A declaration of loving-kindness towards the four royal families of snakes and towards all creatures, asking that none come to harm.
- When chanted
- Chanted in the paritta service, and traditionally used as a protection against snakes and venomous creatures.
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 book prints its own reference for it. The chant is addressed to snakes by family name — the Virūpakkhas, the Erāpathas, the Chabyāputtas and the Kaṇhāgotamakas — which is why it is reached for where snakes are a real danger.
Its method is worth stating plainly, because it is not what a protective charm usually does. Nothing is commanded and nothing is repelled. Loving-kindness is declared, and the safety is said to follow from the declaring.
Meaning and purpose
The first movement extends metta by name and then by shape. Loving-kindness for each of the four snake families; then for the footless, the two-footed, the four-footed and the many-footed. Between them those two lists cover everything that moves.
Only then the request, and it is symmetrical with what was just given: let no footless creature harm me, let no two-footed harm me. The chant asks for exactly what it has offered, in the same words and the same order, which is the whole of its argument.
It closes by widening past the bargain — let the creatures depart — and then by homage: to the Blessed One, and to the seven Perfectly Awakened Ones. Having spent itself on snakes, it ends where every other chant in this collection ends, and the protection is left resting on that rather than on the snakes having agreed to anything.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 87 and page 88 →
page 87วิรูปักเขหิ เม เมตตัง เมตตัง เอราปะเถหิ เม
Virūpakkhehi me mettaṃ mettaṃ erāpathehi me
I have loving-kindness for the Virūpakkhas, loving-kindness for the Erāpathas,
ฉัพ๎ยาปุตเตหิ เม เมตตัง เมตตัง กัณหาโคตะมะเกหิ จะ
Chabyāputtehi me mettaṃ mettaṃ kaṇhāgotamakehi ca
loving-kindness for the Chabyāputtas, and loving-kindness for the Kaṇhāgotamakas.
อะปาทะเกหิ เม เมตตัง เมตตัง ทิปาทะเกหิ เม
Apādakehi me mettaṃ mettaṃ dipādakehi me
I have loving-kindness for the footless, loving-kindness for the two-footed,
จะตุปปะเทหิ เม เมตตัง เมตตัง พะหุปปะเทหิ เม
Catuppadehi me mettaṃ mettaṃ bahuppadehi me
loving-kindness for the four-footed, loving-kindness for the many-footed.
มา มัง อะปาทะโก หิงสิ มา มัง หิงสิ ทิปาทะโก
Mā maṃ apādako hiṃsi mā maṃ hiṃsi dipādako
Let no footless creature harm me, let no two-footed harm me,
มา มัง จะตุปปะโท หิงสิ มา มัง หิงสิ พะหุปปะโท
Mā maṃ catuppado hiṃsi mā maṃ hiṃsi bahuppado
let no four-footed harm me, let no many-footed harm me.
สัพเพ สัตตา สัพเพ ปาณา สัพเพ ภูตา จะ เกวะลา
Sabbe sattā sabbe pāṇā sabbe bhūtā ca kevalā
May all beings, all breathing things, all creatures without exception
สัพเพ ภัท๎รานิ ปัสสันตุ มา กิญจิ ปาปะมาคะมา.
Sabbe bhadrāni passantu mā kiñci pāpamāgamā.
see what is good; may no evil at all come to them.
อัปปะมาโณ พุทโธ,
Appamāṇo buddho,
Measureless is the Buddha,
อัปปะมาโณ ธัมโม,
Appamāṇo dhammo,
measureless is the Dhamma,
อัปปะมาโณ สังโฆ,
Appamāṇo saṅgho,
measureless is the Saṅgha;
ปะมาณะวันตานิ สิริงสะปานิ,
Pamāṇavantāni siriṃsapāni,
measurable are the creeping things —
อะหิ วิจฉิกา สะตะปะที อุณณะนาภี,
Ahi vicchikā satapadī uṇṇanābhī,
snakes, scorpions, centipedes, spiders,
สะระพู มูสิกา.
Sarabū mūsikā.
geckos and mice.
กะตา เม รักขา,
Katā me rakkhā,
I have made my protection,
กะตา เม ปะริตตา,
Katā me parittā,
I have made my paritta;
ปะฏิกกะมันตุ ภูตานิ.
Paṭikkamantu bhūtāni.
let the creatures depart.
โสหัง นะโม ภะคะวะโต.
Sohaṃ namo bhagavato.
I pay homage to the Blessed One,
นะโม สัตตันนัง สัมมาสัมพุทธานัง.
Namo sattannaṃ sammāsambuddhānaṃ.
homage to the seven Perfectly Awakened Ones.