The prefatory verse to the Ratana Sutta, which recounts the Buddha's whole career and the three fears the sutta is said to have dispelled.
- When chanted
- Chanted immediately before the Ratana Sutta, introducing it.
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 longest and most ambitious of the prefatory verses. Before introducing a single text it summarises an entire career: from the time of his aspiration onwards, the ten perfections, the ten higher perfections and the ten ultimate perfections, five great renunciations, three kinds of conduct.
Then the last existence, in sequence — the descent into the womb, the birth, the going forth, the striving, and the victory over Māra on the seat of awakening.
Meaning and purpose
The catalogue is doing something specific rather than showing off. What is being enumerated, item by item, is the accumulated power standing behind the words about to be chanted — and it is all set out before a single line of the sutta is said.
The pay-off names an occasion rather than a doctrine, and it is unexpectedly concrete: the threefold fear arisen from disease, from non-human beings and from famine, it swiftly made to vanish. An epidemic, a haunting and a hunger — three ordinary disasters.
Then the handover: that paritta let us now recite. Everything before it has been an argument for why what comes next is worth chanting, and the argument is historical rather than doctrinal. It rests entirely on what the text is said to have done once before.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 82 →
page 82ปะณิธานะโต ปัฏฐายะ ตะถาคะตัสสะ ทะสะ ปาระมิโย ทะสะ อุปะปาระมิโย,
Paṇidhānato paṭṭhāya tathāgatassa dasa pāramiyo dasa upapāramiyo,
From the time of his aspiration onwards, the Tathāgata's ten perfections, ten higher perfections,
ทะสะ ปะระมัตถะปาระมิโย,
Dasa paramatthapāramiyo,
and ten ultimate perfections;
ปัญจะ มะหาปะริจจาเค ติสโส จะริยา,
Pañca mahāpariccāge tisso cariyā,
his five great renunciations, his three kinds of conduct;
ปัจฉิมัพภะเว คัพภาวักกันติง ชาติง อะภินิกขะมะนัง,
Pacchimabbhave gabbhāvakkantiṃ jātiṃ abhinikkhamanaṃ,
in his last existence, his descent into the womb, his birth, his going forth;
ปะธานะจะริยัง โพธิปัลลังเก มาระวิชะยัง,
Padhānacariyaṃ bodhipallaṅke māravijayaṃ,
his striving, his victory over Māra on the seat of awakening;
สัพพัญญุตะญาณัปปะฏิเวธัง,
Sabbaññutañāṇappaṭivedhaṃ,
his penetration of the knowledge of omniscience;
นะวะโลกุตตะระธัมเมติ,
Navalokuttaradhammeti,
and the nine supramundane states —
สัพเพปิเม พุทธะคุเณ,
Sabbepime buddhaguṇe,
all these qualities of the Buddha,
อาวัชชิต๎วา เวสาลิยา ตีสุ ปาการันตะเรสุ,
Āvajjitvā vesāliyā tīsu pākārantaresu,
having called them to mind, within the three walls of Vesālī,
ติยามะรัตติง ปะริตตัง กะโรนโต,
Tiyāmarattiṃ parittaṃ karonto,
making the paritta through the three watches of the night,
อายัส๎มา อานันทัตเถโร วิยะ,
Āyasmā ānandatthero viya,
as the venerable elder Ānanda did,
การุญญะจิตตัง อุปัฏฐะเปต๎วา.
Kāruññacittaṃ upaṭṭhapetvā.
having set up a mind of compassion.
โกฏิสะตะสะหัสเสสุ จักกะวาเฬสุ เทวะตา
Koṭisatasahassesu cakkavāḷesu devatā
The deities in a hundred thousand koṭis of world-systems
ยัสสาณัมปะฏิคคัณหันติ ยัญจะ เวสาลิยัมปุเร.
Yassāṇampaṭiggaṇhanti yañca vesāliyampure.
accept its authority, and so did the city of Vesālī.
โรคามะนุสสะทุพภิกขะสัมภูตันติวิธัมภะยัง
Rogāmanussadubbhikkhasambhūtantividhambhayaṃ
The threefold fear arisen from disease, from non-human beings and from famine
ขิปปะมันตะระธาเปสิ ปะริตตันตัมภะณามะ เห.
Khippamantaradhāpesi parittantambhaṇāma he.
it swiftly made to vanish: that paritta let us now recite.