ipramkyma vicintayet1 Kn the ingestion of se9ual flui!s in these tantras, see Dalton 2004, ...%4(%'. 7, f. 2%*a. G, .. *'N mahphalni tni j;tvetyartha. @e than- Qa,o# Dalton for #ringing this te,hniDue of ,on,ealment to our attention. The !es,ri.tion that follo+s organi:es the seDuen,e of visuali:ation follo+ing the sdhana,om.ose! #y ;atn-araCnti as .reserve! in the &dhanaml T2*G, vol.2, ... 458(&4$. The fa,t that the language of the yogin8s" song v. *.2%$ is !ifferent from that of the root verses is entirely lost in the Ti#etan translation. ;atn-araCnti"s sdhana .reserves the original, +hi,h is ,om.ose! in a form of )r-rit !istin,t from the rest of the 7ans-rit verses. @ho !estroys all that e9itsN this translates the 7ans-rit bh0tasahrakri Ti#N Ubyung ba yang dag sdud md*ad ma$. @e have .ushe! translation to+ar!s the more e9treme en! of the term"s semanti, range in a no! to ;atn-araCnti"s gloss of the term +ith 7-tN pralayakart$, >she +ho ,auses annihilation.? OG, .. 5P This refers to the !issolution of the universe that ,omes at the en! of the ,osmogoni, stages of emanation, a#sor.tion an! !issolution of the universe that stan!ar! in 0rahmani,al ,osmology. 4re to #e .raise!N here +e have follo+e! the 7ans-rit atteste! #y ;atn-araCnti +hi,h is Duite !ifferent than the Ti#etan translationN the metho!s 7-tN upy$ of those +ho are en!o+e! +ith the five +is!oms 7-tN pa;caj;nin$ are to #e .raise! 7-tN pragyante$. OG, .. G2%0P This is an interesting verse as it seems themati,ally !isBuntive +ith the .re,e!ing an! su#seDuent lines an! may have #een inserte! here #y a later re!a,tor. KravaBra, +ho is other+ise attentive to every verse, !oes not a,-no+le!ge it at all. ;atn-araCnti, on the other han!, uses this verse as the #asis for an e9tensive !is,ourse lin-ing into 1og,ra .hilso.hy. ;atn-araCnti i!entfies the yogin8, mother of yoga 7-tN yogamt$, an! the entirety of the three +orl!s 7-tN traidhtuka a)eata$ as the .raise+orthy metho!s of the .revious verse OG, .. %0P. The se,on! line of this verse #egins a ne+ seDuen,e of verses that in!entify the a,,om.lishments that +ill ,ome to the yog8 +ho su,,essfully a,,om.lishes the .ra,ti,es of the Mahmy Tantra. 5t ,on,lu!es in verse %.%5. @eaves 5n!ra"s @e#N this translates the 7ans-rit indrajla karoti, +hi,h is ren!ere! as mig phrul byed in the Ti#etan.

28

2G *0

*% *2 **

*4

*5

*& *'

*8 *G

40 4% 42 4* 44

The 7ans-rit term vidy Ti#N rig pa$ a..ears t+i,e in this verse +ith !ifferent ,onnotations. 4,,or!ing to ;atn-araCnti, the first instan,e is as the te,hini,al term for the ,entral female !eity of the maala, Mahmy, an! has therefore #een left untranslate!. The se,on! instan,e is in s.e,ifi, referen,e to the -no+le!ge 7-tN praj;$ that arises from me!itation an! has here #een translate! as -no+le!ge OG, .. %*P. The Ti#etan translation a!!s an a!!itional rtag tu, meaning U,onstant," +hi,h is not atteste! in any of the ,ommentaries. 0e,ause it a..ears to #e largely re!un!ant, it has #een omitte! here. This verse is ,om.li,ate! #y a t+o su#stantial variants. @here the Ti#etan translation rea!s >.ra,ti,e of su.reme #enefit? mchog tu phan pa$, ;atn-araCnti rea!s >.ra,ti,e of su.reme settling? 7-tN paramhita V Ti#N mchog tu b*hag pa$ OG, .. %GP. The similarity of the 7ans-rit terms for su.reme #enefit parama hita$ an! for su.reme settling 7-tN parama hita$ .ro#a#ly le! to a s,ri#al error resulting in !ifferent versions of the verse. 0e,ause the version foun! in the Ti#etan translation is atteste! in KavaBra"s ,ommentary, it +as follo+e! here, though ;atn-araCnti"s rea!ing seems ,learer. @here the Ti#etan translation rea!s sangs rgyas kun gyi rang b*hin bab >#e,ome the nature of all 0u!!has?$, KavaBra rea!s sangs rgyas rang b*hin thams cad gyur, >everything #e,omes the nature of the 0u!!ha?$ O7, f. 20&#P +hi,h is in agreement +ith the 7ans-rit atteste! #y ;atn-araCnti an! +hi,h is follo+e! here. ;atn-araCnti an! KavaBra are unanimous in i!entifying the s.iritual attainment of the great,ommitment +ith the .erfe,tion of the great .ill. This relationshi. is not ,lear in the Ti#etan translation. MahmyN though the Ti#etan verse rea!s rgyu phrul chen po here, ;atn-araCnti attests tomahmy OG, ..20P. This verse a..ears to #e slightly !ifferent in the re,ension of the tantra use! #y ;atn-araCnti. 4 tentative .rose re,onstru,tion +oul! rea!N >To you 7-tN tvm$, the Ji!y Mahmy +ho is the means for a,,om.lishing the three +orl!s 7-tN mahmy vidy trailokyasdhan$ 5 +ill e9.lain tad aha vakymi$ the J8ra, the most e9,ellent among the great yog8s 7-tNmahyoginm divyam$ along +ith the garlan! of sylla#les 7-tN akarapaktibhi$.? OG, .. 2%P. Tathgatas, or >thus2gone ones? hereN +here the Ti#etan translation rea!s de b*hin gshegs pa kun, ;atn-araCnti attests to the 7asn-rit tthgt, a feminine !erivative a!Be,tive forme! fromtathgata OG, .. 22P. 5n his rea!ing the term is in the singular. Thus in at least one re,ension of the te9t the line +oul! rea! >the s.len!or of the thus2gone la!y.? KavaBra rea!s a !ifferent line here. 5n the re,ension of the root te9t availa#le to him, the final line of the te9t as translate! in Ti#etan is gar ni thugs rjes bsams b*hin md*ad ><e !an,es +ith ,om.assion a,,or!ing to his +him?$ O7, f. 208aP. JirilityN translates the 7ans-rit vrya an! the Ti#etan brtson grus. There are a ,ou.le of note+orthy variants of this verse foun! in ,ommentarial +or-s. The version from the Deg e!ition translate! here, +hi,h is su..orte! in KavaBra"s ,ommentary, rea!s >Ji!yR 5n the three +orl!s Ti#N "jig rten gsum po na$ there is nothing eDual to my -no+le!ge Ti#N nga yi rig dang mnyam pa med$.? The re,ension of the tantra use! #y ;atn-araCntia..ears to state that there is nothing 7-tN nsti$ li-e you 7-tN te sad)$ in the tri.le +orl!s 7-tNtriu lokeu$ OG, .. 2%P. Tarantha attests to yet another variation. 5n his 4amp o- &uchness Of. 2#P he ,ites the same line as >Ji!yR 5n the three +orl!s there is nothing li-e you a.art from me Ti#N rig pa jig rten gsum po na : khyod dang mnyams pa nga las med$. 7ustain the u.+ar! #reathN this translates the 7ans-rit ucvsasam kurute, +hi,h is ren!ere! in the Ti#etan translation as dgug gtang bar bya. ;atn-araCnti rea!s >restri,tion? 7-tN yantraa$ in .la,e of >garlan!? 7-tN ml$ OG, .. 2'P. 5n his ,ommentary he ,onne,ts #oth restri,tion an! retention +ith the movements of the #reath yantra dhra ca pravyo$. 4 variant of the first line of this verse is atteste!, in 7ans-rit, in a sadhna asso,iate! +ith the Mahmytantra foun! in the &dhanaml T22% in 7M vol.2, 4*4(*&$N na japa na vrata tasya nopavso vidhyate. KavaBra ,onfirms this variant in his ,ommentary. @is!om sylla#leN a,,or!ing to ;atn-araCnti, this term only a..ears in some re,ensions of the te9t OG, .. 2'P. 4s he !oes not gloss it in his ,ommentary it seems it !i! not a..ear in his re,ension of ,hoi,e. ;atn-araCnti attests to the sylla#le OG, .. 2'P, +hi,h has #een use! here instea! of the sylla#lea as given in the Ti#etan translation. KavaBra rea!s ka in .la,e of khe O7, f. 2%%aPH ;atn-araCnti rea!s +hite in .la,e of re! OG, .. *0P. 4ll Ti#etan re,ensions give the sylla#le tsi in .la,e of ci. 0e,ause tsi is not a letter in the 7ans-rit al.ha#et it has #een restore! to ci follo+ing ;atn-araCnti"s ,ommentary OG, .. *0P. The Ti#etan synta9 !iffers signifi,antly from the 7ans-rit, +hi,h has #een translate! here. 5n the 7ans-rit the su#Be,t, the yog8s, is in the .lural, not the instrumental as in the Ti#etan. The o#Be,t, the .osture mudr$, is in the a,,usative

45

4&

4' 48

4G 50

5% 52 5* 54 55 5& 5' 58 5G &0

singular, not the genitive as in the Ti#etan, +hi,h ,onstrues +ith the term >s.orting lion? sihavikrit$. The 7ans-rit atteste! #y ;atn-araCnti,oul! rea! as follo+sN sihavikrit mudr bandhayanti yogina OG, .. *2P. Movement of #reathN this translates the 7ans-rit term pryma, +hi,h is ren!ere! in Ti#etan assrog dang rtsol ba. The Ti#etan translation misun!erstan!s the internal synta9 of the ,om.oun!, rea!ing it as t+o !istin,t terms, >life for,e Ti#N srog$ an! e9ertion Ti#N rtsol ba$.? The 7ans-rit ,om.oun! refers to the movement or mani.ulation 7-tN ymaH lit. to e9ten! or restri,t$ of the #reathVvital energy 7-tN pra$. 4+a-ene! onesN the 7ans-rit +or! here is sabuddh, +hi,h ,onveys a slightly !ifferent sense than the Ti#etan term use!, sangs rgyas rnams. @hereas the latter ,oul! easily #e translate! as U#u!!has," the former is #est ren!ere! as Ua+a-ene! ones." =ssen,e of the su#stan,esN ;atn-araCnti rea!s >the essen,e of #u!!hahoo! 7-tN buddhtman$? in .la,e of >the essen,e of the su#stan,es Ti#N rd*as kyi bdag nyid$.? OG, .. *4P. Mothers of the s.iritsN here 5 have follo+e! ;atn-araCnti in rea!ing the 7ans-rit termg0hamtara OG, ..*&P, +hi,h a..ears as "byung po mi rnams in Ti#etan translation. 5n 7outh 4sian mythology, the g0has are a ,lass of #eings that atten! u.on Ku#era, the lor! of +ealth. KavaBra i!entifies this line as ,orru.t O7, f. 2%*#P. <e notes that it shoul! rea! >from the eighth until the fourteenth,? +hi,h is the s.an of seven !ays mentione! in the ne9t verse. ;atn-araCnti ,ites a !ifferent line of verse here, +hi,h ,olla.ses this line an! the first line of the ne9t verseN >Kn the night of the s.irits 7-tN bh0tarau$ these fruits of a,,om.lishment 7-tNsiddhrthaphalni$ are to #e .la,e! insi!e a Ba,-al 7-tN )ivgamadhye sthpynti$.? OG, .. *'P. 4,,or!ing to ;atn-araCnti"s ,ommentary, the !eity has a .urely +hite fa,e in the +est OG, .. *GP. 1ogin8N ;atn-araCnti rea!s Uyogas" 7-tN yog$ OG, .. 4%P +here the Ti#etan has Uyogin8" Ti#Nrnal byor ma$. This line ,orres.on!s ,losely +ith verse %2.52, line 2 of the Guhyasamjatantra. ;atn-araCnti rea!s siddhn kanym, >the mai!ens of the si!!has? OG, .. 4%P. This line ,orres.on!s ,losely +ith verse %2.52, line * of the Guhyasamjatantra. This line ,orres.on!s ,losely +ith verse %2.5*, line 2 of the Guhyasamjatantra. This line ,orres.on!s ,losely +ith verse %2.55, line % of the Guhyasamjatantra. This line ,orres.on!s ,losely +ith verse %2.55, line 2 of the Guhyasamjatantra. 5n his ,ommentary on verse *.%8 KavaBra gives the mantra as o a guhya aguhya bhaka abhake hug O7, f. 2%&aP. 0oth ;atn-araCnti OG, ..%&0P ,onfirms a gentive relationshi. #et+een the terms UvaBra yogin8s" an! Ureali:ation," +hi,h has #een follo+e! here. The Ti#etan e!itions all ,ontain the agentive kyis. This song has #een translate! from the )r-rit as it a..ears in ;atn-araCnti"s s!hana O7M T2*G, .. 4&0PN hale sai viasia kamalu pabohiu vajjeg : a la la la la ho mahsuhea rohiu acceg : ravikiraea paphulliu kamalu mahsuhea : a la la la la ho ma.

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