Text 15.17 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 15.17]

... Then the Transcendent Lord, the Great Joyous One, assumed a form with nine heads, eighteen arms, and eight legs, and then with an awesome voice he grew exceedingly wrathful in accordance with the skillful means which instructs through spirituality. Uttering, "HŪṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ HA HA HA KHĀHI KHĀHĪ KHĀHI!", [17] [he discarded the hearts and all sense-organs of the hosts of great venomous spirits such as Maheśvara,] ...

[Tibetan]

de-nas bcom-ldan-'das dgyes-pa chen-po dbu-dgu phyag-bco-brgyad zhabs-brgyad-du gnas-nas / rngam-pa'i skad-kyis thugs-rjes 'dul-ba'i thabs-kyis shin-tu khros nas / HŪṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ HA HA HA KHĀHI KHĀHI KHĀHI —zhes brjod-pas / [17]

Commentary:

[The latter concerns the actual "liberation" performed through the wrath of compassionate sorcery. It has two aspects, of which the first is the emanation of a cloud of terrifying and awesome forms. (It comments on Ch. 15.17):]

Then the Transcendent Lord, the Great Joyous One (de-nas bcom-ldan-'das dgyes-pa chen-po) Che-mchog himself emanated and assumed a form (gnas) with nine heads (dbu-dgu) as an indication that he outwardly assumed the nine awesome airs of a Heruka, and inwardly possessed the nine kinds of meditative equipoise;^[1] with eighteen arms (phyag bcu-brgyad) to symbolise outwardly the eighteen liberators (sgrol-ging bco-brgyad) who "liberate" the venomous spirits, and inwardly the eighteen kinds of emptiness;^[2] and eight legs (zhabs-brgyad) to indicate outwardly that he acts on behalf of sentient beings through the four immeasurables and four kinds of enlightened activity, and inwardly that he possesses the eight approaches to liberation.^[3]

And then (nas), with an awesome voice (rngam-pa'i skad-kyis) directed at the proud spirits, he displayed in the perception of those to be trained a guise in which he grew exceedingly wrathful (shin-tu khros-nas). This he did in accordance with the skillful means which instructs through spirituality (thugs-rjes 'dul-ba'i thabs-kyis), learned in skillful means. Uttering (zhes brjod-pas) the following mantra,—three syllables HŪṂ in order that the body, speech and mind (of the spirits) might be gathered, three syllables HA in order to array, or select for eating, the three poisons, and three syllables KHĀHI in order to eat and enjoy their flesh, blood, and bones, (the spirits) trembled and paniced, and then were made ammenable.

[The second concerning the actual "liberation” (comments on Ch. 15.18):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The "nine awesome airs of a heruka" (he-ru-ka'i dgu-klong rngams-pa) are enumerated in the Hevajra Tantra. II. v. 26. For the "nine kinds of meditative equipoise" (snyoms-'jug dgu) see also above. Introduction, p. 173. note 206.

[2]:

On the "eighteen liberators", see above. Ch. 9, note 116. The "eighteen kinds of emptiness" (stong-pa-nyid bco-brgyad) are namely: emptiness of outer phenomena, emptiness of inner phenomena, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness of the compounded, emptiness of the uncompounded, emptiness transcending extremes, emptiness without beginning or end, emptiness that cannot be abandoned, natural emptiness. emptiness of all things, emptiness of individual characteristics, emptiness without reference, essential non-substantial emptiness, non-substantial emptiness, and essential emptiness. See bod-rgya tshig-mdzod chen-mo for Tibetan equivalents.

[3]:

On the "eight approaches to liberation" (rnam-pa thar-pa brgyad) and the "four immeasurables" (tshad-med bzhi) see above. Ch. 1, pp. 378-381.