The name of one of the eight nāga kings who obey the eight deities in Gaṇapati’s nine-section maṇḍala.
The name of a yakṣa king.
A phrase describing the mantra syllable hā in the “presentation of mantra” (Tib. sngags btu ba; Skt. mantroddhāra) in The Tantra of Great Gaṇapati.
The name of one of the eight nāga kings who obey the eight deities in Gaṇapati’s nine-section maṇḍala.
The name of Gaṇapati’s consort. Lit. “the light-maker.”
One of the eight supreme flavors. Also one of the six tastes of the Āyurveda and Tibetan medical traditions.
A phrase describing the mantra syllable hūṁ in the “selection of mantra syllables” (Tib. sngags btu ba; Skt. mantroddhāra) instructions in The Tantra of Great Gaṇapati.
One of the three humors (doṣa) in the Āyurveda medical tradition.
A term for the depiction of the superscribed nasal anusvāra.
One of the eight supreme flavors. Also one of the six tastes of the Āyurveda and Tibetan medical traditions.
A member of the highest of the four castes in Indian society, which is closely associated with religious vocations.
The term for the consonant classes of the Sanskrit alphabet.
The name of a deity in the southwest section of Gaṇapati’s maṇḍala.
A term for the first phase of the waxing moon.
The name of a form of Vināyaka, a form of Gaṇapati.
One of the four great kings who guard the cardinal directions.
Dromtön Gyalwé Jungné (1004/5–1064) was one of Atiśa’s Tibetan disciples and a founding patriarch of the Kadampa school.
In The Tantra of Great Gaṇapati this term signifies a group of eight beings that are emanated in the initial phase of the generation stage yoga before being gathered and subsumed into the syllable hūṁ and manifesting Gaṇapati.
The eight supreme flavors are bitter (Tib. kha, Skt. tikta), sour (skyur, āmla), astringent (bska ba, kaṣāya), sweet (mngar, madhura), spicy (tsha, kaṭuka), and salty (lan tshwa, lavaṇa), juicy (bzhun), and exceedingly savory (bro mchog che ba). The first six on this list constitute a known list of “flavors” or “tastes” that are common to the Āyurvedic and Tibetan medical systems. The Tibetan terms for the last two members of the list are obscure and only tentatively translated here.
A female of the class of serpentine spirit beings (Tib. klu Skt. nāga), who are often the target of rituals for bringing (or stopping) rain.
A phrase describing the mantra syllable phaṭ in the “selection of mantra syllables” (Tib. sngags btu ba; Skt. mantroddhāra) instructions in The Tantra of Great Gaṇapati.
A phrase describing a mantra syllable in the “selection of mantra syllables” (Tib. sngags btu ba; Skt. mantroddhāra) instructions in The Tantra of Great Gaṇapati.
The name for the troops or classes of lower deities and beings, particularly those considered attendants of the god Śiva over whom Ganeśa (lit. “Lord of the Gaṇas”) has control.
Gaṇeśa or Gaṇapati, both of which mean “lord of gaṇas” are names of the elephant headed deity, where gaṇa refer to his communities of followers.
A phrase describing the mantra syllable oṃ.
An epithet of the elephant headed deity Gaṇapati.
An epithet of the elephant headed deity Gaṇapati.
An epithet of the elephant headed deity Gaṇapati.
Lit. “Great Remover,” an epithet of the elephant headed deity Gaṇapati.
A mantra that can be used to impel or incite beings to perform a particular action.
A type of bird.
A maṇḍala that is used to perform the ritual action of killing.
A mantra that is used to perform the ritual action of killing.
An epithet for Curved Trunk Vināyaka.
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
The name of one of the eight nāga kings who obey the eight deities in Gaṇapati’s nine-section maṇḍala.
A round sweet ball. The Tantra of Great Gaṇapati describes a laḍḍu as a type of food containing the three sweets and the three fruits that is sprinkled with a delicious fragrance, rolled into a ball, and boiled in milk and butter.
A phrase describing a mantra syllable in the “selection of mantra syllables” (Tib. sngags btu ba; Skt. mantroddhāra) instructions in The Tantra of Great Gaṇapati.
Often an alternate name for the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Lokeśvara, literally meaning “lord of the world,” can also be a general epithet for a number of bodhisattvas and is also commonly used as a name for more localized protector deities.
The name of a yakṣa king.
An epithet of Vināyaka, a form of Gaṇapati.
An epithet for Rudra.
The name of a deity in Gaṇapati’s maṇḍala.
An epithet for both Vāyu and Varuṇa.
A particularly auspicious time that is marked by the moon passing through the constellation puṣya.
A wrathful form of Śiva.
tshogs kyi bdag po chen po’i rgyud (Mahāganapatitantra). Toh 666, Degé Kangyur vol. 91 (rgyud ’bum, ba), folios 193.a–199.a.
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Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
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