Text 15.14 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 15.14]

... As for that cloud-mass of the maṇḍala of wrathful deities: there were some associated with the great glorious Blood-Drinker who stands in the eastern direction, there were some associated with the great glorious Ratna Blood-Drinker who stands in the southern direction, there were some associated with the great glorious Padma Blood-Drinker who stands in the western direction, and there were some associated with the great glorious and universal Karma Blood-Drinker who stands in the northern direction. All of these were endowed with a very terrifying guise, an awesome roar, and a blazing aura, with three heads, six arms, and four legs. They stood with (legs) extended and drawn in, upon seats which comprise husband and wife couples of Gandharvas, Yaksas, Ogres, Yama-spirits, and other such beings. The host of the great Blood-Drinker queens also stood, embracing their respective Buddha-bodies. [14] ...

[Tibetan]

khro-bo'i dkyil-'khor-gyi sprin-phung de-dag-kyang / la-la-ni dpal khrag-'thung chen-po [rdo-rjer] gyur-te shar-phyogs-su bzhugs-so / la-la-ni dpal khrag-'thung chen-po rin-po-cher gyur-te lho-phyogs-su bzhugs-so / la-la-ni dpal khrag-'thung chen-po padmar gyur-te nub-phyogs-su bzhugs-so / la-la-ni dpal khrag-'thung chen-po kun-tu las-su gyur-te byang-phyogs-su bzhugs-so / de-dag kun-kyang 'jig-byed chen-po'i cha-lugs-dang / rngam-pa'i nga-ro-dang / 'bar-ba'i klong-na dbu-gsum phyag-drug zhabs-bzhis / dri-za-dang / gnod-sbyin-dang / srin-po-dang / gshin-rje la-sogs-pa khyo-shug-gi gdan byas-pa-la [brkyang-bskums-su] bzhugs-so / btsun-so khrag-'thung chen-mo'i tshogs-[rnams]-kyang so-so'i sku-la 'khril-ba'i tshul-gyis bzhugs-so / [14]

Commentary:

[The latter, concerning the array of his retinue, the four enlightened families, (comments on Ch. 15.14):]

As for (kyang) the hosts who form that cloud-mass of the maṇḍala of wrathful deities (khro-bo'i dkyil-'khor-gyi sprin-phung de-dag) emanating in the above manner: they are the natural expressions of the five or four enlightened families.^[1] There were some (la-la-ni) belonging to the enlightened family of the mirror-like pristine cognition who associated with (gyur-te) the great glorious Blood-Drinker (dpal khrag-'thung chen-por). Vajra Heruka, who stands in the eastern direction (shar-phyogs-su bzhugs-so) or spoke of the maṇḍala. Some hold him to be the Buddha Heruka but they are imperceptive because Che-mchog himself is said to be the Buddha Heruka.^[2]

There were some (la-la-ni) belonging to the enlightened family of the pristine cognition of sameness who associated with (gyur-te) the great glorious Ratna Blood-Drinker (dpal khrag-'thung chen-po rin-po-cher) or Ratna Heruka, who stands in the southern direction (lho-phyogs-su bzhugs-so) or spoke of the maṇḍala. There were some (la-la-ni) belonging to the enlightened family of the pristine cognition of discernment who associated with (gyur-te) the great glorious Padma Blood-Drinker (dpal khrag-'thung chen-po padmar) or Padma Heruka, who stands in the western direction (nub-phyogs-su bzhugs-so) or spoke (of the maṇḍala). And there were some (la-la-ni) belonging to the enlightened family of the pristine cognition of accomplishment who associated with (gyur-te) the great glorious universal Karma Blood-Drinker (dpal khrag-'thung chen-po kun-tu las-su) or Karma Heruka, who stands in the northern direction (byang-phyogs-su bzhugs-so) or spoke (of the maṇḍala).

All of these (de-dag kun kyang) four enlightened families of wrathful deities were endowed with a very terrifying guise ('jigs-byed chen-po'i cha-lugs-dang) comprising the eight things of the charnel ground,^[3] an awesome roar (rngam-pa'i nga-ro-dang) including sounds of HŪṂ and PHAṬ, and an aura (klong-du) blazing ('bar-ba'i) forth the flames of pristine cognition. They were endowed with three heads (dbu-gsum) which indicate that the three poisons are uprooted and that the three Buddha-bodies are present, six arms (phyag-drug) which indicate that the six classes of living beings are liberated in the expanse, and four legs (zhabs-bzhis) in order to perform acts of benefit for living beings through the four kinds of enlightened activity and liberate the four places of birth right where they are.^[4] They stood with legs extended and bent (brkyang-bskums-su bzhugs-so) in the previous manner, upon (la) seats (gdan) which comprise (byas-pa) husband and wife couples (khyo-shug-gi) in copulation to symbolise that the four erroneous views and the four demons have been subdued.^[5]

Those seats consist respectively of Gandharvas (dri-za-dang) in the eastern direction, Yakṣas (gnod-sbyin-dang) in the northern direction, ogres (srin-po-dang) in the western direction, Yama-spirits (gshin-rje) in the southern direction, and other such beings (la-sogs-pa), equal to the number of pernicious venomous species.

The host of the great Blood-Drinker queens (btsun-mo khrag-'thung chen-mo'i tshogs-rnams) of the five enlightened families of Herukas, Buddhakrodhīśvarī and so forth, also (kyang) stood (bzhugs-so), entwining and embracing ('khril-ba'i tshul-gyis) the Buddha-bodies (sku-la) of their respective (so-so 'i) wrathful deities.

[Here there is a digression which comments on the interpolated lines Ch. 15.15:]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The enumeration of five Includes the retinue of Buddha Heruka at the centre.

[2]:

As stated above. note 53, Lo-chen Dharmaśrī is representative of the alternative view.

[3]:

The "eight things of the charnel ground" (dur-khrod-kyi chas brgyad) are those enumerated below. Ch. 17. pp. 1166-1167.

[4]:

The "four kinds of enlightened activity" (phrin-las bzhi) are the four rites, described above, pp. 783-786, and below, pp. 1258-1264. The "four places of birth" (skyes-gnas bzhi, Sanskrit caturyoni) are birth from the womb (jārāyuja), birth from the egg (aṇḍaja), birth from moisture (saṃsvedaja), and miraculous birth (upapāduka).

[5]:

The "four erroneous views: (phyin ci-log bzhi) are to apprehend impurity as purity, to apprehend selflessness as self, to apprehend suffering as happiness, and to apprehend impermanence as permanence. The "four demons” (bdud-bzhi) have already been enumerated, foreward and title, note 12.