Vimalprabha Tika Part 02

The provided text is the second volume of the Vimalaprabha Tika, a commentary by Kalkin Sri Pundarika on the Sri Laghukalacakratantraraja, which was composed by Srimanjusriyasash. This volume, published by the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath, Varanasi, in 1994, is part of a Rare Buddhist Texts Research Project. It focuses on the third (Abhisekapatala) and fourth (Sadhana pafala) chapters of the Kalacakra Tantra.

Key Information and Content:

• Authorship and Editorship:
  • Chief Editor: Samdhong Rinpoche
  • Editors: Vrajavallabh Dwivedi, S. S. Bahulkar
  • Co-Editors: Janardan Pandey, Banarsi Lal, Thinlay Ram, Shashoi Thakur, Sain Negi, Tashi Samphel, Vijay Raj Vajracharya.
• Publication: First Edition: 550 copies, 1994. Published by Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, Varanasi.
• Context: This volume continues the critical edition of the Vimalaprabha Tika, following the methodology established in the first volume. The first volume covered the first and second chapters (Patalas) of the Kalacakra Tantra.
• Source Material: The edition was prepared with the assistance of six Sanskrit manuscripts and the Tibetan translation of the Kalacakra Tantra. Dr. Biswanath Banerjee's 1985 critical edition of the Kalacakra Tantra from Calcutta was also consulted for refining the original verses.
• Project Background: The Rare Buddhist Texts Research Project was initiated under the directorship of the late Prof. Jagannath Upadhyaya, who conceived the project during his Nehru Fellowship. His untimely demise significantly impacted the project, but his colleagues and team members continued the work rigorously.
• Content of Volume II: This volume presents the third and fourth Patalas of the Kalacakra Tantra along with the Vimalaprabha Tika.
  • Patala III (Abhisekapatala): This chapter deals with initiation (abhiseka) and aims at the purification of sentient beings (sattvasodhana). It details various rites, including mandala instructions, examination of teachers and disciples, initiation rituals, consecration of deities, and various practices related to mandalas.
  • Patala IV (Sadhana pafala): This chapter focuses on practice (sadhana) and includes meditation on the mandala, leading the aspirant to mundane siddhis. It covers rites for purification, generation of deities, the six-fold Yoga (sadanga yoga), and various sadhanas.
• Structure of the Kalacakra Tantra: The entire Kalacakra Tantra is divided into five Patalas, containing 1047 verses in the Sragdhara metre. The VP itself enumerates five Patalas. The five Patalas are described as:
  1. Lokadhatupatala (Describing the "recoptacle realm")
  2. Adhyatmapatala (Describing the "sentient realm")
  3. Abhisekapatala (Describing initiation for purification of sentient beings)
  4. Sadhana pafala (Describing practice, including mandala meditation for mundane siddhis)
  5. Janapatala (Describing supreme knowledge - paramak sarajnana)
• Sections and Topics: The five Patalas are further divided into 32 sections (sangrahas) and 81 topics (sthana), which the Vimalaprabha states represent the Lord's nature.
• Specific Contents of Volume II: The introduction and table of contents detail the specific subsections within the third and fourth Patalas, covering rites, rituals, deity consecration, meditation practices, and various philosophical and practical instructions related to the Kalacakra Tantra. The text is highly technical and provides detailed instructions on mandalas, rituals, and tantric practices.

In essence, Volume II of the Vimalaprabha Tika is a scholarly critical edition and publication of significant portions of the Kalacakra Tantra and its commentary, offering in-depth insights into the rituals, practices, and philosophical underpinnings of this important Buddhist tantric tradition.