༄༅། །ནག་་ན་ ་གངས་མས་ནད་ཐམས་ཅད་ལས་ཐར་ད།

The Mahākāla Dhāraṇī: A Cure for All

Diseases and Illnesses

Translated into Tibetan by

Prajñāvarman · Bande Yeshé Dé
 འཕགས་པ་ནག་་ན་ ་གངས་མས་ནད་ཐམས་ཅད་ལས་ཐར་བར་ད་པ།
’phags pa nag po chen po’i gzungs rims nad thams cad las thar bar byed pa

The Noble Mahākāla Dhāraṇī: A Cure for All Diseases and Illnesses
 Toh 669
Degé Kangyur, vol. 91 (rgyud ’bum, ba), folio 202.a

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee

under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2023

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co. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
1. A Cure for All Diseases and Illnesses
c. Colophon
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
· Tibetan Sources
· Reference Works
g. Glossary
s. SUMMARY
s.1 The Mahākāla Dhāraṇī: A Cure for All Diseases and Illnesses is a short work that
contains a Mahākāla dhāraṇī recitation practice for removing illness from
various parts of the body. The dhāraṇī progresses through a list of body
parts, invoking Mahākāla to free each region from illness and disease.
ac. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ac.1 Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the
supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by
Adam Krug and then checked against the Tibetan and edited by Andreas
Doctor.
ac.2 The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
i. INTRODUCTION
i.1 The Mahākāla Dhāraṇī: A Cure for All Diseases and Illnesses is a short work that
contains a Mahākāla dhāraṇī recitation practice for removing illness from
various parts of the body. The dhāraṇī progresses through a list of body
parts, invoking Mahākāla to free each region from illness and disease.
i.2 There is no known Sanskrit version of this text, nor does it appear as an
independent work in the Chinese canon. It is, however, found in the early
ninth-century Denkarma royal Tibetan catalog of translated works.1 The
translators’ colophon tells us that it was translated by the Indian preceptor
Prajñāvarman and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé, both of whom were
active in the late eighth century.
i.3 This English translation is based on the recensions found in the Tantra
Collection (Toh 669) and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (Toh 1086) in the
Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Comparative Edition of the Kangyur
(dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur.
 The Noble Mahākāla Dhāraṇī:
A Cure for All Diseases and Illnesses
1. The Translation
[F.202.a]

1.1 Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

I will recite the dhāraṇī 2 of Mahākāla, the great black being with sharp
yellow fangs, the great fanged one who cures all diseases and illnesses.
Wherever I direct my gaze, may I be free of disease and illness.3

1.2 tadyathā | hana hana rājadhūtena daha daha rājadhūtena paca paca rājadhūtena
bahuśrave bahuparipāri bahupariśodhane imaṃ jāracaṇḍalaṃ hana hana

1.3 oṃ suṃbha nisuṃbha śira muñca cakṣu muñca śrotra muñca ghrāṇa muñca jihvā
muñca kaṇṭha muñca grīva muñca pṛṣtha muñca4 kaṭikā muñca kukṣa muñca ūru
muñca jānu5 muñca hasta muñca pādau muñca aṅguli muñca aṅgapratyaṅga
muñca6 apasara anyasmiñca gaccha7 jvara mukto ’si me8 svāhā

1.4 oṃ jvala mā aṅguli hūṁ sarvajvarānan9 phaṭ |

1.5 This concludes “The Noble Mahākāla Dhāraṇī: A Cure for All Diseases and Illnesses.”
c. Colophon
c.1 This text was translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptor
Prajñāvarman and the great editor-translator Bande Yeshé Dé.
ab. ABBREVIATIONS
C Choné (co ne)
D Degé (sde dge bka’ ’gyur)
H Lhasa (lha sa/zhol)
J Lithang (li thang)
K Kangxi (kang shi)
N Narthang (snar thang)
S Stok Palace (stog pho ’brang)
U Urga (phyi sog khu re)
Y Yongle (g.yong lo)
n. NOTES
n.1 Denkarma, 303.b.3. See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, pp. 248–49, no. 435.

n.2 Toh 669 and Toh 1086: brjod par bya ste. S: brjod par bya ba ste. The phrase “the
dhāraṇī of” has been added to the English translation for the sake of clarity.

n.3 D and S: phyogs gang dang gang du bltas pa der bdag la rims nad med par gyur cig.
The text does not state this in any explicit way here, but the actual content of
the dhāraṇī that follows indicates that the “place” or “location” where one
might direct one’s gaze refers to any location on the body.

n.4 This translation follows Toh 1086 and S: priSh+Tha muny+tsa. Toh 669:
preSh+Tha muny+tsa. The Tibetan transliteration priṣṭha is amended to reflect
the correct Sanskrit vowel for the term pṛṣṭha.

n.5 Toh 669, Toh 1086, and S read dza nau muny+tsa. This translation amends the
Tibetan transliteration dza nau to the proper spelling of the Sanskrit term for
the “knee,” or jānu. The declension of jānu has been dropped in line with the
prevailing pattern established in the dhāraṇī.

n.6 Following Toh 1086, K, N, and H: aM ga pra tyaM ga muny+tsa. Toh 669 and S:
oM ga pra tyaM ga muny+tsa.

n.7 Toh 669: a pa sa ra a n+ya sI muny+tsa/ gats+tshaH. Toh 1086: a ba sa ra/ a n+ya si
maM gats+tsha. S: a ba sa ra/ ar+ya swI muny+tsa/ gats+tshaH. This transliteration
corrects the corruption in the Tibetan transliteration to the Sanskrit apasara
anyasmiñca gaccha, which translates “depart (apasara) and go elsewhere
(anyasmiñca gaccha).” We are grateful for Péter-Dániel Szántó for this
suggested correction to the Tibetan transliteration of the Sanskrit.

n.8 Toh 669 and Toh 1086: dzwa ra mu to si bdag la. S: dzwa ra mu to si/bdag la. This
translation amends the Tibetan transliteration of this phrase, where the
 reading jvara mutosi bdag la appears to be a corruption of the Sanskrit jvara
mukto ’si me, which translates “illness, you are released by me.” The Tibetan
translation bdag la likely reflects a misinterpretation of the shortened form of
the Sanskrit genitive singular first-person pronoun (Skt. me) as the shortened
form of the dative singular first-person pronoun (Skt. me). In this case, the
genitive form functions as an instrumental pronoun.

n.9 This transliteration follows Toh 669, Toh 1086: sarba dzwa rA nan phaT. S: sarba
dzwA ra nan phaT. The Tibetan transliteration of this phrase is likely a
corruption of the Sanskrit sarvajvarān hana phaṭ, but the reading in the Tibetan
witnesses has been retained here to reflect the transmission of Mahākāla’s
dharaṇī in this particular textual tradition.
b. BIBLIOGRAPHY
· Tibetan Sources ·

’phags pa nag po chen po’i gzungs rims nad thams cad las thar bar byed pa. Toh 669,
Degé Kangyur vol. 91 (rgyud ’bum, ba), folio 202.a.

’phags pa nag po chen po’i gzungs rims nad thams cad las thar bar byed pa. Toh 1086,
Degé Kangyur vol. 101 (gzungs ’dus, waM), folio 252.b.

’phags pa nag po chen po’i gzungs rims nad thams cad las thar bar byed pa. bka’ ’gyur
(dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig
pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka
Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes.
Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology
Publishing House) 2006–9, vol. 91, pp. 739–41.

’phags pa nag po chen po’i gzungs rims nad thams cad las thar bar byed pa. bka’ ’gyur
(dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig
pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka
Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes.
Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology
Publishing House) 2006–9, vo. 98, pp. 879–81.

’phags pa nag po chen po’i gzungs rims nad thams cad las thar bar byed pa. Stok
Palace Kangyur vol. 105 (rgyud, pha), folios 178.b–179.a.

· Reference Works ·

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan [/ lhan] dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar
chag). Degé Tengyur, vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

dkar chag ’phang thang ma. Pe cin: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.

Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. Delhi:

Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 2004.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische
übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Wien: Verlag der österreichischen
Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.

Lancaster, Lewis R. The Korean Buddhist Canon, accessed June 11, 2019.
http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/index.html
(http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/index.html).

Monier-Williams, Sir Monier. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary Etymologically and

Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European
Languages. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 2005.

Negi, J.S. Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary (bod skad legs sbyar gyi tshig mdzod chen mo).
Sarnath: Dictionary Unit, Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, 1993.

Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies, Universität Wien, accessed June 11,
2019. http://www.rkts.org (http://www.rkts.org/).

The Buddhist Canons Research Database. American Institute of Buddhist Studies

and Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies, accessed June 11,
2019. http://databases.aibs.columbia.edu
(http://databases.aibs.columbia.edu).

Yoshimuri, Shyuki. bka’ bstan dkar chag ldan dkar ma/ dbu can bris ma. Kyoto:
Ryukoku University, 1950.
g. GLOSSARY

· Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding ·

source language

AS Attested in source text

This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.

AO Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

AD Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding
language.

AA Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names
where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested
in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

RP Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the
term.

RS Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan
translation.

SU Source Unspecified
This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often
is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.1 Bande Yeshé Dé

ban+de ye shes sde

བ་་ས་།
—
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
 Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator
of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more
than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred
additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great
importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era,
only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources
describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is
also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his
own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam)
clan.

g.2 Mahākāla
nag po chen po · mgon po nag po

ནག་་ན་། · མན་་ནག་།
mahākāla
Mahākāla is a wrathful Buddhist protector deity. In Tibetan, the name
Mahākāla was mostly translated literally with nag po chen po (“Great Black
One”) but on occasion it was rendered mgon po nag po (“Black Lord”). In Toh
440, for which the Sanskrit is extant, we have an attested example of this.
Hence we have rendered both Tibetan terms in this text as Mahākāla.
Outside the Buddhist tradition, Mahākāla is also a name for a wrathful form
of Śiva.

g.3 Prajñāvarman
pradz+nyA barma

་བ།
*prajñāvarman RP
A Bengali paṇḍita resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth
centuries. Arriving in Tibet at the invitation of the Tibetan king, he assisted
in the translation of numerous canonical scriptures. He is also the author of a
few philosophical commentaries contained in the Tengyur (bstan ’gyur).