Golden Light Sutra

1निदानपरिवर्तः
nidānaparivartaḥ

सुवर्णप्रभाससूत्रम्
suvarṇaprabhāsasūtram

॥ सुवर्णप्रभासोत्तमसूत्रेन्द्रराजः॥
|| suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājaḥ ||
॥ निदानपरिवर्तः॥

ॐ नमः श्रीसर्वबुद्धबोधिसत्त्वेभ्यः।
om namaḥ śrīsarvabuddhabodhisattvebhyaḥ |
ॐ नमः श्रीभगवत्यै आर्यप्रज्ञापारमितायै॥
तद्यथा। ॐ श्रुतिस्मृतिगतिविजये स्वाहा॥
om namaḥ śrībhagavatyai āryaprajñāpāramitāyai ||
tadyathā | om śrutismṛtigativijaye svāhā ||
यस्मिन् पारमिता दशोत्तमगुणास्तैस्तैर्नयैः सूचिताः
yasmin pāramitā daśottamaguṇāstaistairnayaiḥ sūcitāḥ
सर्वज्ञेन जगद्धिताय दश च प्रख्यापिता भूमयः।
sarvajñena jagaddhitāya daśa ca prakhyāpitā bhūmayaḥ
उच्छेदध्रुववर्जिता च विमला प्रोक्ता गतिर्मध्यमा
ucchedadhruvavarjitā ca vimalā proktā gatirmadhyamā
तत्सूत्रं स्वर्णप्रभानिगदितं शृण्वन्तु बोध्यर्थिनः॥
tatsūtraṁ svarṇaprabhānigaditaṁ śṛṇvantu bodhyarthinaḥ ||
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श्रुतं मयैकसमये गृध्रकूटे तथागतः॥
śrutaṁ mayaikasamaye gṛdhrakūṭe tathāgataḥ ||
विजहार धर्मधातौ गम्भीरे बुद्धगोचरे॥ १॥
vijahāra dharmadhātau gambhīre buddhagocare || 1 ||
बोधिसत्त्वसमुच्चयया महाकुलदेवतया, सरस्वत्या च महादेवतया, श्रिया च महादेवतया, दृढया च महापृथिवीदेवतया, हारीत्या च महादेवतया,
bodhisattvasamuccayayā mahākuladevatayā, sarasvatyā ca mahādevatayā, śriyā ca mahādevatayā, dṛḍhayā ca mahāpṛthivīdevatayā, hārītyā ca mahādevatayā,
एवं प्रमुखाभिर्महादेवताभिरनेकदेवनागयक्षराक्षसगन्धर्वासुरगरुडकिन्नरमहोरगमनुष्यामनुष्यैः सार्धम्। अथायुष्मानानन्दो भगवन्तमेतदवोचत्।
किं तासां भगवन्धर्मविनयं भविष्यतीति ?
evaṁ pramukhābhirmahādevatābhiranekadevanāgayakṣarākṣasagandharvāsuragaruḍakinnaramahoragamanuṣyāmanuṣyaiḥ sārdham |
athāyuṣmānānando bhagavantametadavocat |
kiṁ tāsāṁ bhagavandharmavinayaṁ bhaviṣyatīti ?

Thus I have heard at one time:
The Tathagata, entering buddhas’ domain
Of experience, the profound sphere of reality,
At Vulture Peak expounded
To the supreme bodhisattvas,
Who were pure and stainless,
This King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light,
Which is extremely profound upon hearing
And profound upon examination.

भगवानाह गाथाभिः। भावनं च न दुःपृच्छया विरजस्कं समाधिं धर्मसारं प्रतिष्ठितम्।
bhagavānāha gāthābhiḥ | bhāvanaṁ ca na duḥpṛcchayā virajaskaṁ samādhiṁ dharmasāraṁ pratiṣṭhitam |

शुद्धेषु विरजस्केषु बोधिसत्त्वोत्तमेषु च।
śuddheṣu virajaskeṣu bodhisattvottameṣu ca |

निदानं सूत्रराजेन्द्रं स्वर्णप्रभासोत्तममिदम्॥ २॥
nidānaṁ sūtrarājendraṁ svarṇaprabhāsottamamidam || 2 ||

ततो गम्भीरश्रवणेन गम्भीरव्युपपरीक्षणेन।
tato gambhīraśravaṇena gambhīravyupaparīkṣaṇena |

दिक्षु चतसृषु बुद्धैरधिष्ठानमधिष्ठितम्॥ ३॥
dikṣu catasṛṣu buddhairadhiṣṭhānamadhiṣṭhitam || 3 |

अक्षोभ्यराजः पूर्वस्मिन्दक्षिणे रत्नकेतुना।
akṣobhyarājaḥ pūrvasmindakṣiṇe ratnaketunā |

पश्चिमायाममिताभ उत्तरे दुन्दुभिस्वरः॥ ४॥
paścimāyāmamitābha uttare dundubhisvaraḥ || 4 ||

The buddhas in the four directions
Confer their blessings: blessings
From Akshobhya in the east, Ratnaketu in the south,
Amitabha in the west and Dundubhisvara in the north.

तं प्रवक्ष्याम्यधिष्ठानं माङ्गल्यदेशनोत्तमम्।
taṁ pravakṣyāmyadhiṣṭhānaṁ māṅgalyadeśanottamam |
सर्वपापविनाशार्थं सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्॥ ५॥
sarvapāpavināśārthaṁ sarvapāpakṣayaṁkaram || 5 ||
सर्वसौख्यप्रदातारं सर्वदुःखविनाशनम्।
sarvasaukhyapradātāraṁ sarvaduḥkhavināśanam |
मूलं सर्वज्ञतत्त्वस्य सर्वश्रीसमलङ्कृतम्॥ ६॥
mūlaṁ sarvajñatattvasya sarvaśrīsamalaṅkṛtam || 6 ||
उपहतेन्द्रिया ये हि सत्त्वा नष्टा हतायुषः।
upahatendriyā ye hi sattvā naṣṭā hatāyuṣaḥ |
In order to extinguish all unwholesome deeds
I will proclaim this auspicious sublime discourse
That exhausts all negative karma,
Grants all peace and happiness,
Completely eliminates suffering,
Which is adorned with all that is glorious And is the foundation of omniscience.

अलक्ष्म्या परिविष्टा हि देवतासु पराङ्मुखाः॥ ७॥
alakṣmyā pariviṣṭā hi devatāsu parāṅmukhāḥ || 7 ||
कान्तया ते जना द्विष्टाः कुटुम्बादिष्वपद्रुताः।
kāntayā te janā dviṣṭāḥ kuṭumbādiṣvapadrutāḥ |

Granting blessings, this I shall explain.
Sentient beings whose senses are defective,
Whose life expectancy has ended or is fading,
Whom the gods have turned against,
Who are burdened by misfortune,
Hated by their loved ones,
Or oppressed as household servants,
In conflict with one another,
Afflicted with decline in material wealth,

परस्परविरुद्धा वा अर्थनाशैरुपद्रुताः॥ ८॥
parasparaviruddhā vā arthanāśairupadrutāḥ || 8 ||
शोकायासेष्वनर्थे च भये व्यसन एव च।
śokāyāseṣvanarthe ca bhaye vyasana eva ca |

Grief-stricken and miserable,
Ridden with fear and stricken by poverty,

ग्रहनक्षत्रपीडायां काखोर्ददारुणग्रहैः॥ ९॥
grahanakṣatrapīḍāyāṁ kākhordadāruṇagrahaiḥ || 9 ||

Troubled by stars, planetary bodies
And fierce demonic spirits,

पापकं पश्यति स्वप्नं शोकायाससमुच्छ्रितम्।
pāpakaṁ paśyati svapnaṁ śokāyāsasamucchritam |

Or who see excruciating nightmares
Following grief and fatigue,

तेन च स्नानशुचिना श्रोतव्यं सूत्रमुत्तमम्॥ १०॥
tena ca snānaśucinā śrotavyaṁ sūtramuttamam || 10 ||

They should bathe well to render themselves clean
And listen to this sublime sutra.

शृण्वन्ति य इदं सूत्रं गम्भीरं बुद्धगोचरम्।
śṛṇvanti ya idaṁ sūtraṁ gambhīraṁ buddhagocaram |
प्रसन्नचित्ताः सुमनसः शुचिवस्त्रैरलङ्कृताः॥ ११॥
prasannacittāḥ sumanasaḥ śucivastrairalaṅkṛtāḥ || 11 ||
तेषां सर्वे तथा नित्यमुपसर्गाः सुदारुणाः।
teṣāṁ sarve tathā nityamupasargāḥ sudāruṇāḥ |
तेजसा चास्य सूत्रस्य शाम्यन्ते सर्वप्राणिनाम्॥ १२॥
tejasā cāsya sūtrasya śāmyante sarvaprāṇinām || 12 ||

Should those with virtuous intent and pure mind
Adorn themselves well in clean garments,
Then listen to this sutra on the profound,
The domain of buddhas’ experience,
Through the awe-inspiring power of this sutra,
The suffering of all creatures –
The likes of which cannot be endured –
Will be forever pacified.

स्वयं ते लोकपालाश्च सामात्याः सगणेश्वराः
svayaṁ te lokapālāśca sāmātyāḥ sagaṇeśvarāḥ |

Protection will be offered to them
By the guardians of the world, Their ministers and army chiefs,

तेषां रक्षां करिष्यन्ति ह्यनेकैर्यक्षकोटिभिः॥ १३॥
teṣāṁ rakṣāṁ kariṣyanti hyanekairyakṣakoṭibhiḥ || 13 ||
Tens of thousands of millions of yakshas,

सरस्वती महादेवी तथा नैरञ्जनवासिनी।
sarasvatī mahādevī tathā nairañjanavāsinī |

The great goddess Sarasvati,
And the goddess who dwells in the Nairanjana,

हारीती भूतमाता च दृढा पृथिवीदेवता॥ १४॥
hārītī bhūtamātā ca dṛḍhā pṛthivīdevatā || 14 ||

By Hariti, mother of bhutas,
The earth goddess Drdha,

ब्रह्मेन्द्रैस्त्रिदशेन्द्रैश्च महर्द्धिकिन्नरेश्वरैः।
brahmendraistridaśendraiśca maharddhikinnareśvaraiḥ |

By the Brahma kings and kings of the Thirty-Three,
The powerful kings of serpents,
Kings of kinnaras and kings of asuras,

गरुडेन्द्रैस्तथा सार्धं यक्षगन्धर्वपन्नगैः॥ १५॥
garuḍendraistathā sārdhaṁ yakṣagandharvapannagaiḥ || 15 ||
Likewise by the kings of garudas.

ते च तत्रोपसंक्रम्य ससैन्यबलवाहनाः।
te ca tatropasaṁkramya sasainyabalavāhanāḥ |
तेषां रक्षां करिष्यन्ति दिवारात्रौ समाहिताः॥ १६॥
teṣāṁ rakṣāṁ kariṣyanti divārātrau samāhitāḥ || 16 ||

They, with their clans and might will arrive,
Along with their mounts,
And unfailingly day and night,
Offer protection to beings.

इदं सूत्रं प्रकाशिष्ये गम्भीरं बुद्धगोचरम्।
idaṁ sūtraṁ prakāśiṣye gambhīraṁ buddhagocaram |
रहस्यं सर्वबुद्धानां दुर्लभं कल्पकोटिभिः॥ १७॥
rahasyaṁ sarvabuddhānāṁ durlabhaṁ kalpakoṭibhiḥ || 17 ||

I will clearly expound this sutra on the profound,
The domain of buddhas’ experience,
The secret of all buddhas,
Difficult to find in tens of millions of eons.

शृण्वन्ति य इदं सूत्रं ये चान्ये श्रावयन्ति च।
śṛṇvanti ya idaṁ sūtraṁ ye cānye śrāvayanti ca |

Those who hear this sutra,
Those who cause others to hear it,

ये केचिदनुमोदन्ते ये च पूजां करोन्ति हि॥ १८॥
ye kecidanumodante ye ca pūjāṁ karonti hi || 18 ||

Those who rejoice upon hearing
And make offerings to it,

ते पूजिता भविष्यन्ति ह्यनेकैः कल्पकोटिभिः।
te pūjitā bhaviṣyanti hyanekaiḥ kalpakoṭibhiḥ |
देवनागमनुष्यैश्च किन्नरासुरगुह्यकैः॥ १९॥
devanāgamanuṣyaiśca kinnarāsuraguhyakaiḥ || 19 ||

For tens of millions of eons
Shall be venerated by gods and nagas,
Humans and kinnaras,
Asuras and yakshas.

पुण्यस्कन्धमपर्यन्तमसंख्येयमचिन्तितम्।
puṇyaskandhamaparyantamasaṁkhyeyamacintitam |
यत्तेषां प्रसृतं भोति कृतपुण्यान प्राणिनाम्॥ २०॥
yatteṣāṁ prasṛtaṁ bhoti kṛtapuṇyāna prāṇinām || 20 ||

For beings without merit,
The store of their merit
Will grow into a limitless,
Incalculable, inconceivable mass.

प्रगृहीता भविष्यन्ति सर्वबुद्धैर्दिशो दश।
pragṛhītā bhaviṣyanti sarvabuddhairdiśo daśa |

गम्भीरचरितेभिश्च बोधिसत्त्वैस्तथैव च॥ २१॥
gambhīracaritebhiśca bodhisattvaistathaiva ca || 21 ||
Fiercely they will be protected
By buddhas in the ten directions;
Likewise, also by bodhisattvas
Engaged in the profound.

चौक्षचीवरप्रावृत्य सुगन्धजलपावनैः।
caukṣacīvaraprāvṛtya sugandhajalapāvanaiḥ |

Clad in clean garments,
Wearing well-perfumed clothes,

मैत्रीचित्तं समुत्थाप्य पूजितव्यमतन्द्रितैः॥ २२॥
maitrīcittaṁ samutthāpya pūjitavyamatandritaiḥ || 22 ||

Possessing a mind firm with love,
Without distraction, one should honor this sutra.

विपुलं विमलं चित्तमात्मानं प्रकरिष्यति।
vipulaṁ vimalaṁ cittamātmānaṁ prakariṣyati |
प्रसादयंश्च चेतांसि शृणुध्वं सूत्रमुत्तमम्॥ २३॥
prasādayaṁśca cetāṁsi śṛṇudhvaṁ sūtramuttamam || 23 ||

Render the mind spotless,
Put forth effort to make it expansive
And intensely clear,
Then listen to this sublime sutra.

स्वागतं च मनुष्येषु सुलब्धं मनुषं फलम्।
svāgataṁ ca manuṣyeṣu sulabdhaṁ manuṣaṁ phalam |
सुजीविताश्च जीवन्ति सूत्रं शृण्वन्ति ये त्विदम्॥ २४॥
sujīvitāśca jīvanti sūtraṁ śṛṇvanti ye tvidam || 24 ||

Those who listen to this sutra
Will be acclaimed among humans,
Attain an excellent human existence
And live a life of comfort.

उप्तकुशलमूलास्ते बहुबुद्धप्रकाशिताः।
uptakuśalamūlāste bahubuddhaprakāśitāḥ |
येषामिदं कर्णपुटे देशितं संप्रविश्यतीति॥ २५॥
yeṣāmidaṁ karṇapuṭe deśitaṁ saṁpraviśyatīti || 25 ||

Those into whose ears
This sublime discourse is echoed,
Will have merit roots refined
And numerous buddhas will extol them

इति श्रीसुवर्णप्रभासोत्तमसूत्रेन्द्रराजे
iti śrīsuvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarāje

निदानपरिवर्त्तो नाम प्रथमः॥
nidānaparivartto nāma prathamaḥ ||