Toh 670, Toh 1087 — The Dhāraṇī of Devī Mahākālī
Devīmahākālīnāmadhāraṇī
Dharmachakra Translation Committee
The Dhāraṇī of Devī Mahākālī
F.202.bF.253.a Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was sitting at the base of the Bodhi tree shortly after becoming a perfect buddha. At that point Devī Mahākālī—Sovereign Goddess of the Desire Realm, Wife of the Demon, Yama’s Sister—circumambulated the Blessed One three times and sat to one side.
Devī Mahākālī then addressed the Blessed One, saying, “Honorable One, were I to offer this vidyā in homage at the Blessed One’s feet, would the Blessed One please accept my vidyā?”[1]
The Blessed One replied, “Devī Mahākālī—the Wife of the Demon and Yama’s Sister—will bind beings[2] up through the Heaven of Controlling the Emanations of Others. She will bind beings down through the hell realms. She will bind beings out to the surrounding mountains. Her mantra should be recited as follows:
tadyathā | oṃ ruru vitiṣṭha vadhotsi ruru roru vitiṣṭha vadhotsi svāhā |
By pronouncing this vidyā, may all fevers, illnesses, plagues, and humoral disorders, as well as all illnesses such as leprosy, boils, skin rashes, and the like, be cured! Svāhā.”
This concludes “The Dhāraṇī of Devī Mahākālī.”
Notes
D and S: bdag gi de. The Tibetan only has a pronoun here. The term vidyā has been added to the English translation for clarity.
backThe objects of Mahākālī’s dhāraṇī are not made explicit here, but the close relationship between this text and The Dhāraṇī of Glorious Mahākāla (Toh 668/1085), might allow us to supply the following list of beings that are bound by Devī Mahākālī’s dhāraṇī as “all beings that cause illnesses and diseases, all grahas, beings that cause plague, bhūtas, and beings that cause faulty meditations and faulty views.”
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