Fó shuō Shèngzuìshèng tuóluóní jīng 佛說聖最勝陀羅尼經
Sūtra of the Holy and Most-Excellent Dhāraṇī
by 施護 (譯)
About the work
A short single-juan dhāraṇī-sūtra translated at the Sòng 譯經院 by 施護 Shīhù (Dānapāla, d. 1017). CANWWW classifies the work under the same Sanskrit reconstruction Viśeṣavatī-nāma-dhāraṇī(sūtra) as the preceding T1408, suggesting they are sibling-translations from the same Indian vidyā tradition under variant titles.
Abstract
The Buddha is in Bōluóbōduō 波囉鉢多國 (perhaps Pārapatra) at the Xīngzuǒ 星左大城 great city, in the Yúmínǎng 虞彌曩精舍 monastery. After the rains-retreat (夏安居) and on the twentieth day of the ninth month, a bhikṣu named Wāyěqūnǎng 嚩野佉曩 (Skt. Vyākaraṇa?) leaves Xīngzuǒ for Zhīnà-chéng 支那城, four yojanas away. On the road he encounters a great being, three zhang tall, with a face four chi long — Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva. Prostrating, he asks why the bodhisattva has manifested. Mañjuśrī replies: “Just so, just so. Bhikṣu — beings in this Jambudvīpa are about to face suffering. The asuras, garuḍas, and the rest, dwelling on one face of Mt. Sumeru, are at war with the devas. Hence the sun and moon in the void give no light, and the stars do not appear. The devas have been defeated by the asuras…” Mañjuśrī thereupon proclaims, on the Buddha’s behalf, the Shèngzuìshèng dhāraṇī, which protects beings during cosmic crisis. Recorded in the Dàzhōngxiángfú fǎbǎo lù; Nanjio N0878.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.
Links
- CBETA online
- Companion text: KR6j0640
- Dazangthings date evidence (1000)
- 施護 DILA
- Kanseki DB