Buddhist Deity: Parnashavari Source Texts

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Parnashavari Religious Context


Lotsawa House: Parnashavari Series

bod brgyud nang bstan lha tshogs chen mo bzhugs so, 2001. ISBN 7-5420-0816-1. Page 728-735.

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Kriya Tantra Texts:

Toh 735/994. The Sūtra of Parṇaśabarī (པརྞ་ཤ་བ་རིའི་མདོ། · par+Na sha ba ri'i mdo).

Toh 736/995. The Dhāraṇī of Parṇaśavarī (Parṇa­śavarī­dhāraṇī, རི་ཁྲོད་ལོ་མ་གྱོན་མའི་གཟུངས། · ri khrod lo ma gyon ma’i gzungs).

Toh 544. The Tantra of Siddhaikavīra. (Siddhaika­vīra­tantram, dpa’ bo gcig pu grub pa zhes bya ba’i rgyud kyi rgyal po chen po)

The primary source text is the Parnashavari-nama Dharani (རི་ཁྲོད་ལོ་མ་གྱོན་མའི་གཟུངས། ri khrod lo ma gyon ma'i gzungs) and catalogued as Kriya Tantra. Of the three divisions of Kriya Tantra (Tatagata, Padma and Vajra) she belongs to the Tatagata Family. From the eight sections of the Tatagata Family she belongs to the 6th category known as 'Messengers of the Family'.

Parnashavari is further mentioned in the sutra called Auspicious Night and in the tantras of Manjushri Mulakalpa, Chandramahroshana, Hevajra and Samputa. It is likely that she is also mentioned in some of the Tara tantras.

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Parnashavari is also recorded as the 15th mantra in chapter 1 of the Siddhaikavira Tantra. The Siddhaikavira is cataloged in some traditions as a Kriya Tantra and in others as a Charya Tantra. She is further mentioned in the Hevajra Tantra, Part 2, Chapter 4, 'Seals'. The Hevajra Tantra belongs to the Yoganiruttara (Anuttarayoga) class. There are various mantras for the goddess Parnashavari depending on the tradition, tantra text and on the intention of the practice. The mantras are generally consistent in including the name 'Pishaci Parnashavari.'

The Siddhaikavira gives no physical description or history of Parnashavari, only a mantra and a brief explanation on the use relying on rituals, creation of a talisman and recitation.

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"Siddhaikavira Tantra. Fifteenth Mantra:

oṁ piśācī parṇaśabari sarvopadrava­nāśani svāhā |

Oṁ, demoness Parṇaśabarī! Remover of all misfortunes, svāhā!

This great mantra removes all misfortunes that afflict bipeds and quadrupeds and accomplishes all endeavors, even when it has not been fully mastered.

A homa offering, mantra recitation, meditation, a mantra knot, a drink of incanted water, or cleansing with incanted water will remove all diseases.

One should write the mantra with turmeric on birchbark and wear it on one’s arm or neck. Thus one will obtain success in business transactions. One will be cured even of the quartan fever and other recurring fevers. One will be rid of the danger of rākṣasas, etc. One will be victorious in quarrels and disputes. One will become invisible to tigers, alligators, mahoragas, thieves, etc. By reciting it non-stop, one will be adored by everyone." (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha: Siddhaikavīra Tantra. Siddhaika­vīra­tantram, dpa’ bo gcig pu grub pa zhes bya ba’i rgyud kyi rgyal po chen po). [First published 2016. Current version v 1.17.1 (2019). Generated by 84000 Reading Room v1.32.2].

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Samputa Tantra (7.295-7.300)

“In the center of the expanse of the sky
He should visualize a sun disk.
On it, transformed from the syllable paṁ,
Is the goddess Parṇaśāvarī, yellow in color and with great splendor. {7.4.67}

“Each of her three faces has three eyes,
And the faces are smiling and angry at the same time.
She is beautified by all manner of adornments;
She has six arms and is endowed with the freshness of youth. {7.4.68}

“In her first right hand she holds a vajra scepter; in the second, an axe; and in the
third, an arrow. {7.4.69}

“In her first left hand, formed into a threatening gesture,
She holds a noose;
In the second, a feather chowrie; and in the third, a bow.
Her topknot is adorned with flowers. {7.4.70}

“She stands on a white lotus,
Adorned by a red glow.
Engulfed in the flames of the fire of rage,
She inspires fear with her burning rage. {7.4.71}

“Any grahas that harm living beings are burned. {7.4.72}

“Ablaze with anger, she is unshakable,
With Akṣobhya mounted on her head.
She is nevertheless white when raining down
The five-colored nectar of the five buddhas. {7.4.73}

“Her right and left faces are as previously described. So should the
practitioner meditate for the sake of pacifying all illusion that stems from
misapprehension. Parṇaśāvarī truly is the remover of all illnesses.”
So spoke the blessed tathāgata Great Vajra.

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Jeff Watt [12-2020]

(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).