Oṃ Arapacana Dhīḥ
Tony Phan
The emblems of both figures are the flaming sword in the right hand, and the book in the left. Sometimes these are perched upon lotuses which are held in the relevant hand. Sometimes the book is held to the heart and sometimes out to the side. The book is the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajāpāramita Sutra - the Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 lines.
He is sometimes known as Arapacana Majuśrī after his mantra (in the Majuśrīnāmasaṃgitī for instance) which is also known as the Arapacana Mantra - see below. Another name he goes by is Vagiśvara or Lord of Speech.
The middle part of the mantra consists of the first five syllables of what is most likely the Gāndhārī alphabet - it is clearly not Sanskrit which has quite a different order. I have written a short essay on the Arapacana alphabet on my blog. I'm unsure about the oṃ and dhīḥ, the first of which especially, seems to frame it as part of the general Mahayana Dhāraṇī cult. dhīḥ is strongly associated with the Prajāpāramita tradition, but I haven't explored the nature of the connection yet. One source of the alphabet is the Pacaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajāpāramita Sutra, The Perfection of Wisdom in 25,000 lines, which Conze translates in his book The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom which sets out the following meanings for the first syllables:
Each letter of this mystical alphabet then is associated with some point of the Dharma, and all together are referred to as the syllable-doors (to the Dharma). The 'power' of these syllables is somewhat cryptically explained, but I think the point is that all of the reflections are pointing towards the nature of śunyata. (See The Wisdom Alphabet for more detail).
Majuśrī is sometimes known by an epithet that is also borne by Śiva, and by Indra before him. Vak is speech in Sanskrit. In Vedic texts Vāc is treated as a Goddess in her own right. Vagiśvara combines vāc and īśvara and means Lord of Speech. Since it is Vāc or speech that forms the basis of mantra, to be the Lord of Speech is to be Lord of Mantra.MantraSiddhamTransliterationoṃ va gi śva ra muḥ
The syllables between Om and the concluding Dhih are the first syllables of a syllabary called the arapacana because it begins with the syllables A, RA, P,A CA, and NA. (A syllabary is like an alphabet, but made up of syllables).
Manjushri is a Bodhisattva who represents wisdom. Along with Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani, he is one of a trinity of family protectors. The family that Manjushri protects is known as the Tathagata family, which includes the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, as well as Vairochana, the central figure in the Five Buddha Mandala.
Of all the Bodhisattvas, Manjushri has perhaps the closest association with the Buddha, and could be said to represent his genius (in the sense of his attendant deity) or daimon (attending spirit or inspiring force).
Manjushri is depicted as a beautiful young prince, usually said to be sixteen years old. His freshness and beauty represent the fresh way that the awakened mind sees the world. While the unelightened mind typically sees life as being ordinary, to those who are awakened life is magic, extraordinary, and full of potential.
Like most Bodhisattva figures, he is seated on a lotus flower. Because the lotus grows from mud in often foul water, and yet remains unstained, it is considered to represent the purity of wisdom, which can exist in the midst of delusion without being affected by it.
Here in Chengdu is The WenShu Monastery, or The Manjusri Monastery. The back building is The Manjusri Pavillion wherein is the library on the second floor and on the third floor is where you can find the Manjusri Statue with 4 arms. His lower right hand holds an arrow [knowledge], his upper right hand the sword of wisdom of course, his upper right hand the bow of compassion, and all of these 3 hands are extended while his fourth hand is at his heart with The Prajnaparamita on its palm.
Hi Bodhipaksa. Escuse me for this belated intevention. The question about the dharanis (a mahayana development) is an important topic. It was possible to learn a few in this post. Id like ask you a favour: I was reading The Ushnisha Vijaya Vushid Dharani. However, nor in english version nor in spanish version was put its translation,
Thanks for sharing this mantra. This mantra is used along with a traditional Tibetan medicine Lhophel Dhutse (for either enhancing or even repairing impaired concentration and intelligence). When I searched for the Manjushri Mantra, your page was among the first links in Google and your chanting is very helpful in understanding the way to say it.
It was always considered the territory of Kuber, the treasurer of Devatas. Many important Vedic cultural sites such as Mansarovar Lake, Kailash Parvat, and many other religious places of Vedic culture are located there.
In terms of actual Area, Tibet would make up 50% of the current land of China. The Chinese government has absorbed many parts of Tibet into other provinces, such as Sichuan, Qinghai, and Xikang. In 1912, Tibet declared its independence from all Chinese and Mongol areas. Until 1951, Tibet was independent of China.
Tibetan Buddhism is the main religion of Tibet deeply inspired by the Hindu spiritual culture. It shares many similar spiritual practices with Hinduism. The modern history of Tibet begins with Songtsen Gampo, who married Nepali princess Bhrikuti Devi who was a devotee of Shiva and also Buddha. She brought a profound mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism to Tibet. Under her influence, Lhasa became the central rallying point for the whole of Tibet. Together they built Jokhang, which is the most sacred temple in the whole of Tibet.
In Tibetan Buddhism, Majuśrī, Avalokiteśvara, and Vajrapāṇi are considered the highest bodhisattvas. When the Chinese monk Faxian traveled to Mathura in India around 400 CE, he wrote about monks presenting offerings to Avalokiteśvara. When Xuanzang went to India in the 7th century, he provided eyewitness accounts of Avalokiteśvara statues being venerated by devotees from all walks of life.
Vajrapāni is the Indra in Hinduism. Manjusri is the Brahma in Hinduism. Tibetan spiritual philosophy is intrinsically tied to Hinduism. Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism have a lot of commonalities. Manjusri is worshipped along with Kṣitigarbha, Avalokiteśvara, and Samantabhadra. A mantra commonly associated with Majuśrī is the following: oṃ arapacana dhīḥ.
The Tibetan language has its script, which it shares with Ladakhi and Dzongkha, and which is derived from the ancient Indian Brāhmī script. That Dalai Lama has become the spiritual representative of all Tibetans, has been established through Altan Qan often misspelled as Khan.
In 1841 Maharaja Ranjit Singh traveled to Tibet to establish dharma, and while returning, built his fort in Ladakh. The Treaty of Chushul established Sikh rule in Ladakh. Many Hindu temples came up along with Gurudwaras.
Manjushri is depicted as a male bodhisattva, saffron in colour, seated in vajra (meditation) position. In his right hand he holds the sword of wisdom- prajna khadga, destroying the darkness of ignorance with the luminous rays emanating out of it, and severing duality with its blade. In his left hand he holds the stem of a utpala (blue lotus), atop of this blossoming lotus sits the prajnaparamita sutra (book of wisdom), representing his attainment of ultimate realisation from the blossoming of wisdom. He is draped in silk garments and adorned with fine jewellery, a crown and earrings.
Manjushri has incarnated in many forms, orange, green, blue, white, four-armed, or sitting on a lion. He has come as wrathful protectors like Yamantaka, Kalarup, 4-face Mahakala, black Manjushri, Manju Ghosa ,and many more.The mantra most commonly associated with Manjushri is: oṃ arapacana dhīḥ and is recited to develop the qualities of Manjushri: wisdom, eloquence, memory ,and language skills. Read more about Meaning and Benefits of the Manjushri Mantra.
Guru Rinpoche (the Precious Guru), also known as Guru Padmasambhava (Lotus born), is a seminal figure in Buddhism, instrumental in the establishment of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th Century CE. Praying to Guru Rinpoche is believed to help in the development of inner power, and the removal of bad karma and suffering.
The names Majughoṣa and Majuśrī are synonyms for the same figure, although there are sometimes slight iconographic differences between them in Buddhist art. In Sanskrit maju means: "beautiful, lovely, charming, pleasent, sweet"; while ghoṣa means "voice", while śrī has a range of meanings taking in "light, lustre, radiance; properity, welfare, good fortune, success, auspciousness; high rank, royalty". So Majughoṣa can mean Beautiful Speech, and Majuśrī might be translated as Lovely Prince, or Beautiful Radiance, etc.
He is sometimes known as Arapacana Majuśrī after his mantra (in the Majuśrīnāmasaṃgitī for instance) which is also known as the Arapacana Mantra - see below. Another name he goes by is Vagiśvara or Lord of Speech.
The middle part of the mantra consists of the first five syllables of what is most likely the Gāndhārī alphabet - it is clearly not Sanskrit which has quite a different order. I have written a short essay on the Arapacana alphabet on my blog. I'm unsure about the oṃ and dhīḥ, the first of which especially, seems to frame it as part of the general Mahayana Dhāraṇī cult. dhīḥ is strongly associated with the Prajāpāramita tradition, but I haven't explored the nature of the connection yet. One source of the alphabet is the Pacaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajāpāramita Sutra, The Perfection of Wisdom in 25,000 lines, which Conze translates in his book The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom which sets out the following meanings for the first syllables:
In artworks of Tibetan Buddhism Buddha is often depicted together with Majuśrī, who represents the transcendental wisdom of Bodhisattva, at his right hand and Maitreya, the future Buddha, on his left.