Then the great goddess Sarasvati put her upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on her right knee and bowing in great reverence with her hands folded to the Tathagata, spoke thus:
“O Venerable Transcendent Victor, I, the goddess Sarasvati, will also bestow eloquence in order to adorn the speech of the bhikshu who expounds the Dharma. I will grant him dharani. I will always invest in him the power of authoritative speech. To the bhikshu who expounds the Dharma, I will give great illumination of knowledge. If he loses or forgets a word or a letter from the King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light, I will supply the bhikshu who expounds the Dharma with all the definite sounds, letters and words. I will grant him dharani to prevent it being lost so that the King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light may last long without disappearing from Jambudvipa for the sake of sentient beings who plant roots of virtue before hundreds of thousands of buddhas, the Transcendent Lords, so that these numerous sentient beings may develop inconceivably sharp wisdom upon hearing the King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light, may receive an inconceivable wealth of wisdom, possess excellent energy in their present life and enjoy an increase in life force, come to hold inconceivable masses of merit, seek various creative methods, be learned in all treatises and hold excellent expertise in various arts and crafts.
“I will explain the art of bathing blessed with mantra and aromatic medicine for the welfare of the bhikshu who expounds the Dharma and for beings who listen to the Dharma. This will pacify all afflictions caused by planets, shooting stars, birth and death; this will bring an end to conflicts, quarrels, wars, disorders, nightmares, afflictions from Vinayaka and all sorcerers and zombies. Aromatic medicines and mantras with which the wise bathe are: (1) vacha, (2) gorochana, (3) sprkka, (4) shirisa, (5) shamyaka, (6) shami, (7) indrabasta, (8) mahabhaga, (9) jnamaka, (10) agaru, (11) tvach, (12) shriveshtaka, (13) resin of sarja, (14) shallaki, (15) guggulu, (16) tagara, (17) patra, (18) shaileya, (19) chandana, (20) manahshila, (21) sarochana, (22) kushtha, (23) kunkuma, (24) musta, (25) sarshapa, (26) nalada, (27) chavya, (28) sukshmaila, (29) ushira and (30) nagakesara.
Watching for Pushya the star to arrive, make these into equal portions. Then consecrate the powder with this mantra one hundred times:
TADYATHA SUKRTE KRTA KAMALA NILA JINA KARATE / HAM KARATE / INDRA JALI / SHAKAD-DREVA-SHADDRE /AVARTAKA-SIKE / NA KUTRAKU / KAPILA KAPILA MATI / SHILA MATI / SANDHI DHUDHUMA MAVATI / SHIRI SHIRI / SATYA STHITE SVAHA
Draw a magic circle with cow dung and scatter loose flowers there. In a gold vessel and a silver vessel place the honey.
Place there four men wearing armor and standing at guard. Place there too four maids fully adorned and bearing vases.
Always incense with bdellium and play the five-cymbal music. Thoroughly adorn the goddess with umbrellas, victory banners and flags.
At intervals place mirrors, arrows and spears. Then draw a boundary line and embark on what is to be done.
Reciting the following mantra start the boundary delineation:
SYAD YATHEDAM/ ARAKE / NAYANE / HILE / MILE / GILE / KHIKHILE SVAHA
Bathing behind an image of the Tathagata, recite this mantra to ensure peace during the bathing time:
TADYATHA SAGATE / VIGATE VIGATA-VATI SVAHA
Protect life, O you moving stars dwelling in all the four directions. May the afflictions from stars at birth, fear due to actions done and the terrible fear from disturbance of the elements be removed!
TADYATHA/ SHAME / VISHAME SVAHA / SAGATE / VIGATE SVAHA / SUKHATI-NATE SVAHA / SAGARA SAMBHUTAYA SVAHA / SKANDHA MARUTAYA SVAHA / NILA KANTHAYA SVAHA / APARAJITA VIRYAYA SVAHA / HIMAVATA SAMBHUTAYA SVAHA / ANIMILA VAKTRAYA SVAHA / NAMO BHAGAVATE / BRAHMANE / NAMAH SARASVATYAI DEVYAI SIDHYANTU MANTRAPADA / DAM BRAHMA ANU-MANYATU SVAHA
For the sake of the bhikshu who expounds the Dharma, those who listen and those who write it down, I myself will go to that bathing site. Together with all hosts of gods, I will completely eliminate all disease from temples, villages, cities and towns. I will completely pacify the afflictions caused by planets, strife, quarrel, stars, birth, nightmares, afflictions from Vinayaka, detractors and all sorcerers and zombies so that the life force of bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas and upasikas who hold this king of sutras is assisted, that they receive release from samsara, advance irreversibly to the perfect and peerless state of complete enlightenment and be swiftly enlightened in the perfect and peerless state of the buddhas.”
Then the Tathagata praised the goddess Sarasvati in this way: “Excellent! Excellent, great goddess Sarasvati! You have come to the world to create great benefit for many beings and to bestow well-being upon them. The words you spoke, charged with spells and medicaments, were well spoken indeed.”
Then the goddess Sarasvati bowed at the feet of the Tathagata and sat on one side.
Then, attracting the attention of the great goddess Sarasvati, the Brahmin teacher and expounder Kaundinya said:
A great ascetic, the great goddess Sarasvati is worthy of worship. A great mine of virtue, you bestow supreme boons in all worlds. Supremely beautiful, you stand on one foot and are clothed in a garment made of grass. All the gods gathered here ask you thus: let loose your tongue; speak fine words of virtue to beings!
SYAD YATHEDAM/ MURE /CHIRE /AVAJE AVAJAVATE /HI GULE / MIGULE/ PINGALA VATI / MAGUSHI /MARICHE / SAMATI / DASHA MATI / AGRI MAGRI / TARA/ CHITARA / CHAPATI/ CHICHIRI/ SHIRI MIRI / MARICHI/ PRANAYE / LOKA JYESHTHE/ LOKA SHRISHTHE / LOKA PRIYE SIDDHI VRITE / BHIMA MUKHI SHUCHI KHARI / APRATI HATE / APRATE HATA / BUDDHE / NAMUCHI NAMUCHI / MAHADEVI PRATI-GRIHNA NAMAS-KARAM
May my intellect be unimpeded. May versified treatises and tantras, tripitakas and poetic works become the boon of my magical knowledge incantations.
TADYATHA/ MAHA PRABHAVE / HILI HILI / MILI MILI
Through the magical power of the great goddess Sarasvati, may I be victorious!
KARATE KEYURE / KEYURA VATI / HILI MILI / HILI MILI / HILI HILI
By the power of the truth of the buddhas, by the power of truth of the Dharma, by the power of truth of the Sangha, by the power of truth of Indra, by the power of truth of Varuna, by the power of truth of those who speak the words of truth in the world and the power of the truth itself, I will invoke the great goddess Sarasvati.
TADYATHA/ HILI HILI /HILI MILI / HILI MILI
May I be totally victorious! Homage to Bhagavati, the great goddess Sarasvati! May you lay the foundation and grant me success in my words of secret mantra!”
Then the brahmin teacher and expounder Kaundinya sang the praise of the great goddess Sarasvati:
O you hordes of bhutas, listen to me! I will sing praise of the virtues of the sublime goddess with a supremely immaculate face. She is the chief of goddesses, the finest among sublime women in the worlds of gods, gandharvas and asura lords.
She is adorned with limbs embellished with numerous virtues; called Sarasvati, she blazes with merit; her eyes are broad. She is fully endowed with pristine wisdom’s virtue and resembles an array of precious jewels. I praise the virtue of her supreme eloquence.
She gives the supreme boon of sublime, perfect mantras and qualities. Immaculately pristine, she is like a blazing lotus. Her eyes are holy and incomparable. Source of virtues, she sheds light to see virtue.
She is adorned with inconceivable qualities. Her light is bright like the moon. A mine of exalted wisdom and cool mindfulness, she is the finest lioness and vehicle for humans.
She is adorned with eight arms and appears like the fully-waxed moon. Possessed of profound wisdom, she has a beautiful voice and enchanting song.
An excellent being, she helps accomplish the highest goals. Honored by the lords of gods and asuras, she is celebrated among divine deva abodes and in the realms of bhutas, she is continually worshipped. Svaha!
I bow down to this goddess. May she grant me an exalted heap of virtue; may she grant success in every venture and in the midst of my enemies always protect me.
If one arises in the morning and clearly speaks these words in full, every syllable complete, all wishes will be granted, one will find wealth and grain, and obtain immense virtue and every success.
This ends the eighth chapter, the Chapter on Sarasvati, from the King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light.