The quail's act of truth: having neither wings that fly nor feet that walk, it states what is so, and the fire turns aside.
- When chanted
- Chanted in the paritta service, and traditionally used as a protection against fire.
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
This is the clearest example in the book of a สัจจะกิริยะ, an act of truth: a formal statement of something true, made in order that its being true should have an effect.
Everything in the chant is arranged to show the mechanism working, which is why it is short. There is a helpless creature, a true statement, and a result.
Meaning and purpose
It begins by establishing that truth is a thing with force in the world at all: there is in the world the quality of virtue, truth, purity and compassion; by that truth I shall make an unsurpassed act of truth. The claim is made before it is used.
The truth then stated is startling for its plainness. There are wings, but they cannot fly; there are feet, but they cannot walk. The quail asserts nothing about its virtue or its destiny. It states its own helplessness accurately, and that is the whole of the act.
The result is reported in the same flat register: when my act of truth was made, the great blazing flame spared sixteen karīsas, as a flame does on reaching water. And the closing line names what the chick is said to have been practising all along — there is nothing equal to my truth: this is my perfection of truth. Not courage and not power. Accuracy.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 89 and page 90 →
page 89อัตถิ โลเก สีละคุโณ สัจจัง โสเจยยะนุททะยา
Atthi loke sīlaguṇo saccaṃ soceyyanuddayā
There is in the world the quality of virtue, truth, purity and compassion;
เตนะ สัจเจนะ กาหามิ สัจจะกิริยะมะนุตตะรัง
Tena saccena kāhāmi saccakiriyamanuttaraṃ
by that truth I shall make an unsurpassed act of truth.
อาวัชชิต๎วา ธัมมะพะลัง สะริต๎วา ปุพพะเก ชิเน
Āvajjitvā dhammabalaṃ saritvā pubbake jine
Calling to mind the power of the Dhamma and recalling the Conquerors of old,
สัจจะพะละมะวัสสายะ สัจจะกิริยะมะกาสะหัง
Saccabalamavassāya saccakiriyamakāsahaṃ
relying on the power of truth, I made an act of truth:
สันติ ปักขา อะปัตตะนา สันติ ปาทา อะวัญจะนา
Santi pakkhā apattanā santi pādā avañcanā
There are wings, but they cannot fly; there are feet, but they cannot walk;
มาตา ปิตา จะ นิกขันตา ชาตะเวทะ ปะฏิกกะมะ
Mātā pitā ca nikkhantā jātaveda paṭikkama
My mother and father have gone out — O Fire, turn back!
สะหะ สัจเจ กะเต มัยหัง มะหาปัชชะลิโต สิขี
Saha sacce kate mayhaṃ mahāpajjalito sikhī
When my act of truth was made, the great blazing flame
วัชเชสิ โสฬะสะ กะรีสานิ อุทะกัง ปัต๎วา ยะถา สิขี
Vajjesi soḷasa karīsāni udakaṃ patvā yathā sikhī
spared sixteen karīsas, as a flame does on reaching water.
สัจเจนะ เม สะโม นัตถิ เอสา เม สัจจะปาระมีติ.
Saccena me samo natthi esā me saccapāramīti.
There is nothing equal to my truth: this is my perfection of truth.
วัฏฏะกะปะริตตัง นิฏฐิตัง.
Vaṭṭakaparittaṃ niṭṭhitaṃ.
Here ends the Vaṭṭaka Paritta.