The peacock's salutation to the rising and setting sun, and to the Buddhas, chanted morning and evening for a safe day and night.
- When chanted
- Chanted in the paritta service; traditionally said at dawn and at dusk, as the peacock is said to have said 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 chant is a pair of matched halves and its structure is a timetable. One half salutes the sun as it rises and asks for safety through the day; the other salutes it as it sets and asks for safety through the night.
Between them the two halves cover the whole of a day, which is what the story requires: the peacock is said to have chanted the first on waking and the second before sleeping.
Meaning and purpose
The sun is addressed with real warmth and no theology: here he rises, the one with vision, the sole king, golden-hued, illumining the earth. It is saluted as a benefactor rather than worshipped as a god, and then asked plainly — guarded by you this day, may we dwell through the daylight.
The petition is then handed on from the sun to those who know: those brahmins who are masters of knowledge in all things. The protection is asked for twice over, once from the light and once from the wise, and the chant does not treat these as competing.
The close is the part that carries the day into the tradition: homage to the Buddhas, homage to the awakening; homage to the liberated, homage to liberation. And then a last line that is almost domestic — having made this paritta, the peacock settles down to rest. The chant ends by describing somebody going to sleep.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 88 and page 89 →
page 88อุเทตะยัญจักขุมา เอกะราชา
Udetayañcakkhumā ekarājā
Here he rises, the one with vision, the sole king,
หะริสสะวัณโณ ปะฐะวิปปะภาโส
Harissavaṇṇo paṭhavippabhāso
golden-hued, illumining the earth;
ตัง ตัง นะมัสสามิ หะริสสะวัณณัง ปะฐะวิปปะภาสัง
Taṃ taṃ namassāmi harissavaṇṇaṃ paṭhavippabhāsaṃ
him I salute, the golden-hued, the illuminer of the earth —
ตะยัชชะ คุตตา วิหะเรมุ ทิวะสัง
Tayajja guttā viharemu divasaṃ
guarded by you this day, may we dwell through the daylight.
เย พ๎ราห๎มะณา เวทะคุ สัพพะธัมเม
Ye brāhmaṇā vedagu sabbadhamme
Those brahmins who are masters of knowledge in all things —
เต เม นะโม เต จะ มัง ปาละยันตุ
Te me namo te ca maṃ pālayantu
to them my homage; and may they protect me.
นะมัตถุ พุทธานัง นะมัตถุ โพธิยา
Namatthu buddhānaṃ namatthu bodhiyā
Homage to the Buddhas, homage to the awakening;
นะโม วิมุตตานัง นะโม วิมุตติยา
Namo vimuttānaṃ namo vimuttiyā
homage to the liberated, homage to liberation.
อิมัง โส ปะริตตัง กัต๎วา โมโร จะระติ เอสะนา.
Imaṃ so parittaṃ katvā moro carati esanā.
Having made this paritta, the peacock goes about seeking his food.
อะเปตะยัญจักขุมา เอกะราชา
Apetayañcakkhumā ekarājā
Here he sets, the one with vision, the sole king,
หะริสสะวัณโณ ปะฐะวิปปะภาโส
Harissavaṇṇo paṭhavippabhāso
golden-hued, illumining the earth;
ตัง ตัง นะมัสสามิ หะริสสะวัณณัง ปะฐะวิปปะภาสัง
Taṃ taṃ namassāmi harissavaṇṇaṃ paṭhavippabhāsaṃ
him I salute, the golden-hued, the illuminer of the earth —
ตะยัชชะ คุตตา วิหะเรมุ รัตติง
Tayajja guttā viharemu rattiṃ
guarded by you this day, may we dwell through the night.
เย พ๎ราห๎มะณา เวทะคุ สัพพะธัมเม
Ye brāhmaṇā vedagu sabbadhamme
Those brahmins who are masters of knowledge in all things —
เต เม นะโม เต จะ มัง ปาละยันตุ
Te me namo te ca maṃ pālayantu
to them my homage; and may they protect me.
นะมัตถุ พุทธานัง นะมัตถุ โพธิยา
Namatthu buddhānaṃ namatthu bodhiyā
Homage to the Buddhas, homage to the awakening;
นะโม วิมุตตานัง นะโม วิมุตติยา
Namo vimuttānaṃ namo vimuttiyā
homage to the liberated, homage to liberation.
อิมัง โส ปะริตตัง กัต๎วา โมโร วาสะมะกัปปะยีติ.
Imaṃ so parittaṃ katvā moro vāsamakappayīti.
Having made this paritta, the peacock settles down to rest.
โมระปะริตตัง นิฏฐิตัง.
Moraparittaṃ niṭṭhitaṃ.
Here ends the Mora Paritta.