Essay name: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
Author: William James Arraj
The essay represents a study and partial English translation of the Svacchandatantra and its commentary, “Uddyota�, by Kshemaraja. The text, attributed to the deity Svacchanda-bhairava, has various names and demonstrates a complex history of transmission through diverse manuscript traditions in North India, Nepal, and beyond.
Page 469 of: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
469 (of 511)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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462
i.e., a collection, of teaching verses (kārikā�), [as traditionally]
defined: “A teaching verse [is that] illustrating of a meaning,
which must follow a mnemonic verse (sūtram), (which is] that
meaning stated in summary, by the wise, though a brief
expression." Highest; the meaning is: by virtue of being the realm
(viṣayam) of [the practice of elite adepts, i.e., the] heroes
(vira�), [and by virtue of] having [as its] object (viṣayam) an
unobstructed fruition. For that very reason, [the adepts] practice
(vicaranti), i.e., sport (vilasanti), at will, perfected with
everything obtained in the palm of [their] hand; [this is] the
meaning.
Therein,
Having taken the dried head of a hero felled in battle with a
sword [while he was] facing [to the] front, [and] having
rendered [it]: written on [using] blood and lac, with the
designation joined with the formula in the [formula] body of
the one to be effected; /9/
[then, having made it] well heated in a corpse fire at night;
that royal emperor of demons or royal master of demons, for
the sake of whom [the adept] repeats a hundred times, [96]
[he] brings with the swiftness of the wind.
the formula
...
"
Head, i.e., skull; dried, i.e., rendered fleshless; blood and lac,
i.e., lac together with blood belonging to a corpse, [and] with
that, written on; joined with a formula, i.e.,. interlaced
(-vidarbhitam) with that [formula], according to the [coming]
statement [vs. 16, p.98] in the fifth procedure: “interlaced with
and this should be understood to be written on
the forehead, [according to] what he will state in the seventh
procedure [vs. 20, p. 99]: "the name of him on the forehead
the designation, i.e., the name of the one to be effected (sādhya-)
[by the rite], ending with the modified formula (ūha�), “bring;"
[interlaced] in the body (-tanau), i.e., in the [formula] body
(-dehe) of the one to be effected (sadhya-) [in this rite]; [this is]
written out with these substances [on the skull; which] in a
