Text 8.5-6 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 8.5-6]

Four seed-syllables are concealed and cohere at his heart.
On his raised (finger)–tip with the syllable HŪṂ
Appears a blazing vajra.
Restrained on their lunar disks are the concealed
Seed-syllables which ring a bell
And, with an embrace, support it on "reality”. [5]
Four seed-syllables are concealed and cohere at her heart.
On her raised (finger)–tip with the syllable MŪṂ
A ringing bell blazes forth.
On solar disks five seed-syllables embrace "activity".
And bowing, she looks on with a smiling demeanour. [6] ...

[Tibetan]

'bru-bzhi sbas-nas thugs-kar bkan /
hūṃ-bsgreng rtse-mor rdo-rje 'bar /
zla-brtul 'bru-sbas dril-gsil-zhing /
'khril-ba'i tshul-gyis chos-la-brten / [5]
'bru-bzhi sbas-nas thugs-kar-bkan /
mūṃ-bsgreng rtse-mor dril-gsil 'bar /
nyi-ma 'bru-lnga las-su 'khril /
btud-de 'dzum-pa'i mdangs-kyis blta / [6]

Commentary:

[Thirdly, there are the seals or hand-emblems of the different deities which emanate from that (general seal). This has five parts of which the first, concerning the seals of the male & female consorts of the five enlightened families, itself comprises five stanzas.]

[The first of these, concerning the seals of the central deities, i.e. the male a female (Vairocana, comments on Ch. 8.5):]

The great seal (mahāmudrā) is applied by meditation on oneself as the buddha-body of the central deity (Vairocana). The binding commitment seal^[1] is applied when, from that disposition, the four (bzhi) other seed-syllables ('bru) apart from the syllable HŪṂ are concealed (sbas) on (the respective fingers of) his right hand clenched in the gesture of the "indestructible fist” (rdo-rje khu-tshur);^Ṃ and (nas), behind the raised middle finger, cohere (bkan) at his heart (thugs-kar).

The doctrinal seal (dharmamudrā) is then applied when HŪṂ is visualised in the middle of a lunar disk on the tip (rtse-mor) of his raised (bsgreng) middle finger, identified with the syllable HŪṂ. The visualised commitment seal^[2] is applied when this syllable HŪṂ melts into light, from which there then appears a five-pronged vajra (rdo-rje) blazing ('bar) forth light.

Meanwhile, his left hand forms the "indestructible fist" and then restrained (brtul) within it are the syllables on their lunar disks (zla). These are the five concealed (sbas) seed-syllables ('bru) representing the female warriors which hold and ring (gsil) a bell (dril) with their indestructible fist, and (zhing) clasp his female consort (Dhātvīśvarī). With an embrace ('khril-ba'i tshul) they place the bell on (la) Amitābha, i.e. the left thigh of his female consort or "reality" (chos). and they support it (brten) at her side. This is the seal of the male consort through which the male consort (Vairocana) makes offerings to the female consort (Dhātvīśvarī). When applied, it is explained to be the action seal (karmamudrā). While that hand-emblem (the bell) resounds on his left side, the visualised doctrinal seal (dharmamudrā) is applied when his (other) symbolic hand-emblem (the vajra) dissolves into the heart-centre of his female consort, and the expressed doctrinal seal (dharmamudrā) is applied when he utters HŪṂ VAJRADHṚK.^[3] In this way there are seven aspects gathered within the nature of the four seals: Both the visualised commitment seal and the binding commitment seal are included in the commitment seal (samayamudrā). Both the visualised doctrinal seal and the expressed doctrinal seal are included in the doctrinal seal (dharmamudrā). The other (two seals) should be known as described.

As for the seal of the female consort (Dhātvīśvarī): The great seal is applied during meditation on oneself as Vajradhātvīśvarī. The commitment seal is applied from this disposition when, apart from the syllable MŪṂ, the other four seed-syllables ('bru-bzhi) are concealed (sbas) within the lunar disks of her left hand, clenched in the "indestructible fist”, and (nas) the middle finger coheres at her heart (thugs-kar bkan). The visualised commitment seal is applied when on the [raised] tip [bsgreng]-(rtse-mor) of the middle finger, itself expressed as MŪṂ, there is visualised a ringing bell (dril-gsil) which blazes forth ('bar) from her syllable MŪṂ on its lunar disk. Meanwhile, on the solar disks (nyi-ma) of her right hand the five seed-syllables ('bru-lnga) representing the male warriors are placed upon the right thigh of the male consort and embrace”activity”, (i.e. the right foot or Amoghasiddhi, las-su-'khril). Locked in embrace, with her head slightly bowing (btud-de) towards the male consort, she looks on (blta) the face of her male consort with a smiling demeanour ('dzum-pa'i mdangs-kyis). The action seal is applied in this way. Then, the expressed doctrinal seal is applied when, ringing (the bell) or hand-emblem on her right side. and reciting MŪṂ DHĀTVĪŚVARĪ, her symbolic hand-emblem (the bell) is visualised to dissolve into the heart-centre of her male consort.

[Now, in order to illustrate the five pristine cognitions, there are genuine symbols such as the vajra and the wheel. In the aforementioned manner (of male & female Vairocana), these emblems extensively apply to the other (conquerors) as well. ]

[(First), there are the seals of the male & female Akṣobhya (which comment on Ch. 8.7-8):]

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Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Tibetan bcing-ba dam-tshig-gi phyag-rgya.

[2]:

Tibetan bsam-pa dam-tshig-gi phyag-rgya.

[3]:

The visualised doctrinal seal (bsam-pa chos-kyi phyag-rgya) is contrasted with the expressed doctrinal seal (brjod-pa chos-kyi phyag-rgya').