Text 15.13 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 15.13]

... Then the Transcendent Lord, the Great Joyous One himself, became transformed in all respects into the dark brown Buddha-body of the Blood-Drinker, very terrifying, most awesome, in a great blaze (of light) which causes panic, with heads, arms, and legs equal in number to the atomic particles of the chiliocosm, holding diverse weapons; and he then turned into a form with three heads, six arms, and four legs. Rejoicing in a great charnel ground, in the midst of an ocean of blood, upon a mountain of human bones, and at the centre of a spacious circle which greatly blazes forth, he stood with (left legs) extending and (right legs) drawn in, upon a seat which comprised Maheśvara and the most proud mistress of the charnel ground, husband and wife. [13] ...

[Tibetan]

de-nas bcom-ldan-'das dgyes-pa chen-po-nyid / 'jigs-byed chen-po shin-tu rngam-pa skyi-bung-zhes byed-pa'i 'bar-ba chen-po'i-khrag 'thung sku smug-nag cir-yang 'gyur-ba dbu-dang phyag-dang zhabs stong-khams-gyi rdul-snyed mtshon-cha sna-tshogs 'dzin-pa-de dbu-gsum phyag-drug zhabs-bzhir gyur-te / dur-khrod chen-por dgyes-nas khrag-gi rgya-mtsho'i dkyil-na / keng-rus chen-po'i ri-rab-kyi steng 'bar-ba chen-po'i klong-gi 'khor-lo'i dkyil-na dbang-phyug chen-po-dang / dur-khrod-kyi bdag-po dregs-pa chen-po khyo-shug-gi gdan-la brkyang-bskum-su bzhugs-so / [13]

Commentary:

[The Eradication of the Proud Spirit through the Enlightened Activity of Wrath (516.2-530.2):]

The second section (of the detailed exegesis of this subjugation) concerns the eradication of the proud spirit through the enlightened activity of wrath. It has four subdivisions, namely, the array of the foremost maṇḍala of pristine cognition, the actual "liberation" of the proud male spirits, the joyfulness experienced through sexual union with the female spirits, and the emanation of the maṇḍala of the retinue.

[i. The first of these has two sections, of which the former concerning the presence of the central deity Che-mchog (comments on Ch. 15.13):]

Then the Transcendent Lord, the Great Joyous One (de-nas bcom-ldan-'das dgyes-pa chen-po) Samantabhadra himself (nyid) manifested and became in all respects transformed (cir-yang 'gyur-ba) into the dark brown Buddha-body of (sku smug-nag) the Blood Drinker (khrag-'thung) Che-mchog, a very terrifying ('jigs-byed chen-po) and most awesome (shin-tu rngam-pa) guise, emanating in a great blaze ('bar-ba chen-po) of light derived from a hundred thousand suns—the lustrous glow of pristine cognition which causes panic (skyi-bud byed-pa'i ). He is endowed with heads, arms and legs (dbu-dang phyag-dang zhabs), equal in number to the atomic particles of the (-kyi rdul-snyed) infinite chiliocosm (stong-khams), holding diverse weapons (mtshon-cha sna-tshogs 'dzin-pa) in his hands, such as the vajra and the wheel.

He then turned into a form with (gyur-te) three heads (dbu-gsum) which represent the three approaches to liberation, six arms (phyag-drug) which represent the six transcendental perfections, and four legs (zhabs-bzhir) which represent the four supports for miraculous ability.^[1] He became present, rejoicing in a great charnel ground (dur-khrod chen-por dgyes-nas), indicating that saṃsāra is inherently pure without having to be renounced, in the (na) spacious midst (dkyil) of an ocean of blood (khrag-gi rgya-mtsho'i) indicating that desire is inherently pure, upon an (kyi-steng) accumulated heap and great mountain (ri-rab) peak of human bones (keng-rus chen-po'i) to symbolise that hatred is inherently pure without having to be abandoned, and at the centre of a (-'i dkyil-la) four-spoked spacious (klong-gi) circle ('khor), which greatly blazes forth ('bar-ba chen-po'i) the volcanic flames of pristine cognition to Indicate that delusion is inherently pure. There he stood with (-su bzhugs-so) left (legs) extending (brkyangs) and right (legs) bent (bskums), on a seat which comprised (-gi gdan-la) the god Maheśvara (dbang-phyug chen-po) or Mahādeva and (dang) the most proud mistress of the charnel ground (dur-khrod-kyi bdag-po dregs-pa chen-po) or Umādevī, husband and wife (khyo-shug).^[2]

There are some who hold that the right legs are extended and the left legs bent, but that system does not correspond to the pure view of discriminative awareness and skillful means.^[3]

[The latter, concerning the array of his retinue, the four enlightened families, (comments on Ch. 15.14):]

[Read next page]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

On the "three approaches to liberation ", see above. Ch. 1, PP. 378-380; and on the "four supports for miraculous ability", ibid.. p. 385. For "the six perfections”, see Har Dayal, op. cit., pp. 165-270.

[2]:

As stated below, p. 1117, in kLong-chen-pa's view, this description refers to the transformation of Che-mchog Heruka into the embodiment at the centre of the wrathful maṇḍala, who is known as Buddha Heruka when corresponding to Vairocana. According to Lo-chen, op. cit., p. 375, this central figure is Vajraheruka, corresponding to Akṣobhya. Regarding the "seat", it is perhaps significant, as H.V. Guenther, Matrix of Mystery. p. 279, has indicated, the Indian tradition holds Rudra to be the offspring of Mahādeva and Umādevī.

[3]:

Cf. Lo-chen, op. cit., pp. 375-376, who, while recognising kLong-chen-pa's view, holds the alternative opinion on the basis of a Sanskrit manuscript which read ālīḍhapāda, with reference to the right leg being extended.