TILOPĀ PROJECT

*Tilatailavajragīti
FABRIZIO TORRICELLI

2018
 THE TILOPĀ PROJECT

Omnia sunt communia (Thomas Müntzer)

Seventeen titles extant in Indic and Tibetan sources can be ascribed to the
tenth-century Bengali yogin Tilopā―

1. Tillopādasya Dohākoṣa,
2. *Tilatailavajragīti,
3. Śrī-sahajaśaṃvarasvādhiṣṭhāna,
4. Vajraḍākinīniṣkāyadharma,
5. *Vajraḍākinībhāvanādṛṣṭicaryātrayasaṃketanirdeśa,
6. Saṃvaropadeśamukhakarṇaparamparācintāmaṇi,
7. Tattvacaturupadeśaprasannadīpa,
8. Mahāmudropadeśa,
9. Karuṇābhāvanādhiṣṭāna,
10. Viṣāntarabāhyanivṛttibhāvanākrama,
11. *Nimittasūcanāvyākaraṇa,
12. Ṣaḍdharmopadeśa,
13. Acintyamahāmudrā,
14. *Aṣṭaguhyārthāvavāda,
15. *Sekagranthamocanāvavāda,
16. *Nijadharmatāgīti,
17. Gurusādhana.

Their Tibetan translations can be found in the bsTan ’gyur, the bDe mchog
snyan brgyud plus related hagiographic material, and in the gDams ngag
mdzod. Since the arrangement of the above texts differs in the three
collections, they have an arbitrary order also here.
The virtual papers I want to share are parts of an ongoing project. Each
issue consists of the edition of a Tilopan text with parallel English
translation, critical notes, and glosses. Although imperfect, I wish the semi-
finished material of this construction site could be of some use to the
student.
Fabrizio Torricelli
 *Tilatailavajragīti
*Til mar gyi rdo rje’i mgur

Adamantine Song of Sesame Oil

The Tibetan text of this adamantine song (rdo rje’i mgur : vajragīti) by
Tilopā is preserved in the hagiographic literature of the bKa’ brgyud
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It can be found in the eleventh-century
account (lo rgyus) of Tilopā’s life by Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros, the rNal
’byor gyi dbang phyug ti lo pa’i lo rgyus (β 15.1–4), in the thirteenth-
century hagiography (rnam thar) by rDo rje mdzes ’od included in his bKa’
brgyud kyi rnam thar chen mo rin po che’i gter mdzod dgos ’dod ’byung
gnas (θ 69.6–70.5), and in the sixteenth-century one by dBang phyug rgyal
mtshan, the rJe btsun chen po ti lo’i rnam par thar pa (νA 63.3–64.2, νB
48.1–4).1
This song represents an uncommon case among the Tilopan texts
because we can locate with a reasonable degree of certainty where it was
conceived and sung. Mar pa, the author of the siddha’s earliest
hagiography, reports that Tilopā at a certain point of his life would have
taken up residence in Paṇtsapana/Paṇtshapana, ‘a trade centre in eastern
Bengal’ (β 14.3: shar phyogs Bha ga la’i brgyud Paṇ tsha pa na’i tshong
’dus; Torricelli and Naga 1995: 6, 32–34). The toponym is elucidated by
rDo rje mdzes ’od as ‘the market of the group of five captains’ (θ 70.5: Pan
tsa pa na ded dpon lnga tshogs pa’i tshong dus), that is to say ‘The Five’s
Market’ or *Pañcāpaṇa (pañca-āpaṇa), seemingly hinting at the
administrative system in use at that time.

1
The sigla of the relevant hagiographic material (β, θ, ν) correspond to those
described, discussed and used in Torricelli 2018. Western readers can find two
alternative versions of the song in Gyaltsen and Rogers (1986: 58) and Gyaltsen
and Huckenpahler (1990: 45).

1
 Ancient Bengal, ever since its partial incorporation in the Gupta Empire
in the fourth century CE, was organised according to a system of territorial
divisions (bhukti) controlled by governors (uparika, uparikamahārāja), as
we can infer from the Gupta inscriptions found at Baigram (Basak 1931–
32), Damodarpur (Basak 1919–20), and Paharpur (Dikshit 1929–30). That
administrative structure was substantially maintained by the Pāla and
Candra Buddhist dynasties, namely until the time of Tilopā (Majumdar
1971: 286 ff.). Every district (viṣaya) of a territorial division was managed
by five people, viz. (1) a district magistrate (āyuktaka, or viṣayapati, or else
kumārāmātya), who had his centre in the main town of the district
(viṣayādhikaraṇa) and was assisted by a board of four local notables
(adhiṣṭhānādhikaraṇa), (2) the chairman of the merchant guild in the town
(nagaraśreṣṭhin), (3) a representative of the mercantile class
(prathamasārthavāha), (4) a representative of the artisan class (prathama-
kulika), and (5) a representative of the scribal class (prathamakāyastha).
Back to Mar pa’s location of *Pañcāpaṇa ‘in eastern Bengal’, the main
marketplace of northeastern Bengal at Tilopā’s time would have been
Śrīhaṭṭa, for Skt haṭṭa ‘market’ consistent with Tib. tshong ’dus (MVy
5532). If this is the case, it stands to reason that *Pañcāpaṇa might be
identified with Śrīhaṭṭa, i.e. current Sylhet (Jalalabad) in Bangladesh.
Most probably the city was already the district market of the northern
region of the ninth-century kingdom of Harikela (Majumdar 1942).
Nonetheless, in view of the fact that a copperplate inscription issued in the
fifth regnal year of the Candra ruler Śrīcandra (r. c. 925–c. 975) was
discovered in the village of Paschimbhag (Paścimbhāg), in the present-day
Moulvibazar District of the Sylhet Division, we can assume that the area
was under the Candra sway since about 930 (Chaudhury 1966; Sircar
1967–68). Thus, we can have a picture of the political map of the Candras’
Bengal at Tilopā’s time: Vaṅga with Vikramapura as central seat of
authority, Samataṭa with Devaparvata, and Harikela with the port town of
Caṭigāõ (Chittagong) and Śrīhaṭṭa.
It must be said that the name Paṇ tsa pa na, Paṇ tsha pa na, Pan tsa ka,
Pan tsa pa na, Panytsa pa na occurring in the Tibetan hagiographies of
Tilopā is not always a toponym: it can be a demonym as well. So is Tilopā
addressed in the first prediction (lung bstan : vyākaraṇa) made to him,
‘You are the One from *Pañcāpaṇa’, that is to say ‘You are *Pāñcāpaṇa’
(khyod rang Pan tsa pa na yin). So does Tilopā introducing himself at the
presence of the ḍākinīs in Uḍḍiyāna, ‘I am the One from...’ (bdag ni Pan
tsa pa na yin). The same nickname (Panytsa pa na) is confirmed by Tilopā

2
himself in his celebrated ‘Small Text’ (gzhung chung), the Śrī-
Saṃvaropadeśamukhakarṇaparamparācintāmaṇi (dPal sDom pa’i man
ngag zhal nas snyan du brgyud pa yid bzhin nor bu; Ō. 2238, Tō. 1529; bD
NGA 1b2–16b2, vol. 1, pp. 106–35; gD NGA gZhung chung 1b1–5a3, vol. 5, pp.
252–59):

bde gshegs thugs la snang ba dri med *Pāñcāpaṇa, realizing that appearances
panytsa pa nas rtogs pas ki ri li ru gsang are undefiled in the Sugatas’ hearts,
bdag mnyes (v. 3) served the Lord of Secrets at Kirili.

While in *Pañcāpaṇa/Śrīhaṭṭa, Tilopā should have been rather young for the
reason that Mar pa styles him a brahmin student (bram ze’i khye’u :
māṇavaka; MVy 3846). He would have had two jobs there, as a servant of
the courtesan (smad ’tshong ma) Bharima and a sesame miller (β 14.4–7):

mtshan bzhin skyes pa ’gugs pa dang
skyel ba’i las byas | nyin bzhin til ’bru
ba’i las byas pas rgya gar skad du ti lo
pa | bod skad du | til bsrungs zhabs shes
grags so ||
In the night-time he would do the work
of inviting and accompanying men into
Bharima’s. During the day, he worked
as sesame miller, and that is why he is
known as Tilopā in the language of
India, and as the Sesame Keeper in
Tibetan.

de nas dur khrod ke re li zhes bya bar
phyin nas bha ri ma gnyis gsang ba
sngags kyi spyod pas mnyes te | mthar
phyin par mdzad do ||
After that, he and Bharima went to the
charnel ground called Kereli. There
they took delight in the practice of the
secret mantras and performed it to its
completion.

de nas yang tshong ’dus der til ’bru After that, while scattering sesame
’phro la phyag rgya chen po mchog la seeds in the above-mentioned market
nye ba’i dngos grub thob par gyur to || place, he attained the perfection close to
the sublime mahāmudrā.

der grong khyer gyi mi rnams mthong
tshul tha dad de ’ga’ zhig gis ni me
dpung ’bar bar mthong | ’ga’ zhig gis
rus rgyan la me ’bar bar mthong ste | mi
rnams kyis gdams pa zhus pas | nga’i
yid la skyes pa’i gnyug ma des rjes ’jug
khyed kyi snying la zhugs par byos shig
At that moment, the people of the town
had different visions of him: some saw
flames blazing from him, while others
saw his bone ornaments blazing. The
people asked for instruction. At this, ‘O
followers, may the innate reality that
arose in my intellect enter your hearts!’

3
| ces brjod pa dang | de ma thag tu grol so he uttered, and they were
bar gyur to || immediately liberated.

de nas yul de’i rgyal po ’khor bcas
glang po che la bzhon nas bsnyen bkur
la yongs pas | bram ze’i khye’u dang |
bha ri ma gnyis kyis tshangs pa’i sgra
chen pos rdo rje’i mgur bzhes pa...
After that, as the king of that country
surrounded by his retinue came riding
an elephant to pay his respect, both the
brahmin student and Bharima raised an
adamantine song with a loud Brahmā
voice...

Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros, rNal ’byor gyi dbang phyug ti lo pa’i lo rgyus, fols 4b–5a (pp. 14–15)
TBRC W24891

4
 Tibetan Manuscript Image of the Siddha Tilopā
rDo rje mdzes ’od, bKa’ brgyud kyi rnam thar chen mo rin po che’i gter mdzod dgos ’dod ’byung
gnas, fol. 17b (p. 33)
TBRC W1KG10187

5
 *Til mar gyi rdo rje’i mgur

rNam thar β 5a1–3

θ 35a6–b5
νA 31a3–b2
νB 20b1–4

1 gang zhig snying por zhugs pa til gyi mar || 1

rmongs pas til la yod par shes gyur kyang || 2
rten cing ’brel ’byung yan lag ma shes na || 3
til mar snying po ’byung bar mi nus ltar || 4

2 lhan cig skyes pa gnyug ma’i ye shes de || 5

’gro ba kun gyi snying la yod gyur kyang || 6
bla mas ma mtshon rtogs par mi nus so || 7

3 til brdungs phub ma bsal bar gyur pa las || 8

til mar snying po ’byung ba de bzhin du || 9
bla ma sten pas de bzhin de nyid don || 10
til mar bzhin du brda’ yis bstan par bya || 11

4 yul rnams dbyer med ngo bo gcig tu ’gyur || 12

kye ho ring ’gro gting dpag dka’ ba’i don || 13
da lta nyid du gsal ba ngo mtshar che || 14

• 1 zhugs] β : gyur codd. • 2 rmongs pas til la yod par shes gyur kyang] β :
rmongs pas til la yod pa ngo shes kyang θ : til la yod par shes kyang rmongs
pa dag νB : til la yod par shes kyang rmongs pa dang νA • 3 na] β : nas θ : pas
νA : pa’i νB • 4 po] codd. : por θ. • ’byung bar] β : ’byin par θ : ’dzin par νA νB •
5 de] codd. : kyang θ • 6 ba] codd. : ba’i νA • yod gyur] β θ : gdod nas νA νB • 7
so] β : pas θ : te νA νB • 8 brdungs] codd. : rdungs θ • bsal] β νB : gsal θ νA •
gyur pa β θ : byas pa νA νB • las] codd. : la θ • 9 ’byung] codd. : byung β • de] β
θ : ji νA νB • 10 ma sten pas] β : mas bstan pa codd. • de nyid] β : nyid kyi codd.
• 11 brda’ yis bstan par bya] β : ’jug pa gsal bar byas codd. • 12 gcig] θ νB :
cig β νA • ’gyur] β : gyur codd. • 13 ring ’gro] codd. : ring du ’gro ’dod θ • 14
gsal ba] β θ : rtogs pa νA νB

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 Adamantine Song of Sesame Oil

1 Whatever be its essence, sesame oil 1

2 Is known by the fool as present in sesame seeds, but
3 Ignoring how its components are combined,
4 He is not able to extract sesame oil, the essence. In the same way,

5 The co-emergent, that innate gnosis, 2

6 Is present in the heart of all beings, but
7 It has no efficacy unless illustrated by a guru.

8 Grinding sesame and clearing away the husks, 3

9 Sesame oil, the essence is extracted: similarly,
10 When one is close to the guru, thus the sense of reality
11 Will be shown: by means of symbols like sesame oil.

12 Objects of sense become one with the indivisible being. 4

13 Hey, so far extending, so hard to measure in its depth, the sense
14 Now is clear. Wonderful!

7
 Abbreviations and Sigla
bD bDe mchog snyan brgyud
gD gDams ngag mdzod
c. (circa) approximately
codd. (codices) all other sources
fol. folio
MVy Mahāvyutpatti
Ō. Ōtani Catalogue
r. reign
TBRC Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center, Cambridge, Ma.
Tō. Tōhoku Catalogue
v. verse

Tibetan Sources
dBang phyug rgyal mtshan (source ν) ― rJe btsun chen po ti lo’i rnam
par thar pa. In rJe btsun ti lo pa dang nā ro pa’i rnam thar rin po che.
 Photostat of νA: The Biographies of Tilopā and Naropa by Dbaṅ phyug
rgyal mtshan. Rje btsun Ti lo pa’i rnam par thar pa zab gsal rin chen gter
mdzod bskal bzaṅ yid ’phrog. Mkhas mchog Nā ro Paṇ chen gyi rnam par
thar pa dri med legs bśad bde chen ’brug sgra. Reproduced from a
manuscript from Dzongkhul Monastery in Zangskar. Darjeeling: Kargyud
Sungrab Nyamso Khang 1976, 1–157.
 TBRC W1KG8722.
 Photostat of νB: Bka’ brgyud gser ’phreṅ rgyas pa. A reproduction of an
incomplete manuscript of a collection of the lives of the successive
masters of the ’Brug pa Dkar brgyud pa tradition reflecting the tradition
of Rdzoṅ khul in Zaṅs dkar established by Grub dbaṅ Ṅag dbaṅ tshe riṅ.
Reproduced from a manuscript preserved in Zaṅs dkar, vol. I. Darjeeling:
Kargyud Sungrab Nyamso Khang 1982, 9–97.
gDams ngag mdzod ― ’Jam mgon Kong sprul Blo
gros mtha’ yas. gDams ngag mdzod.
 Photostat: Gdams ṅag mdzod. A treasury of instructions and techniques
for spiritual realization. Compiled by ’Jam-mgon Koṅ-sprul Blo-gros-
mtha’-yas. Reproduced from a xylographic print from the Dpal-spuṅs
blocks. 12 vols. Delhi: N. Lungtok and N. Gyaltsen 1971.
 TBRC W21811.
bDe mchog snyan brgyud ― bDe mchog snyan brgyud nor
bu skor gsum.

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  Photostat: Bde mchog sñan brgyud nor bu skor gsum. Collected ancient
instructions for the practice of the orally transmitted teachings focussing
upon Cakrasamvara by various masters of the tradition. Arranged and
edited by the Fourth ’Brug-chen Padma-dkar-po (1527–1592).
Reproduced from a manuscript collection from Bhutan. 2 vols. Tashijong
(Palampur, H.P.): Sungrab Nyamso Gyunphel Parkhang, Tibetan Craft
Community 1985.
 TBRC W23155.
rDo rje mdzes ’od (source θ) ― bKa’ brgyud kyi rnam thar
chen mo rin po che’i gter mdzod dgos ’dod ’byung gnas.
 Photostat: bKa’ brgyud kyi rnam thar chen mo rin po che’i gter mdzod
dgos ’dod ’byuṅ gnas. A collection of lives of the successive masters in the
transmission lineage of the ’Bri-guṅ Bka’-brgyud-pa tradition in the
Nepal-Tibet borderlands by Rdo-rje-mdzes-’od. Reproduced from a rare
manuscript from Limi Dzing Pegyeling. Bir, Kangra: D. Tsondu Senghe
1985.
 TBRC W27600.
Mar pa (source β) ― Mar pa Lo tsā ba, Mar pa
Chos kyi blo gros. rNal ’byor gyi dbang phyug ti lo pa’i lo rgyus. In Byang
chub bzang po, ed. bDe mchog mkha’ ’gro snyan brgyud, kha: brGyud pa yid
bzhin nor bu’i rnam par thar pa.
 Photostat: Bde mchog mkha’ ’gro sñan rgyud (Ras chuṅ sñan rgyud). A
manuscript collection of orally transmitted precepts focussing upon the
tutelaries Cakrasamvara and Vajravārāhī, representing the yig-cha
compiled by Byaṅ-chub-bzaṅ-po. Reproduced from a rare manuscript in
the library of Apho Rimpoche. Vol. I. New Delhi 1973, 8–28.
 TBRC W24891.
Mahāvyutpatti ― Bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa
chen po. Ogiwara Unrai. 荻原雲來, ed. 1915. Bon-Wa daijiten 梵和大辭典.
Tokyo. Rep. 1959. Tokyo: Sankibō. Revised ed. 1934–1974. Tokyo: Suzuki
Gakujutsu Zaidan.
Ōtani Catalogue = Suzuki, Taisetz Teitaro, ed.
1961. The Tibetan Tripitaka. Peking edition. Reprinted under the supervision
of the Otani University, Kyoto. Catalogue and Index. Tokyo-Kyoto: Tibetan
Tripitaka Research Institute.
Tōhoku Catalogue = Ui, Hakuju and Munetada
Suzuki, Yenshō Kanakura, and Tōkan Tada, eds 1934. A Complete Catalogue
of the Tibetan Buddhist Canons (Bkaḥ-ḥgyur and Bstan-ḥgyur). Sendai:
Tōhoku Imperial University.

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 Other Sources
Basak, Radhagovinda. 1919–20. The Five Damodarpur Copper-Plate Inscriptions
of the Gupta Period. Epigraphia Indica 15, 113–45.
―――1931–32. Baigram Copper-Plate Inscription of the [Gupta]-Year 128.
Epigraphia Indica 21, 78–83.
Chaudhury, K.G. 1966. Paśchimbhāg Copper-Plate of Mahārāja Śrīchandradeva
(10th century A.D.). In The Nalinī Kānta Bhaṭṭaśālī Commemoration Volume.
Dhaka: Dhaka Museum, 166–98.
Dikshit, Kashinath Narayan. 1929–30. Paharpur Copper-Plate Grant of the
[Gupta] Year 159. Epigraphia Indica 20, 59–64.
Gyaltsen, Khenpo Könchog, transl., and Katherine L. Rogers, ed. 1986. The
Garland of Mahamudra Practices. New York: Snow Lion Publications.
Gyaltsen, Khenpo Könchog, transl., and Victoria Huckenpahler, ed. 1990. The
Great Kagyu Masters. The Golden Lineage Treasury. Ithaca, New York:
Snow Lion Publications.
Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra. 1942. Chittagong Copper-Plate of Kantideva.
Epigraphia Indica 26, 313–18.
―――1971. History of Ancient Bengal. Calcutta: G. Bharadwaj.
Sircar, Dinesh Chandra. 1967–68. Pashimbhag Plate of Srichandra, Year 5.
Epigraphia Indica 37, 289–304.
Torricelli, Fabrizio and Sangye T. Naga, ed. transl. 1995. The Life of the
Mahāsiddha Tilopa by Mar pa Chos kyi Blo gros. Dharamsala: Library of
Tibetan Works and Archives.
Torricelli, Fabrizio. 2018. Tilopā: A Buddhist Yogin of the Tenth Century.
Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.

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