Chet Chelpanov’s Burkhanist Prayers: Mother Fire

Sourced from N.K. Ekeev’s Burkhanizm (Ak Jang) – the White Faith. Published 2014. Excerpt translated from Altai and Russian by Gregory Zeldovich on October 30, 2025.

From the materials of A.G. Danilin, MAE fund 15, inventory 1, file 41.

ALTAI: От эне | TRANSLITERATION: Ot ene

Тӧрт киндиктӱ от эне | Tört kindiktü ot ene

Очыр манjи сӱт буркан | Ochyr manji süt burkan

Ак jалбышту от эне | Ak jalbyshtu ot ene

Чаган таркан ар jалын | Chagan tarkan ar jalyn

Алтын курын курчаҥган | Altyn kuryn kurchanggan 

Ак элгезин jабыҥган | Ak egezin jabynggan

Ак jалбышту от эне. | Ak jabyshtu ot ene.

RUSSIAN: Матери-огню | ENGLISH: Mother Fire 

С четырьмя пуповинами мать-огонь | Mother of fire with four umblilical cords

Очир-мандьи молочный буркан | Ochir-mandi1, milky burkan

С белым пламенем мать-огонь | With a white flame, mother fire

Белый таркан могучий огонь | The white tarkan2, capable fire

Золотым поясом опоясанная | Girded with a golden belt 

Белой пепельной пеленой покрытая | Covered in a white ashen veil

С белым пламенем мать-огонь | With a white flame, mother fire. 

  1.  Ultimately from Sanskrit Vajrapāṇi through Mongolian Ochirvani. A bodhisatttva and protector who symbolizes strength and power.  ↩︎
  2.  “Master of blacksmiths”, a type of patron deity of metalworkers. Likely from Mongolian darkhan↩︎

In Translation: Prayer for Dharmaraja Bidiya Dandaron

A titan of Buddhism during the Soviet period, Dharmaraja Bidiya Dandaron (1914-1974) was a key figure in the growth of Tibetan and Buddhist studies in the Russian-speaking world. Having given both secular and religious instruction to many of the field’s key players in Russia at the time, Dandaron remains a venerated figure by Russian Buddhists of all ethnicities for his role in spreading Buddhist teachings from his native Buryatia. He is especially remembered for his firm grasp on Tantric topics and his perserverance through religious persecution, for which he died in a labor camp at the age of 59.

This prayer takes the form of a Guru Yoga based in taking refuge in the Dharmaraja based on his impressive spiritual feats and command over and understanding of reality, making mention of all three aspects of the Trikaya.


Sourced from dandaron.ru. Translated from Russian on October 28, 2025 by Gregory Zeldovich.


RUSSIAN:

Намо Гураве Бидьядхарая!

Молюсь с неколебимой верой ногам

Несравненного Учителя, мастеру созерцания,

Владыке всего познаваемого, не отличимому

От самой махамудры, не выразимому словами,

Ясно показывающему махамудру пространства ваджрной мысли.

Поклоняюсь Учителю, осуществившему

Благословение дхармакаи в пространстве,

Преобразившему центральный космический ум

В пять запредельных мудростей.

Поклоняюсь Учителю, распространившему

Самбхогакаю через собственную реальность

Осуществлением Пяти Тел,

Преображенных пятью волнами мудрости.

Поклоняюсь Учителю, создавшему всезнающей мудростью

Из собственного цвета

Беспрепятственную мандалу мудрости

И проникшему в центр этой мандалы через бой.

Поклоняюсь Учителю – Ослепительному Нирманакае,

Который есть содержание проповеди перед лицом спасающихся,

Проповедующему большую садхану Ваджрасаттвы

От лица гневного идама.


Namo Gurave1 Bidiyadharaya2!

I pray with unwavering faith at your feet.

Incomparable teacher, master of contemplation,

To lord of all that is knowable, indistinguishable

From Mahamudra itself, inexpressible with words

Clearly displaying the Mahamudra of the space of vajra-thought. 

I prostrate before the teacher, who realized

The blessings of dharmakaya in space,

Transforming into the central cosmic mind

Into the five transcendental wisdoms.

I prostrate to the teacher, the one who had proliferated

The sambhogkaya across his own reality,

Through the realization of the five bodies

Transformed by the five ways of wisdom. 

I prostrate to the teacher, who with omniscient wisdom

Created from its own essence 

The unsurpassed mandala of wisdom

And penetrated to the center of that mandala through combat.

I prostrate to the teacher  – the dazzling Nirmanakaya,

Who is the substance of the sermon before those who are saved

Preaching the great sadhana of Vajrasattva

On behalf of the wrathful Yidam. 

  1. “Gurave” is an ultimately Mongolian derivation of the Sanskrit Gurubhya, or “to the Guru”, used in refuge prayers. ↩︎
  2. This is a play on words, replacing the Sanskrit term vidya (Tib. rig pa, “knowledge, awareness”) in the term vidyadhara (Tib. rig ‘dzin, “holder of knowledge/awareness”) with Lama Bidiya Dandaron’s name, itself derived from vidya. ↩︎