Love me for the Sake of the World: “Goddess Songs” in Tantric Buddhist Ma ṇḍ ala Rituals

: The presence of Apabhra ṃ ś a in tantric Buddhist texts has long been noted by scholars, overwhelmingly explained away as an example of “Twilight language” ( sa ṃ dhā - bhā ṣ ā ). However, when one looks closer at the vast number of Apabhra ṃ ś a verses in this canon, one finds recurring patterns, themes, and even tropes. This begs for deeper study, as well as establishing a taxonomy of these verses based on their place and use. This paper focuses on a specific subset of Apabhra ṃ ś a verses: “goddess songs” in ma ṇḍ ala visualization rituals. These verses are sung by yoginī s at specific moments in esoteric Buddhist ritual syntax; while the sādhaka is absorbed in enstatic emptiness, four yoginī s call out to him with sexually charged appeals, begging him to return to the world and honor their commitments to all sentient beings. When juxtaposed with other Apabhra ṃ ś a verses in tantric Buddhist texts, these songs express an immediacy and intimacy that stands out in both form and content from the surrounding text. This essay argues that Apabhra ṃ ś a is a conscious stylistic choice for signaling intimate and esoteric passages in tantric literature, and so the vast number of Apabhra ṃ ś a verses in this corpus should be reexamined in this light.

Davidson notes that these tantric traditions arose within multilingual and more importantly multiglossic communities, who were able to navigate between different language registers in different contexts (Davidson 2002, pp. 269-77). In a later article, Davidson considers the historical evidence for non-sectarian magicians and sorcerers, whose traditions were appropriated by later sectarian tantric groups, which is significant in the current context for the tantalizing yet somewhat ambiguous evidence associating them with registers of Prakrit (Davidson 2017, pp. 19-20, 27). 9 Wedemeyer 2013, pp. 171, 3-5, 184. 10 Wedemeyer 2013, p. 184, Pollock 2006 Diglossia differs from bilingualism in that diglossia refers to the use of different languages for different purposes, whereas bilingualism does not. 12 This pairing of language register with esoteric content also occurs in tantric Śaiva texts. In the tantric Śaiva Siddhayogeśvarīmata, Törzsök notes that "the more the language of the text differs from the classical Sanskrit of the orthodox, the more esoteric its teaching is" (Törzsök 1999, p. ii). 13 Isaacson 2007, p. 301. 14 As Tanemura explains, the Guhyasamāja Tantra builds off the material of the Sarvatathāgatattvasaṃgraha, itself translated into Chinese in 723 CE (Tanemura 2015, p. 327).
interpret the tantras as a whole. 15 Furthermore, the Guhysamāja Tantra in particular is important for introducing transgressive sexual and alimentary practices into tantric Buddhist traditions.
The relevant verses in the Guhyasamāja Tantra are located in the seventeenth chapter, which, as Matsunaga notes, was probably appended after the composition of the first twelve chapters. 16 These verses (17.72-5) model similar passages in later texts in terms of content as well as the broader ritual syntax and context. They occur after an extended passage of dialogue between the assembled Bodhisattvas and Buddhas concerning the secret mantra syllables, after which all of the assembled Bodhisattvas fall silent while the Buddhas "dwell in the vajra wombs of the consorts of Body, Speech, and Mind of all Buddhas." 17 While the Buddhas are dwelling in emptiness in this way, a group of four goddesses call out to the Buddha Vajradhara with verse: Immediately after these verses, the Tathāgata Vajrapāṇi enters a samādhi, and then enters into union with the consort of all Buddhas. The entire universe becomes permeated with the seed of the Vajra 15 Thurman [1988Thurman [ ] 1993. 16 Matsunaga 1978, p. xxix. 17 atha te sarve bodhisattvāḥ tūṣṇīṃ vyavasthitā abhūvan | atha bhagavantaḥ sarvatathāgatāḥ sarvatathāgatakāyavākcittavajrayoṣidbhageṣu vijahāra | Matsunaga 1978, p. 109. Translations mine. 18 Matsunaga 1978, p. 110. Translations mine. pledges (samaya); the body, speech, and mind of all Buddhas. Ultimately, all beings are consecrated as Samantabhadra (Samantabhadra being the primordial Buddha in this esoteric tradition). 19 It is significant that this passage resembles a visionary sādhanā, particularly when compared to a similar passage in the Kālacakra Tantra and its commentary, the Vimalaprabhā. The Kālacakra Tantra is particularly significant for being the last Buddhist tantra of its class composed in India (early 11 th century). 20 Furthermore, the Vimalaprabhā was so influential that it "served as the basis for all subsequent commentarial literature of that literary corpus." 21 The relevant verses appear in the fourth chapter, on sādhanā. The Vimalaprabhā divides this chapter into five "subchapters" (Skt: uddeśa, "explanation"), and we will focus on the third uddeśa, "The Origination of the Deities of Prāṇa." 22 The section begins with a quotation from the Kālacakra Tantra This verse has many of the motifs we will see in the following texts, particularly where the goddesses sing out to the vajrin after seeing him "melted." In response, these lustful goddesses attempt to draw him out of his enstatic dissolution, by appealing to his Buddhist "ego." Furthermore, the Vimalaprabhā contextualizes this verse by citing other explicit verses from the "mūla tantra", which illustrate the themes from the Guhyasamāja verses, as well as the other texts, discussed below: locanā 'haṃ jaganmātā niṣyande yogināṃ sthitā | me maṇḍalasvabhāvena kālacakrottha kāma mām || I am Locanā, the mother of the world, present in the yogīs' emission. O Protector of the world, whose intention is to deliver the world, perceiving an empty maṇḍala, expand the maṇḍalas of the body, speech, and mind. 26 In these latter verses, there are numerous similarities with the verses from the Guhyasamāja Tantra. However, the sexual appeals of the yoginīs are supplemented with pleas for the Buddha Kālacakra, to emit the maṇḍalas and thus finish the sādhanā. In the following texts, these appeals also include an appeal for the sādhaka to remember his vows of compassion for all sentient beings. Both of these texts, the Guhyasamāja Tantra and Kālacakra Tantra, bracket in both dating and content late Indian anuttarayoga 27 tantric Buddhist textual production. While the verses from the Guhyasamāja Tantra serve as the prototype for the Apabhraṃśa verses discussed in the remainder of this paper, the Kālacakra Tantra (and Vimalaprabhā) explicitly contextualizes them within the context of sādhanā. Specifically, these verses occur in the "creation stage" (Skt: utpattikrama) sadhana, where the practitioner recreates himself in the image of the text's tutelary deity. After the practitioner dissolves into emptiness, the four goddesses call out to the sādhaka to arise out of this slumber, desire them, and complete the sādhanā. This ritual syntactic trope is underscored throughout the balance of this paper, with similar themes and vocabulary in the Apabhraṃśa verses. This begs the question: if this motif is commonplace in tantric Buddhist ritual syntax with Sanskrit exemplars, why are the verses in the following texts composed in Apabhraṃśa? This question will be revisited at the end of this paper.
After these verses, the practitioner concludes the remainder of the ritual. These verses are clearly modelled on the verses sung by yoginīs in the Guhyasamāja Tantra; they both consist of four yoginīs or goddesses making sexual appeals to the tantric Buddha; however they also share with the Kālacakra Tantra the additional appeals to the Buddha to finish their practice. Furthermore, these verses all appear in various Hevajra sādhanās. In all five surviving sādhanās of Saroruha's (Saraha's) Hevajra lineage, these Goddess' songs are all included or mentioned, along with other important Apabhraṃśa verses, in the Hevajra Tantra. 40 These Goddess' songs also appear in Ratnākaraśānti's Bhramaharanāma Hevajrasādhana and in an ancillary sādhanā in the Kṛṣṇayamāri Tantra. 41 In his commentary on Ratnākaraśānti's text, Isaacson notes that the language choice for these Goddess' songs is standard in the Yoginī tantra tradition, observing that "this should probably be seen as related to the concept in the Śaiva tradition of Apabhraṃśa as the language of direct, intense, mystical revelation by the yoginīs, and perhaps also simply to the fact that women (and particularly women supposed to be of lower social status) would have been not normally expected to speak Sanskrit." 42 Isaacson is certainly correct, and is probably referring to the Krama Mahānayaprakāśa of Śitikaṇṭha, and perhaps also the Mahārthamañjarī. It is also notable that Apabhraṃśa verses appear in Abhinavagupta's Tantrasāra and Parātrīśika-vivaraṇa. 43 There does seem to be a connection, underscored by the persistent choice of Apabhraṃśa for these Goddess songs in the following texts. i.e., the Hevajrasādhanopāyikā (Gerloff 2017, pp. 103-4, 111-14); As an explanatory sadhana, the Vajrapradīpā provides a Sanskrit gloss and commentary on these verses (Gerloff 2017, pp. 217-19, 364-65). Furthermore, the Vajrapradīpā also contains more Apabhraṃśa verses sung by yoginīs (Locanā and others), unattested in the Hevajra Tantra, listed under a "mudraṇam" section (Gerloff 2017, pp. 234-35, 375). The verses from the Hevajra Tantra do not appear explicitly in the Dveṣavajrasādhana; however, they are mentioned in passing (Gerloff 2017, p. 417). The mudraṇam verses, however, appear here (Gerloff 2017, pp. 424, 455). The verses from the Hevajra Tantra also appear in the Hevajraprakāśa (Gerloff 2017, pp. 498, 647-50), as well as the mudraṇam verses (Gerloff 2017, pp. 513, 665). These verses are absent from the Hevajra sādhanā in the Sādhanāmālā, however the sādhanā includes two dohās from Saraha's dohākoṣa (Bhattacharyya 1928, pp. 381-84) (Bhayani 1997, p. 49 Isaacson 2007, p. 301. 43 These texts are particularly noteworthy, since these verses are cited as capstones at the end of the texts' chapters and passages, similar to the Buddhakapāla Tantra. E.g., Shastri 1918, pp. 7, 9, 19, 20, 33, 44, 62, 68, 91 (Tantrasāra). From the Sanskrit text of the Parātrīśika-vivaraṇa in Singh's translation and edition: e.g., Singh 1988, pp. 7, 22-23, 32, 38, 75.

The Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra
A similar pattern occurs in the Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra. The Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra is a comparatively late Yoginī tantra composed centuries after the Hevajra Tantra, probably in late 13th century Nepal. 44 The relevant Apabhraṃśa passages in this text occur in the fourth chapter, the "deity" chapter. Here, the Buddha Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa describes the maṇḍala ritual, and how, after having visualized oneself as Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, one should visualize eight yoginīs surrounding him. After hearing these verses, 47 "as if in a dream" (svapneneva idaṃ śrutvā), the practitioner awakens and then runs to each yoginī in turn, and makes love to them while visualizing himself in different forms. Ultimately, the practitioner dissolves the entire maṇḍala and self-affirms his accomplishment in his practice. 48 As in the maṇḍala ritual in the Hevajra Tantra, here the practitioner undertakes preparatory visualizations, and the yoginīs sing out to him to draw him out of his enstatic dream. After hearing these songs, the practitioner finishes the ritual, and by attaining the form of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa he has finished creation-stage practice. 46 George 1974, p. 61. George's translations have been edited in places. 47 One particularly notable element of these verses is their phonology. In contrast to the verses from the Hevajra Tantra and the other verses quoted in this paper, these verses from the Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra strictly adhere to the phonological rules of Śaurasenī Prakrit/Apabhraṃśa. In particular, the distinctions between sibilants are respected; the term "śunnasahāva" in the second pāda of the first verse is a clear smoking gun. In contrast, the verses from the Hevajra Tantra attest the term "sunnasabhāvaḍā" in the third pāda of the second verse, while the Abhayapaddhati and Buddhakapāla sādhanā have "suṇasahāva" in the second pāda of the fourth verse. This is noteworthy because all of these texts originated broadly within Northeastern India and Nepal, where Gauḍī phonological features predominate (one of the hallmarks of Gauḍī and modern-day languages from this area is non-distinction and flux between sibilants). Given the Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra's Nepali provenance, this strict adherence to the phonological rules of Śaurasenī is peculiar and distinguishes it from the other texts considered in this essay. 48 George 1974, p. 62.

The Buddhakapāla Tantra
The following verses occur in texts associated with the Buddhakapāla Tantra. 49 In the commentary, the Abhayapaddhati, these verses appear in the seventh chapter, called the "Generation of Heruka and his maṇḍala" (maṇḍala-herukotpatti-bhāvanā-ākhyā). 50 Furthermore the same verses also occur in a similar maṇḍala ritual in the Sādhanāmālā. The seventh chapter of the Abhayapaddhati is a long description and explication of this maṇḍala ritual. After an extended passage, we reach the trope and motif of dissolving into emptiness, described as a liquid. Then out of this liquid, four trembling goddesses (sphuritāś catasro devyaḥ), observing the Lord (prabhum apaśyantyaḥ), with concern for His various previous vows (pūrva-praṇidhi-veśeṣa-āpekṣayā), full-throatedly ( Awakened by these songs, the practitioner then visualizes a hūṃ̐ syllable transforming into Śrī Heruka, and the following lines describe his appearance in great detail. 57 Immediately following this visualization of Heruka, both sādhanās then describe a great maṇḍala populated with yoginīs, for the practitioner to visualize, along with other mainstays of creation-stage practice. 58 At the end of the sādhanā in the Sādhanāmālā, the practitioner recites the Buddhakapāla mantra, and the text states that after six months of consistent Buddhakapāla practice, yogins attain success, "here there is no doubt." 59 The similarities with the verses from the Hevajra and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantras are clear, underscoring that this is a ritual syntactic trope in tantric Buddhist practice. 52 Bhattacharyya's Sanskrit chāyā glosses "viṇavi" as "dvayam api" (Bhattacharyya 1928, p. 501). While semantically an argument can be made for this gloss, etymologically "viṇṇa" has a clear Prakrit pedigree as a derivation from vi + √jñā.

53
Interestingly, the Tibetan translation of the Abhayapaddhati only includes this second verse from among the four original Apabhraṃśa verses in the Sanskrit text: bdag nyid bya ba byas nas ni | stong pa nyid la sems ma mdzad | skye kun srid pa 'jigs par lhung | rnal 'byor ma yi grogs po bzhengs ||: "Doing one's own duties, do not dwell on emptiness.

The Kṛṣṇayamāri Tantra: Anuyoga and Mahāyoga
The final sādhanās appear in a text that does not easily fit into our received classification standards for tantric Buddhist texts. The Kṛṣṇayamāri Tantra seems to straddle both canons of the Mahāyoga tantras and Yoginī tantras. 60 This ambiguity is made clear in its name; Kṛṣṇayamāri is closely related to the wrathful Buddha Yamāntaka/Vajrabhairava. As such, the Kṛṣṇayamāri Tantra would seem to be more accurately classified as a Mahāyoga tantra, a fact corroborated by its maṇḍala, comprising a majority of male Yamāris with four yoginīs. 61 This is a clear contrast with the maṇḍalas of the previous texts in which yoginīs predominate; however, here as well, yoginīs call out to the practitioner in Apabhraṃśa verses. In addition, while the first sādhanā discussed here (anuyoga) exhibits the same ritual trope seen in the previous texts, the second sādhanā (mahāyoga) significantly subverts it. These Apabhraṃśa verses appear in the root verses of the Kṛṣṇayamāri Tantra, the anuyoga 60 Hatley groups this text as a Yoginī Tantra (thus in the same textual stratum as the previous texts), while noting that it is also more commonly considered a Mahāyoga Tantra (Hatley 2016, p. 51) (Dalton 2005, p. 155 fn.90).

Respectively:
Mohavajrayamāri, Piśunavajrayamāri, Rāgavajrayamāri, Īrsyāvajrayāmari, Dveṣavajrayamāri, Mudgarayamāri, Daṇḍayamāri, Padmayamāri, Khadgayamāri. The yoginīs are: Vajracarcikā, Vajravārāhī, Vajrasarasvatī, and Vajragaurī (Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, p. 1). verses in the seventeenth chapter and the mahāyoga verses in the twelfth chapter. 62 Chapter seventeen begins with the Buddha visualizing different Buddha-forms (buddhabimbaṃ), and then the text declares that the practitioner becomes the cakra-bearer by the practice of the four [Vajra] songs (associated with the four yoginīs). 63 On the other hand, chapter twelve begins with the Buddha entering into different meditative concentrations (samādhi), each associated with one of the text's four yoginīs (Vajracarcikā, Vajravārāhī, Vajrasarasvatī, and Vajragaurī), and thereupon recites each yoginī's specific verse. 64 However, the actual contextualization of these verses within detailed sādhanā instructions does not appear in the root verses. Instead, they are provided in the commentary composed by Kumāracandra.

Why do you dwell in emptiness?
O Nature of Enlightenment, summon forth the world! 68 Immediately following these verses, the practitioner visualizes more syllables and the sādhanā culminates in one becoming the Buddha Dveṣayamāri. 69 The next phase of the four-fold yoga is "atiyoga," after which the practitioner enters the final phase of the four-fold yoga, "mahāyoga." While the verses in anuyoga display the same conventions observed in the previous texts, the sādhanā of mahāyoga significantly subverts them. Mahāyoga is defined as the "entrance to the gnosis-cakra (jñānacakra), tasting its nectar, as well as the Great Worship and Praise." 70 In this sādhanā the practitioner beseeches the Buddhas for consecration, visualizes the assembly of Yamāris and yoginīs with their tutelary Buddhas, and engages in more subtle yoga within the visualized maṇḍala. Thereupon, the practitioner takes on the face or form (Skt. mukhena) 71 of the maṇḍala's four yoginīs in turn, and worships the maṇḍala with the songs uttered by the Buddha in chapter twelve of the root text: 72 aḍeḍe kiṭṭayamāri guru raktalūva sahāva | haḍe tua pekhia bhīmi guru chaḍḍahi koha sahāva || The Tibetan translation also differs from the original Apabhraṃśa, but far less so. The precise meaning of sunaho viṃtti is unclear, however Kumāracandra glosses the term as "emptiness," (śūnyatāyām ity arthaḥ," Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, p. 122). 69 Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, pp. 124-25. 70 jñānacakrapraveśaś ca amṛtāsvādam eva ca | mahāpūjā stutiś cāpi mahāyoga iti smṛtaḥ || KYT 17.11 (Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, p. 123). 71 The term mukhena here can possibly be interpreted as meaning that the sādhaka faces each yoginī while reciting the yoginī's respective verse. However, based on the context from the root verses in chapter twelve where the Buddha explicitly sings these songs after entering into the respective samādhis of each yoginī, I think it is more likely that in the sādhanā of mahāyoga the sādhaka takes on the form of each yoginī by entering it's the yoginī's respective samādhi. 72 As with the anuyoga verses, here too there are many phonological divergences from the versions in the root text (Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, pp. 127-28). 73 The word "aḍeḍe" may be an elaborated Prakrit form of Skt. ari, "enemy" (yamāri = "Enemy of Death"). However, it is also perhaps untranslatable and onomatopoeic, hence in the Tibetan translation it is transliterated (a kyi kyi) (Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, p. 154). 74 The translation of pāda d presents numerous issues. Kumāracandra's commentary glosses guru in the accusative case (gurum), chaḍḍahi as the second person imperative singular (Skt. tyaja), and koha sahāva as ko 'yam svabhāvaḥ, all in the nominative singular (Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, p. 78). As such, a literal translation would be "Enlightened Nature, abandon the guru." I have chosen to interpret guru in the vocative, and koha sahāva in the accusative. Furthermore, the Tibetan translation departs significantly from the Apabhraṃśa. Pāda d: "khro ba'i rang bzhin 'de mthong mdzod" "Behold this wrathful nature" (Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, p. 154). I followed the Tibetan in my own translation. 75 Kumāracandra glosses saggamaccapāālu as svarga-martya-pātālāni (Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, p. 38 In the root verses of chapter twelve, the Buddha recites these verses after entering the respective samādhis of the four yoginīs (i.e., the four brahmāvihāras), and in this sadhana, the practitioner does as well. Thus, the long-standing Buddhist brahmavihāras are imagined as yoginīs in a tantric context. Afterwards, the practitioner prostrates before each of the maṇḍala's Yamāris and the ritual is complete. 76 Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, pp. 78-79. In the center is the figure Yamāntaka/Dveṣavajrayamāri. Encircling him are the eight other yamāris: in the East Mohavajrayamāri, in the South Piśunavajrayamāri, in the West Rāgavajrayamāri, and in the North Īrsyāvajrayāmari. Between them in the intermediate directions are Mudgarayamāri, Daṇḍayamāri, Padmayamāri, and Khadgayamāri. In the corners outside of this circular array are the yoginīs, Vajracarcikā, Vajravārāhī, Vajrasarasvatī, and Vajragaurī, according to Kumāracandra's description (Rinpoche and Dvivedī 1992, pp. 1-4, 8). (Himalayan Art Resource, Item 65464).

Conclusions
"The Sanskrit in which the Tantras are written, is, as a rule, just as barbarous as their contents." -Maurice Winternitz (1933, p. 401) Scholars have long observed that tantric literature has an affinity for nonstandard language. John Newman has observed that the Sanskrit in the Kālacakra Tantra "is not Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (Buddhist Ārṣa), nor is it simply substandard Sanskrit. It is Sanskrit into which various types of nonstandard forms have been intentionally introduced." 77 Furthermore, he accepts Puṇḍarīka's explanation for this, specifically that these linguistic variations and "mistakes" are not due to ignorance or incompetence, but rather intentionally included to counter excessive attachment to "correct language," and teach disciples to rely on inner meaning rather than the strict grammatical form. 78 However, these variations and "mistakes" also became standard and expected in tantric literature; Szántó observes that the author(s) of the Catuṣpīṭha Tantra went out of their way to use ungrammatical forms to such an extent that the text itself is almost indecipherable, even to contemporary commentators. 79 This use of nonstandard Sanskrit also reflects the general Buddhist resistance to Brahmanical religion and its concomitant linguistic ideology. An affinity for nonstandard Sanskrit is also a feature of Śaiva tantric texts. Remarking on the tantric Śaiva Siddhayogeśvarīmata, Törczök notes that "the more the language of the text differs from the classical Sanskrit of the orthodox, the more esoteric its teaching is." 80 Furthermore, in the Buddhakapāla Tantra, many of the chapters conclude with a capstone dohā in Apabhraṃśa. These are very direct, colloquial, and didactic verses that encapsulate (or challenge) the chapter's content. 81 On the other hand, in the Abhidhānottara Tantra, a band of assembled ḍākinīs delightedly sing to the practitioner in ecstatic Apabhraṃśa verse upon their successful initiation. 82 As such, there is a clear intentionality behind the language register in tantric texts, allusive yet direct, used for emphasis, directness, and intimacy.
Within the context of these maṇḍala visualization rituals, these "Goddess songs" take on an extremely intimate register, expressing mingled sexual and altruistic passion on the part of the yoginīs. Within the liminal space of the maṇḍala, these yoginīs call out to the practitioner to embrace them and work for the benefit of all sentient beings, both sine qua non in tantric Buddhism (wisdom and compassion). This intentional language choice may reflect their social position, as Isaacson notes, however it also recalls the sociolinguistics of Sanskrit drama. In Sanskrit drama, one's social positionality is indexed by their language register, with high class men speaking Sanskrit and women and social inferiors speaking varieties of Prakrit. 83 The link between Prakrit and women in Sanskrit 77 Newman 1988, p. 132. 78 Newman 1988 "… the nearly total deconstruction of the language may have resulted from competition. Very coarsely put, the author was seeking to create a super-Aiśa form of the language to outdo his rivals. … we must also consider the somewhat disturbing but not implausible scenario that the more important role of a scripture is simply to exist rather than to make sense" (Szántó 2012a, p. 13). 80 Törzsök 1999, p. ii. 81 e.g., Buddhakapāla Tantra 9.9 and 13.24 (Luo 2010, pp. 5, 32). 82 Kalff 1979, pp. 321-22. 83 E.g., the anguished reunion of King Duṣyanta and Śakuntalā in Act V of the Abhijñānaśakuntalam. Here, the King Duṣyanta speaks consistently in Sanskrit, while Śakuntalā speaks in Mahārāṣṭrī Prakrit (Kale [1969] drama is clear, yet when juxtaposed with the other Apabhraṃśa verses in tantric Buddhist texts, this link is problematized. For example, in the Hevajra Tantra, the male Buddha Hevajra speaks directly to the assembled yoginīs in an Apabhraṃśa verse, to soothe and revive them after they are dumbstruck by his profound teachings. 84 This diglossic 85 shift between different languages and registers illustrates this intentionality acutely, yet while Wedemeyer is correct in noting the semiartificial nature of Apabhraṃśa, it can hardly be dismissed as "contrived marginality" as he would insist. 86 Instead it communicates an intimacy and directness, similar to the didactic (if allusive) dohās of Saraha and other mahāsiddhas. However, these verses are far more diverse and numerous throughout tantric Buddhist literature than these dohās, and they possess their own linguistic currency, similar to, but distinct from, mantras or dhāraṇīs. 87 These verses and the use of Apabhraṃśa in tantric texts deserves a deeper dedicated study, 88 but for the moment we can observe that in this literature Apabhraṃśa is reserved for particularly esoteric or direct intimate contexts. Therefore there is neither form, merit, nor sin.
And also neither arising nor pure release. 95 These verses do not follow the pattern of the songs from the rest of the texts cited so far, and Bhayani notes are considerably corrupt, 96 making them very difficult to translate. These verses also likely presented issues for Kumāracandra, who glosses over only the two most obvious terms from verses twenty-nine and thirty (ṇimmala→nirmala, śuddha), and whose running commentary on verses thirty-one and thirty-two is extremely loose and boilerplate in content. 97 These issues aside, these verses are significant for underscoring the connection between Apabhraṃśa verses and yoginīs in this text, and also serve as a capstone for the chapter as a whole. Furthermore, they stand out in the text like a mantra or dhāraṇī, highlighting the significance of this language in tantric Buddhist texts.
Funding: This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest:
The author declares no conflict of interest.