The Tantra of The Great Ganapati - Ganesh in Tibet by Christopher Wilkinson S.U.N.Y.-libre

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Contents
FOREWORD
-4.
K. Naroirt
vll
ACKNOWLEDCMENTS
ix
NOTEON TRANSLITERAf ION
xi
lntroduction
-Rtrlrt'r-f L. Ilrouttt
l. Cane6a: A Prokrhistory of thc Idca and thc lcon

-A. K. Nnrnin 19
2. Ctrnc6a: Myth ancl Reality
M. K. Dhnwlitur
49
t
3. Caneria'sRisc to Prominence in Sanskrit Litcrature

Lrtdo ll.orlttr 69
-I'he
4. Cancfa.rs Metaphor:
Mrrrlrrr/rr
I)uritm
-Plrtlllis Cnrtrlf
lt5
5. Irnagesof Canc6a in Jainisnr
-Mnrttti NatdunTra'rlriarrcl KortmlCiri
't L.,
90-46163
CIP
6. The Wivt-s of Clar-resa

- LsiL'rttn't'Colrt'rr
l0l
I l5
7. "Vatapi Ganapatit.n":Sculptural, Rretic, irnclMusical Tl'xts in a Hymrr

kr Caneia
Atrry Catlirt
141
8. Canefa in SoutheastAsinn Art: lnclian Connectionsand Incligenous
Dcvekrpme.nts
-Rtlrcrt L. Broutrr 171
9.
'['lre
Tantric Carre'Sa:
TL'xtsl)rcservec]in thc l'ibetan Canon
Christtt1lrr Wilkitrsorr 235
10. Gane6a in Chintr: Methods of Transforrning the Demonic

-Lca'ls R. Lancastcr 277
1l . Literarv Aspects oi Japtrn'sDual-(ltrnejtr Cult
- Jnntt's
H. Sntrford 287
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
INDEX
341
T t all starte
I showed m
on the Indothe deity tha
the trunk wa
private and p
a c c e - p t e idt a
firstly becau
ondly becau
issue such a '
matter reste
ButI di
of some coin
ghanistanbe
fied as Vasud
I went throui
image the be
cles among tl
piction of Inc
Thxila to Vidi
not the last o
to the local el
I was afraid t
on him. Nev
not known tc
were not nur
lection of coir
9
The ThntricGaneSa:TextsPreservedin
the Tibetan Canon
Wilkinson
Christopher
I. Introduction and the Texts

a4e6ais a deity who began his careerin India and subsequently
spread his influence throughout Asia, including Tibet. There are
thirty texts in the Tibetan Buddhist canon of direct interest for the study of
Ga4eSa.All of these texts were composed in "lndian" languages,presumably sanskrit or some Prakrit, and it isperhaps only in their Tibetan translations that these texts survive today.There is also a significant postcanonical development of Ganesa in the schoolsof Tibetan Buddhism, and the
practicesassociatedwith Gane6aas a Buddhist Tantric deity survive up to
this day.
The intention of this article is to present a representative sampling of
the canonicalliterature related to Gane6ain English translation. Fifteen of
the thirty texts concerned with Gane6a are translated below. Time and
space prevent the translation of all the texts, and the same restrictions prevent a study of the postcanonical development of Ga4e6a. Furthermore, I
have foregone any extensive critical discussion. The historical section (section II) on the authors and translators has been added by Robert L. Brown,
primarily from information supplied by Tim Shaw. Otherwise, the translations stand on their own. Hopefully, they will provide a major new
source for scholars working on Gape6a.
All thirty of the canonical texts relating to Gape6apresent him in a
Thntric character. There is, however, no attempt in any of the texts to make
claim to any particular classof Tantra. Ga4e6ais presented as a deity from
whom food, wealth, sex, and supernatural attainments may be received
by the practitioner. Ganeda'srelationship with Mahadeva, better known as
235
236 CfuistoTthcrWilkinson
siva, is admitted in some of the texts, yet the predominant tendency is to
identify Galesa as ar-remanation of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. This
may suggest that an attempt was made to strip Gane6a of his non_-Brrddhist
treiitage'und incorporate him fully into the Buddhist pantheon- It also perhaps ieflects the fendency to asstlciate Avalokite6vara and Siva in later
Buddhism. It may, finally, and as evidenced by a number of essaysin this
book, indicate that Gapesawas originally not a Buddhist, Hindu, or Jaina
equally intcl all madeity, but rather an Indian deity who was incorpt'rratecl
jor Indian religions.
The foll<iwing bibliograprhy presents the texts thematically, in the'order they are tO be presented in translation, rather than chroncllogically.
Text numbers refer to the Peking Edition of thc-Tibetan can()n.The marker
,,>', indicates that thc.text is one of the fifteen translateclin this article.
10.
11.
12,
lJ.
A. Tcxt from the l)Kil'gVur

'Phngspn 'f
slutgskyi bDag po'i sNrTirtq
1. ;, Arqa gn4a1ttrtihrdaqtt,
po. (Peking #338).
tattra, Tslrogskt/i bDag \to'i rGryud' (Peking
2. ;, MahngaLtapnti
#337).
B. IconograPhicaltext
i sK tr
c5nci n ti r ut nrt,bGtjs ltdagChen Tttt'
i naryuknr fiTutyttd
3. > MahaTt
Author'
(Peking
#4978)'
Itri ba'i Mart rgagYid bzhin t<tr lttr'
'Od zer'
Nag pcl pa. Translators,Gayaclhilraand Zlaba'i
C. The Bali cert:monY
'Phttgs 'l-shogskyi hDog po'i gTitr
4. ;, Aryn garnpttti bali uitlhi,
Tttt
nm'iChit ga.(Peking#4979). Au- Nag -po zl-rabs'Trans' Gdy'Od
zeradhara, Zlaba'i
D- The fire ceremclnies(S. lttttttn)
gt
gi sByin srr'.q
&da.q
bGc.gs
5. IVinousknfluww tidhi l1rnbhnsarrrtl,
Chogo Rslttu ltShsdpa. (Peking #49f10).
ttitlhi,'Plrngspn Ts/rogskyi bDagpo'i sByitr
6. Arya gat.rayatihorrttt
srrj.gi Cfto.gn.(Peking #4988).
14.
15.
T6.
t7.
18.
T9
20.
E . Vinayaka as an evil demon
7. >Vinaqokn grahn nirmrtcann,Lttg'dran Rtli gDottlns Ngcs par

Tlutrpn. (Peking #3812). Au. Ye shes rDo rie (Jnanavaira)'
27
Practicemetlrods ( Sndhtttn)
8. Mnhngnneittsndhtura,Tsfitrgskyi dBangldm Chu rtttscrub pa'i
fhnlrs.(Pekiny,#5176).
lrdng.qi
nitml' Ts/ro.qs
9. >lGntp1ntti sndhanadnritlrs nidhiTtrndn
22.
The ThntricGsneis 237

nt tendency is to
Lokite6vara.
This
Lisnon-Buddhist
reon-It also perr n d S i v ai n l a t e r
of essaysin tlris
, Hindu, or Jaina
uallyinto all nratically,in the orchronologically.
non. The marker
in this articlc..
70.
77.
72.
73.
bDagpo'i.sNyir,q
rGtlud.(Peking
dagChcnp0'i sKu
t4978).Arrthor,
ba'i'Od zer.
14.
15.
76.
yihDag pdi gTtr
a b s .T r a n s .G a y -
77.
g gi sByirrsrtj gl
18.
i hDag 1rii sByin
19.
20 .
Dttn lasNgcs;ur
(Jnanavajra).
27.
22.
\cn 1tosGrult1ta'i
. Tsltogsltdag ,gi
bsGrubpa dbul ba'i gTersByhr Shesbya ba. (.Peking#3855). Au.

dPal Mar me mdzad bzangpo (Sri Diparhkarabhadra).
Garyapati
guhya sndhano,Tsftogskyi bDag po gSangbs'i sGrub
flrabs.(Peking # 4560).Au. Amoghava jra. Trans. Dipa rhkaraSrijnana, Nag tsho Tshul khrims rGyal ba.
Meghalokagaqapntisndfuns, sPrin kyi sGron mn Tshogskyi hDag
po sGrub fftabs.(Peking #4562). Au. Rin chen rDo rje (Ratnavajra). Trans. DiparhkaraSrijnana, Nag tsho Tslrul khrims
rgyal ba.
>Srt ajnn uinianrta ganapati sadhnna,dPal Tshogskyi bDag po
'
lur gegs Sel bs Shesbva ba'i sGrub thabs.(Peking #4563). Au.
Indrabhuti. Trans. Diparhkara6rijnana, rCya brTson'grus
Seng ge.
Canapatisadhannmalulcskrunatut, Tshogsktli bDag ptt i sCruh
thnbs'khor Io Chen po Shesb11n
ba. (Peking #4972). Au. Avadhuti-pa (Avadhttapada). Trans. Diparhkarasrijnana, Tshul
khrims rGyal ba.
>Viniryaknrajn sndhann,llGr',qsktli rgynl ptt'i scrult thalts. (Peking #4973). Au. Nag-po sPyod pa pa. Trans. Gayadhara,
'Od
zer.
Zlaba't
ja sadhnna
V inoynkara
, bGegs kyi rcyal yntbscrub 1ta'ithnbs.(Peking #4976). Au. Nag po pa. Trans. Cayadhara, Zlaba'i'Od
zer. [Readings diffenfrom Pc-king#4973.1
Sunipuns nahadeaauignarajnsndhano,Shin to Mrlur ba'i Lha
Clrcn7rohGagskyi rcyal po'i sGrubthsbs.(Peking #49fll). Au.
Diparhkara.
Suhdlu dtz,tunnhiaighn ztishnlrnjs sndhsun,Shin tu Myur bo'i
L,hnhGegs Chen yt<tbCcgskyi rGyal pLtbscrult pa'i thnhs.( Peking
#4982). Trans. Vairocana of Ko6ala.
'Khor
ttt i gSal
Srr ga4apaticakrnsurya, dPal Tslro,r;s
kyi ltDagltLti
pombhiheruka.
byrd (Peking #4983). Au.
> Srt ganapati6onti sadhans,dPal Tslrogskyi bDug ptt Shi ba'i
scrub thabs.(Peking #4986). Au. Jo bo.
'Phogs
Anla gnnapaticintaratnafsadhanol,
1taTshogskyi bDag po
Y id ltzhitr Norbu'i sGr ubt hnhs.(Pe'king# 4987).Au. Nag po pa.
Ganapntiguhrla sttdhanl, Tshogskt/i L,Dngpo'i gSangbq'i sGrub
f /rcbs.(Peking # a990).Au. Dipa rirkaraj nana.
krli bDot
Mahaganapatidhututriknrsktn uqiikarasndhnna,Ts/ro.qs
1toChenpo Khans gsum dbAng sDud dMur po'i sGrub tlutbs.(Peking, #4992). Au. Cantapa. Trans. dPal Vairocana of India,
Chos kyi Grags pa.
238 Christoyiru Wilkittson

23. Krodhuganapatisndhsrrtt,Tslrogskyi bDag po Khro bo'i sGrult
thahs.(Peking #a99\. Au. gSer gling pa (Suvarnadvipa).
24. >Ghanspati samayaguhya ssdhana,TsftogskyibDag po Dam
Tshig gSangba'i bscr ub f/ra&s.(Peking # a995). Au. Canakirti.
Trans. Vairocana,Chos kyi Grags pa.
G. Praises(stotro,stttti)
'Phags
25. > Arya gonapati ragaaajrasaftwy(rstotrtt,
ytaTshogskyi
bDag 1toChagspa rDo rjc'i Dam tshig gi bs'fLtdpn. (Peking
# 4 5 6 7 ) . A u . D i p a r h k a r a S r i j n a n a .T r a n s . D i p a r h k a r a S rijnana, Tshul khrims rGyal ba.
'Phags
26. > Artla ganapatistuti,
pa Ts^fttrqs
kyi hDag po Ia bsTitdpa.
(Pe_king#4977). Au. Nag po Zhabs.
'Phags
po Tshttgskqi bDag po la bsTttdpa.
27. > Artla ga4aputistuti,
(Peking #4989). Au. Nag po Zhabs. fldentical to Peking
#4977.1
28. >Ca1apsti stotrs, TshogskVi bDag pLtla bs'fttdpa. (Peking
#4991). Ar-r.Amoghavajra.
29. >Knmeittnrs sttttrs,'Dttd pa'i dbAng phyuggi ltsTitdpa. (Pe.king
#499i3). Au. Candapa.
H. The precious elephant text
30. > Hasfi rstna dlmns dcyLtpodc1o
, gLarrypo Rin ptt chcla Nor bLang
ba'iMan Ngng. (Peking#4971). Au. klu grub (Nagdrjuna).
II. A Note on the Authors and Tianslators

of the Gane6a Texts
Most of the authors and translators of the thirty Tibetan texts that
deal with Gane5aand that are listed above can be identified. The earliest
anong the authors appear to have lived in the eighth and ninth centuries
a . o . T h e s e i n c l u d e s u c h w r i t e r s a s S r r D i p a r h k a r a b h a d r a( d P a l M a r m e
mdzad bazng po) (author of Ganapatisadhnnadnridrs nidhiyradnnann, our
no. 9), an Indian monk who wrote some thirty-nine tantrika treatisesand
was activein the Bengaland Bihar area of lndia in the late eighth and early
n i n t h c e n t u r i e s . rA s e c o n d e i g h t h - c e n t u r y m o n k , A m o g h a v a j r a , w h c r
wrote the Ganayrti sfolra translated below (no. 28), is one of the most famous Indian Tantric teachers.He, along with his equally famous teacher,
Vajrabodhi, translated many important Thntric texts into Chinese; Amoghavajra is particularly known for his Chinese translation of the Thttrasarugraha.2Another monk on our list with a well-known name, Nagarjuna, au-
The ThntricGsneia 239

Khrohtt'i sGrub
'rarnadvipa).
yi hDagptoDant
. Au. Canakirti.
gs pn Tslrogsktli
lod pa. (Peking
DrparhkaraS'g po la hsTitdpa.
g po la hsTtdpa.
ticalto Peking
titdpa. (Peking
;Todytn.(Peking
chela NorhLong
(Nagarjuna).
retantexts that
:d. The earliest
rrinthcenturies
r(dPaM
l ar me
ryndaninn, our
.atreatisesand
ghth and early
; h a v a j r a ,w h o
rf the most faLmousteacher,
--hinese;Amothe Tnttuasair
'lagarjuna,au-
thor of the precious elephant text translated below (no. 30), is probably
Arya Nagarjuna rather than the earlier and even more famous Nagarjuna
who founded the Madyamika school. Arya Nagarjuna lived in the seventh
or eighth centuries and was a student of Saraha, who taught at Nalanda. It
appears that Nagarjuna's own student, Nagabodhi, was the teacher of
Vajrabodhi and thus of Amoghavajra, mentioned above.3It is also possible
that with this text, and perhaps others, we are dealing with a later text that
was legitimized with the name of an earlier famous author.
The latest dates for the authors of these texts corresponds to the
dates they were translated arrd introduced into'Iibet, the tenth arrd eleventh centuries. Here again we have authors who are well known and who
often are related as teacher-pupil. Jnanavajra(Yeshes rDo rje), for example, author of Vinayakngraha rirmocana (no.7 translated below), was from
East Bengal and lived in the late tenth and eleventh century. He has numerous names, as did many of the Thntric monks, a practice due to their
r e c e i v i n g n e w n a m e s w i t h e a c h m a s t e r i n g o f a s e t o f t e a c h i n g so r d o c trines, usually under diiferent teachers.''Jrianavajra'sother uames include
Advaya-j na n av aira, Ad vayavaj ra, Ma i tripa, Mai trigu pta, a nd Avadu ti-pa. s
sttdhnrur
Avaduti-pa is listed as the author of no. 13 ot'tour list, tlre Gn4a1tnti
mahacokranamo, and thus both treatises on Gape6a (nos. 7 and 13)are probably by the same person. Avaclhuti-pa is associatedspecifically with the
important Vikrama6ila Monastery in Bihar and was a teacherof AtiSa.o
It is Ati6a's name that appears most frequently on our list, both as an
autlror and a translator. Atisa, nnder his name' Diparhkara6rijnana, is
listed as the author of text number 21, as both the authclr and translator of
text number 25, Arya gona1urtiragnuttjrassma1ttsilitra (translated below),
and as the translator of four other texts (nos. 10, 11,12 [translated below],
and 13).?Jo-bo (no. 19) is another natne for him. He is also mentiorred as
bringing with him to Tibet the longest of our translated texts, the MohaganapntiThutrn,which, being spoken by the Buddha, is not given an author's name. Ati6a's life is well documented, although the sources do not
agree in many details. He was born at the end clf the tenth century to a
royal family, probably in Bengal,8and frorn boyhood proceeded to study
with a seriesof teachers,ultimately mastering teachingsof various schools
and most areas of Buddhist knowledge. His constant movement and
search for new teachers and doctrines is typical of the monks who wrote
the Cane6atexts;perhaps of most interest was that AtiSa'ssearchtook him
to Southeast Asia to study with acaryaDharmakirti (Dharmapala) of Suvarnadvipa. It is thought that Suvarnadvipa, literally "Land or Island of
Gold," a name used for a varic'ty of Southeast Asian locations over a very
long period of time, was in the eleventh century a reference to the maritime
240 Christophu Wilkinsott

kingdom of Srivijaya, located somewhere in Sumatra, Malaysia, and peninsular Thailand. Ati6a studied with Dharmakirti for over a decade before
returning to Inclia around 1025when he became the heacl Qtwhnsthauira)of
the VikramaSila Monastery. Ati6a's fame continued to grow, and he was
'Od-lde
asked by King
of Tibet (the kingdom of mNa'ris in western Tibet)
to come to his country and teach. Arriving in7042, Ati6a worked on translating-in
collaboration with his Tibetan disciple Nag tsho Tshul khrims
rGyal ba, who is listed as cotranslatclr of four of the Gane6a texts - Sanskrit texts into Tibetan."
We know Ati6a translated works of his teacher, Dharmakrrti,r0 who,
under his name Suvanradvipa (gSer ling pa)-an obvious refererrceto his
SoutheastAsian location-is given as writing text number 23 on our list,
Krodnhganapatisndharu.
AtiSa was involved in translating five of the twelve Gane6a texts tbr
which we have translators named. A second Indian teacher, Gayadhara,
'Otl
zer, are res;)onsiblefor analong with his Tibetan colleague,Zlaba'i
other four of the twelve (nos. 3, 4, 74,and 15-all translated here except
15). Gayadhara, a contemporary of Ati6a, was active in the first half of the
e-leventhcentury and visited Tibet sevc-raltimes. His collaborator,Zlaba'i
'Od
zer, is well known as the first translator of the KalacskrsThntra. The
four works they have translatc.dall have authclrs whose names are vari.rtions of Krsna: Nag propa, Nag po zhabs, and Nag po sPyod pa pa. The
authors of texts numhers 20,26, and27 on ()ur list have Krsna names as
well; thus, there are seven Gane6a texts by authors with names that are
variants of Krsna. Some of these writers are probably tlre samc.person.
Unfortunately, however, Krsna is a common Tibetan name for tantrikas
and siddhas. One likely canciidatewould be Krsna the Elder, an expert on
trrsmnktwho lived in the ninth
the Hevajra Thntra and author of the Vr,qara
century.'r Another would be Krsnapada, one of Ati5a's teachers(and thus
l i v i n g i n t h e r - l e v e n t hc e n t u r y ) w l r o , a l o n g w i t h A t i s a ' s T i b e t a n p u p i l ,
. t2
Tshul khrims rGyal ba, tran slated C;rndrakirti's Madhyamakauatarn
The final two translators,Vairoczlnaand Chos kyi Grags pa, are listed
as translating together two works (nos. 22 and 24, the later translated beIow), while Vairocana is listeclas sole translator of text number 17.Here.,
based on the identification of the translator of text number 17 as Vairocarra
of KoSala,and assuming the other two Vairocanasare the same person, we
can probably iclentify him as Vairoczrnarakgita,
another contemporary of
A t i 6 a , w h o s e c a r e e r p a r a l l e l sA t i 6 a ' s i n m a n y w a y s . H e w a s c o n s t a n t l y
moving, studying with new teachers, and conquering new doctrines. Only
a partial review shows hirn moving from his home in southern India to
western India, then to Magadha, to Varanasi, to Nalanda, and to Vikra-
ma6ila.
even is s,
Ih;
texts, bu
was a sr
erature t
the most
The won
ing and,
dian mo:
ings outt
As
lators is ,
orinap
study w.
mized b
shouldp
the honc
er's writi
trine or r
most hi1
teachers
but, by t
ITI. TT
A. Tex
Th
'gyur).'l
traditio
mediat
mgntrat
formed
Thntra,it
and mut
a traditi
as the "
'gy
bKa'
no trans
The ThntricGqLteitt 241

FSia,and pendecadebefore
'ahasthrrtir0)
of
v, and he was
vesternTibet)
rkedon transTshulkhrims
t texts- SanLakirti,Iowho,
ferenceto his
23on t>urlist,
ne5atc.xtsfor
, Gayadhtrra,
nsible for anJ here e.xcept
rst half of the
rator,Zla ba'i
a Thntra.The
res are variad pa pa. The
;nanames as
mes that are
ameperson.
for tantrikas
an experton
in the ninth
:rs (and thus
retanpupil,
utqra.t:
pa,are listed
anslated berer 17.Here,
asVairocana
l person, we
rmporary of
i constantlV
trines.Only
ern Inclia tc'r
rd to Vikra-
ma6ila. His teachers include most of the famous pandits of his time; he
even is said to have gone to China.'l
I have not mentioned all of the authors and translators of the Gane6a
texts, but we now can draw certain conclusions. One point is that there
was a small number of monks and adepts who introducecl the Ga4eSa literature to Tibet. In addition, these translators and teachers were among
the most famous arrd important practiticlners of Thntric Buddhism in Tibet.
T'he worship of Garre6awas cle.arlyan acceptedaspect of Buddhist teaching and doctrine of the time, and reflects practices at such important Indian monasteriesas Nalanda and VikramaSila.'aas well as Tantric teachings outside of Indiar,as in China and SoutheastAsia.
A second point that relatesto the small number of authors and translators is that they were often corrnected,either in a teacher-pupil lineage
or in a parallel process studying with the same teachers.Their desire to
study with famous teacherskept them in constant peregrination, epitom i z e d b y A t i 6 a ' s t r i p t o S o u t h e a s tA s i a t o s t u d y w i t h D h a r m a k i r t i . W e
should probably see here a desire to meet, to actually be in the presenceof,
the honored teacher.We can assumc-that these authors knew one another's writings, and those on which they were based, regardlessof the dclct r i n e r l r s c h o o l t h e y p r o f e s s e d .A g a i n , C a n e 6 a ' sa c c e p t a n c ea m o n g t h i s
m o s t I r i g h l y l e a r n e d a n d s o p h i s t i f a t e d g r o u p o f p r e e n . r i n e n tB u c l c l h i s t
teachers helps us to understand that he was not a god tlf the periphery,
but, by the eighth century, was a Buddhist deity of importance.
III. The Tianslations

A. Tbxtsfrom thebKa
'gyur
'liailslntiotts
(bKs
of thc Prtnrourtccnrctrts
There are two texts irr tlle
'gyur).
is irr the format of a
The first presented here, the GonapntihrdorTa,
traditional Mahaydna sutra. The role Ganapati plays in this text is that of a
mediator between Br"rddhistand rron-Buddhisttraditions, fbr by using the
m n n t r a c o n t a i n e d i n t h e t e x t , r r o n - B u d c l h i s tc e r e m o n i e ' sc a n b e t r a n s formed into Buddhist ones. Tlre second text presented, the Mahagarurpati
Thntrs,is clearly a collectionof various rites and descriptions of Ga4apati
and must be a compilation. The text does not presentitself in the format of
a traditional Buddhist Thntra, ancl it leavesout such characteristicfeaturcs
as tlre "'Ihus have I once hearcl" at the be'ginning.Being containeclin the
'gyur,
bKa'
the presumed author of both texts is the Bucldha himseli, and
no translatorsare menticlned.
tl
242 ChristoaherWilkinson
In the Indian language:
Aryaga4apatihqdaya
In the Tibetan language:
'Phags pn Tshogs kyi bDag po'i sNying po
lln the English language:
The Essenceof Ganapati'l
Homage to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!
Thus have I once heard:
T h e B l e s s e dO n e w a s d w e l l i n g i n R a j a g r i h a t o g e t h e r w i t h a g r e a t
community of 1,250monks and of Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas.At that time
t h e B l e s s e dO n e s p o k c t o t h e v e r r e r a b l eA n a n d a : " O A n a n d a , t h e t a s k so f
of Ga4apati-Ganeiaara
will all be acanyone who comprehends the Esse,Tce
complished. One's wishes are fulfilled by comprehendingit; and every
mantrq will bring attalnment: "TnfulathalNamostutemahagannpatarle
sualnl
Ory kntakatol Msta malal Dara darnl Vidara uidaral Hana hnnal Grihna grihnal
Dhaus dhaunl Bharyjahhanjal Starybhnstsmbhallarybhajambhal M<thsmohal
Dchi dehil DapayndapayalDhanadhantlasiddhimeprnyacclnsannvamlnusnnrul
mahnrtrdrq
aacanrrlc
saalul O4r kuru kuru sunhalOm turu turul Om muru ftruru
Adgutn bindu ksrlabhitsmahnuisuahnlOry baaasnryrtittzsupugtitnkuru sacthal
daral SamagacchstimahahorlalMahnhnlal MnluluarakralMnhnhastil MahadaksaaholOnl kuru kurul Curu curul Muru murtrl Onr ga g0 ga
siniynpracidayanti
Sa(q4Sc ga_galOm nant(tnomasaahal
"O Ananda, when any son of noble family, daughter of noble family,
monk, nun, lay man ()r lay woman goes to a place of worship other than
where the Three Jewels [are worshiped] clr enters the palace retinue of a
king and practicesthe ruantrnsIrecited in that placel ancl begins with this
Essence
of Ca4apnti-Gqilc5a,he pays homage to the Blessed Buddhas [as if]
with flowers and incense. Upon hearing this Esscnccof Cannpatiall one's
tasks will be accomplished. Have no doubts about it. If one is mindful [of
this mnntralin fights, arguments, confusions, and wars, they will all be pacified. If you get up early each morning and recite it, you will attain
learnedness. Yakqas,rokqasasand dakinls will not rob your health but will
promise to stay far away."
After the BlessedOne proclaimed these things, the gathering and
everyone in it, along with the world and its gods, men, demigods, and .qnndhoraas,rejoiced and praised the BlessedOne's teaching.
This completes the Esscnce
of the NobleGornpnti.
Mahagaryapatitantra
Hom;
lightful, gl,
worship it
monarch (t
pleasuresl
a lord of m
Your ordert
ious works
pleasing th
nnna)by tb
ciple with
Preme ac(
pleasuresr
ting god of
Now
it well witt
apati on tl
yourself ar
aka. Recit
aaratnknlre
Omi
fra. The ac
must be pr
The first si
Then the 1
ment recit
na.
Ga4
side is brc
Tltc Tsutric Gturyin
243

Tshogs kyi bDag po Chenpo'i rGyud
The Thntra of the Great Ganapatil
Homage to tl-reLord of the World!
Chapter One: At t ai ni ng Accotnplishments(siddhi)
rth a great
t that time
re tasksof
I all be acand every
tayesunhal
tnagrihnal
/lohnmohnl
rytant$nwr0
oturunturu
it0 nuhuui/ Mahadok)tn gn ga go
ble family,
other than
:tinue of a
s with this
lhas [as if]
li all one's
rindful [of
lall bepavill attain
:h but will
ering and
, and gan-
Homage to the great, glorious Ga4apati! Place an image of the delightful, glory-endowed Gapapati in a four-cornered ntandala.You must
worship it for six months. Your fortune in this life will equal the universal
monarch (cakraaartin)of the gods, and you will acquire great merit. Your
pleasures will equal the gods', and your life will be most long. You will be
a lord of men and other beings. The sons of gods will be like your slaves.
Your orders will be heeded, and even nngaswill follow them, doing the various works like slaves. You will have the pleasures of the gods, and any
pleasing things you desire will come to you [p. 200b]. An apparition (nirnu4a)by the great god Mahaganapati is brought about by the force of a disciple with the fortune to attain accomplishments.Upon attaining the supreme accomplishment, you will obtain magical powers, and your
pleasureswill increaseaccording to your desires.He is the world-benefitting god of gods whose'worship bringstrccomplishment.
ChaptcrTitto:Thc Matrtra of Diainc Accortrplishment
Now make a four-cornered clean nmndalain a secluded place. Smear
it well with cow dung. When it is smooth and soft place an image of Canapati on the raised-up middle. Sprinkle it with white flowers. Denude
yourself and worship it [while visualizing] yourself in the form of Vinayaka. Recite eighteen hundred nnntras three times daily for a six-month
aurstnka[retreat]. All your mind's hopes will be realized.
Orl is a glorious will-being; it must be put at the beginning of a tnlntra. The accomplishment-p;ranting letter that is like a wish-fulfilling jewel
must be put after it in the row. The sun-like letter must be read after that.
The first sign of the Tathagata,the supreme letter, must be taken up next.
Then the first consonant must be uttered. One who ciesires accomplishment recites lhe msntrs with the iewel syllable Sonand the action syllable
lta.
Description
ChapterThree: Ca4oTtuti's
Ganapatiis white. He has the headof an elephant.The tusk on one
side is broken.His right hand holds a radish.He ridesa rat vehicle(tra-
A
,h
244 ChristopherWilkinson
hnna). Hisbody is bedecked with precious jewels. His head is ornamented
with the full moon. He glows with rays of clear light. His complexion and
color are good. He is fat-bellied and bedecked with jewels [p. 201a].
Chaptu Four: Propitiationof Gn4apatiwith One Faceand Four Arms
Now an expert, holding white flowers, should draw an image of Gapapati on the day of Pusyn, white with the head of an elephant. His right
hand holds a radish. His left holds a precious jewel. He is fat-bellied, ornamented with every sort of jewelry, seated atop a moon and a rat. Sit with
your face toward the center of the rnanSalaand worship, [visualizing] yourself in the image of Vinayaka.
Clwptu Fiut: TheMudra of Gat.taytnti
Now in the proximity of Indra, there is the white Ga4apati with an
elephant's head. He rides a rat. His third eye holds a crescentmoon. His
right [hands] hold a radish and a knife. His left hold a trident and a skull.
To make the mudra of Ganapati you must clench the left hand with tl're
thumb and middle finger extended then seizethe joint of the middle finger
with the bent thumb.
Subjoi
nsda.'
fourth
write'
then t
shouk
fulfilk
I
flowet
sanda
When
morni
grant,
ately t
Then,
cense
ter, ar
and fl
pacita
ChapterSix: ThaMantra of Mahoganapati

Ncrw to explain the mnntrs. The glorious Orlr is placed at the' beginning. Then inscribe the wish-fulfillirtg jewel, the letter of gems. The first
section of consonants should be written after that. Then the first sign of
the Ththagatamust be unified with the eight vowels. Imagine the letter of
the first consorrant,and inscribe it with your rnind. The third of the third
section should be conjoined with the fourth oi the first. The third of the
seventh section should be subjoined to the first of the third. Put the fifth of
the fourth as a companion to the wish-fulfilling jewel letter. This must be
ornamented with the third vowel. Then recite it with the thircl of the
fourth. The syllableof realizedaccomplishmentmust be recitedat the end.
The Lord of the World himself gives the accomplishment of this tnartrs. All
your wishes will be fulfilled [p. 201b].
l
lent ol
bitter
mild;
NESS.
tion; I
The li
mentt
(nrcd
slave
Chnpttr Seaut: Tlrc Mantra of thc Nntne
large
flour,
Now furthermore, the speechthat is the essenceof attaining accomplishments, called "the rnantraof the name that attains every accomplishment," is made by putting Onr, the letter of glory, arrd Yam,at the beginn i n g . S u b j o i n t h e s y l l a b l eo f t h e s u n t o t h e w i s h - f u l f i l l i n g j e w e l l e t t e r .
palm
lof th
bless
The Talftric Gcuris

rd is ornamented
; complexion and
; [p. 201a].
I FourArms
an image of Gan'phant. His right
is fat-bellied, orr n d a r a tS
. itwith
isualizingl your-
Janapatiwith an
rscentmoon. His
dent and a skull.
ft hand with the
ihemiddle finger
:ed at the be-ginI g e m s .T h e f i r s t

the first sign of
gine the letter of
hird of thc.third
The third of the
l. Put thc.fifth of
er. This must be
the third of the
citedat the end.
'lhis
nnntrtt. All
ttaining accorn:ry accomplishn, at the begirrng jewel letter.
245
Subioin this to the sixth vowel. This must be ornamented with the bindu
nsda.The letter of the first sign should be spoken next. Then the fifth of the
fourth should be attached. The first of the fifth should be written. Then
write the first sign of the Tathagata. The syllable of the wind element must
then be ornamented with the eighth vowel. The second letter of peace
should be announced at the end of it all. "The mrmtrqof the name" is the
fulfiller of every desire.
ChnpterEight: WorshipingGanopati
Now this must be explained as well: Extract the perfume of white
flowers. Make an image of Ganapati about tlre size of a thumb out of white
s a n d a l w o o d , f a t - b e l l i e dw i t h f o u r a r m s . D o i t c a r e f u l l y a n d d o i t w e l l .
When the Great White One [the sun] is brilliant, lustrate the image with
morning dew. Wash it with a vase that is clean, bright, attractive, and fragrant, trnd with perfume with the scent of white flowe'rs. Then immediately offer white flowers to invite [Ganapati] to the'center of the nnndaln.
Then offer a large ltali made of radishes and pastries. Make offerings of incense, scent, lamps, and eatables.Offer the lraliof radishes, pastries, water, and the three whites with the [abovementioned] mantrn.Offer incense
and flowers as well. If done in this way, Obstacleswill be evermore incapacitated lp.202al.
Clupter Ninc:
'fhe
Foodt'ttrAttnining Accttmplishments
Now a "radish" is a turnip tlrat has eight flavors. It is tlre most excellent of all foods as well. It is endowed with the eight [sic] supreme flavors:
bitternc'ss,sournc-ss,astringency,sweetness,hotness, and saltiness.It is
mild ancl has the grcatest relish. It is thc remedy for the eight sorts of illness. lt benc.fitsthc bile, phlegm, and fever; the blood, pus, and indigestiorr; thc. nerves and contagitlttsdiseases.There is no ftlod grown like it!
The lips of the gods cluiver for it! It is the food for attaining accomplishments! It shotrld br. offercd to the Lord of Hosts. The fclod called "pastry"
(nndakn)is made from the three sweets and the three grt'rins.It, too, enslavesone with its clelicioussrnell.
Make little balls oi wheat paste. Churn milk into butter, and makt- a
l a r g e & a / if o r t h e h o s t s . M a k e n f f e r i n g s t o G : r n a p a t iw i t h b u t t e r , p a s t r y
flour, the three sweets,and various suitable foods IVerseends].
[Make offerings] to Ctrrlapati like this: Put Ganapati's irnage in tlre
palm of your right hand; reciteout loud one hundred thousarrd recitations
[of the ttnntrtl, not thirrking of ar-rythirrgelse. If you offer a radish after
blessing it with the nmntrs,your merit in this very life will eclutrlthat of a
246 ChristtrphuWilkinson
universal monarch. If you offer white flowers, you will not be defeated by
kings or others. Royalty,etc., will be attained [by you]. Kings, ministers,
and others will come under your control [Prose ends].
Cltn1ttcrTtn: Achiauing Kingship,etc.
Now I will explain the ceremony. Make a large image of Ga4apati out
of the precious substance"silver." It must hold a valuablegem in its hand.
The large ntandnlameasures a full cubit. Scatter it with jewels and white
flowers. Reciteone hundred thousand nnntras. Sicknessand suffering will
thereby be pacified.
As a wise man procures an image of Galapati made from crystal and
sifver, all his worldly suffering will be clearedaway I p.202b]. An irnageof
Gapapati made from crystal should be about the size of a thumb. Recitethe
rridyamantracalled "seilapra" one hundred thousand times; lustrate the
crystal image; and cln the day of Pusrlttpoint yourself to tlre east, put on
white clothes, wash yourself, put yclur palms together, arndsolicit [Ca1apatil with your hopes.
" W h a t i s t h e O b s t a c l et h a t h a r m s m e ? I l u s t r a t e t h e c r y s t a l i m a g e
which remains unmoving, unwavering atop the mirror and look to the
in tl-remirror, then beeast. Let any lnrapnor thic'ves there may be trp-rpear
come their identities." Worship and consecratethis crystal image of Ganapati as is fitting and reciteone hundred thousand of the i'idynscalled "nagikuru:'lf you merely show this irnage?<.,
u p".r.,., afflicted with sickness
or suffering, any diseascwill be hearled.The person will also be liberated
from suffering. This is the ritual of great peace.
M a k e a n i n r a g e o f M a h a g a n a p a t io u t o f t h e p r e c i o u s s u b s t a n c e
"gold." Revealit on the day of Pu;t1tt.Make cliferingsand consecrateit. Recite <rnehundred thousand nuntrss called "uoru." Every sort of wealth will
increasein the house where the image rests. All Obstacle'swill offer jewels
u p o n s e e i n g a g o l c l e nG a n . r p a t i .U n a b l e t o w o r k t h e w o e s o f O b s t a c l e s ,
they will worship you likc'a king. A rain of jewels falls upon the land where
a golden Canapati resides.A golden Ga4apati receivesevery sort of wealth
from all the kings of Obstacles.You will be transformed into a gracious,
glorious, and wealthy individual. 1-he yrlksnsopen their treasury to the
good qualities of the one who makes the finest image oi Ganapati. [n this
l i f e a n d t h e n e x t h i s p o s s e s s i o n sw i l l c o n t i n r r a l l yi n c r e a s e .T h e L o r d o f
Wealth, Vai6ravana,will serve and honor him like a king [p. 213a].
Now put the image of Ga4arparti
on a fclur-cornerednnn/ttlt. Recite
the nnntrs called "blnga" one hundred thousand times. Whatever accomplishment is desired willbe granted thereby in this very life. The propitiator willbe given the might of the king of the gocis.
Tht
dividual
Dre
of Pu9ya
Ca
ma4Qal
flowers (
trs callec
maidens
Brahmin
[all]ado
itlessoth
Re
them wil
Or
nunda
a
thousan
thing yo
No
one, hin
ornamer
arms/ ar
holds a v
he holds
this kinc
aknnt).C
No
propitia
should I
Gapapa
a moon
the adar
hands a
deity (G
In
Three R
sitsthe;
Mahade
red yakE
Tlrc ThntricGsncia 247

lefeated by
, ministers,
anapatrout
in its hand.
;and white
Lfferingwill
crystaland
\n image of
r.Recitethe
ustratethe
ast, put ()n
licit [Ganarstalimage
look to the
:r, then bergeof Gancallec'l"rrath sicknc'ss
re liberated
substance
crateit. Rewealthwill
cfferjewels
Obstacles,
land where
rt of wealth
a gracious,
iury to the
rati.In this
he Lord of
lal.
ialn.Recite
ver accomLepropitia-
The great compassiol-rate

Ganapati, being a most compassionateindividual (atman),protects the poor with great compassion.
Draw this great God of Wealth on silk or cotton. Revealit on the day
of Pusyn.His estatewhose house it residesin will be fortunate.
Carefully craft an image of Mahaganapati in copper. Put it atop a
mandslnupon earth anointed witlr red sandalwood. Honor it with hsndukn
flowers (pantapates
rubies, and red flowers. Recite the uidtlannnphoenicca),
fra called "brum." A king's daughter will come under your power. Divine.
maidens, nagt girls, humans - any kind of girl you want - daughters of
Brahmins, wornen as they should be, those with the best of bodies, will
[all] adore you. They will follow your orders like slavegirls. This and limitless other wonderful things.
R e a l i z et h e s e t h i n g s b y d e p e n d i n g o n i r n a g e s .M e r e l y w o r s h i p i n g
them will fulfill [your wishes].
Or make an image of Canapati out of precious jewels. Let it rest upon
a nrandsla.You must recite the uidVttcalled "rstnosiddhi" one hundred
thousand times. Treasuremines beneath the earth will be rc.vealed.Anything you wish for, you will enjoy.
ClnyfgyEktttr: TlrcMandala of Mnlmgntroptati
Now the great glorious Ganapati is the great wrathful one, thr. fierce
one, hirn having the l-reartof a Buddha and thc-heaclof an animtrl. He is
clrnamentedwith a young elephant'sfiead, has three eyes,four tusks, four
arms, ancl four legs. He sits enthrorredon tr large nngri.His first left ftrancl]
lrolds a white tusk. In the hand] beneath it there is a noose. IOn the right]
he holds an axe and a trident. His stomach and tusks are dark blue. Make
this kind of Ga4rapatiimage of bell metal (knrlrsn)
ancl molten brorrze (sarakant).Consecrateit on the day of Pusya.
Now seek out a spot for erecting lhe nsrtdnloto do contemplaticlnancl
p r o p i t i a t i o n . D r a w o u t t h e n w n d a l ad e s c r i b e d i n t h e n i n t h c h a p t e r . I t
should have doors arrd portzrls.In the center, on an eight-petaled lotus,
Canapati stands upon the object desired. IThe image] must be place'datop
a moon seat, not being separratefrom the consort. Her name is Arcikari,
the adamantine pig-faced woman (rdtt rjc phnggdtntgnur).She carries in her
hands an axe and a bsndsfull of blood, which she feeds to the principal
deity (Canapati) [Verseendsl.
In the yellow eastern section [of the ma4lalal sits the Lord of the
Three Realms holding a radish and a knife. In the blue southern section
sits the great black ynkgaAdamantine Lips (rdo rje mchu) with the face of
Mahadeva, holding a staff and hammer. In the red western section sits the
red vak.qn
king named Lord of Clouds (sprin gvibda.q)holding a water-filled
248 ChristophuWilkinson
cloud bank and a noose. In the green northern section sits the green yakga
lord called Abode of Wealth (nor gnas)carrying a club and a jeweled staff.
In the white northeastern section sits the black Vinayaka with an elephant's head, carrying a tricient and a radish. In the red southeastern section is the black Lord of Hungry Chosts (yi dagskyi bdagpo) called Wrath
(dragpo)carrying an axe and an entire skull. In the black southwestern section llluminatress of Clouds (s1tringVi sgron ma) holds in both hands a
cloud bank with lightning bolts in it. In the black northwestern section is
the king of Obstacles called Remover of Obstacles - Twisted Trunk (Log'drerr
sna yon, Vokratundnuinatlal<t)
with an elephant's trunk, carrying a trident and a dry skull filled with radishes and meat. The deities are served
by the eight naga kings: The naga kings Avala, V.rruna, Samkhapala
(dung-skyong),
Takgaka(' jugpo),Kulika (rigs ldon),SesaQntht't1as),
Padma,
'khor
and Mahapadma. At the eastern door is the great king Dhrtara qla (yul
srung);at the southern door Virnqlaka ('phagsskyespo);at the western door
Virupaksa (sprin me hzang);at the northern door VaiSravana(rnnm thos
-sras).You must know their respectivecolors: white, blue, red, and green.
Eaclrcarries in his hands a preciclusjewel and a sword. f'heir consorts are
not portrayed [p. 204aJ.
Make a three-cornered secret nnndaln in the northeast of the drawi n g . D r a r v i n s i d e i t a n i m a g e o f y o u r ' n e n 1 yo u t o f m o n k e y f a t . M a k e i t
l e n g t h y , b l a c k , a n d w i t h d i s h e v r . l e dh a i r . S m e a r i t w i t h s e s a n r eb u t t e r .
Write tris name and family at the hgart. Tie a rurpemtrde from a corpse's
hair to its neck. Then set out a lralioi pastriesand radishes for each of the
eight great rlaksus
and a red bnli made frcm the discorclantmixture of fish
meat and garlic for e.rchof the eight great r1rrk.sas,
a large hsli for the eight
great rragas,and one cach for the four great kings. If [this man/l are not
possible, make one big one. Delicious food must Inonetheless]be offered
trp t<reach [member of the mnrululo].
The ritual implements fora wrathful [deity] must be set out: the skull
clfa wolf, a black spike, black mustard seed of two kinds (skcfslreand yurr,gs
na,g),and white mustt.rrdseed IProseencls].
ChaptterTuelac: Thc Stogcsttf Pructicc
'l'he
This rnust be explained as well:
stagesof contemplation must be
carrieclout in Ithe following] way, or thev will not be carried out at all. Vru
must practice with great secrecy.
Out of emptiness, whose nature is Ya,there arises the seed syllable
Ilunt with a nature of iight and a group of eight Yis. l'he emanations of the
wrathful one arc born from the nmntruof the name anci fill the triple uni-
ganal
terrol
letter
like b
them
with
tra H
ship i
8(ihat
consl
fourt
Recit
lp 2(
wind
torior
lable
ment
join
Orna
Subj
and t
reali
"Vin
grou
for tt
ning
man
and,
It mt
Ther
The ThntricCaneis 249

;its the green yaksa
nd a jeweled staff.
yaka with an elesoutheasternsec.qpo) called Wrath
southwestern secs in both hands a
western st-ction is
dsted Trunk (Lo.qrnk, carrying a trideitiesare served
rna, Samklrapala
mtho't1ns),
Padma,
rrtarasta(1ul 'khor
t the western door
ravana(rnam thtts
e, red, and green.
I'heirconsortsare
teastof the c'lrawnkeyfat. Make it
h sestrmebr-rtter.
le from a corpse's
resfor eachof the
nt mixture oi fish
: bqli for the eight
'rismany]
are not
reless]be offr.red
' s e to u t : t h e s k u l l
skrfsftcand yrrrlqs
nplationmust be
ed outatall. Vru
the seedsyllable
manationsof the
ill the triple uni-
verse. They melt into light and are absorbed into the original Hum. Mahaganapati arises [from the Huryl for the sake of living beings. He is a great
terror whose form is fear. His consort and retinue emerge as well. From the
letter Bhe and their [respective] names the eight kings and eight nngasarise
like bodhisattvas. The kinp;s arise looking like the wrathful one. Conjure
them forth with light: [The light] emanates out and gathers [the deities]
with a Dzn and a Dza;they are drawn down with vast hooks, and the rrolltra Hum and Hum, thus endowing them with efficaciousness. Then worship and offer a bali,which must be augmented with the heart mantra &a/igyilnnakn.
ChaptcrThirtcut: TftcMantras of tht Grt:atYakgas
Now the king of mqntrosis counted [by first recitingl the vowels and
c o n s o n a n t s .T h e f i r s t o f t h e f o u r t h i s w r i t t e n a f t e r t h a t . T h e f i f t h o f t h e
fourth is put in the row. Then contemplate the wish-fulfilling gem letter.
Recite the first mark of the Tathagata.Ornament it with the eight vowels
[p. 20abl. Put together the syllablesof conjuration and the syllablesof the
wind element with tlre secondvowel, and it is known as "The King of Victorious Ones."
The secorrdvowel should be conjoined to the wish-fulfilling gem syllable. Then write the syllableof the sun and the fifth of the fourth. Ornament thc-letter that is the fourthof the secondwith the fourth vowel. Conjoin the letter that is the fifth of the third to the fourth of the fifth.
Ornament the letter that is the first of the fourth with the for"rrthvowel.
Subfoin the syllable of the wind element. Recite the precious gem letter
and the action letter at the end. This basic nntrtrs of Mahaganapati is the
r e a l i z c ro f e v e r y w i s h .
"Yri' etc.; "h Yai' etc.; "Bary)' etc.;
The nmntrttsof the eight Yaksrrs,
"Vinayakai' etc.; "Bairai' etc.; "Hutr.r" and "7iii'the eighth being, "Hu j' are
grourrded artthe end with "Phnti'which is the essenceof life. The nnttras
for the naccscome from their nanles. They slrould have C)nl[at the beginningl and Hum Phnt [at the endl. The nnntras of the great kings are the
'the
matira called "Bhaii
orre called "Bhii'and the one called "Bhn!'
ChnyttcrFourtcerr:Thc Wrathiul Mantra
The rnsrftrsthat conjures up the object of propritiationis Yaand ksa
and ks and ms and ha and bnirshhsi; tri and rn and ca with ietrunJ nrijnnitln.
It must be reciteclmany times.
Take hold of the-enemy's effigy with the msntrss of the eight tlaksns.
Then burn the effigy. Then leave the e-ffigy.
II
The king of hidden msntrasis Yaand kgnand kn and Ia; ma, and ha and
bherabhe,deaayaksayama and naga naga, all [recited] together. The entire
mass of enemies, whoever they are, must be admonished by saying "'YaYa
Ya!'
Now the secret of secret mantras is Ma and ha and bhersbhe,yaksa,
etc., as above. Then recite the following $ayacur4a cur1a tralaya, nagayakntramaraya,hanacakratwice; then say "You, O so and so, marayaphat phnl."
rem(
they
108r
mad
the c
pea(
ChnpterFifteen: Praising Ganapnti

Now for another wrathful msntra: Ory uighnaphibabhrlasaraauidtlaaisayahr.idamataqa
, hum cidu patu, damarutaya,honahans, Sriganagrihana, aacn
aacs,bhrahmsbhrqhmo, bhrahmayabhrahmaya
, hum hwn phat phat.
Make an image of Mahavinayaka out of bell metal or copper' Consecrateit and worship it. Put an image of your enemy beneath it; make him
the foot mat of Ganapati.There is no doubt this enemy will die- These
yogic techniques are mentioned on account of great necessity.
Make an image of Ganapati out of sandalwood or precious jewels.
Perform a consecration and offer up worship [Verse ends]. If you desire to
stop hail, make images of the lords of hail, the wind god, and the water
god; make an image of a cloud and an image of a dragon. Then place them
beneath Ganapati as a seat.Imagine they are beneath yourself as well.
When you recite msntrsslike the one called "hikncnndrrti'thehail will be
stopped. Scatterwhite mustard see$ all around.
If you want to send down hail, draw out a ma4dalaof water and
clouds. Meditate on Mahaganapatiriding a dragon. lmagine him to be
your servant. For the secret ritual implements use iron filings, gold filings,
and copper filings. Knead them with rain water and rice flour. Make it into
shapes just the size of the hail you want. Smear them with blood. Make
seven [of these] and many [bunches of] seven. Pour them into the skull of
a crow. It must be covered with clouds. The mantrs must be written on the
crow's skull three times. The ritual implements for the image must also be
set crut. when you recite one hundred thousand msntraslike the one called
"brunl brwn bharigatla"and there actually aPPear inside the crow's skull
three or seven or eight hail stones, then carry it to your enemy's land and
recite the mantra;[the hail] will fall.
If it doesn't fall, turn the image of Ganapati upside down. Hide it in
the center of your enemy's locale with its feet up. It is absolutely certain the
hail will fall. It will approximate the size of a ktlantakobird's egg. the redcolored testicles of a deer, or a fruit; and it will fall for a long time. The cropdestroying msntrais called "Bruqrl'If you want to stop [the hail], you must
text'
rGyi
B.
gra
The ThntricGanr:itt 25I

and la and
The entire
ying "Ya Ya
rbhe,rlaksa,
', nagayaknthatphst "
uut,idvt rtiihanq,uncg
rper.Conmake him
lie. These
us jewels.
u desireto
the water
rlacethem
lf aswell.
ail will be
vater and
him to be
rld filings,
akeit into
od. Make
re skull of
.enon the
rstalsobe
rne called
rw's skull
land and
H i d ei t i n
:rtain the
. the redfhe crop1oumust
remove the image and crow['s skull], for hail will fall every day as long as
they remain. You must offer worship to the image of Ga4apati and recite
108rosaries of the mantraperfectly from its beginning to its end on a rosary
made from precious gems. Lustrate the image and beseechit to remain in
the center of its tttondola[prose ends].
These and limitless other excellent things are the works of Ganapati.
Homage, O delightful, glorious Ganapati! Homage, great, glorious,
peaceful, and wrathful one!
The Ganapatitantracalled "The Arising of Attainments" is finished.
T h e I n d i a n s a g eD i p a m k a r a s r i j n a n a c a m e I t o T i b e t ] c a r r v i n g I t h i s
text] from lndia for the sake of worldly attainments. It was entrusted to
rGyal ba'i 'byung gnas.
This Thntrafulfills one's wishes.
B. Iconographical
Text
The MnhnztiniynknrupL)pedgSs
cintrtratrn includes not only an iconographical account of GaneSa,but a mantric practiceto go with it.
Mnhauinayaka Rupa Upadein Ratna
bGegs bdag Chenpo'i sKu bri ba'i Man ngag Yid bzhin Nor bu
The leutel of Instructions on the Fortn of The Great Lord of Obstaclesl
Homage to the gloric'rusVajradakini!
Bowing to Cakrasamvara,draw an icor-r
Of the great Lord of Obstacles!
The msndqlaof the elemental spirits must be attained
By putting the eight of fourteen black things
On such spe'cialsurfacesas
Cotton from the earth of Playful Cover (T. rol eyo.qs)
Cotton that has been pierced by weapons,
Cotton whose meat has been destroyed by insects,
Or the skin of an ox.
The one who makes the picture
Possesses
the commitments.
It must be drawn by practitioners.
It has four corners and four doors.
It is well endowed with door protectors.
I
a
4
ChristouherW ilki nsorr

The good qualities of all attainments abide in it.
It is full of the five good qualities of desire.
Thinkers must draw the ma4lala ornamenting it with the five offerings.
The center of all manddas is encircled with a line
And is most beautiful.
Draw an eight-petaled lotus.
Worship it with red flowers.
Fill it with boli that are suitable for worshiping,
Such as special kinds of perfume and incense, [vesselslfilled with
the five ambrosias, fish, meat, and beer.
The great Wrathful One in the center of this
Has one face and four arms.
Tl'retusks on his faceare a bit sharp.
His wrathful mouth is smiling.
His supreme body is blue and is a great fright.
He is well ornamented with a rosary of skulls.
He rides a hungry ghost (S. yn'cta,T. yi dags)
And sits upon a sun.
He brings fear to [the heaven of] the Thirty Three, Tusita.
He holds a garment made frorn the skin of a tiger.
He has three eyes and has a fine form.
He holds three banners, a flanting uajra,
A skull, and a ntudra.
Likewise hc holds in his right and le.ftn}nas
A bow and an arrowOrtt uajra krota dnki hunl plmt.
This is recited.
In front of this is the great Lord of Obstacle.s.
His light blazes in great splendor.
Draw him with twelve l'randsand heirrg most fearful.
On eight petals there are eight yrik-ias.
Draw the great Lord of Obstaclesiust as he is.
First make the proper sort of cotton.
Then make an artist of divinities who has the prclperhappy character
So that he will draw it attractively.
Then an expert at consecration endowed with blessings
Must perform the ceremony of consecrationin the proper way,
Using arry required offering substancesthat are possible.
Facing a vast space
Fiercely generatebenevolence,compassion, and hodlticittn.
WorshiPar
This is a w
If Youconl
Your need
This is the
The mantl
And wher
IGalaPat
SetuP an
It is Procl
Theleurelt
posedbYthegt
It wastra
Gyi io Zlaba'i'
C. TheBali
The ArYa
Thisf
nln).
gfor
imPo
lts
4e5a.
baliofferingsir
an entiretextd
Homage
It is des
GanaPati.Flr
ables and drir
delion, the th
and graPes,tJ
Sit on a
Brahma, go ft
fticittur.Then I
Think tl
preciousiew
pearsl ftrod r
The ThntricGrurcis 253
the five offer-
slfilledwith
Worship and dedication must be performed extensively.

This is a wish-fulfilling jewel.
If you continually worship,
Your needs and desires will come forth.
This is the instruction of the icon.
The mandalnof the elemental spirits is to be attained,
And when you do one hundred thousand recitations,
[Gaaapati] will come before you in actuality.
Set up an in-rageand worship it.
It is proclaimed that then your needs and desires will all come forth.
The lczoelof Instructitttts tut the Form ttf the Greot Lord of Obstaclescornposed by the great master Nag-po-pa is finished.
It was translated by the great Pandita Gayadhara and the translator
'Od
Cyijtr Zlaba'i
zer.
C. TheBali Cuemonrl
The Arya ga4apatibali aidhi describes the nraking and use of a bnli (T.
gtor mn). This form of offering is essential to every Thntric practice of Ga4e6a. Its importance is demonstrated ntlt only by the frequent referenceto
baliofferings in the texts dealing with Gane6abut also in the occurrenceof
an entire text devoted to this offering.
In the India'ir language:
Ar yagan apa t iba I iu idh i
'Phags pa Tshogs kyi
bDag po'i gTbr ma'i Cho ga
The Bali Ceremony of the Noble Ganapatil
y char.rcter
: way,
t.
Homage to tl-reglorious Vajradakini!

It is desirable to offer hsli, for one must perfectly please the noble
Ganapati. First, fill a perfect vesselmade of precit'rusjewels with such eatables and drinkables of perfect color, taste, and scent as husked rice, dandelion, the three whites, the three sweets, white pastries, radishes, beef,
and grapes, tlren place it before you.
Sit on a comfortable mat, and then contemplate the four abodes of
Brahma, go for refuge to the three'[jewels],and generatethe supreme Bodhicitta.Then mec-litateon the selflessnessof all dharnns.
Think that from a Bhum [appears];r spaciousand vast vesselmade of
precious jewels, inside of which Ithere appearsf a Khanlfrom which [appearsl food of a hundrecl flavors which fills [the vessel] to overflowing.
a
h
254 ChristopherWilktnson
Bless it with the three thusnesses (T. de nyid gsum) and "Om Aksromukham
saruadhnrmanarp
adyanutpananatunt
OrytA Hum Phat Saahal'
Then concentrate on the seed syllable in your own heart. The light of
this summons the noble Ganapati of Wisdom. Then visualize him in front
[of you]. Then show the nrudra.
Make offerings with "Ory nnma tutel Namahgnhnasatayelldam bali kh{l
kha khahi khnhi saahai' and think that by this he enjoys [the offering] unto
satisfaction and then is pleased.
Then say these words:
I offer without any grasping
Such attractions of the ten directions' gods and men
As fruits, medicine, jewels,
Pastries, radishes, beef,
Grapes, wine, husked rice, and dandelions.
You, O Protector, eat these things
Through your total love of me!
For I beg you to be pleased!
And make it so that all my works come to fruition!
Make it so that obstructions are well pacified!
Then praise him perfectly with words of praise. Then recite as many
rosariesof root mantrosand spells as you are able. Then you must pray for
\
the object of your desire.
Then request the Wisdom One (T. t1cshcspa) to depart. Thoroughly
dedicate the roots of merit that have been accumulated and recite the one
hundred syllable lmo ntral.
The Bali Ccrcmonrlof tha NoblcCnnnpsfi [by which] the great master
found supreme attainment, composed by Nag-po zhabs (Krsnapada), is
finished.
Translated by the Pa4dita Gayadhara and the translator Gyi Jo Zla
ba'i'Od zer.
D. TheFire Cuemonies
The Vinayaknhomnaidhi prabhasanaand the Anlt ganapatihomouitlhi
are highly cryptic texts related to the use of Gane6a for fire offerings (S.
homq,T. spyan sreg).There are no available commentaries on the texts to
assistin their interpretation and translation. A study of Gane6ain this role
using these texts is certainly necessary,but must await future attention.
E. Ganeiaas an Eail Demon

The Vinayakn graha nirmocana descrlbes how the practitioner can escape the sorrows caused by the evil demon Vinayaka. No iconographical
'flrc
'tnromukham
The light of
dm in front
dambali khr
ering] unto
ite as many
ust pray for
lhoroughly
cite the one
'eat nraster
napada),is
' Gyi Zla
Jo
i homaairlhi
fferings (S.
the texts to
rin this role
rttention.
ner can esLographical
ThntricGnneia 255
description of the demon is present in the text, and it is not possible to be

completely certain that the demon in question is truly Gane6a; yet the
name he shares with Cape6ais of sufficient value to warrant inclusion of
the text in this article. If it is GaneSathat is being referred to here, the detailed description of the harm he causesis highly interesting for an insight
into Cane6a'srole as a dernonic lord.
Vinayaka graha nirmo cana
Log'dren gyi gDon /as Nges par TIur pa
Freedomfrom Vinnuakal
Homage to the glorious Vajrapa4i!
One who desires freedom from the Vindyaka demon (T. .qdon)of the
world must, to begin with, know the signs. If smells come out of a body of
common family, when one is wearirrgbaclclothing, when one has for fbod
the leftovers of others, when one is a woman or a child, when one is excreting or urinating, whc'n one is abiding nakedly, or on the fifth and fourteentl-rdays of the waning m()on or on the nL'wmoon it starts. The signs of
it starting are groaning, smoke, one's wealth being squandered, one is not
attractive to others, if one is a man one does not find a woman, if one is a
woman one does not find a man, if 8ne does businessclne fails, one is not
born in a p;orlclland, or even if one finds a wom<ln her nrirrd changes. so
one is devoured by the Vinayaka demon.
The practice of the means to reach freedom from these things is tct
nn'iltturr 1to),
offer to the west a &rrlirnade of tbur demon-vessels(T. .griorr
parched grains, cooked meat, raw meat, clandeliorr,pe'rfume,a garland of
white flowers, porridge, and various kinds of incense.
Then illurnirrateand throw irr the fire medicinirl inct'nse (T. gtl gtt/),
'gi
utatrg,horn, and horse hooves. Put in sandalwhite mustard, meltecl
wood, black aloewood, and s.rffron in eclualparts with cow urine and goat
urine. Then do as [was mentionecl]before by covering [the firel with butter, etc. Do such things as anointing and rubbing Ithe ball].
You will certainly be freed from the Vinayaka demon.
This composition of the Master Jnarravajra(T. Yc shes rDo rje) is finished.
F. PracticeMethods(Sadhana)
There are seventeen texts cievote'dto ceremonies of practicc' for Gan e 6 a i n t h e T i b e t a n B u d d h i s t c a n o n . W h i l e i t i s n o t p o s s i b l et o p r e s e n t
translations of all of the texts, representativesamples have been selected
to provide a general insight into how Cane6amanifests in these texts. Five
256
Clristopher Wilkinstttr
are here translated: (1) the Garwpatisadhnna

dsridrsnidhipradn,(2)
Sadhanns
the Srt ujna itiniuttrtaganpati sddhans,(3) the Vinoyakt-rajasatlhana,(a) the
and (5) the Carppnti sonut/oguhrp sndlunn.
Sri gonnpotiidrttiscrdhsrut,
Ganapoti sadhans daridira nidhiprada nama
Tshogs bdag gi bsGrub pa dbul ba'i gTer sBqin Shesbus ba
The Prwititttion of Ganapnti that Giaes the Tieasure of thc Poorl
T h e p r a c t i t i o n e r p o s s e s s i n gt h e c o m m i t m e n t s ( S . S n t r r n y a , Td. a n t
the enjoyment of thc' full gift of all desired purfslrir;)who desiresto e.rttain
poses tlrrough the works of Ganapati makes a round nrm.tddathat is very
evern,like the facc of a mirror, in a mentally satisfying building. Make it of
bltre color, just two cubits irr size, and irr the blrre diagrarn inside it [put]
of Gonnpati
the main syllablc'sin a circle, and inside them write the Essertcc
with golcl.Then draw the image of Ganapati on blue cotton anclconsecrate
it. The.nroll up a variety of silks ancl put the'm inside.
Inside the heart of a monkey [put] gold - which comes from the
eirrth, as malnyprecious jewcls as you find, arrd as mally kincls of nreat as
y o u f i n d ; a n t l p l a c e i t o n t o p o f t h e m a t r d s l n .F a s t e n a r o p e m a d e o f
w r a p p e d - u p e l e p h a n t h a i r a n d n r o r r k e yl r a i r . C l e a r l y m e d i t a t e t h a t t h e
bocly ctrlor and nurdri of Canapati are upon lthis nmndrilol.
Establishyourself in thc priq[er
of being Vidarana, then recite "Nunro
rntnttrntlitltrlOn Ca Sualull" ir tlrousanclthousands Itimesl witlror"rtbeing
distracted bv others, ancl think that Ganapati gives you enjoyments rtccordingttl your desirt'.
On the eighth of the w.rxing Irnoonl or tlre eighth of the w,anirrg
I m o o n J o f f e r a n e x t r e m c l v f i n e C a n a p a t i l r a l it h a t h a s v a r i o u s k i n d s o f
meat, butter, darrdeliorr,arrd varirlusworrclerfultastes;and pray for the object of your desire. It is not pr()per that uthers sec this.
'l-1rc
PropititttittnttfCanplti tlnt Ciucs tlrt"lit'ttsurt'of thc Poor,composed
(T. Mar me nrDz.rcll>Zangpo) and aclvicc for those
by Dipamkerrabl-radr.r
who clesirewealth ar.rdfood, is finished.
Sn Alna Viniasrta Ganapati Sadhanam
'lur
bgegs Sel bo Shesbya ba'i sGrub thabs
dPal Tshogs kvi bDag po
IIn the English language:
Clearing the Obstscles of Entanglement: The Method of Practice for thc
Glorious Gannpatil
"l'|rc'IitntricGnrrcsn 257
n nidhiprada,(2)
sadhaw,(4) the
sadhnnn.
bya ba
f the Poorl
Sanaya,T. tlonr
all desiredpur/niathat is very
Jing. Make it of
n insideit [put]
;cnccof Gtunpnti
and consecrate'
'omesfrom the
linds of meat as
Lr o p e m a d e o f
: d i t a t et h a t t h c '
:n recite "Nunut
lwithout bcing
enjoymc'ntst.tcr of the wanir.rg
a r i o u sk i n d s o f
I pray for the obRro4composed
advicefor those'
sGrubthabs
)ractice
for the
Homage to the ClreatCompassionateOne!

Paying reverent hclmageto the manifestation
Of he who continually holds
All sentient beings with ecluanimouscompassion,
Canapati,
I will explain the secretmethod of practice.
First set up an image of Canapati.
[Draw] the Noble One on a horsehide or fine cotton
With a body color that is white like snow.
He has three f;rces,six arms, and four legs.
The facesare an elephant's,a rat's, and a morrkey's.
In his right hands are a radish, a jewel, and a sword.
His left Iholds] a pastry, a skull full of beer, and an axe.
His right leg is stre.tchedout, his left drawn in.
The other two flegsl are crossedin a good bent-knee position.
Beneath him the goddessI'leasure Woman (dGar .:to),
Who has the faceof a monkey,
Must sink irr about half of the Noble One's secrr.t.
As foot supports she h;rs two goddesses.
Jewelsfall from this consort'smouth.
They fall into vessels
Tir remove the practitioner'spoverty and fulfill his hopes.
Tl-rismust be drawn under the great stars.
[Drawl with lqi ?rrrlqon tht fo;; sides of it
TitdtlothoINarnohstutt'uttr.to1utiI
Ksttn ktttnI Mnt\danmdtlsI
RsddsrnddolDaln tlilml Grihrn grihnnl Bhnnjoltlnfijal l',lotrtsh
stutcl
Gtr.tusurti
rLtrucuttttvlsttnhnlOry A blrunl trsttitutbuklnrfirrct,dlwrs
Iilrrs nn gocchnt i I HnhntluI Mth filmt i ksi toI utItoprlv( nnryt,ttri I Ku r u
kurul Curu curttl Murrunurul l"lonttttttrrrtrt
st,ilull.
Write it many times and increascit.
IJehinclit you must writc the krng spell.
For the consecration,put before Ithe drawirrgl
A white nrst.tdsltwith eight petals.
Thcn on sandalwood that has been e.rnointed
with water
Arrange white flowers in separatcbunches.
Worship the Noble One with beer, radish, pastry, husked grain, dandelion, etc.
J'hen make yourself [inkr] a trrtelary cieity
And recite lhis ttmtrtrn.
Om CnrnGnrm1ntinrnnn rntrtttsiddltil
Co go gn go S/rS,/ gttgo Ga.taTtnti
st dhal.
258 ChristoPhuWilkinson
Apply this to the sign of the number'.
You will gain attainment in one month'
Then, to worshiP the image,
Wrap a human lbg in the middle of a piece of silk'
in the early mornAnd inserting it [into the vessel] with your hand
irg,
Offer a hali:
O4t Gam Ganapatirstnn siddhil Ca ga ga ga 8a ga g! qa.t.
'
Ga4apntisuahil Om Gam Ganapatibslittt takhtthikhshil
You must offer this with the nnntra of seven [syllables]'
Then make praisesusing this msntrLt:
Ory Ga4apat'iratns ratns ratnn siddhi nutmarttdlw rodhsl
GoaopotiiGa ga ga ga ga ga gn ga kn[akntasatthttlGanapati
kuru
ratnnpustikniotitqti nistctsunhnlGanapatisiddhirtaiitu
grihrta
rota r;to suahalGannpstirntsns baugatagrihna
suahnl.
Your mental aspirations will be completed
By reciting this 108times'
Afterueaching the state of a universal monarch
You will find wealth without effort'
a profit'
You will attain this without the necessity of making
'
bali
For this reason you must strive to loffetl
By the merit of composing this meth.od of practice
ortn"Nobleonewhoc|earsdtvayalltheobstaclesofentanglement
May I have power over the wealth of the world
And obtain the unexcelled result'
ThemethodofpracticingtheNobleGanapatica||ed.Clearingtheobby the great master Indrabodhi is finof EntanglcmrJf.o-po'"d
stacles
ished.
ItwastranslatedbythegteatptuditaDipar.nkara6rijnanaandthe
ta ri'
translator rGya brTson'grus Seng ge at Yam bu Gar
Vlnayaknna Raia Sadhanary
bGegskyi rGYaI Po'i sGrub thabs
of Practice of the King of Obstaclesl
Methoit
The
Homage to the glorious Vajradakini!
Themeditators"trivestomakegoodinawitch's(S'matykn'T'mamo)
The intelligent one
house or a delightful place by concentratinp;on an icon'
begir
rema
red b
face
braic
andl
is ort
right
aatrl
on tl
thinl
spea
This
ther,
man
at th
cles
will
atta
mas
ishe
joz
The ThntricGarleia 259
larly morn-
)fit.
tanglement
uing thc Ohr o d h i i sf i n ina and the.
begins by making offerings so that the dancer (T. gar n*hnn) will always
remain bound.
The glorious Ga4apati abides with his right leg stretched forth. IIis
red body color flames with red light and trembles in redness. He has one
face. He has three eyes. His elephant head holds the crown ornament of
braided hair (T. ral pn). His tusks are sharp. He is short in stature, but fat
and bulky. His stomach is twisting and large. He is extremely fearsome. He
is ornamented with every ornament. He has twelve hands. The first on the
right holds an axe, the second a staff, the third a bow, the fourth a khatzumka,the fifth an iron hook, and the sixth a skull full of blood. The first
on the left holds a uajra, the second a sword, the third a skull full of great
things, the fourth a small radish, the fifth a trident, and the sixth a roped
spear. He sits on the throne of a sun and red lotus.
Ory gah gaft siddhisiddhi saruaarthn me prnsadhnlrum hum jnh jah suaha.
This is the_invoking mantra.
Om Ah GaftHu4t Saaha.This is the reciting mnntro.
You will gain attainment by one hundred thousand [recitations],and
thereafter works will be perfectly initiated.
Make a circle, reciting the whole fmantra] at one time. If fortunate
matra practitioners see it, they witl delight. Ycruwill receive p;reathomage
at the door of the king, and all your enemies will be frightened. All Obstacles will be exorcised.The fruition of all your desireswill be granted. This
will come to pass without any doubt at all.
This ceremony is true practiceiWitches are the supreme gainers of
attainment!
TheMethLtdof Practiceot'the GloriousKing of Obsfaclcscomposed by the
master Nag po sPyod pa, who found the austeritiesof attainment, is finished.
This was translatedbv the Pandita Gayadharaand the translator Gvi
io Zlaba'i'Od zer.
Mangalar.n.
s"i:;:;:;o;:;,,:::;:,q;;",*
dPal Tshogskyi bDag po Shi ba'i sGrub thabs
Thc Practice Method of the Peaceful, Glorious Ga4spatil
i,T. ma mtt)
:lligent one
Homage tcl the Lord of the Wcrrld Avalokite6vara!

First anoint a four-cornered mandalnwith the five things from a cow
in a secluded and attractive place. Sprinkle it with medicine and good-
A
h
smelling water. Make a circle with perfume from white sandalwood. Set
out a bunch of white flowers. Arrange butter lamps, perfume, incense,
and food offerings. The bali is a food made of mash and barley flour
kneaded together and having the three whites and three sweets. Each
lbali]has a radish and a piece of pastry. If you have a traditional image or a
painted image, request it to abide there.
When everything is set up in this way, begin by making offerings to
the three jewels, generate yourself as your tutelary deity (S. istodeaata,T.
yi dam), then think that from an A that is before you comes a moon, on top
of which is a white letter Hury. Clearly meditate that from this IHum there
appearsl the glorious Ganapati. His body color is white. He has an elephant's head. In his two right hands he holds a radish and an axe. In his
left twcr he holds a skull filled with jewels and a Khotuarykhs.He is ornamented with precious jewels and divine flowers. He sits on the throne of a
blue rat.
Then light emanates forth from your own heart and invites the glorious Canapati from the Abode of True Nature (T. rangbzhinkyl.qna"^).
Then
he melts into that [image] before you.
Show the mudrn of the commitment. Lustrate the image. Make offerings by means of msntras. Then you must recite this: On aarstaknsaaha
eltndanrstaztanidha
siddhihurl IProductive]l ()m hrum
[Peaceful]i Onr ha1qaaatc
ganapatiyesaahalPr>werfulll .
I f y o u r e c i t e o n e h u n d r e d t h o u s a n d o f t h e p e a c e f u ls e v e n - s y l l a b l e
fnnntra], you will be given any attainment you desire. Ycrurthoughts will
be accomplished.Your enj<lymentswill be great, and your possessionswill
increase.All the wealth of the three realms will come to you, and you will
b e c o m e a r i c h m a n . I f y o u d o o f f e r i n g s a n d r e c i t a t i o n sf o r a s i x - m o n t h
quintessential BhagauatiIretreat], then even if you are an ordinary person
your merit will be equal to a universal monarch. If you do offerings and
r e c i t a t i o n s f o r a s i x - m o n t h E s s e n c eo f t h e N a m e o f G a n a p a t i [ r e t r e a t ] ,
everyone will come under your power, including kings, ministers, men,
and women.
After making the recitations, recite nmntrasover the hsli and offer it.
The commitment is that you must abide in the dhanna.
The &a/iis a food that has a hundred tastesin even a small bit and is
meditated to fill the sky. Think that you are praying to it [as follows]:
HomaS;e,O delightful glory-endowed Ga4apati!
Homage, O great glory-endowed Peaceful One!
Homage, O great glory-endowed Wrathful One!
Grant me whatever attainments I desire
In this very life!
Thc ThntricGa4ast 267

;andalwood. Set
:rfume, incense,
Lndbarley flour
ee sweets. Each
tional image or a
king oiferirrgs to
(5. iqtadauata,
T.
s a moon, on top
r this IHr.onthere
:. He hasan elend an axe. In his
He is ornarykhs.
ln the throne of a
d invitesthe gloThen
ln kr1i,gnas).
rage.Make clffer)m taratttkr sttnhtt
uctivel/Om brunt
.riseven-syllable
rur thoughts will
'possessirlns
will
ytou,and yor"rwill
; for a six-month
ordinary person
do offerings and
n a p a t iI r e t r e a t ] ,
ministers,men,
: bcliand offer it.
tn.
a s m a l lb i t a n d i s
as followsl:
Give the practitioner the rulership of the King of Gods!

From that individual of extreme compassion
Comes the greatly compassionate great Ga4apati!
Protect the poor with great compassion!
I myself, through faith, praise in homage
You, great God of Wealth!
The glory-endowed great Ga4aPati
Uas wnlie body-colttr and the head of an elephant'
In his right hand he holds a radish'
In his left he holds a wish-fulfilling gem'
In his lower [hands] he holds an axe and a Klwtaarnkt'
His fat belly is ornamented with every kind of ornament'
He sits on the thrtlne of a moon and rat'
Homage to the glory-enclowed Ga4apatil
Eat this l;a/iof radish!
Increase my life and enioYments!
Pacify sicknessand elemental spirits!
May humans, gods, nri.gas,and qaksosbecome my servants! .
I devay tne good {ualities-of the many enioyments of the gods that
sire come forth!
May the Mighty One who is able to grant attainments
Manifest hii form by the power of the disciple!
(ianapati also
May the great great Lord
Protect the world and grant attainments!
Be a friend for my ftrture attainment of enlightenment!
Immediate|yupclnfinislringtherecitation,ytlumustreciterttalttras
over the ltali and offer it.
yc shassetnsdpo')departs.
Then the wisdom Being (s. ifianosottaa,'1.
commitments'
the
with
Yclumust practicein conjunction
Show this to individuals who delight in brevity''fttntra
of thc Arising of
This was composecl by the Lord based on the
'btlung
presence of
in
the
it
gave
'
He
rgyud)
(drrytrs
ba'i
grub
Attainmarts
'Brom.
MangAla4.
Gha4apati Samayanusmara Guhrla Sadhana4
Tshogskyi bDng po Dam tstriggSang ba'i bsGnrb ffurbs
practice
Methotl of the Secret Conrmitment of Ga4apatil
Tftrc
J
4
Wilkittsorr
262 ChristoTilrcr
Homage to the glorious Ga4apatil
As you, O noble Avalokite6vara,
G o d w h o l o o k s w i t h c o m p a s s i o no n o t h e r s t h r . o u g h o u tt h e t h r e e
times,
Have rnanifesteclhim in vor:r heart,
I will write the great and supreme method of practice
Of Canapati, iust as I have fotrnd it.
One.who clesiresto propitiate Ga4apati, the supreme king of all elemental spirits, who is truly loving to practitioners,should first, for his propitiation of the rlaksc,be clevotedto the glorious guru, for this increaseshis
great cclmpassionand sedtrlousfaith. Before[anything elsc] the guru must
bc plcased.
One who has the trarrsmissionand teachings sets up a besprinkled
tmrtdtla and offerings in a delightful place. Tb begin with, generate hLtdhiciffa. Then worship the guru, the Buddha, etc. Then pray for refuge and
present a &n/i.Dedicate tlre merit. Tlren Vou nrust pacify all the passions
with the Four Immeasurables,which begin with benevolencetoward sentient beings in all the three worlds. After that contemplateall the inne.rancl
outer Llharntasas emptiness. f)rr saal)hat0 uiiuddho snrtrydharma57ts1fifu67t11
7tiiuddlto hant.Then think tlrat inrme.asurablewisdom abide-sin the state of
compassion. Om lujfinrnta jnotu uajgaxultlnutt ntnuko harr. Thus must one
contc-mplatepurity.
From the sphere of emptiness the yogi visualizes Ihimselfl clearly as
some tutelary deity. ln front of him [arppears]Gaqapati atop a moon and a
r i r t . H e i s w h i t e , w i t l . ro n e f a c e a n d f o u r a r m s . H e s t a n d s w i t h o n e l e p ;
drawn in and one stretchec-l
forth. Divine garments are his upper clothing.
He is ornamented beautifully with precious jewelry. In his right hanclshe
holds a radish and an axe. ln the left he holds a trident and a skull. Hc. has
three eyes. The.third is very wide. Upon his head on a fr"rllmoorr there sits
A m i t a b h a . T h i n k o f t h e t h r e e s y l l a b l e st h a t c o n j u r e t h e W i s d o m [ d e i t y ]
i r r t c ry t r u r o w n p l a c e . W o r s h i p h i m a n d p r e s e n t a b s l i . T h e n t l r e t n s r r t r s
erriseseither from the awarenessof the image or the heart, goes out of the
nrouth, entersGarrapati'smouth, antl rnelts into lris heart. Praisehim, and
ircrm the lvisualized] image's navel Ithe nwntral comes forth and enters
your own nzrvel.Contemplate worshiping him and serving him.
Thus I present the nmntrsto be rccited: It comes from the path of the
guru and is prese-ntedaccording to tlre instructions of the Tantras. Olr is
tirst, with the syllableof fire placed ur the throne upon the wish-fulfilling
gen
mu!
The
fiftl
the
vo\4
vo\
sire
one
ter t
Tatt
The
Prer
shor
it or
fifth
the
sirer
that
will
him
holy
ble (
any
dev
and
fulll
Vict
tros
be fr
worl
ofm
a dri
elep
trat(
adm
Thc Tiutric Gogeia 263
rut the three
ng of all ele, fclrhis pnrncreaseshis

reguru must
besprinkled
rerate bodlrrr refuge and
:hepassions
towardsenre inner and
r saabhnan
uithe stateof
us must one
lfl clearlyas
moon and a
rith one leg
rerclothing.
ht handshe
< u l l .H e h a s
rn there sits
dom [deity]
the mnrtrn
:sout of the
sehim, and
and enters
1.
path of the
rtras.Onl is
;h-fulfilling
g e m t h a t i n c r e a s e so n e ' s t h o u g h t s . T h e s i x v o w e l s a r e s u b j o i n e d . T h i s
must be ornamented with the ltindu rnda. The first sign must be taken up.
Then the fifth of the fourth should be attached. Then write the first of the
fifth. The first sign of the Tathagatashould be shown aftt r that. Then give
t h e s e e d [ s y l l a b l e ]o f w i n d . T h i s m u s t b e o r n a m e n t e d w i t h t h e e i g h t h
'Ihe
vowel.
two concluding tastes (T. drLtbo)should be shown with the two
vowels. This is the secret nlontrl of the name. It grants the results one desires.
Olr is glory-endowed prospreritv The syllable of jewels that grants
one's mentall[desire] and accomF)lishes
one's intent must be thought of after that- Then write the se-r.ci
[syllable]of the sun. Therr the first sign of the
Tathagatamust be taken up bv the mind. Then recite the first consonant.
Then give it the seed [syllable]of jewels. Then recite the.syllableof action.
Presentingthis for a long Itime] accomplishesone's desirc's.
Orl is the first purity. Then place the jewel of desiring wealth. Then
show the first consonant. Then the first sign of the Tathigata. Ornament
it on top with the eighth vclwel.J'hen there is the first consonant. Then the
fifth of the first must be joined to the fourth of the third clzrss.The first of
the fifth clirssis shown by the first oi the third. The syllable that fulfills desires is subdued by the fiftlr of the fourth. Put the thircl of the fourth afte.r
that. Bv applying wrathfulactiorl like the great seed lsyllable]of anger, one
will meet with the god one desirc-s.
Irr this way one who desires supreme attainments must fully exert
himself at the martrn until the face of the great god is shown. This is the
holy tnartra.
If you want to undertake a work, you must make offcrirrgsto the Noblc Ones with beer, radishes. pastries, and milk. Praise [Girnapati], and
any tasks you contemplate will be re-alized.This is the cle'liglttof Mahacleva.Or make an image out of copper or bell metal, placeit atop a mondola,
and nrake it happy by worslriping it. It will give you trttainments.Or skillfully draw [an image] on a clean piece of cotton, worship and praise the
VictclriousOne, and whatever you contemplateis realizecl. Or recite nlarrf rcs over red flowers anclthrow the.matop Ithe imagel. All your wishes will
be fulfilled. Or makc.[an image of] the Noble One out of silver or crystal,
worship and praise it, then put it on top of your head and recite the mnntro
of men. When you enter the centerclfrrcity the people will gather. Or make
a drawing [of Ganapati] on cotton with mixed-togethersecretionsfrom an
e l e p f r a n t ' st e m p l e s ( 5 . G n j n r n d n ) ,b l o o d , a n d r n a c l c l e n i n gs e m c ' n .P r o s trate, worship, praise, and makc.pray'rstclit. Recitethe proper rrmtrtroand
admorrish him. You will becorneequal to a Noble One. Yotrmust not show
r\
this image to evervone. Offer your priryers with radishes and mantrns. Lustrate the image with sandalwooclwater. If this [water] is drunk or rubbed
in, there will be freedom from all diseases.
Make a copper Galapati the size of a thumb. Put it in your left hand.
Thke some milk from the king's woman and pierce it with the elephant's
trunk. Think "She truly loves me" and recite the uidrlnof the name. Then
she will certainly come. This is believed to be the result of the nnntrs. Tie
twenty-one knots in a thread of a young [woman's] lower skirt. lmagine
one god for each ntsntra. Tie it to your left shoulder, and that tlring will
quickly come to pass.
Draw Ganapati in [a combination of] ghi, lmngknra,brown sugar,
honey, and your own semen. Conce.ntrateon it and recite the hunclred-syllable fmnntrtrl.Then concentrateon the object of your clesire.It will be realized by reciting fthe nnntral l08 times. Then roll up the image with silk
and hide it in your left armpit. By this all desires are realized. Make balls
of milk, bec'f,and parched grain. Pile sandalwood atop the nwnrlolaof Ganapati and burrr them. As Ithe fire] swallows them ar-rdrises, all your purposes will be realized. By doing it for seven days, a poor man will become
perfectly endowed.
Draw an image on the meatlessshoulder blade of an elephant. Encircle it with the'msntra.Show it to the sky, ancl hail will stop. Draw an image
of Ganapati on smooth cotton. Encircleit with the nnntra. Tie it to the end
of a krng piece of wood. Thus the opposing armies arc.turned b;rck. All
these various sorts of works witl.rout exception delight the gurus and delight the gods. This Iworship of Canapatil is supreme among the methods
of attainmentM a y m y c ( ) m p o s i t i o r ro f t h i s p r a c t i c en r c - t h o do f G a n a p a t i b r i n g t o
pass the fruition of my desired ertds and absorb my thoughts in the supreme bodhicittn.
T h e p r a c t i c e m e t h o d t h a t i s c a l l e d " T h e S u p r e m e S e c r e tC o m m i t n r e n t o f G a n a p a t i " w a s c o m p o s e c lb y t h e g u r u w h o h a d g a i n e t l a t t a i n 'fhc
ments, Canakirti.
Raquircnrcntttf Plcasingthc Glttri<tusCLrna1tuti
is finishc'd.
T h e g r e a t I n d i a n y o p ; iV a i r o c a n aa n d t h e t r a n s l a t o r D h a r e B a n d h e
Dharmakirti (T. Chos kyi Grags pa) trarrslatedthis at Nyar srnad rrna lung.
F r o m t h e S o u t h e r n k i n g G h u n a s o s p r a v a t o p a r n d i t aN a g p o d P a l
'dzin.
From him to yogi Kanacanara. From him to guru Canakirti. From
him to guru Tathagataraksita.From him to guru Janaka6ila.From him to
grrru Dhorocana. It wi.lscomposeclbased on the ArisirrgttfAttoitrnrcntsTiuttra, the Repliesto VtjrasattaaThntrs,and the teachings of guru Kanacirrira.
T h i s i s t l r e g r e a t p r a c t i c em e t h o d . T h e r e a r e m a n y o t h e r s t h a t a r e
smaller than this. lt is called "profound." Thc-reare no ntistaken retrdinqs
in this tt
best thir
Prt
G. Pra
Th
nesa,tv
sented
'Phag
Tlu
H(
Hr
Ht
Hr
Yo
Yo
Th
Be
Pr
II
C
TT
TI
n
H,
H
A
Rt
H
H
Ei
Ri
Tlrc Thntric Grurin

rnd nnntras. Lusdrunk or rubbed
in your left hand.
th the elephant,s
f the name. Then
tf the nnntrtt. Tie
er skirt. Imagine
Ldthat thing will
in this text. The guru has said that if you have the transmission, the very
best thing is to practice.
Prosperityl
C. Praises
There are five texts in the Tibetan canon devoted to the praise of Ga4esa, two of which are identical. All four dissimilar texts are here presentt'd.
'q, brown
sugar,
thehundred-sylsire.It will be re_
: imagewith silk
'ized.Make balls
'-nundslnof Gan;es,all yclur purran will becclme
elephant.Encir,. Draw an image
, Tie it to the end
lurned back. All
le gurus arrd derng the methods
r n a p a t ib r i n g t o
ughts in the suiecretCornmitI g a i n e da t t a i n Gnnaputiis iin'Dhare
B;rrrdhe
smadrma lung.
ta Nag po dPal
lanakirti. From
la. From him tcr
4ttninnrctis'[itrt,
ru Kanacinira.
o t h e r st h a t a r e .
taken readings
265
o,,,c,llli;,';i';ili:,';:trsastotrn

pa Tshogs kyi bDag po Chags pa rDo rie'i Dam tshig gi bsTod pa
lIn the English language:
The Praise of Commitmcnt of thc Noble Ganapati Vajra of Desirel
'Phags
Homage to the venerable Avalokite6vara!

Homage, O glorious Ganapati, the delightfull
Homage, O glorious generator of peace!
Homage, O glorious great wrathirrl one!
You grant any attainment desired in this very life!
You grant the power of the king of gods to the practitioner!
The Creat CompassionateGanapati,
Being a mctstcompassionatgindividual,
Protectsthe poor with great compassion!
I bow tiown to you and praise you,
Great God of Wealth, with reverence.
The glorious great Canapati is
Three headed, six eye.d,and four armed.
His facesare an elephant's,a rat's, and a monkcy,s.
He holds a radish, a sword, a jewc'I,
A ve-sselof beer, a pastry, and rrn axe.
He stands with bent legs, one in, one out,
Above the consort.
A rain of jewels falls from her mouth,
Removing the practitioner'spoverty.
His fat belly is ornamented with jervelry of every kind.
Homage to gloricrusGanapati!
Eat this bnliof butter, pastry,
Radish, and boiled porridge!
266 ChristoplrcrWilkinson
Increasemy life and rny pleasures!
Pacifysicknessand demonsl
May all men, demon.s, rlakgas,and marasbecclmemy slaves!
May the good things I desire
From amorrgstthe gocls'many pleasantthirrgs
Come to me.
O Creat God Canapati, with the power to grant attainments,
Whose boc-lyemanatesfrom the-strength of discipline,
Protect this worlcl arrd be a helpful frienc'l
For my trttainment of enlighterrment!
You slrould make.yclur recluestswhile reciting this praisc-,and offer a bali
when tlre moon rises.
Thc Praisaof Ctwwrittuantof thc NttltlcGntw1tatiVajrattfDcsirc, cornposed
by the panditnDipamkaraSrijnana,is finished.
I t w a s t r a r r s l a t e db y t h a t g r e a t p a n d i t a l r i m s e l f a t r c -tlh e t r a n s l a t o r
T s h t r lk h r i n r s r C y a l b a .
Ga4aptti Stotra
Tshogs kyi bDag po la bsTod pa
Praise of Go4apati'l
Homage kr the Noble Avalokitesvara!
T h e c h i e f o f t h e g o d s ,C a r r a p a t i ,
Lives in thr. clivine lancJof the Thirty-Threr- Gods, Tusita.
Born the s()n of Mahadeva by amassirrgthe accunrulations
[Of merit and wisdom],
A n d b y t h e s t r e . n g t ho f h i s a s p i r a t i o n ,
H e b e c a n r en r a s t e ro i t h e f o u r c o n t i n e - n t sb y t h e b l e s s i n g o f C r e a t
Compt.rssion(5. tnfu ikt r u t ur).
I praisc yorr, O Emanation of tlre Most Noble Avalokite6vara!
Ylur fotrr arms, tlre four moriesof action, enact the purp()ses<lfIivirrg
beings.
Vruthful, vou sit with half-crossedlegs.
Bedeckedwith jewelry made frorn wish-granting Bems,
Vru senclcluwn every desire trs rain.
With great wrerth,might, and discipline you drive back the battalions
of demons.
Ip.
You
You
The
Isa
Mo
You
a
Bec
Go
Sta
k
Tht
Del
Yor
Ho
Yot
(
Yot
Iss
Yot
Twr
Thr
Wi
Yot
Wi
Se
I
Yo
Lik
Yo
All
An
De
De
Iti
Th
i
It;
Be
Tlrc ThntricGnrrc6a 267

I praise you wlro are arrogantly wrathful and greatest of the prurud!
y slaves!
unments,
ne/
, and offer a lln/r

)esirc,composed
d thetranslator
rs l t a .
rtions
e s s i n go f G r e a t
teSvaral
rposesof living
'ls,
( the btrttalions
You hold the sun, the moon, a radish, a rosary, an axe, and a bowl.
You adorn your bt'rdy with the divine clothing paricnlikn.
-I'here
is no other supreme god like you in the world.
I salute and praise your glowing irnage,
Most Noble One of perfect qualities!
Your body is withttut the darkness of the three poisons, [Lrright]like
a conch.
Bedeckedwith beautiful ornaments,
Goddessesgather upon merely a glance..
Standing amidst the divine troops your whistle strikes dclwn the trilocosm.
l'he light rays emzrnatedfrorn your hideous scrcams
Defeat the Obstacles.
Your furious roar singes the ldsas of the sr'a.
Homage and praise to you, Mighty One Withotrt Rival!
Y o u m a n i f e s t i n a m o n k e y ' s b o c l y t o g r - n e r a t ec o a r s e i l w a r e n e s s
(5. sthfiIooiiiurnn).
Vrur monkey-face,with its uprturnedeyr.s,
Is somewhat te.rrifving.
Ycrurred botiy is lustily powerful like a rat.
llazoof your hands' palms are joined.
The smell of your inftrtuating incensegathers the goris.
With the Grandfather at your right,
Vlu takc-c<lntrolof tlre race of lvomen.
With Ranu's symbol at your left, you take in lnen as workers.
S e n d i n g f o r t l r r a v s o f l i g h t f r o m y o u r h e ; . r r t y, o u c . n s l a v et h e t h r e . e
realms.
Yrtr wande.rfreelv throushout the sky
Like tl-recolclnorth wirrrl.
Ycrurbody's hookeri-shapec'l
light rays gatlrer into one
All the wealth in the world,
A n d a r a i n o f w e a l t h f a l l s u p o n m e .a s w e l l !
D e s i r e s ,n e r . d s ,a r r c al l l t h e t r b j e c t so f d e l i g h t m e l t i n t o a m b r o s i a .
Descending from the paths of the chanr-rels(T. rtsa),
It is gathered from the secr.ti,rirl/.
l'he stream is churned, and-from the penetration csfthe lurtntttiis thnrwn dowrr.
I take refuge in the liberating stream of ambrosia!
Before the Great of Hosts, the Glorious of Hosts,
268 Christaphu Wilkittson

The Mighty of Hosts, the Lord of Hosts,
The queen [{ari bows and offers homage,
As do I to your image, C) Great God!
Will you please bring about all the things that I desire?
The pandita Amoghavajra who was attained in the glorious Yamantaka's attainments praised Ganapati [with these words] after having a vision of him in the cemetery Kanrl<trusPunq-s(5. skandha).
Aryaganapati Stuti
'Phags pa
Tshogs kyi bDag po la bsTbd pa
The Praise of the Noble Ganapatil
Homage to all the Bucldhasand Bodhisattvasl
Homa6;eand praise to Ganapati,
The Protector of the World, Creator of Appearance,
Maker of Gkrry, and Enactorof Benefits,
The Unequaled and Unparallelecl!
Homage and praise to Ganapati,
Master of Secret Mantru, King of V idtloMantrn,
Matrix of Enj<lyments,Sup-rreme
Treasure,
Shower of the i{esult of Tru! Realizationl
Homage to the chief of elephant-trunked ones,
Great Hero, Victorious over Demon s (5. nmra,T. bdud),
Great Power, Defeater of Obstacles
Who defeatsthe battalionsof emotional defilenrents(S. k/t'fa,T. nyLtn
ttutrrgs),
Pacifier of Suffering!
Honrage to Yru, O Rrsse-ssrtr
of ;rn [rlephant'sTrunk,
King of Jewt'ls,
You whose jewel body brings forth the jewel of great jewels,
Protector of the Jewel Doctrine!
Ganapati, Great Miracle,
The One who takes the breath of the white armies of gods,
Tl'reOne who turns back the battalions of black clemigods(5. asura)l
isher
The ThntricCaneis
ire?
rgloriousyaman_
after having a vi_
269

Whose body is the jewel of.good qualities,
Whose speech is the true essenceof good qualities,
Whose mind has the identity of good qualities!
Thc Praiscoi Ganapaticomposed by the master Nag po Zhabs is finished.
Mangalarh. Prosperity.Subharh.
Kameiaara Stotra
'Dod
pa'i dbAng phyug gi bsTod pa
The Praise of the Lord of Desirel
t),
S.kleio,'f.
nryon
rwetrs,
ods,
rds (S.asrra)l
Hri!
ProtectorGanapati, born from Speech,
Has the countenanceclf the newly risen sun.
He has an elephant'shead
And is bejeweledwith the wealth of the gods.
His three eyes are bc-autifullike the anthers of a blue lotus.
Looking far and wide he protects the poor among living beings.
His white tusks have the luster of precious jewels.
His right hands, in the wealth-bestowing mudra,
Hold a rosary and a bowl of many foods and pastry.
His left hold a red axe, remover of every difficultv,
And the food of evil spirits, a radish.
He has jewelry and costume finer than the gods'.
His spiraling crown of plaited hair emanatesforth like an angry
ckrud.
The roar of his voice screamingout "Hri"
Brings the three realms under control.
It fulfills one's heart'sdesire.
Blue-blackrobes beautifully cover his body's ktwer part.
On his throne, a white lotus and the light of the moon.
He sits upon a vessel of pleasing things
That is blue, the color of lapis,
And grants the fruition of one's desires.
I praise you, O Great God Lord of Desire (5. Kanrciuara, T. 'Dod pa,i
dbAng phyug)l
I praiseyou, O Protectorof the VictoriousOne'sDoctrine!
I praiseyou, O Controllerof the Heterodox!
I praiseyou, O InexhaustibleSky-Treasuryof PleasingThings!
Keepyour promiseand grant me everyattainment!
The greatguru Cantapa'spraiseis completed.
H. ThePreciousElephantTbxt
The Hqsti ratno dhqnodeyopadciais devoted not to Gane6a, but rather
to the elephant itself as a granter of wishes. Its close associationwith Ga4e6a is evident not only by the content of the text but also by its location in
the canon, grouped together with the largest body of texts on Gane6a. The
text claims to be written by the great Buddhist author Nagarjuna. This
claim can easily be contested on account of its references to yaks and
crossesbetween yaks and cows - neither of which existed in India - as
well as on account of its specific mentioning of Indian ink, Indian paper,
and so forth, which would not be necessary if the text were written in India. This text will nonetheless be useful for gaining insights into the close
connection between Cane6aas an elephant-headeddeity and the elephant
itself, despite its questionableauthorship.
Hasti Ratna Dhanaryyeti UpadeSa
po
gLang
Rin po che lu Nor Wang ba'i Man Ngag
The lnstructions for Acquiring Wealth through the Precious Elephantl
Homage to you, O Precious One
Who satisfiesall needs and desires,
Most noble among the sevenjewels (T. Rin chcn,S. ratna),
Treasury of treasures!
One who desires to remove the suffering of poverty
And desiresto acquire the stuff of wealth
Must exert himself in this treasury of treasures.
An expert who desiresto attain the wealth
Known as the "Elephant-Treasure-Treasury"
Must grind the five kinds of jewels
Into [a mixture of] fine substances that are able to burn,
And make it into the form of an Indian elephant
With many strengths and virtues, and beautiful to look upon.
[It should have] short legs, a fat belly,
And a
Thisis
Onen
Firstt
In gol
If not
Onar
Onen
Thisir
Oqrm
May I
Dhan
Mayl
Nana
Mayl
Dhnla
Mayl
May tl
Satyat
Prasa
Akhen
bruryL
Curn
Nirga
May tl
ace
May a
May a
May n
May n
May c
fied
May I
Pin
May n
May t,
del
May a
May n
May a
ofs
TheThntrit'Ga4cia 271
e'sDoctrine!
Pleasirrg
Thingsl
nentl
to Ga4reSa,
but rather
: associationwith Ga_
t also by its locatiorr in
Itextson GaneSa.The
: h o rN a g a r j u n a . T h i s
ferencesto yaks and
existedin India -as
an ink, Indian paper,
xt were written in Innsights into the ckrse
leityand the.elephant
n
an Ngag
)reciousElephantl
S. ratna),
rrty
r burn,
o lookupon.
And a head ornamented with a wish-fulfilling jewel.

This is to be ripened by fire.
One must know that placed inside of it are msntrqsand substances.
First the character of the mqntra must be written,
In gold if possible.
If not possible, it must be written with Indian ink
On a white piece of Indian paper.
One must apply sandalwood with the five good smells.
This is the mwtrs:
On1mahahatiratnasaraasiddhiphalohuml ratna punesiddhi siddhihur.r.
May I gain the great attainment of a treasure of precic'rusthings!
DhqnanJmedhihisiddhihum.
May I gain the p;reatattainment of wealth, food, and enjoyment!
Nanqklrcddhisiddhisiddhihury.
May I gain the attainment of all supreme and 1;reatfoods!
Dlwls sasaosiddhisiddhihum ja jc.
May I gain the great attainment of a retinue and enjoyments!
May there be prosperityl
Sattlnthcdan uijayc aijnyc uctc u.qgcsuasti trapati nkhumal
PrssaradhslSztudhilPrshskheI Munc muncgursne suranel
AkhcnruskhenruragcnrurngclSuastcgurtutayal Snruaassti bruru
ltrum brunrl Saisti suistil Mule rnulel Keie keieI Curnsl
Curwrl BhimslesaqhqlOnl knmksrsl Kam karsl Nirugnfcatanil
Nirgatcatasuastil
May this hcruse,which is known as Chegamo,becr>mea precious palace filled with treasuresl
May a rain of grains and enjoyments fall!
May a retinue and enjoyments be gathered like'cloucls!
May my sons and all my lineage expand and prosper!
May my fame and renown be equal to the sky!
May conditions (T. rktlcn, S. pratyatla)and obstructions be well pacified!
May I have a krng life free from sickness, with perfect bliss and happiness!
May my life force (T. tshesrog) be hard as a rock!
May the manifestation of my enjoyments become equal to that of the
delighted gods!
May all my food and wealth grow and increase!
May my deposit of men, wealth, arrd foocl become full!
May all my storehouses of grain become full and increase like a box
of sesame!
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
all that is scattered be gathered!

all that has failed be restored!
all that has declined be augmented!
all that is low become high!
all the haughty be deceived!
the day of dMu yad come down!
perfect bliss and well-being come forth!
Then draw the seven precious things on a white piece of Indian paper,
And write this mnntrs on your own back:
Ory cakraratna phalal SiddhihumlThe precious wheel/
Orn maharotnaphalasoatihuml The precious jewel/
Om bhihi ratna Tthalasaiti huml The precious queen/
Om mshrtrstnaphalasiti hurytlTheprecious minister/
Om hsti rstnsl Phalssiti humlThe precious elephant/
O4t dhanaragamaiaratna siti phnlahuml The precious horse/
Ory ghati ratna phalasiti phalahuryl The precious general/
F u r t h e r m o r e , d r a w a l l e i g h t o f t h e s u b s t a n c e so f p r o s p e r i t y o n a
white piece of Indian paper
And put it in the inside of the elephant.
Secondly,the stagesof substancesare:
Exactly nine srangmeasures of earth from the fields and earth from
the houses of nine rich people, r
Earth from the fields and earth from the housesof nine poor peclple,
Gold, silver, copper, iron, smoke, crystal, coral, pearl,
The five kinds of grain, fine silk, many kinds of food, the three
whites, the three sweets,
The hair of nine domestic animals belonging to a rich woman
With the exception of crossbreedsbetwc-ena yak and a cow (T. nrdzo)
and mules,
The hair of good-quality horses,goats, and sheep,
The hair of both male and female yaks,
The six kinds of good medicine, flowers,
The barley of seven rich people,
And expensive substances that bring prosperity.
Put all of these inside the elephant.
Recite the Esscltccttf Depcndut Origination (T. rTcn'brel smlirtgpo) one
hundred eight times
Over the abclve-mentionedsubstances.
Then,
Invite
From I
He me
The cl
Becon
Think
the
All ne
And tl
The m
Attact
Praise
And p
Made
That ir
You m
Make
And r,
If a trt
timr
It isar
And tl
Then
You m
And n
You m
The gr
That 1
Andv
Whatr
You w
Wealt
Your I
You w
Your t
In brit
ity.
There
All ne
TIrcThntricCanatu 273
pieceof Indian pa-
eel/
rl
rti
rs horsc-/
neral/
rf prosperityon a
ls and earth from

nine ptxrr peopl1.,
arl,
f f o o c l ,t h e t h r e e
:h woman
rd a cow (T. nttzo)
,el vuling prr)

one
Then you must tie the legs up well.

Invite the precious elephant who brings forth all needs and desires
From the divir-rerealm of the Thirty-Three (S. tusita).
He melts in nonduality into the Ieffigy].
The clay elephant he dissolves into
Becomesan elephant of jewels.
Think that by this transformation all your desires come forth from
the elephar-rt.
All neeclsand desirescome forth.
And that which comes forth enters y()ur treasury or safe.
The method for placing them in the silo or treasury is as follows:
Attach five kinds of silk to the trunk.
Praise the precious elephant
And place it on a thrc.e-bladedknife (S. ktlu,T. Phur-Ita)
Made of Acacia Catechu
That is four finger-widths [in size].
You must consecrateit urccordingtctthe above Itrccountl.
Ma ke rcrund-shaped clffe.ri ngs (T.' Itrung-r uqns)
And requc.stprosperity.
If a treasure of wealth substancescomes to vou on that verv dav and
timc,
It is an c-xtrernelygood onren,
And thus is a sign that attainments will come forth.
Then one must not allow p0ople to see tlris clay elephant.
Yru must lravegreat prosperity,
And must not hasten to pass it arclund.
Yru must not distribute it into people's hands.
The good qualities of acting in this way are
That you will bc.comemost mighty
And wiflbe eclu;rltothe gods who delight in miracles(T. 'yhru ga' lln).
Whatever you think of will come abrtr-rtspontar.reously.
You will become the aspiration of all sentient beings.
Wealth and fooc'lwill be gatherec-llike clouds.
Your lineage will grclw like a forest.
You will be liberated from diseaseand demonsYour bliss and well-being will be perfect.
In bric.f,the precious elephant amounts to each t.rndeve.rygood cluality'
Therefore you must strive at this.
All needs and clesiresc<tmeforth from this.
A
t\
That which is called "The Falling Rain of Jewels of the Precious Elephant" is an instruction that brings together all food, wealth, enjoyments,
long life, and merit like clouds. It is an elaborated teaching that grants possessions and sMu yad. The supreme mantrs that is most profound is Onr
mahahAstiratna
saraasiddhi phalopaiung kuru hury hum. Write this on paper
many times. Put it inside the elephant.
Vuy I, the author, increaseall my wealth and possessions!
Arya Nagarjuna wrote this.
Mangalam.
It is clearly evident from the materials here presented that a major
study of GaneSa'srole in Indian Buc'ldhism,as well as his impact on Tibet
and Tibetan Buddhism, remains to be made. It is hoped that the small contribution here offered provides a bep;inningto this research and will encourage scholarsto devote attention to this subject.
NOTES
l. See.Alaka Clr.rttopadhyaya, Atrirrrtnd Ti&cf (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,
1981),37- 55; Ct-orge.N. Iloe.rich,trarrs., /-/rcIJIttt'Antrnls,2tlt-ci.(De.lhi: Motilal
Barrarsidass,1976), 371-73.
2. Se-eYukei Matsunaga, "A History of Tantric Buclclhismin India with Refcrence kr Chinese-Translations," in l\tddliat TInnNhtsntl AsistrCiuilizntitm, Essoys
irt Honor of Hcrbcrt V. Cucntlrcron His SixticthBirthday,eds. l,eslie S. Kawamura and
Keith Schott (Emeryville: Dharma, 1977),177 78, andJ. W DeJong,"A New Ilistory of Thntric Litcraturt of India," review of Yukei Matsurraga,in Slrlriitsof Mys,
ticisrrrirr LIonorof thc 1150thArutitttrsortlol Kobo-Dnishi'sNinthmnt, Actn Indologici,6
( 1 9 8 4 ) : 1 0- 2
1.
3. D. S. Ruegg, Tha Litcrnturt'oi thc Madhyamnl<nSt'hoolof Philosophvin India
(Wiesbaden: Otto Harrossowitz, 1981),104 5.
4. Ciuseppe"Iucci, "Animadversiones Indicae.," lLurtnl of thc Royal Asiatic SL>
cictyttf Bangal26(1930):139-40.
5. Tucci, "Animadvtsiones Indicae," 139-40. Also see Ruegg, Thc Literoturcof
tlrc MadhtlamnknSchool, 707, and Keith Dowman, Mnsfr'r.sof Mahnmudra (Albanv:
State University of New York Press, 1985),282.
6. Rahula Szrnkrityayana,"AcArya Diparhkara Srijnana," in P. V. Bapat, gen.
Hundred Yearsof Butltlhislr(New Delhi: Govt. of India Publici.rtions
ed., TwentV-Fiue
Division, 1976),201, 203.
7. lt is not possibleto know if the Diparhkara listed as the author of no. 16 is
Ati6a or Diparhkaratrhadra,or in fact another pandit.
8. As with most factshaving to do with Ati6a'slife, thc.datr-of his birth, as well
as where he was bt>rn.rnd the names of lris parents, vary with the sources. Tlrey
tend to pl
See,for ex
Tibet,57
9. Fo
TheLitera
bzangof S
nals;24'l.
10. Ru
"Reflectio
Significa
(Berkeley
1 1 .D a
7e59),13
12. Ru
13. Ro
14. Se
associate
Meghdlok
rgyal ba, r
astery.Se
The Thntric Gqueiq
cf the PreciousEle,ealth,enjoyments,
ingthat grantsposrstprofound is Om
{rite this on paper
sessions!
ented that a major

ris impact on Tibet
that the small conearchand will en-
275
tend to place the birth in the 980s and agree that his parents were of royal blood.
See, forexample, Roerich, TheBIueAnnals,241,247,andChattopadhyaya, Atiiaand
Tibet,57-59.
9. For discussions of Ati6a's life, see Chattopadhyaya, Att6a and Tibet;Ruegg,
The Literature ot' the MadhyamaknSchool,77l'-12; S. C. Das, ed., dPag-bsam-lionbzangof Sum pa mkhan po ye shes dpal'byor (Calcutta: 1908);Roerich, BlueAnnals;241ff.
10. Ruegg, Thc Littrature of the MadhyatnaknSchool,111.See also Alex Wayman,
"Reflectionibn the Theory of Barabudur as a Mandala," in Barabudur: History and
of a BuddhistMttnument,eds. Luis Gomez and Hiram W. Woodward, Jr.
Significancc
(Berkeley: Berkeley Buddhist Studies Series, 1981),140-47.
11. David Snelll;rove, Heuajra Thntra, vol. 1 (London: Oxford University Press,
7959),13-14.
12. Ruegg, The Literoturcof theMadhyannknSchool,107and n. 343.
13. Roerich, BlueAnnals, 844-46.
14. Several of the other authors of the Gane6a tcxts I have not mentioned were
associated with Vikramadila. For example, Ratnavajra (Rin chen rDo rie), author of
Meghahtknga4apatisadhnn (no. 11) that was translated by Atisa and Tshul khrims
rgyal ba, was a contemporary of Ati6a and a gatekeeper at the Vikrama6ila monasterv.See Roerich, BIucAnnals,205 6.
4 o t i l a lB a n a r s i d a s s ,
ed. (Delhi:Motilal
n in lndia with Rcfr Ciuilizntiorr, Lssotls
e S. Kawamuraand
-'Jong,"A New Hisa, in Sfrrdir's
of Mysnt, Acta Indologicn,
6
r Philosophy
in India
the RorlalAsittticSo'gg, TheLitcrntura
of
nlnmudra(Albany:
in
' l nPd iV.
a Bap.rt,gen.
Publicaions
author of no. 16 is
of his birth, as well
the sourcc.s.They
AA
'I

The Tantra of The Great Ganapati - Ganesh in Tibet by Christopher Wilkinson S.U.N.Y.-libre

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The Tantra of The Great Ganapati - Ganesh in Tibet by Christopher Wilkinson S.U.N.Y.-libre

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Publishedby

State University of New Ytrrk Pre'ss,Albany

C)1991State University of Ncw Yrrk

For information, addressStatc University oi Ncw Vrrk ['rcss,

Production by Marilyn Semeracl

Library of CongressCataloging-in-Publication Data

NOTEON TRANSLITERAf ION

l. Cane6a: A Prokrhistory of thc Idca and thc lcon

3. Caneria'sRisc to Prominence in Sanskrit Litcrature

6. The Wivt-s of Clar-resa

7. "Vatapi Ganapatit.n":Sculptural, Rretic, irnclMusical Tl'xts in a Hymrr

10. Gane6a in Chintr: Methods of Transforrning the Demonic

I. Introduction and the Texts

A. Tcxt from the l)Kil'gVur

D- The fire ceremclnies(S. lttttttn)

E . Vinayaka as an evil demon

7. >Vinaqokn grahn nirmrtcann,Lttg'dran Rtli gDottlns Ngcs par

The ThntricGsneis 237

i hDag 1rii sByin

bsGrubpa dbul ba'i gTersByhr Shesbya ba. (.Peking#3855). Au.

238 Christoyiru Wilkittson

II. A Note on the Authors and Tianslators

The ThntricGsneia 239

240 Christophu Wilkinsott

The ThntricGqLteitt 241

III. The Tianslations

Tltc Tsutric Gturyin

In the Tibetan language:

ChapterSix: ThaMantra of Mahoganapati

Chnpttr Seaut: Tlrc Mantra of thc Nntne

The Talftric Gcuris

:ed at the be-ginI g e m s .T h e f i r s t

ttaining accorn:ry accomplishn, at the begirrng jewel letter.

Tlrc ThntricGsncia 247

The great compassiol-rate

The ThntricCaneis 249

ChnpterFifteen: Praising Ganapnti

The ThntricGanr:itt 25I

ChristouherW ilki nsorr

The ThntricGrurcis 253

the five offer-

Worship and dedication must be performed extensively.

Homage to tl-reglorious Vajradakini!

E. Ganeiaas an Eail Demon

ner can esLographical

description of the demon is present in the text, and it is not possible to be

are here translated: (1) the Garwpatisadhnna

Homage to the ClreatCompassionateOne!

The ThntricGarleia 259

uing thc Ohr o d h i i sf i n ina and the.

Homage tcl the Lord of the Wcrrld Avalokite6vara!

Thc ThntricGa4ast 267

Give the practitioner the rulership of the King of Gods!

Thc Tiutric Gogeia 263

rut the three

ng of all ele, fclrhis pnrncreaseshis

Tlrc Thntric Grurin

In the Tibetan language:

Homage to the venerable Avalokite6vara!

Tlrc ThntricGnrrc6a 267

, and offer a lln/r

268 Christaphu Wilkittson

Homage to the chief of elephant-trunked ones,