Verses in praise of giving a dwelling to the Sangha, listing what shelter keeps off and what follows from providing it.
- When chanted
- Chanted when a building or a lodging is offered to the Sangha, and at ceremonies marking such a gift.
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 short chant for one occasion: the giving of a dwelling, whether a single hut, a hall, or a whole monastery. The book prints its own reference for it.
Its subject is unusually concrete. Most of the chants around it concern virtue, merit or truth in general; this one is about a roof, and about what a roof makes possible.
Meaning and purpose
The first verses are entirely practical and do not hurry to a moral. A dwelling keeps off cold and heat, beasts of prey, creeping things, mosquitoes and the cold-season rains, and the fierce wind and heat once they have arisen. Only after all that comes the purpose clause — for shelter and for ease, and in order to meditate and to see clearly. The physical facts are named first and what they are for is named last.
The middle draws the practical conclusion: a wise man seeing his own good should have pleasant dwellings built, settle the deeply learned in them, and give them food, drink, robes and lodging. Nothing here is presented as sacrifice. It is presented as sense.
The closing verses complete the exchange, and the direction of the return is worth noticing. They teach him the Dhamma that dispels all suffering, and having understood that Dhamma he attains final Nibbāna. What comes back to the donor is not merit in the abstract but teaching — which is the one thing the people he housed have to give.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 29 →
สีตัง อุณ๎หัง ปะฏิหันติ ตะโต วาฬะมิคานิ จะ
sītaṃ uṇhaṃ paṭihanti tato vāḷamigāni ca
It keeps off cold and heat, and beasts of prey as well,
สิริงสะเป จะ มะกะเส สิสิเร จาปิ วุฏฐิโย.
siriṃsape ca makase sisire cāpi vuṭṭhiyo.
creeping things and mosquitoes, and the cold-season rains.
ตะโต วาตาตะโป โฆโร สัญชาโต ปะฏิหัญญะติ
tato vātātapo ghoro sañjāto paṭihaññati
And the fierce wind and heat, once arisen, are kept off by it —
เลนัตถัญจะ สุขัตถัญจะ ฌายิตุง จะ วิปัสสิตุง.
lenatthañca sukhatthañca jhāyituṃ ca vipassituṃ.
for the sake of shelter and of ease, and in order to meditate and to see clearly.
วิหาระทานัง สังฆัสสะ อัคคัง พุทเธหิ วัณณิตัง
vihāradānaṃ saṅghassa aggaṃ buddhehi vaṇṇitaṃ
The gift of a dwelling to the Sangha is praised by the Buddhas as foremost.
ตัส๎มา หิ ปัณฑิโต โปโส สัมปัสสัง อัตถะมัตตะโน.
tasmā hi paṇḍito poso sampassaṃ atthamattano.
Therefore a wise man, seeing his own good,
วิหาเร การะเย รัมเม วาสะเยตถะ พะหุสสุเต
vihāre kāraye ramme vāsayettha bahussute
should have pleasant dwellings built and settle the deeply learned there.
เตสัง อันนัญจะ ปานัญจะ วัตถะเสนาสะนานิ จะ.
tesaṃ annañca pānañca vatthasenāsanāni ca.
To them food and drink, and robes and lodgings,
ทะเทยยะ อุชุภูเตสุ วิปปะสันเนนะ เจตะสา
dadeyya ujubhūtesu vippasannena cetasā
he should give to those grown upright, with a mind made clear.
เต ตัสสะ ธัมมัง เทเสนติ สัพพะทุกขาปะนูทะนัง.
te tassa dhammaṃ desenti sabbadukkhāpanūdanaṃ.
They teach him the Dhamma that dispels all suffering;
ยัง โส ธัมมะมิธัญญายะ ปะรินิพพาต๎ยะนาสะโวติ.
yaṃ so dhammamidhaññāya parinibbātyanāsavoti.
and having understood that Dhamma here, he attains final Nibbāna, free of the taints.
วิหาระทานะคาถา นิฏฐิตา
vihāradānagāthā niṭṭhitā
Here end the Verses on the Gift of a Dwelling.