The Āṭānāṭiya Protection in the Seven Tamnan printing: homage to the seven Buddhas by name.
- When chanted
- Chanted in the Seven Tamnan, where protection from unseen harm is wanted.
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.
Thirteen units against the ninety of the fuller printing. What survives the cut is the naming, which is the method of the whole chant.
Meaning and purpose
The seven Buddhas of the past are named in order, each with an epithet of his own: Vipassī possessed of vision and glory; Sikhī compassionate towards all beings; and so on to Gotama.
The epithets are short and none is interchangeable. The chant takes care to distinguish beings most people will never think about again, which is the point of a text that establishes authority by reciting who holds it.
It closes on the present teacher: accomplished in knowledge and conduct, we revere the Buddha Gotama. Six predecessors named, and then the one whose dispensation the reciters are actually inside.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 170 and page 171 →
page 170วิปัสสิสสะ นะมัตถุ จักขุมันตัสสะ สิรีมะโต
Vipassissa namatthu cakkhumantassa sirīmato
Homage to Vipassī, possessed of vision and glory.
สิขิสสะปิ นะมัตถุ สัพพะภูตานุกัมปิโน.
Sikhissapi namatthu sabbabhūtānukampino.
Homage also to Sikhī, compassionate towards all beings.
เวสสะภุสสะ นะมัตถุ น๎หาตะกัสสะ ตะปัสสิโน
Vessabhussa namatthu nhātakassa tapassino
Homage to Vessabhū, cleansed and ardent.
นะมัตถุ กะกุสันธัสสะ มาระเสนัปปะมัททิโน.
Namatthu kakusandhassa mārasenappamaddino.
Homage to Kakusandha, crusher of Māra's host.
โกนาคะมะนัสสะ นะมัตถุ พ๎ราห๎มะณัสสะ วุสีมะโต
Konāgamanassa namatthu brāhmaṇassa vusīmato
Homage to Koṇāgamana, the brahmin who has lived the life.
กัสสะปัสสะ นะมัตถุ วิปปะมุตตัสสะ สัพพะธิ.
Kassapassa namatthu vippamuttassa sabbadhi.
Homage to Kassapa, wholly released in every way.
อังคีระสัสสะ นะมัตถุ สัก๎ยะปุตตัสสะ สิรีมะโต
Aṅgīrasassa namatthu sakyaputtassa sirīmato
Homage to Aṅgīrasa, the glorious son of the Sakyans,
โย อิมัง ธัมมะมะเทเสสิ สัพพะทุกขา ปะนูทะนัง.
Yo imaṃ dhammamadesesi sabbadukkhā panūdanaṃ.
who taught this Dhamma, the dispelling of all suffering.
เย จาปิ นิพพุตา โลเก ยะถาภูตัง วิปัสสิสุง
Ye cāpi nibbutā loke yathābhūtaṃ vipassisuṃ
And those who are quenched in the world, who saw things as they are,
เต ชะนา อะปิสุณา มะหันตา วีตะสาระทา.
Te janā apisuṇā mahantā vītasāradā.
those people, free of slander, great and fearless,
หิตัง เทวะมะนุสสานัง ยัง นะมัสสันติ โคตะมัง
Hitaṃ devamanussānaṃ yaṃ namassanti gotamaṃ
revere Gotama, the benefit of devas and humans,
วิชชาจะระณะสัมปันนัง มะหันตัง วีตะสาระทัง.
Vijjācaraṇasampannaṃ mahantaṃ vītasāradaṃ.
accomplished in knowledge and conduct, great and fearless.
วิชชาจะระณะสัมปันนัง พุทธัง วันทามะ โคตะมันติ.
Vijjācaraṇasampannaṃ buddhaṃ vandāma gotamanti.
Accomplished in knowledge and conduct, we revere the Buddha Gotama.