The formula for forfeiting a robe that has been kept apart from its owner past dawn, with a note on the plural forms.
- When chanted
- Spoken by a monk who has been separated from a determined robe overnight, before the offence can be confessed.
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
A determined robe must be with its owner at dawn. If it is not, it becomes นิสสัคคียะ — to be forfeited — and the offence cannot be cleared until the cloth itself has been given up.
The book states the rule in Thai first and then gives the Pali formula, which is how it handles the procedures that need explaining before they can be used.
Meaning and purpose
The declaration names the fault before it names the remedy: this robe of mine has been apart from me for a night, and without the consent of the bhikkhus it is forfeitable. Then the act itself — I forfeit it to the venerable one.
The clause about consent is worth noticing, because it shows the rule is not absolute. Separation agreed by the community is not an offence; separation that simply happened is.
The bracketed note at the end is the practical part: for two cloths say one word, for all three say another. The book expects that somebody using this page has lost track of more than one robe at once, and provides for it without comment.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 302 →
page 302จีวรเป็นนิสสัคคียะ เพราะอยู่ปราศจากเขตล่วงราตรี จะต้องเสียสละดังนี้
A robe becomes forfeitable through being away from it past dawn, and must be forfeited thus:
อิทัง เม ภันเต จีวะรัง รัตติวิปปะวุตถัง
Idaṃ me bhante cīvaraṃ rattivippavutthaṃ
Venerable sir, this robe of mine has been apart from me for a night,
อัญญัต๎ระ ภิกขุสัมมะติยา นิสสัคคิยัง
Aññatra bhikkhusammatiyā nissaggiyaṃ
and without the consent of the bhikkhus it is forfeitable.
อิมาหัง อายัส๎มะโต นิสสัชชามิ.
Imāhaṃ āyasmato nissajjāmi.
I forfeit it to the venerable one.
(ถ้า 2 ผืนว่า ท์วิจีวะรัง ถ้าทั้ง 3 ผืนว่า ติจีวะรัง)
(For two cloths say tvicīvaraṃ; for all three say ticīvaraṃ)