Safeguard Recitals Home Page   First Section

Introduction

Undoubtedly the best known collection of Buddhist texts in Sri Lanka is the Catubhāṇavārapāḷi, the Text of the Four Recitals. In Sinhala the book is also known as the Piruvānā Pot Vahanse (The Venerable Recitation Book); and the Mahā Pirit Pota (The Book of the Great Safeguards).⁰¹ On any given day of the year one would not have to go very far to find a complete recital of these texts being made, usually by monks, in an all-night sitting, as the Buddhist community regards such a recital as being particularly auspicious, and believes it brings safety, peace, and well-being in its wake.

Following the Autumnal Rains Retreat (Vassa) every monastery and temple in the land has such a recital to ensure the prosperity of the temple and the community during the coming year; and throughout the year in the monasteries and temples up and down the land a selection of texts from this collection is recited to promote the safety and happiness of all those who attend such gatherings, and others to whom the chanting is dedicated to.

At auspicious times such as the inauguration of a new temple or home, or on merit-making occasions; and on inauspicious occasions such as a funeral, or an anniversary of the death of a loved one, there may also be a recitation of these discourses. Also in times of adversity, when ill-health or disease are close at hand, certain discourses from the collection will be recited which are thought to be particularly effective in restoring confidence and good health. Other discourses are employed when invisible forces or spirits are behaving antagonistically towards people; and at times certain of these discourses are recited as a blessing upon those who hear them.

In terms of the media it would be hard to find any other book in Sri Lanka that has so many editions available, and most homes in the Buddhist community will possess and prize a copy. The Great Safeguard, or Mahāparittaṁ, which opens the recital has been recorded many times and can be heard morning and evening played over loudspeakers from homes and temples alike.

Enough then should have been said to give an idea of the central role these texts play in the life of Sri Lankan Buddhism, but these recitals are also popular in other Theravāda countries like Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia, and there is every reason to believe that their popularity is growing in those countries where the Buddhist community forms a small but significant minority like Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and in those Western countries where Buddhism has now taken root.

As it stands the Catubhāṇavārapāḷi is something of a misnomer, as there is an additional section added, not at the end of the four recitals, but right in the middle. This is the Atireka-Suttasattāni (the Seven Supplementary Discourses) beginning with the first discourse of the Buddha, the Dhammacakkappavattanasutta, Mahāsamayasuttaṁ from Dīghanikāya; followed by four discourses from Suttanipāta mainly in verse; and ending with the Analysis of the Truths (Saccavibhaṅgasuttaṁ). Exactly when these discourses have been added to the original text is not clear, as all the evidence we have today includes this material.

The recitation has been further elaborated by the addition of the Mahāparittaṁ (Great Protection) at the beginning of the recital, and the Avasānaṁ (Conclusion) at the end which, besides repeating some of the main discourses found in the Catubhāṇavārapāḷi (the Mahāmaṅgala-, Karaṇīyametta-, and Ratana-suttas), has other Canonical texts, not found in the main body of the work, like the Paṭiccasamuppādaṁ, and the Paṭhama-Buddhavacanaṁ, as well as texts written at some time in the Medieval period, like the Jayamaṅgalagāthā, Aṭṭhavīsatiparittaṁ, Jinapañjaraṁ and the Mahājayamaṅgalagāthā, which is found both at the beginning and the end of the recital.

This book has been prepared in order to provide a reliable and complete text of the Catubhāṇavārapāḷi for those who would normally read or recite Pāḷi through Latin script. The discourses and other material gathered in this book are not, and should not be regarded as, magical incantations. Verbally undertaking the Training Rules, without making an effort to maintain them unbroken is likely to be ineffective. Simply listening to a discourse about friendliness (mettā), without generating and radiating mettā, will similarly have little or no effect. Therefore in preparing this book every effort has been made to promote an intelligent participation in these recitals on the part of those who recite these texts, and those who listen to them. For that reason a line by line translation of the text has been adopted which should make it possible to follow the recital and the translation at the same time.

Those who are unable to attend a recital of these texts may still find much of interest in this collection, which includes the first discourse of the Buddha (Dhammacakkappavatanasuttaṁ), one of the most important discourses in the canon, together with an Analysis of the Truths (Saccavibhaṅgasuttaṁ), which was made by Venerable Sāriputta, one of the Buddha's leading disciples. There are many discourses here that deal with various aspects of popular ethics, including the discourses on the Great Blessings (Mahāmaṅgalasuttaṁ), the Advantages of Friendship (Mittānisaṁsā), and the causes of Ruin (Parābhavasuttaṁ) among others. We may also mention here other pieces like the Reflections (Paccavekkhaṇā), which encourages frugality and contentment; and the recollection of the Thirty Two Parts of the body (Dvattiṁsākāraṁ), which is intended to counteract the lust, hatred, and delusion that arise in consequence of an over-attachment to the body and the pleasure that can be gained through that medium.

The two long discourses, Mahāsamayasuttaṁ & Āṭānāṭiyasuttaṁ, together with a number of shorter discourses in the first recital (see nos 13-16), should give the reader a fairly good outline of Buddhist cosmology. There are a number of discourses on mettā meditation, including the justly famous Karaṇīyamettasuttaṁ; and the Girimānandasuttaṁ outlines ten perceptions, or contemplations, that can be undertaken by those who are intent on training the mind.

At the end of the book there is an appendix on the correct Pronunciation of Pāḷi; and a short essay on the Prosody, which includes an outline of the metres that are used in the verse sections of the book, and which hopefully will help towards an appreciation of the aesthetic aspect of these texts.

Whenever these texts are recited let it be for the safety, peace, and happiness of all living beings. Having secured their lives on a firm foundation, may all beings then take steps to develop themselves further, until such time as they arrive at the complete cessation of suffering!

Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
Vassāna 2002/2546

About The Text

1: Authorities

The text of Catubhāṇavārapāḷi printed in the main section of this book has been prepared through a comparison of the following authorities, which are given here along with the abbreviations used in the variant readings. The texts and their recitation are as found in the Sinhalese tradition, note that there are sometimes different ways of reciting these texts in Burma and Thailand:

2: Variant Readings

There are some variations in the text which, as they make little difference in recital have not been noted in the variant readings, but which may usefully be outlined here: Variant readings have only been recorded for the main part of the text (the Catubhāṇavārapāḷi), and not for the Mahāparittaṁ or Avasānaṁ.⁰²

CBhp, PPV2 sometimes print ṇ for the more usual n, as in nibbāṇa, pahāṇa, sayaṇhasamaya.

CBhp sometimes has ḷ for l, as in antaḷikkha, piḷakā.

PPV2 sometimes has l for ḷ, as in Veluvane.

MPP sometimes prints n where we normally find ṇ, as in utuparināma, pisuna.

PPV, PPV2 quite often have ṁ for ñ, and occasionally in place of other nasals, which is simply an alternative way of representing these sounds.

None of the books are entirely consistent in their usage, which may not be the fault of the editors, but because this is a collection of texts that was originally passed down in different manuscript traditions. However, in this edition I have preferred to prepare a text which is consistent, as far as that is possible.

Printer's errors, like printing tī as the quotation marker, have also not normally been noted, though where they amount to the omission of a word or line they have been included.

Owing to the Sinhala typeface used in MPP & PPV it is impossible to tell the difference between u & ū when in combination with certain letters, so that e.g. bhikkhu & bhikkhū are indistinguishable, except by context, and it was therefore not possible to note the variants in this regard.

3: Comparison

Although Catubhāṇavārapāḷi is a collection of material drawn from the five Nikāyas, there are some significant differences between the suttas and other material in the collection and in the source. Below is a synopsis of where these works are originally found, together with a brief outline of the differences that are found (whenever they exist) for reference. It should be noted that variant readings are not mentioned here, but only major differences affecting either the title or contents:

4: Layout & Punctuation

a) In prose lines the text and translation normally start parallel to each other at the side of the page, e.g. from the Dasasikkhāpadāni:

Pāṇātipātā veramaṇīsikkhāpadaṁ.
The training rule of refraining from killing living creatures.

b) Some prose lines have been indented for emphasis, e.g.

c) Some prose lines have been centred, example from Saraṇagamanaṁ:

d) In verse lines the Pāḷi is indented in relation to the translation, and each metre is distinguished by the layout (for the details on this see the 2nd appendix on prosody) example from Mahāmaṅgalasuttaṁ:

e) Owing to the different grammatical structure of the languages it has occasionally been necessary to take two lines of Pāḷi together for the purposes of translation, this is indicated by the sign - ^o - appearing at the beginning of a line of translation.

f) In the Siloka verses when the two parts of the line have been taken together for translation, this is indicated by the omission of the wavy slash otherwise dividing the line in the translation. Example from Mahāsamayasuttaṁ:

Acknowledgements

My advisors for the arrangement and correct procedure in this book have been Ven. Melpitiye Vimalaratana Mahāthera (M.A.), Chief Incumbant at Veluvane Pirivena, Pallepola & Ven. Ambagamuwe Saṁvuta Nahimi, Head Monk at the Vipassana Meditation Centre, Sinhapura, Polonnaruwa.

At an early stage Ven. Paññānanda of England, and at a later stage Ven. Ñāṇatusita of Holland both made excellent reviews of this work which has helped me make a number of corrections and clarifications. Ven. Ñāṇaramita did an excellent job in proof-reading the manuscript.

For the time and patience that these monks have worked on this book I am very grateful. Any mistakes that remain, of course, are entirely my own fault.

Note to the 2nd Edition

After the publication of the 1st edition a number of minor mistakes were brought to my notice, chiefly through the careful reading of the text made by Mr. Kariyawasam, late editor at B.P.S., and corrections have been included in the 2nd edition.