Toh 761 — The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [1]

F.52.a Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was traveling through the land of Magadha when he arrived at a mango grove. At that mango grove, he took up residence in the Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain. Śakra the lord of the devas then appeared before the Blessed One. He bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet and sat to one side.

Having sat to one side, Śakra the lord of the devas told the Blessed One, “Blessed One, there are asuras and humans who harm the Dharma. Blessed One, they are the asuras and other adversaries not included in the assembly who seek to bring the Dharma long-term harm. Since the Blessed One has not subdued them with peaceful means, I request a teaching on how to tame them with wrathful means. Please allow me to protect the vehicle’s teachings against these enemies.”

The Blessed One told Śakra the lord of the devas, “Lord of devas, uphold the dhāraṇī of the iron beak which confers freedom from all dangers. It vanquishes evildoers and accomplishes all aims. It protects the sacred Dharma and quells all dangers. It alleviates all diseases and neutralizes all poisons. It stops all weapons and protects against the enemies of the vehicle’s teachings. F.52.b It paralyzes all legless, two-legged, and four-legged beings. It instills terror in all two-legged beings and defeats all adversaries. It defeats asuras, garuḍas, daityas, piśācas, apasmāras, unmādas, brahmanical rākṣasas,^[1] bhūtas, vetālas, śakuni grahas, pūtanas, revatīs, ostāraka grahas, ostārakas, apasmāra grahas, deva grahas, nāga grahas, yakṣa grahas, gandharva grahas, kinnara grahas, vināyaka grahas, and mātṛ grahas. It overcomes any disagreeable foods that have been consumed. It overcomes all infectious diseases, vātikas, paittikas, śleṣmikas, sānnipātikas, and malevolent beings. It brings peace from all conflicts, disputes, and scandals. This is the dhāraṇī of the iron beak, the wrathful dhāraṇī of the garuḍas. I will recite this dhāraṇī that instills fear in those who harm the teachings and creates fierce storms of rain and hail:

tadyathā | ete mete prametritra gole vole levosse motte padate khāratte khāraṇe gānāgāne nāgāmugane mone pratīmone kāli prakāli caṇḍe mahācaṇḍe praticaṇḍe vegosona gonāmohā pramohā mahāmoṭā pramoṭā nāśani pranāśanādhi­pati valgāṇi pravalgāṇi nidyaṇi pāniṭhāni krodhāni prati­krodhāni hana hana vihana vihana sarva­duṣṭapra­duṣṭān nāśaya sarvābhayaprade^[2] hūṃ phaṭ

“Simply reciting this mantra will make everything throughout the ten directions shake, shake violently, quake, and quake violently. All harm doers will collapse face down, unconscious.

“Mix yellow and black mustard seeds^[3] and scatter them over rivers, F.53.a oceans, and mountains. From then on, there will be rainfall. Incant molasses, honey, licorice, sugar cane, and various nāga medicines in milk and sprinkle that on the rivers, oceans, springs, pools, ponds, waterfalls, and waterways.^[4] Doing so will create great hailstorms. If you recite it by performing mental recitation, gazing at a cloud, and saluting the devas, great hailstorms will fall as you wish.

“The wise should uphold, memorize, and recite the noble dhāraṇī of the iron beak. They should not share it with others. They must keep it hidden. It is not for everyone. It should be kept out of sight like a pebble in the ocean. This indomitable wrathful dhāraṇī allows one to be victorious in all situations, no matter whenever one enters a conflict, dispute, or war. Inscriptions of it should be affixed to the tips of banners. Sons and daughters of good families who follow mantra should practice it with single-pointed minds. Whether one is a bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī, a śrāmaṇera or śrāmaṇerī, or an upāsaka or upāsikā, one should uphold and memorize it in order to avert^[5] harm to the teachings.”

After the Blessed One had spoken, Śakra the lord of the devas and the world with its asuras and gandharvas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had taught.