Text 15.20 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 15.20]

... Then they gathered the highest queens among the queens of all female elementals, who are the wives of the highest kings, including the Great Proud Spirit, among the kings of all the male elementals. These are namely Mahārākṣasī Manurākṣasī, Brahmāṇī, Raudrī, Indrāṇī, Vaiṣṇavī [Nārāyaṇī], Kaumārī, Piṅgalā, Amṛtā [Sūryā], Saumī [Śāntī], Daṇḍī, Rākṣasī, Bhakṣasī, Ratī, Rudhiramadī, Ekacāriṇī, Manohārikā, Siddhikarī, Vāyudevī, Mahāmāraṇā, Agnāyī, Vārāhī, Cāmuṇḍī, Bhujanā, Varunāṇī, Yellow-red Mahāchāgalā, Dark-blue Mahākumbhakarṇī, Dark-yellow Lambodarā, and so forth, along with their slaves and slaves of slaves, and their servants and servants of servants, equal in number to the atoms of their surrounding fields. [20] ...

[Tibetan]

de-nas 'byung-po ma-lus-pa'i rgyal-po'i yang rgyal-po dregs-pa chen-po la-sogs-pa'i chung-ma 'byung-mo thams-cad-kyi rje-mo'i yang rje-mo / srin-mo chen-mo'i mi'i srin-mo-dang / tshangs-ma-dang / 'khrug-mo-dang / dbang-mo-dang / 'jug-sred-mo-dang / gzhon-nu-ma-dang / dmar-mo-dang / bdud-rtsi-mo-dang / zhi-ba-mo-dang / be-con-mo-dang / srin-mo-dang / za-ba-mo-dang / dga'-ba-mo-dang / ra-ro khrag-'thung-myos-ma-dang / gcig-pur spyod-ma-dang / yid-'phrog-ma-dang / grub-mo-dang / rlung-mo-dang / gsod-byed-mo-dang / me-mo-dang / phag-mo-dang / rgan-byed-mo-dang / sna-chen-mo-dang / chu lha-mo-dang / nag-mo chen-mo-dang / ra-mgo dmar-ser chen-mo-dang / bum-rna sngo-nag mo-dang / gsus-'dzin ser-nag chen-mo la-sogs-pa / bran-dang yang-bran-dang / gYog-dang / yang-gYog dang 'khor-zhing-gi rdul-snyed-kyang bsdus-so / [20]

Commentary:

[The second concerning the absorption of its sentient contents (comments on Ch. 15.20):]

Then (de-nas) they gathered (bsdus-so) under their sway all the twenty-eight Īśvarī or highest queens (yang rje-mo) among (-'i) the queens of all (thams-cad-kyi rje-mo) the common classes of female elementals ('byung-mo) such as Mahākarṇī (rna-rnyan chen-mo), who are mistresses of ministerial class. These are the wives of the (-'i chung-ma) respective twenty-eight (Īśvaras) including (la-sogs-pa) the Great Proud Spirit (dregs-pa chen-po) and Brahmā, who are the highest kings (yang rgyal-po) among (-'i) the kings of all (ma-lus-pa'i rgyal-po) common classes of mighty male elementals ('byung-po), such as Takṣaka, Pāṇḍara and Yakṣa, who are the attendants or great ministers of gods and antigods.^[1]

Although these (queens) act in the world according to the ordinary point of view, they are, in the extraordinary view, revealed to be supramundane; and, in the most extraordinary view, they are held to be present within the centres of the energy channels and to appear as such when Buddha-hood is attained, so that they can be taken into the fold (by a Buddha).^[2] in this context however because they are easy to understand when described in accordance with their depiction in mundane speech, thought and so forth, I must describe them accordingly.^[3]

Now these are known as the wives of their respective husbands, namely: Mahārākṣasī Manurākṣasī (srin-mo chen-mo mi'i srin-mo-dang), the wife of Maheśvara, the proud spirit of the charnel ground, who is delighted by offerings of fat and grease:

Brahmāṇī (tshang-ma-dang), the wife of Brahmā, who was formerly born from the celestial palace of the lotus-navel (of Viṣṇu). At that time, he emanated a mental body in the form of a girl, and in order to gaze upon her he had four heads, one in each of the four directions, and a fifth above them which Viṣṇu out of jealousy decapitated by hurling a wheel;

Raudrī ('khrug-mo-dang) is the wife of Maheśvara, master of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm. When the gods and antigods were engaged in dispute, she consecrated her body as a fortress into which the army of the gods entered and from which they fought. Consequently the gods were victorious;

Indrāṇī (dbang-mo-dang) is the wife of Śatakratu. Formerly she lived as the wife of a Ṛṣi and was once invited to a feast by another rsi, who had prepared three seats and then invited those two to the feast. When (her husband), the Ṛṣi, asked why he had done so, the other Ṛṣi said, "There are three of you?", and he made an (extra) gullet protrude from the stomach of Indrāṇī. At that time the Ṛṣi grew angry and cursed him saying, "May your body have a thousand female sexual organs", whereupon he was transformed into such an apparition. When the gods saw him, they forgave the Ṛṣi and consecrated him with a thousand eyes, so that he became known as the one "endowed with a thousand sexual organs and a thousand eyes";

Vaiṣṇavī ('jug sred-mo-dang), the wife of Viṣṇu who is pervasive above, upon and below the earth;^[4]

Kaumārī (gzhon-nu-mo-dang), the wife of the youth Kārtikeya. When Agni, the god of fire, grew fascinated by a daughter of the gods, Ṣadānana, the six-faced youth, was born, and on becoming a king among the gods was known as Kārtikeya;

Piṅgalā (dmar-mo-dang), the wife of Nārāyaṇa ('jug-sred), who is so-called because her body resembles copper;

Amṛtā (bdud-rtsi-mo-dang), the wife of Sūrya (the sun) who, during the perfect age of the aeon, was produced from the churning of the ocean, propelled thence into space, and so Illuminated the world, whereupon he became known as "the nectar (amṛta) of the eyes of living beings";^[5]

Śāntī (zhi-ba-mo-dang), the wife of Candra (the moon) who, when the ocean was again churned, emerged and was propelled into space, whereupon he became known as "the peaceful one" (śānta) and "the cool one" because he alleviates the afflictions of heat;^[6]

Daṇḍī (be-con-mo-dang), the wife of Daṇḍa, who is known as the club-bearing subduer of Śanaiścara (Saturn);

Rākṣasī (srin-mo-dang), the wife of Rākṣasa, who is known as the ten-headed Daśagrīva of Laṅkā in the town of Laṅkāpurī;

Bhakṣasī (za-ba-mo-dang), the wife of Mahākāla, lord of armies, so-called because she "eats" (bhakṣ) the antigods and violators of commitments;

Ratī (dga'-ba-mo-dang), the wife of the lord who grants joy, i.e. Vaiśravaṇa who pleases others by granting wealth;

Rudhiramadī (ra-ro khrag-'thung smyos-ma-dang), the wife of the god Balabhadra, who is so-called because she became intoxicated by wine and then insane after casting a Vedic dice at a sacrificial offering to Indra;

Ekacāriṇī (gcig-pur spyod-ma-dang), the wife of the Gandharva Tambura, a learned musician among the gods, who walked ahead carrying the lute. He is also known as the son of Īśvara, called Bhṛṅgiriṭa;

Manohārikā (yid-phrog-ma-dang) or Lakṣmī, the wife of Kāmadeva, the god of desire, is is so-called because she has a beautiful form, captivating when seen by all;

Siddhikarī (grub-mo-dang), the wife of Vasurakṣita, the protector of wealth who accrues wealth and emits lustre;

Vāyudevī (rlung-mo-dang), the wife of Pavana, god of wind, who is the source of wind;

Mahāmāraṇā (gsod-byed-mo-dang), the wife of the killer Māra;

Agnāyī (me-mo-dang), the wife of Agni, god of fire;

Vārāhī (phag-mo-dang), the wife of Mahāvārāha, lord of the locality, who is so-called because he supports the world below the earth in the form of a pig;^[7]

Cāmuṇḍī (rgan-byed-mo-dang), the wife of Yama, so called because formerly when she was the wife of Mahādeva she grew angry when he had regard for Umādevī alone, and consequently was transformed into an old woman (rgyan-byed-mo);

Bhujanā (sna chen-mo-dang), the wife of Gaṇapati who was born as the son of Īśvara's wife Puṣpacāpī (=Pārvatī). At the time of his birth, Umādevī inquired if the child was male, and was (deliberately) misinformed that it was a boy, but headless. The child then became headless in accordance with a curse which she made to that effect. In distress, she begged forgiveness and said, "Let him have a new head!" The head of a baby elephant was attached, so that he became known as "elephant-nose";

Varuṇānī (chu lha-mo-dang), the wife of Varuṇa, the god of water;

Mahākālī (nag-mo chen-mo-dang), the wife of the black Mahāviṣāda. In Laṅkāpurī there were four sons of Rākṣasas, namely, Viṣāda (rnam-'jig), Daśagrīva (mgrin-bcu), Kumbhakarṇa (bum-sna), and Rāvaṇa ('bod-grogs);

Yellow-red Chāgalā (ra-mgo dmar-ser chen-mo-dang), the wife of the ogre Daśagrīva;

Dark-Blue Mahākumbhakarṇī (bum-sna sngo-nag chen-mo-dang), the wife of the ogre Kumbhakarṇa;

And Dark-yellow Lambodarā (gsus-'dzin ser-nag chen-mo), the wife of Lambodara (gsus-po-che).

The words "and so forth" (la-sogs-pa) indicate that these (female spirits) were gathered along with the wives of the most powerful spirits, as many as there are, including their slaves and the slaves of their slaves (bran-dang yang-bran) who accomplish external activity, and (dang) their servants and the servants of their servants (gYog-dang yang-gyog) who accomplish internal activity, equal in number to the atoms of their surrounding mundane fields ('khor-zhing-gi rdul-snyed).^[8]

[The second part concerns the display manifested by this great rite of sexual union. It has three aspects, of which the first is the causal basis or meditative absorption in contemplation. (It comments on Ch. 15.21):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The ordinary classes of male and female elementals ('byung-po / mo), Including the Nāga king Takṣaka, are considered to be of ministerial rank in relation to the Īśvaras and Īśvarīs, who are likened to kings and queens. Cf. Lochen, op. cit., p. 378. Note that Mahākarṇī. the queen of female elementals who is of ministerial status is not to be confused with Mahākumbhakarṇī, one of the twenty-eight Īśvarī enumerated below.

[2]:

See above, pp. 1092-1095, where Rudra is viewed in same manner.

[3]:

Despite the inevitable Puranic source for much of this material, the Sanskrit names of the twenty-eight spouses have been rendered in accordance with their corresponding mantras, which are given completely in the sgyu-'phrul rdo-rje me-long exegetlcal Tantra, Peking bKa'-'gyur, Vol. 10, no. 456, p. 20.4.5-20.4.8. Note that both Manurākṣasī and Raudrī are considered to be spouses of Maheśvara. whereas Lo-chen Dharmaśrī, op. cit.. p. 379, claims Manurākṣasī as a consort of Daśagrīva the Rākṣasa and Raudrī as a consort of Mahādeva. According to the present description, however, Manurākṣasī appears to be the spouse of Rudra, and this logically accords with her position at the head of the twenty-eight Īśvarī.

[4]:

'jug-sred-mo may also be rendered as Nārāyaṇī.

[5]:

bdud-rtsi-mo is also given as Sūryā in rdo-rje me-long.

[6]:

Śāntī is also known as Saumī, the "cool one". Cf. rdo-rje me-long.

[7]:

On the significance of this deity in the geomantic rites connected with the construction of a maṇḍala, see above. Ch. 9. pp. 759-760, notes 5-7, and fig. 3.

[8]:

These peripheral deities include the aforementioned elementals of ministerial class. See p. 1123.