The rotation of Yoginis in the Cakrasamvara Mandala according to Bodhisattva Vajrapani

Asian Horizons: Studies in Honour of Giuseppe Tucci and His Legacy

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10

Claudio CiCuZZa

THE BODHISATTVA VAJRAPĀṇI’S LAGHUTANTRAṭīKā And tHe rotAtion

oF YOGINīs

struCture oF the Maṇḍala and dynamiC motion

1. introduCtion

Among the sanskrit, tibetan, and pali manuscripts that Giuseppe tucci photographed during his expeditions in india and tibet1 there is a text entitled Laghutantraṭīkā, written by Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi. Some years ago i published the critical edition of the sanskrit text of this tantra in the Serie Orientale Roma, collating some more manuscripts available in

1 Francesco sferra’s careful study of Giuseppe tucci’s collection—which contains also original codices or their modern copies—has given opportunities to many scholars to work on them. One initial effect of this project is the publication of the first volume of Manuscripta Buddhica, a new series edited by Harunaga isaacson and Francesco sferra and published by the isiAo (roma) and the Asien-Afrika-institut of universität Hamburg. The first volume has been edited by Francesco Sferra (2008a) and it contains several important works. A clear description of the tucci manuscript collection and its complex history is given in two articles included in this volume: sferra 2008b and nalesini 2008.

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T he Bod h isat t va Vajrapā ṇ i’s Laghut ant ra ṭ ī kā and the rot a t ion of yog i n īs

the National Archives of Kathmandu.2 the themes discussed in this work are particularly important for the comprehension of the practices and the ideas that belong to two tantras, the Kālacakra and the Cakrasaṃvara. the uniqueness of the Laghutantraṭīkā and its historical, philological, and buddhological significance were immediately understood by Giuseppe tucci, who photographed a manuscript—now probably lost—and asked a Nepalese scribe to prepare a copy. The negative film of that codex and the nepalese copy are now in the isiAo library. my contribution in this book is dedicated to Giuseppe tucci’s painstaking work on copying and saving sanskrit manuscripts during his expeditions, and to his decision to include among those texts the Laghutantraṭīkā.

Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi’s work belongs verisimilarly to the so-called second stage of the Kālacakra tantra, in which important commentaries were written not only on the root text of this school (the Vimalaprabhā, commentary on the Laghukālacakratantra),3 but also on the root texts of two other important tantric schools, the Hevajratantra (the Hevajratantra-piṇḍārthaṭīkā, commentary on the Śrīhevajraḍākinījālasamvara-mahātantrarājā),4 and the Cakrasaṃvaratantra (the Laghutantraṭīkā, commentary on the Śrīherukābhidhāna-cakrasaṃvaratantra).5

the Laghutantraṭīkā is apparently the most ancient commentary of the Kālacakra school: all the other texts which belong to this tantra quote the Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi’s work, and develop themes and topics which are already briefly mentioned in the Laghutantraṭīkā. it is also quoted by Anupamarakṣita, in his Ṣaḍaṅgayoga, and by Nāropā in his Sekoddeśaṭīkā (sferra 2000; sferra and merzagora 2006). Giuseppe tucci considered the Laghutantraṭīkā an essential work to understand the tantric phase of Buddhism. For this reason, as said above, he not only photographed the sanskrit manuscript in tibet but, in nepal, he also asked to a learned scribe

2 cicuzza 2001; the list of manuscripts used for the edition is at pages 26–30.3 see the critical editions by upadhyaya (1986) and dvivedi and Bahulkar (1994). these

great scholars edited the sanskrit text of the Vimalaprabhā and published it in the central institute of Higher tibetan studies, sarnath.

4 see shendge 2004; sferra 2007, and sferra 2009.5 The Sanskrit and the Tibetan text together with the commentary by Bhavabhaṭṭa have been

edited by Janardan shastri pandey (2002); for the translation of the Śrīherukābhidhāna-cakrasaṃvaratantra see Gray 2007.


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to copy the text and produce a new edition: the modern manuscript contains corrections and emendations that were often useful in editing that text.

one of the most important topic of the Laghutantraṭīkā, apart from the sixfold yoga (ṣaḍaṅgayoga) and the tantric pledges (samaya), is Vajrapāṇi’s detailed explanation of the rite called yoginīsaṃcāra, the ‘rotation of yoginīs’. in this chapter i am dealing with the analysis of the maṇḍala and the rotation of its components as described in Vajrapāṇi’s work: All the pieces of information offered here are contained in this tantra.

2. the yoginīsaṃcāra

the rotation of yoginīs (yoginīsaṃcāra) is performed in a maṇḍala that is structured according to the peculiarities that belong to the tantra Cakrasaṃvara.

during his expedition to western tibet in 1933, Giuseppe tucci visited a sacellum, among the temples in tsaparang, where he found the ruins of a three-dimensional maṇḍala in wood and plaster, consecrated to Śaṃvara (bDe mchog). Tucci (1936:1–74) described that site together with its mural paintings and the remaining statues of the goddesses and offered an interesting explanation of the doctrines of the Heruka-Cakrasaṃvara tantric school. the maṇḍala in that small temple in tsaparang was most likely structured and prepared to allow the movement and the placement of the divinities. there are many clear analogies between this temple and the Cakrasaṃvara maṇḍala as described by Vajrapāṇi. The evident peculiarity is that it is not static, but it resembles a perpetual calendar in which all the components are moving according to precise rules, which are astronomical and physiological. in one of the most intricate and interesting part of the Laghutantraṭīkā we can probably find a detailed explanation of this complex rotation.

3. the PlaCes

in his Laghutantraṭīkā Vajrapāṇi describes the arrangement of the components that form the ‘physical’ maṇḍala and the places where this maṇḍala was to be drawn:

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‘in an uninhabited abode, in a completely secret location, all the naked kuladūtīs and the twenty-four sādhakas, adorned with the five bone ornaments (pañcamudrā), take a seat in their respective place, on human skin. The Yoginīs’ hair is loose and the sādhakas’ hair is plaited. the ruler of the group (gaṇādhipati) takes a seat in the centre of the circle, on cow or tiger skin. […] the ordinary ‘Wheel of the group’ (gaṇacakra) is meant to obtain the equipment of spiritual merits (puṇyasambhāra). it has to be performed in one’s own house, with mature noblewomen, according to the customs of the specific places and social groups. otherwise the rite cannot be considered a ‘Wheel of the group’. Neither we can define ‘gaṇacakra’ the so-called ‘meal of the Heroes’ (vīrabhojya), as it only prescribes food and drink,6 without the pleasure of Wisdom and means, and lacks the enjoyment of the bodhicitta, at the moment of union (maithuna). this [gaṇacakra] has to be performed by lay devotees under the supervision of a master.’7

this passage clearly shows that the gaṇacakra was not only a meditational practice or just a symbolic ritual but that it was physically organised. it is worth noting that the participants in the ceremony have to be laymen (upāsaka), and that the leader of this group (gaṇanāyaka) has to be gifted with very precise and exalted characteristics:

The patron [of the gaṇacakra] who desires the bliss of the Buddha, cannot nominate [as leader of the group] a man who is devoid of pity and inclined to wrath, who is cruel, arrogant, greedy, with no self-control and boastful. A householder, a man who enjoys heremitical life, a servant, a plough-holder, a merchant, a man who commercialises

6 see newman 1998:340, note 50.7 cicuzza 2001:105–106. ‘iha vijane gṛhe suguptasthāne sarvāḥ kuladūtyo vivastrāś

caturviṃśatisādhakāś ca pañcamudrāvibhūṣitāḥ svasvasthāne muktakeśāyoginyāḥ | sādhakā baddhajūṭakāḥ | naracarmopari niṣaṇṇāḥ | gaṇādhipatir govyāghracarmoparimadhye cakrasya | […] sāmānyaṃ gaṇacakraṃ deśakulavyavahāreṇa kartavyaṃ puṇyasaṃbhārārthaṃ svagṛhe paripācitābhiḥ kulavadhūbhiḥ | anyathā gaṇacakraṃ na bhavati | prajñopāyasukhena vinā maithunabodhicittāsvādanena rahitaṃ khānapānena kevalena vīrabhojyam ucyate na gaṇacakram |’


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the true teaching [of the Buddha], or a foolish person cannot be the leader of the group in the reunion.8

Then Vajrapāṇi lists the most appropriate places where a maṇḍala can be drawn and quotes the following stanza:

Over mountains, in caves, in groves,by ocean shores,in charnel grounds where the primal perfection [is accomplished]:there [the yogin] should draw the maṇḍala’.9

And he offers the following interpretation:

‘this is the description of the places given by the Blessed one, in order to accomplish rituals10 and worldly perfections. the yogin has to draw the maṇḍala—that will be further described later on in the text—in the places indicated in the [stanza]: on a mountain, where he should accomplish immobilising (stambhana), confusing (mohana) and fastening (kīlana) [rituals]; in a cave hidden behind trees, where he should accomplish subduing (vaśya) and attracting (ākarṣaṇa) [rituals]; in a grove by the shores of a lake with clear waters, where he should accomplish pacifying (śāntika) and nourishing (pauṣṭika) [rituals]; by the ocean shore, where he should accomplish hatred (vidveṣa), banishing (uccāṭana) and killing (māraṇa) [rituals].

8 cicuzza 2001:107. ‘niṣkṛpaḥ krodhanaḥ krūraḥ stabdho lubdho ’saṃyataḥ | svotkarṣaṇo na kartavyo dātrā buddhasukhārthinā || yo gṛhī maṭhikābhoktā sevako lāṅgalī vaṇik | saddharmavikrayī mūrkho na cakre gaṇanāyakaḥ ||. see also Saṃvarodayatantra Viii, 7–9, Vimalaprabhā 3.3 (ed. vol. ii, p. 4), and Gurupañcāśikā 7.

9 cicuzza 2001:111. ‘ girigahvarakuñjeṣu mahodadhitaṭeṣu ca | ādisiddhiśmaśāneṣu tatra maṇḍalam ālikhet ||’ see also Saṃvarodayatantra 8.2cd and 17.5cd.

The stanza is in the first chapter of the Herukābhidhāna or Cakrasaṃvaratantra. see pandey 2002:27. it is quoted also in Saṃvarodayatantra 8.2cd and 17.5cd (tsuda 1974:96, 119, 264, 287). For different interpretations, see also Gray 2007:162–163.

10 cf Hevajratantra 1.8.54. Harunaga isaacson, in a recent lecture during the second international Workshop on early tantra, held in pondicherry (July 23 2009), has publicly dealt with this part of the Hevajratantra, showing a small section of his deep and extensive research on this tantra. the handout is available at http://www.tantric-studies.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/isaacson_ho.pdf last accessed on 19 march 2012.

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Finally, having drawn the maṇḍala in the charnel ground, lo yogin should accomplish the extraction of the Ḍākinī’s mantras, ie the primal perfection. in the same way [he will accomplish] the worldly perfections. Here, in this tantra, on a mountain he should accomplish the perfection of the treasure (nidhānasiddhi), in a cave he should accomplish the perfection of the jewel (ratnasiddhi), in a grove he should accomplish the perfection of the elixir (rasasiddhi), by the ocean shores he should accomplish the perfection of the sword (khaḍgasiddhi), in the charnel ground he should accomplish the perfection of the collyrium (añjanasiddhi). the yogin should accomplish also the other perfections using the method explained in the tantra.’11

3. the struCture oF the Maṇḍala

the components of the maṇḍala as described by Vajrapāṇi have been already summarised in the introduction of the Laghutantraṭīkā (cicuzza 2001:17–23). i include here, in the hope to facilitate the comprehension of its conformation, the list of the divinities given in Vajrapāṇi’s work, with their position in the maṇḍala, in various external locations and in the relative parts of the human body.12

11 cicuzza 2001:111. ‘iti sthānanirdeśaḥ karmaprasaralaukikasiddhisādhanārthaṃ bhagavatoktaḥ | tatroktasthāne vakṣyamāṇamaṇḍalaṃ vartayitvā parvatopari stambhanaṃ mohanaṃ kīlanaṃ sādhayet | gahvare vṛkṣasaṃkīrṇe maṇḍalaṃ vartayitvā vaśyākarṣaṇaṃ sādhayet | kuñje svacchajalāśayataṭe maṇḍalaṃ vartayitvā śāntikaṃ pauṣṭikaṃ sādhayet | mahodadhitaṭe maṇḍalaṃ vartayitvā vidveṣocchāṭanaṃ māraṇaṃ sādhayet | śmaśāne maṇḍalaṃ vartayitvā ādisiddhir iti ḍākinīmantroddhāraṃ sādhayen mantrī | tathā laukikā siddhayaḥ | iha parvate nidhānasiddhiṃ sādhayet | gahvare ratnasiddhiṃ sādhayet | kuñje rasasiddhiṃ sādhayet | mahodadhitaṭe khaḍgasiddhiṃ sādhayet | śmaśāne ’ñjanasiddhiṃ sādhayet | aparā api tantroktavidhinā sādhayen mantrīti|’

12 on the external places and the corresponding internal locations on the human body see david templeman 1999, toni Huber 1990, and Gray 2007:58–67. An interesting interpretation of the Kathmandu Valley as a maṇḍala has been studied by Gellner 1992:190–192. see also 297–304.


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Maṇḍala Divinity External place Bodily place

Wheel of Knowledge (jñāna-cakra)

centre Heruka-Cakrasaṃvara and Vajravārāhī

sarvapīṭha and mūlapīṭha

Uṣṇīṣa and Secret place

east Ḍākinī ātmapīṭha Heart

south Lāmā parapīṭha throat

West Khaṇḍarohā mantrapīṭha navel

north Rūpiṇī tattvapīṭha Forehead

ne (Vase with excrement)

- -

nW (Vase with urine) - -

sW (Vase with blood) - -

se (Vase with meat) - -

Wheel of Mind (citta-cakra)

e Kaṇḍakapālin-Pracaṇḍā

Pūrṇagiri Head

s Mahākaṅkāla-Caṇḍakṣī

Jālandhara tip of the head

W Kaṅkāla-Prabhāvatī Oḍḍiyāna tip of the right ear

n Vikaṭadaṃṣṭriṇa-Mahānāsā

Arbuda Back of the neck

ne Surāvairiṇa-Vīramatī

Godāvarī tip of the left ear

nW Amitābha-Kharvarī Rāmeśvara space between the eyebrows

sW Vajraprabha-Laṅkeśvarī

Devīkoṭa space between the eyes

se Vajradeha-Drumacchāyā

Mālavaka shoulders

Wheel of Speech (vāk-cakra)

e Aṅkurika-Airāvatī Kāmarūpa Armpits

s Vajrajaṭila-Mahābhairavā

Oḍra Breast

W Mahāvīra-Vāyuvegā

Triśakuni navel

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n Vajrahūṃkāra-Surābhakṣī

Kośala tip of the nose

ne subhadra-Śyāmādevī

Kaliṅga mouth

nW Vajraprabha-Subhadrā

Lampāka throath

sW Mahābhairava-Hayakarṇī

Kāṃcī Heart

se Virūpākṣa-Khagānanā

Himālaya the male sexual organ

Wheel of Body (kāya-cakra)

e Mahābala-Cakravegā

Pretapūrī penis

s ratnavajra-Khaṇḍarohā

Gṛhadevatā Anus

W Hayagrīva-Śauṇḍinī

Saurāṣṭra the two thighs

n Ākāśagarbha-Cakravarmiṇī

Suvarṇadvīpa the two legs

ne Heruka-Suvīrā nagara toes

nW Padmanarteśvara-Mahābālā

sindhu Heels

sW Vairocana-Cakravartinī

maru Halluces

se Vajrasattva-Mahāvīryā

Kulatā the two knees

Wheel of the charnel grounds (śmaśāna-cakra)

e Kākāsyā Śūlabheda mouth

s Ulūkāsyā Śavadahana right nostril

W Śvānāsyā Pūtigandha Anus

n Śūkarāsyā Klinnagandha left nostril

ne Yamadāḍhī Bālamṛtyu left ear

nW Yamadūtī Sarpadaṃśa right ear

sW Yamadaṃṣṭriṇī Ghorayuddha right eye

se Yamamathanī Ucchiṣṭa left eye


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4. the yoginīsaṃcāra

the rotation (saṃcāra) of the divinities as described in Vajrapāṇi’s work is twofold:13 One is external and one is internal. The first saṃcāra concerns the participants in the gaṇacakra, in which a number of women and men, corresponding to the number of the vīreśvarī and vīra present in the maṇḍala, irrespective of social classes, congregate in secret places to avoid scandal. A similar practice is described in the biography of Kṛṣṇācārya by Kun-dga’ grol-mchog (1495/1507[?]–1566).14

in the Laghutantraṭīkā the ‘literal interpretation’ of the practice of the yoginīsaṃcāra seems to be discouraged or, at least, not promoted.15 in fact we should remember that, from an absolute point of view, the deep meaning (nītārtha) of the union of female and male elements is the union of Wisdom (prajñā) and means (upāya), of emptiness (śūnyatā) and compassion (karuṇā).16 This is clearly expressed by Vajrapāṇi when he comments on the compound ḍākinīcakrasaṃvara: ‘if we interpret “the union of the ḍākinīs’ wheel” adhering to the deep meaning (nītārthena) [of the text], the ‘ḍākinīs’ are the thirty-seven dharmas conducive to Awakening (bodhipākṣikadharma). the “wheel” of these [ḍākinīs] is the group (samūha) that appears as the Dhammakāya and has the nature of emptiness (śūnyatā). the “union” is the unity between this [Dhammakāya, which has the nature of emptiness] and the Svābhavikakāya that has the nature of the compassion without basis

13 the rotation (saṃcāra) could vaguely resemble the ritual dance (’cham and gar) ceremonially performed as part of the ‘generation stage’ (utpattikrama). But those sorts of religious ballet in a sense aim at creating time and space, whereas the yoginīsaṃcāra is just using chronological and spatial components, as one of the goals of the rotation is to unify the external and the internal dimensions of time and space. on ’cham and gar see mona schrempf 1999.

14 i am beholden to david templeman for the english text of this important work. He very kindly allowed me to read his careful translation of the tibetan text and i found it extremely helpful. I hope this significant biography will be soon published. See the text from F6A to F7B.

15 see also Gray 2007:68–71, 127–129.16 In some Hindu tantras we find similar ceremonies called cakrapūjā; cf for example

Kulārṇavatantra (10.12). See Rai 2010; Miśra 2002; cf also Vidyāratna 1965; Banerjee 1988: 44–45, 225–230; Bhattacharyya 1992:121–122.

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(nirālamba-karuṇā)’.17 internal rotation, on the other hand, always refers to the 62 divinities present in the maṇḍala,18 but it concerns the movement of prāṇa through the nāḍīs existing in the human body.19

Any movement is essentially composed of three elements: the moving object, space, and time.

4.1 moving object.

in the Cakrasaṃvara tantra, mobility is a quality exclusively reserved for the female divinities while the vīras (and the corresponding yogins) remain in their respective places. concerning this characteristic, Vajragarbha, in the Hevajratantrapiṇḍārthaṭīkā , differentiates the prajñātantras from the upāyatantras, defining the former as those in which the rotation (saṃcāra) is performed by female divinities, while in the upāyatantras the rotation is performed by the male component (upāya).20

4.2. space.

Space, the second element, has also two aspects: The first aspect is external and represented by geographical locations (pīṭha), which are considered venerated pilgrimage sites because they are occupied by divinities or divine objects. the second aspect is internal: in this case the locations are

17 cicuzza 2001:54. ‘nītārthena ḍākinīcakrasaṃvara iti | ḍākinya iti saptatriṃśabodhipākṣikadharmāḥ | teṣāṃ cakraṃ samūho dharmakāyalakṣaṇaḥ śūnyatātmaka iti | tasya svābhāvikakāyena nirālambakaruṇātmakena saha saṃvaraṃ ekatvam |”.

18 As tucci (1930) has already noticed, these goddesses were probably existing as female goddesses or goblins in almost every village or town, and only later were considered as manifestations or aspects of the most prominent female deities of India, viz. Durgā, Kālī, etc. in any event, this syncretistic interpretation of goddesses shows a new awareness of the relationship between divine and worldly elements and living creatures.

19 on these topics, see Gray 2007:54–102.20 the sanskrit text of the Hevajratantrapiṇḍārthaṭīkā (comment of Hevajratantra

1.1.7) is: samājādīni tantrāṇi prajñopāyātmakāni vai | yogatantrāṇi sarvāṇi prajñopāyātmanāmabhiḥ || sañcāro yogīnāṃ tu yatropāyasya saṃsthitiḥ | saṃvṛtyā yoginītantraṃ bālānāṃ gaditaṃ mayā || yatropāyasya sañcāraḥ prajñāyāḥ saṃsthitir bhavet | upāyatantraṃ evoktaṃ saṃvṛtyā tu yathā tathā ||. the same concept is expressed in the Vimalaprabhā (dvivedi and Bahulkar 1994:6). see sferra 2005:260–261. A different comment to Ht 1.1.7 is given in the Muktāvalīpañjikā (tripathi and thakur sain negi 2001:9–10), with no reference to the yoginīsaṃcāra.


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represented by parts of the human body, where a particular nāḍī flows and where the seminal syllable (consisting of the first syllable of the external pīṭha) is projected. Vajrapāṇi places more emphasis on the external space and his description of the saṃcāra of the yoginīs is quite accurate.

the vīras, in the Laghutantraṭīkā, are considered merely as vehicles in the form of corpses (śavāsana) for the female divinities. other texts, such as the Vasantatilakā,21 the Saṃvarodaya,22 and the Vajravārāhī-rahasyatantra,23 identify the vīras with corporal elements (nails, teeth, pores, etc.) where the nāḍīs end. the terrifying divinities that are placed on the square boundary of the maṇḍalic circle become channels in the human body, near eight among the traditional nine doors (dvāra, ie mouth, eyes, etc.).

the divinities of the jñānacakra, on the other hand, are positioned in the centre of the maṇḍala as they are central in the human body, where they reside in the six cakras along the spine.

4.3. time

The third element, time, is fully examined by Vajrapāṇi who draws inspiration from stanza 6 of the Cakrasaṃvaratantra: ‘With the supreme median breath, scent, and water, the yogin should always worship the Kulikā and the Dūtikās, at special moments (kālaviśeṣeṇa)’ (cicuzza 2001:57–68).24

The special moments described by Vajrapāṇi are divided into two groups whose elements are in a close relationship: an external group based on the annual passage of the sun, with its subdivisions in seasons, months, etc. and an internal group that follows the rhythm of human breathing and is subdivided into hours, minutes, etc. Quoting the Lakṣābhidhāna, Vajrapāṇi describes time as something that is absolutely relative, because it assumes different but proportional dimensions in different forms of existence. every world has its own kālaviśeṣa. In a specific level it takes place according to rules and proportions which are similar to those of other

21 cf Vasantatilakā, 6.18, ff. (Samdhong & Dvivedi 1990:42 and ff.).22 Saṃvarodayatantra, 7.1-25 (tsuda 1974:93–96).23 Cf See Ṭhākura Sen Negi (1992).24 madhyamottamaśvāsena gandhodakasahitena tu | kulikāṃ pūjayen nityaṃ kālaviśeṣeṇa

dūtikāḥ ||

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levels but distinguished by the absolute value of each subdivision: A day of man is infinitely shorter than a day of god, but they can be both divided into 24 hours.

The first four auspicious moments occur in the two equinoxes (viṣuvat) and two solstices (ayana) and—internally—every six hours (saṃdhyā) during the day. these four moments, especially the winter solstice (capricorn, makara) from which the movement of the maṇḍalic circle starts, are considered suitable for performing rites, prayers, etc (cf Kane 1958:211–215): in these periods, the yoginīs of the jñānacakra, which are the most significant divinities of the whole maṇḍala, are worshipped performing the killing (māraṇa), subduing (vaśya), immobilizing (stambhana) and pacifying (śāntika) rituals. in these four moments, considered as four saṃdhyā in relation to 24 hours, the rotation of the four yoginīs of jñānacakra is performed.

the worshipping of the 24 divinities of the three wheels citta, vāk and kāya takes place during the equally important moments in which the sun enters the 12 signs of zodiac (saṃkrānti), and on the 15th day of the month.25 As in the case of jñānacakra, the rotation of the yoginīs of the three wheels is performed in the 24 moments which correspond to the 24 hours in a day.

the eight divinities of the charnel grounds are worshipped every six weeks (one month and a half) and the rotation takes place according to the rhythm of the eight prahara (a period of 180 minutes) into which a day is divided.

I shall now briefly describe the rotation (saṃcāra).

5. the movement oF yoginīs

the saṃcāra of the goddesses in the various locations pīṭhas takes place in three pakṣas, that is, 45 days. these 45 days probably constitute the difference between the period of training and purification calculated in solar months and that calculated in lunar months.

25 It is worth highlighting Vajrapāṇi’s preference to use the lunar names of the months (mārgśīrṣa, māgha, etc.) and to quote, as an option, the solar months (probably because he can attribute to the 15th day of the month, when the moon is full, the same importance attributed to the day when the sun enters the sign of the zodiac).


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5.1. Fifteen days

During the first 15 days, the four ḍākinīs of the jñānacakra rotate and take their places in turn at the centre (garbha) of the maṇḍala, uniting with Heruka: this rotation happens during the four junctures (saṃdhyā) into which a day and a night are divided, ie ardharātrasaṃdhyā-prātaḥsaṃdhyā-madhyāhnasaṃdhyā-aparāhṇasaṃdhyā. the rotation is completed into five days (in five days all the combinations are completed),26 and is repeated twice more until 15 days have passed, ie the half-lunar-month.

5.2 twenty-seven days

during the following 27 days, saṃcāra is performed in the wheel of the Great charnel grounds (mahāśmaśānacakra): this time, the movement in the centre of the maṇḍala (and the union with Heruka) is accomplished through the eight krodhinī. As the number of these divinities is greater than that of the jñānacakra, it takes longer to complete all the combinations: rotation takes place every day during the eight prahara, each three hours long, for nine days, and is then repeated twice more, until 27 days have passed, representing the 27 lunar mansions (nakṣatra).

5.3. three days

during the three days needed to complete the cycle of three pakṣā (45 days), saṃcāra is performed by the divinities of the three wheels of kāya-vāk-citta in 24 half lagna of one hour each. rotation takes place inside three cakras to accomplish union with male counterparts without moving to the centre of the maṇḍala. this is explained by the fact that the female divinities are accompanied by their male partners (vīra), unlike those of the jñānacakra and the cakra of the charnel grounds, which have no male equivalent. the rotation of this group of 24 yoginīs (which are in kāya-vāk-citta wheels) is repeated twice more, until three days have passed. this cycle represents the three guṇa (tamas, rajas and sattva).

26 These five days correspond to the first tithi: Nandā, Bhadrā, Jayā, Riktā, and Pūrṇā.

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6. The aim of The roTaTion of yoginīVajrapāṇi explains the purpose of the yoginīsaṃcāra at the very end of his long and detailed description of the complex ritual.

‘Here, [in this ritual], a yoginī who moves into a place (sthāna) becomes, in this very place, the kulīnī of it (ie a noble descendent of its family); it happens because she embraces the means who belongs to the family related to that [place], and in consequence of her eating the remainders [of sacrificial food found] in that [place]. When she returns to her place, she will become [the kulīnī] of her own family.

in a similar manner, when one of the yoginīs—[who belongs to the group of all yoginīs], from Ḍākinī to Yamamathanī—enters the centre [of the maṇḍala] becomes Vajravārāhī, the Kulikā (ie the Chief of the family); it happens because she embraces Heruka and in consequence of her eating the remainder of sacrificial food of the Kulikā. And Vajravārākī, the Kulikā, becomes the kulinī related to that [place] in consequence of her eating the remainder of sacrificial food of another [yoginī].

thus, the yoginīs of the 36 families who are akulīnā (ie not noble) become kulīnā. [But likewise], a kulīnā can return to her condition of akulīnā because of her location. According to the worldly convention, also a lowborn person can become a noble one, among Brāhmaṇas, etc., receiving the ceremony of bathing under the jewelled parasol of Cakravartin. For example, among others, Viśvāmitra was a lowborn person because he was born from a Śvapacī mother, but he became a Brāhmaṇa in consequence of his [muttering] mantras, his practice of meditation and his special observances. But in the same manner, a Brāhmaṇa, even if he is noble, can become lowborn after eating meat of cow, etc. and enjoying [food] in the house of lowborn persons, like Cāṇḍāla, etc. Thus, to perform the rotation in the ‘Wheel of the group’ (gaṇacakra), the yogins have to consider—in accordance with the worldly convention—the before mentioned 37 “messengers of the families” (kuladūtī, ie Ḍombī, etc.), as if they were yoginīs in the “rotation of the yoginīs” (yoginīsaṃcāra), in consequence of their embracing the means and eating the meals in the places of other [yoginīs].


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thus, having practiced worship, [muttering] of mantras, and meditation for three years, when [muttering] of mantras is concluded, [he has to perform] the oblation (homa). then, for 45 days he has to perform the “rotation of the yoginīs” in the “wheel of the group”. then, the sādhaka will always accomplish all the worldly perfections before mentioned, following all systems. However, [following] another system, that is to say performing only one rite—muttering of mantras, meditation, oblation—[the sādhaka will accomplish] only one perfection. the yogin will not be accomplished with the most important perfections either having accomplished only one rite or having accomplished only one perfection, like the sword-perfection, etc. therefore, the yogins have to know the “rotation of the yoginīs” [performed] in the [correct] subdivisions of time [as it is explained] in the root tantra Lakṣābhidhāna or in this commentary.

this is the rule in order [to obtain] the realisation of all the perfections originated by all the worldly rites and in order to accomplish the “condition of Mahāsiddha”. This is the precept of the yoginīsaṃcāra’.27

27 cicuzza 2001:96. ‘iha yā yoginī yatra sthāne saṃcārati tatra taducchiṣṭabhakṣaṇavaśena tatkulopāyagrahaṇena sā tatkulinī bhavati | yāvat tasyāḥ svasthānāgamanaṃ na bhavati | tataḥ svasthānāgamanena svakulasthitā bhavati | evaṃ herukagrahaṇena kulikocchiṣṭabhakṣaṇavaśena ḍākinyādiyoginī yamamathanīparyantā yā madhye viśati sā vajravārāhī kulikā bhavati | yā vajravārāhī kulikā sā parocchiṣṭabhakṣaṇavaśena tatkulinī bhavati | evaṃ ṣaṭtriṃśatkulayoginyo akulīnāḥ kulīnā bhavanti | kulīnā akulīnā bhavanti sthānavaśāt | yathā laukikasaṃvṛtyā akulīnā api cakravartiratnacchatratale snāpitāḥ santyāḥ kulīnā bhavanti brāhmanādīnāṃ | yathā eva viśvāmitrādayaḥ śvapacyādigarbhasaṃbhūtā akulīnā mantradhyānatapobalena brāhmaṇā babhūvus tathā kulināpi brāhmaṇā gomāṃsādikaṃ bhuktvā cāṇḍālādyakulīnāṃ ca gṛhe bhuktvā akulīnā bhavanti | tathā yoginīsaṃcāre parasthānabhojanopāyabhakṣaṇagrahaṇavaśena laukikasaṃvṛtyā yoginyo yogibhir jñātavyāḥ pūrvoktāḥ saptatriṃśaḍḍombyādyāḥ kuladūtyā gaṇacakre saṃcārārtham | evaṃ trivarṣaṃ yāvat pūjāmantrajāpadhyānaṃ kṛtvā mantrajāpāvasāne homam | tataḥ pakṣatrayaṃ yāvad gaṇacakre yoginīsaṃcāraṃ kūryat | tataḥ pūrvoktaṃ laukikasiddhisādhanaṃ tantroktaṃ sarvaṃ sarvadā sarvaprakāreṇa sādhakasya siddhyati | anyaprakāreṇa punar ekakarmaṇā ekasiddhiḥ siddhyati mantrajāpadhyānena homeneti | na ca yogī pradhānasiddhisiddho bhavati ekakarmaṇā siddhena ekayā khaḍgādisiddhyā siddhayā vā | tenāyaṃ yoginīsaṃcāra kālaviśeṣeṇa yogibhir avagantavyo mūlatantre lakṣābhidhāne | athavā anayā ṭīkayā tasmād uktaḥ | iti niyamo laukikasarvakarmaprasara-sarvasiddhisākṣātkaraṇāya mahāsiddhatvasādhanāya ca | iti yoginīsaṃcāravidhiḥ ||’

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the interrelation of all the elements enclosed in the maṇḍala is clearly evident in this wondrous and harmonious ‘dance’, and represents a true image of emptiness. When one of these goddesses changes position and all the others move accordingly, not only are divine elements moving, but the whole world, the inner and the outer, is seen to have an interdependent existence. nobody and nothing can have a separate life, and even the slightest modification affects every part of this complex representation of the entire universe.

Colour Plates

Plate 10.1. Rotation in the Jñānacakra.The first two movements (fifteen days).

Plate 10.2. Rotation in the Mahāśmaśānacakra.The first movement (twenty-seven days).

Plate 10.3. Rotations in the Kāya-Vāk-Cittacakras (three days).

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Rotation in the Jñānacakra. Starting position. Rotation in the Jñānacakra. First movement.

Rotation in the Jñānacakra. Second position. Rotation in the Jñānacakra. Second movement.

Rotation in the Jñānacakra. Third position.

Plate 10.1. Rotation in the Jñānacakra. The first two movements (fifteen days).

Rotation in the Mahāśmaśānacakra. Starting position

Rotation in the Mahāśmaśānacakra. First movement

Rotation in the Mahāśmaśānacakra. Second position

Plate 10.2. Rotation in the Mahāśmaśānacakra. The first movement (twenty-seven days).

Rotations in the Kāya/Vāk/Citta-cakras. The movements in the Wheel of Body.

Rotations in the Kāya/Vāk/Citta-cakras. The movements in the Wheel of Speech

Rotations in the Kāya/Vāk/Citta-cakras. The movements in the Wheel of Mind

Plate 10.3. Rotations in the Kāya-Vāk-Cittacakras (three days).

Documents

The rotation of Yoginis in the Cakrasamvara Mandala according to Bodhisattva Vajrapani