Aṅgulimāla's act of truth in the Seven Tamnan printing, said once rather than three times.
- When chanted
- Chanted in the Seven Tamnan, and for a woman in labour.
A note on this chant. The book prints this chant in Pali only, with no Thai translation. The English here is a working translation prepared for this edition — it is not the book's own, and has not yet been checked by a teacher.
Historical background
The Seven Tamnan is the shorter of the two great paritta collections. Its texts are the same as those of the Twelve Tamnan; what differs is which are included and how far each is cut, and the book's three running orders shorten them further again.
Three units, where the page-96 printing repeats the same three sentences three times over. This is the shortest chant in the collection.
Meaning and purpose
The truth stated is bounded with great care: sister, since I was born with the noble birth, I am not aware of having intentionally deprived any living being of life.
Every clause is doing work. The noble birth means his ordination, not his birth from a mother — and the qualification is what makes the statement true, because the man saying it had been a murderer. He is not claiming never to have killed. He is dating the claim.
Then a second hedge: I am not aware of. Not I have not. The tradition holds that this scrupulously limited sentence is what has the power in it, and the request follows — by this truth, may you be well, and may your child be well.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 171 →
page 171ยะโตหัง ภะคินิ อะริยายะ ชาติยา ชาโต,
Yatohaṃ bhagini ariyāya jātiyā jāto,
Sister, since I was born with the noble birth,
นาภิชานามิ สัญจิจจะ ปาณัง ชีวิตา โวโรเปตา,
Nābhijānāmi sañcicca pāṇaṃ jīvitā voropetā,
I am not aware of having intentionally deprived any living being of life.
เตนะ สัจเจนะ โสตถิ เต โหตุ โสตถิ คัพภัสสะ.
Tena saccena sotthi te hotu sotthi gabbhassa.
By this truth, may you be well, and may your child be well.