Toh 472, Toh 1996 — The Rite of the Musk Shrew
Chucchundarakalpa
The Rite of the Musk Shrew
F.174.aF.192.b Homage to Yamāri!
“Now I will explain in detail the rite of the musk shrew.
oṁ tu tra ya ma he śa ra yo ga pratta ma ya | yo ga siddhi | tā hā ni me svāhā | hū ha | da ha da ha | pa tsa pa tsa | ur dhi ya hūṁ phaṭ[1]
“The ritual activity for this vidyāmantra is as follows. After not sleeping for one day and one night, one should make offerings of fragrance, flowers, and incense, perform a bali offering, and then recite the vidyāmantra eight thousand times. One will then be successful.[2]
“Next are the ritual permutations:
“One should take a dead musk shrew, grind its skin, bones, meat, and fur into powder, and recite the vidyāmantra two thousand times. F.193.a If one then rubs the powder onto one’s forehead, one will become invisible to one’s enemies.
oṁ ma ma hū pa ti[3]
“If one smears the powder on one’s hands, one can enthrall anyone one touches. If one smears the powder on one’s feet, one can walk a hundred yojanas and back. If one smears the same powder on the entryway of an enemy’s house and recites the vidyāmantra one hundred thousand times at the door of the house, the enemy will be expelled. If one takes the powder and soil from a charnel ground, makes a small portion, and conceals it at an enemy’s door,[4] the enemy’s family will be destroyed. Or, if one wishes to expel one’s enemy’s family, one should take the skin of a musk shrew,[5] recite the vidyāmantra eight thousand times, fill the skin with soil from a place where someone[6] has urinated, and tie it with a blue thread. When one ties it up in the air, the enemy’s urine will be blocked. When it is untied, the urine will be released.
“One should grind musk shrew skin into powder, recite the vidyāmantra eight thousand times in front of Mahādeva, and make offerings of fragrances, flowers, and incense, as well as a bali offering, and then again recite the vidyāmantra eight thousand times. One will then be successful.
“If one rubs that powder on the tip of one’s nose, one will be beloved to all beings.[7] If one applies it to one’s head,F.174.b, one will be able to respond to all enemies and disputes.[8] If one anoints one’s heart with that same powder and displays it to an enemy, the enemy will feel burning in their heart.[9] If one makes an effigy[10] from rice flour and smears it with the powder, the target will be afflicted with leprosy.[11] If one scatters the powder[12] together with ashes from a cremation ground on a group of enemies, anyone who steps on it or sees it will be afflicted with disease. If one incants the powder with the vidyāmantra one thousand times, one will enthrall anyone on whose head it is sprinkled. If one places the powder together with a skull at an enemy’s entryway, one will be separated from that enemy.[13] If one rubs the powder on a woman’s hand, she will die. If one conceals the powder at someone’s door, the person will be expelled. If one mixes the powder with human flesh and gives it to someone to drink, that person will die within seven days.
If one gives the powder[14] to an enemy, that enemy will be afflicted by hunger,F.193.b hemorrhoids, and diarrhea. Afterward, one will feel joyful. If one takes a musk shrew’s bones and hides them in someone’s house, that person will die.
“One should offer musk shrew flesh and fish oil to the deity, sit on a skull in a charnel ground, and recite the vidyāmantra while holding a skull.[15] One should then pour the mixture onto charcoal from a charnel ground[16] one thousand times and perform a fire offering. One will then be successful.
“If one performs the rite by mixing the powder with the three hot substances and then places it in someone’s house, a fiery heat[17] will be produced there. Mixing the powder with black mustard seeds will have the same effect. If one makes an effigy with the powder and soil from a charnel ground and buries it at the foot of someone’s door, that person will quickly be killed by illness. If one mixes the powder with salt, one will enthrall anyone one strikes with it. If one mixes the powder with white mustard seeds and scatter it on a king’s gate, the king will be enthralled.”[18]
The detailed rite of the musk shrew is complete.Colophon
This was translated by the Indian preceptor Dīpaṅkara and the Tibetan translator Ra Dorjé Drak.[19]
Notes
The transliteration given here follows Toh 472 without emendation. Siklós (1990, p. 179) attempts a Sanskrit reconstruction, which with minor emendations reads: oṁ rudrāya maheśvara yogapraśālya yogasiddham dadāhu me svāha | hūṃ hūṃ haḥ daha daha paca paca urdhveya hūṃ phaṭ. The mantra in the version preserved in the rwa pod reads: oṁ ru tra la ma he sha ra yo ga pra rta ma ya; yo ga siddhi / da ha hi mi swā ha / huṃ ha / da ha da ha / pa tsa pa tsa / uddhi ya huṃ phaṭ.
backThe structure of the text suggests that there are a variety of ritual permutations to be used within the general framework just described. These permutations follow below. Two additional frameworks will be introduced below, followed by other sets of permutations.
backSiklós’s (1990, p. 179) reconstruction of the Sanskrit reads, with minor emendation, oṁ mama huyanti.
backThis translation is tentative and follows Toh 1996, K 2849, and rwa pod in reading “soil from a charnel ground” (dur khrod kyi sa). Toh 472 reads “a charnel ground shroud” (dur khrod kyi ras).
backThis translation follows Toh 1996, K 2849, and Rwa pod. Toh 472 reads, “grind musk shrew skin into powder” (ts+tshu ts+tshun d+ha ra’i spags pa phye mar btags), but this makes little sense given the rest of the instructions for this rite.
backThis has been inserted, tentatively and for clarity, as none of the sources identify who has urinated. One could also plausibly interpret this to refer to a place where the target has urinated.
backThis translation follows Toh 472 and K2849. Toh 1996 reads “one will gather all beings” (skye ’gro thams cad sdud par ’gyur), while Rwa pod reads “one will become hostile towards all beings” (skye ’gro thams cad la gdug par ’gyur).
backTranslation tentative for len thebs pa (Toh 1996, K 2849) / lan thebs pa (Toh 472, Rwa pod).
backThis translation follows Toh 472 and Rwa pod. Toh 1996 and K 2849 read “will have a bad heart” (snying na ngan par ’gyur; snying na ngan par ’gyur).
backPresumably an effigy of the target.
backThis translation follows Toh 472. Toh 1996, K 2849, and Rwa pod read “will be paralyzed” (rengs par ’gyur).
back“Powder” is tentatively inserted for clarity. None of the sources specify what is being scattered.
backTranslation tentative for dgra bo dang dbye bar ’gyur/ dgra bo dbye bar ’gyur.
backToh 1996 reads “If one mixes that powder with feces...” (phye ma de dag bshang dang bsres nas). K 2849 reads the same once bshad pa is emended to bshang pa.
backRwa pod reads “and incant three skulls” (thos pa gsum la bzlas pa bya).
backToh 1996 and K 2849 read “ashes from a charnel ground” (dur khrod kyi thal ba).
backToh 472 reads “three kinds of fiery heat” (me’i tsha ba gsum).
backToh 1996 and K 2849 add, “Anyone who tramples on it will be enthralled. If one smears an unbaked clay bowl with bat feces and then uses it to cover the enemy’s feces and urine while it is still warm, [the enemy’s] stool and urine will be blocked. Once uncovered, they will recover” (kham por so ma btang ba la pha wang brun gyis byugs pa la / dgra’i dri chen dri chu drod ma yal ba la bkab na / dri chen dri chu ’gag go / phyung nas slar ’tsho’o).
backThis is the colophon reported in Toh 472 and Rwa pod. The colophons from Toh 1996 and K 2849 read, “This was translated by Ra Dorjé Drak from a manuscript of Bharo Chakdum” (b+ha ro phyag rdum gyi phyag dpe las| ra rdo rje grags kyis phyis bsgyur ro).
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