Text 17.9 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 17.9]

They are beautified by their retainers,
And a host of concubines and maid-servants,
Twenty-eight in number.
These maintain their own seats,
Hand-implements, and servile guises. [9]

[Tibetan]

slas-dang byi-mo bran-mo'i tshogs /
bcu-gnyis-dang-ni brgyad-kyis mdzes /
rang-gi stan-dang lag-cha-dang /
ci-bgyi zhes-ni chas-te gnas / [9]

Commentary:

[ii. Secondly, the array of the twenty-eight Īśvarīs or mighty queens (comments on Ch. 17.9):]

These are beautified (mdzes) and surrounded by (-kyis) their retainers (slas) or wives, and (dang) a host of (-'i tshogs) intimate concubines (byi-mo) and maid-servants (bran-mo), who are named according to the particular rites which they serve, twenty-eight in number (bcu-gnyis dang-ni brgyad). They maintain (gnas), as a retinue, their own (rang-gi) respective seats (stan-dang) of corpses, hand-implements (lag-cha-dang) including fresh skulls and servile guises (ci-bgyi zhes-ni chas-te) which request ritual activities.

They are present as follows: Manurākṣasī is dark-brown, holding a fresh skull. Brahmāṇī is reddish-yellow, holding a lotus. Raudrī is pale-green, holding a trident. Vaiṣṇavī (here= rtogs-'dod) is blue, bearing a wheel. Kaumārī is red, holding a short spear. Indrāṇī is white, holding a vajra. Piṅgalā (here = 'dod-pa) is red, holding sandalwood. Amṛtā is red, holding a lotus. Saumī (or Śāntī, here = zla-ba) is white, holding a white lotus. Daṇḍī is green, holding a club. Rākṣasī is dark-red, drinking a skull full of blood. Bhakṣasī is dark-green, eating entrails. Ratī is red, holding a curved knife. Rudhiramadī is red, holding a ploughshare. Ekacāriṇī is yellow, holding a razor. Manohārikā is red, shooting a bow and arrow. Siddhikarī is white, holding a vase. Vāyudevī is blue, waving a flag. Mahāmāraṇā is white, holding a sword. Agnāyī is red, holding a bright firebrand. Vārāhī is black, holding a noose of canine teeth. Cāmuṇḍī is black, eating a human corpse. Bhujanā is white, drinking blood from a skull. Varuṇāṇī is red, holding a lasso of snakes. Mahākālī (is black), holding an iron hook. The Yellow Rākṣasī (Lambodarā) holds a lasso. The Red Rākṣasī (Mahāchāgalā) holds an iron chain; and the Dark Rākṣasī (Mahākumbhakarṇī) rings a bell.

This chapter does not entirely coincide in its description (of the deities) with that which is generally given in the drawing (of the maṇḍala), its meditation, and so forth.^[1]

[iii. Thirdly (see p. 1162), the appearance of their wondrous signs (comments on Ch. 17.10):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Cf. Lo-chen Dharmaśrī, op. cit., p. 404, who presents slightly different account of these hand-implements from the standpoint of the "means for attainment" (sgrub-thabs). Also, pp. 406-407, he explains how the number of deities forming the wrathful maṇḍala may be extended in the course of meditation.