Praise to Yeshe Tsogyal

The Delightful Play of Sarasvatī

In Praise of Yeshe Tsogyal, Foremost of Ḍākinīs, Queen of Space

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Namo jñāna-ḍākinyai!

In the featureless, immaculate expanse of great peace
From the five assembled mothers of natural luminosity,
The power of Buddha Ḍākinī’s compassion stirred
And she displayed her many billions of emanations.

Entirely beyond the limits of oneness and plurality,
These emanations appeared just as taming required,
Maturing seas of disciples throughout oceans of realms—
Like the activity of bodhisattvas at the continuum’s end.

Among them, in the cool land of snowy peaks,
Like Brahmā’s daughter, the queen of eloquence,
Taken into the embrace of Tambura, you
Took birth in the family of Kharchen Drakda.

At that time, the king of nāgas partially emerged
From the merry sea onto the surface of the earth,
And appeared as if engaged in a contest
With the mightiest of root-drinking trees.

Your body matured with all the excellent signs,
With doe-like eyes, luscious, jet-black hair,
Soft, supple limbs like the branches of a willow,
Rounded breasts and the most slender of waists.

The perfumed scent of white sandalwood
Upon your breath beguiled gods and men.
Your blissful lotus smile praised the victorious,
And you humbled even Mandāravā herself.

You became the bride of the sovereign Lhayi Metok,
And, as the mark of vajra aspirations not yet faded,
Were cared for by the great master of Oḍḍiyāna,
Receiving the elixir of Dharma, common and extraordinary.

Intoxicated with the nectar of profound generation and completion in particular,
You melted and refined away impurities in subtle channels, energies and essences,
Strengthened and matured the clearest essences, released knots in the channels,
And attained the summit of all qualities on the paths and stages.

With the magical lasso of compassionate skill in means,
You never wearied as you effortlessly rescued
Even those who had entered the fires of unbearable torment,
For you were the equal of the glorious bodhisattva Tārā.

Those who followed you closely were instantly released
From the narrow confines of worldly karma and kleśas
And led to the dharmic dominion of the rainbow body,
For you were a supreme guide, teacher, true bhagavatī.

You compiled the profound sayings of Guru Padma
And set them down miraculously in written form.
You concealed countless different types of treasure
With unending aspirations and seals of entrustment.

You became a vidyādharā with power over life,
Whose true deathless vajra form does not change.
Having departed for Lotus Light, O noble mother,
Still you guide and care for those with karmic fortune.

Noble lady Tsogyal, whose kindness is unrepayable, care for me.
As I pray to you with tuneful longing throughout the six times,
Do not depart but remain forever as my protector,
And ignite the powerful wisdom of awareness and emptiness.

From the excellent precious vase of immortal life
Let the excellent nectar of immortality flow onto my crown,
Making everything excellent and auspicious,
So that I may attain the immortal, invincible vajra form.

May we freely enjoy the store of Padma’s profound treasures,
May Padma’s supreme teachings spread throughout the world,
May we always be accompanied by Padma’s allies and supporters,
And may all of Padma’s adversaries be thoroughly overcome.

Thus, Chökyi Lodrö wrote this on the auspicious twenty-second day of the third month.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey 2022, with the generous support of the Khyentse Foundation and Terton Sogyal Trust.

Bibliography

Tibetan Edition

’Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. "dbyings phyugs [sic] DA ki’i gtso mo ye shes mtsho rgyal la bstod pa dbyangs can dgyes rol/" in ’Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung 'bum. 12 vols. Bir, H.P.: Khyentse Labrang, 2012. (BDRC W1KG12986). Vol. 2: 547–549

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