Ratanasutta - A Comparative Edition

The well known Ratanasutta is found in two places in the Pàëi canon, in Khuddakapàñha; and in Suttanipàta (vs 222 - 238), both of which collections appear in the Khuddakanikàya of the Suttapiñaka. It also appears in the medieval collection of paritta chants the Catubhàõavàrapàëi, and is recognized as the Mahàparitta par excellence. A Sanskrit version of the same text is found in the Mahàvastu (the Great Story), a large collection of material of the Lokottaravàdin Mahàsàïghika sect.

In the Sanskrit version the sutta is embedded in the narrative which gives the background to how the verses came to be recited. In the Pàëi texts the narrative (nidàna) is given in the commentary to Khuddakapàñha, Paramathajotikà (Pt 1). The stories in both versions agree in outline, but differ somewhat in the details.

At one time, while the Buddha was staying at RàjagÔha (Ràjagaha), a demonic plague broke out in Vaièàlã (Vesàli), the capital city of the neighbouring Licchavi confederation. In order to deal with the problem the authorities first called in the Six Famous Teachers to see if they could help, but they were found to be of no avail (note that in the Pàëi it is only suggested that they call in the Six Teachers, but when others prefer calling in the Buddha, he is approached without further delay).

They therefore sent an envoy to request the Buddha to come to the city to alleviate the situation. In the Sanskrit version of the story, the envoy goes straight to Veõuvana (Veëuvana) where the Buddha is preaching the Dharma, and makes his request. The Buddha replies that as he is staying at RàjagÔha at the invitation of the King, the envoy must first get his permission, and then if he agrees, he will go. In the Pàëi version, however, the envoy goes straight to the King, explains the problem, and the King asks the Buddha to make the trip.

In both versions the trip from RàjagÔha to Vaièàli is described in quite some detail, as a magnificent procession, in which the King first prepares the way, and then accompanies the Buddha and his retinue of monks to the Ganges, which forms the border of the two countries. The Licchavis on their part have also come down to the river, and there is a similar procession from the river up to the city of Vaièàli.

In the Sanskrit as soon as the Buddha arrives at the city the demons flee and the plague is assuaged. The narrative continues with the Buddha relating several Jàtakas in which similar plagues of former days have also been assuaged by his presence. The Buddha then enters the city and recites the sutta.

The Pàëi commentary, however, has another tradition which states that when the Buddha arrived at Vesàli, Sakka and his retinue also came, and that it was on the sight of the gods that most - but not all - of the demons fled. The Buddha then teaches the verses to Ven. ânanda and instructs him to go in procession around the city, sprinkling water as he goes and reciting the sutta. It is recorded that as soon as he got to the 3^rd verse, beginning Yaü kiÿci vittaü... the rest of the demons fled.

The multitude, with the Buddha at its head, proceed to the Assembly Hall (Santhàgàra). When the procession with Ven. ânanda at its head returns, the Buddha himself, sitting in the Assembly, surrounded by gods and men, recites the sutta, bringing many beings to a comprehension of the Dhamma while doing so. According to the commentary he also preached the same sutta on the following 6 days, with the same happy result.

This last part of the story is significant, because in the Mahàvaüsa it is recorded that in the time of the Sinhalese King Upatissa II, a great famine and plague assailed the Island. Chapter 37 vss. 189 - 198 tell the story (translation from Wilhelm Geiger's Cålavaüsa):

In the time of this (King) the island was vexed by the ills of a famine and a plague. The benevolent (King) who was as a light for the darkness of sin, asked the bhikkhus: ßDid not the great Sage (Buddha) when the world was visited by such evils as famine and the like, provide some kind of help for the world?û They pointed to the origin of the Gaïgàrohaõa-Sutta on such an occasion. When he heard this he made an image wholly of gold of the departed Buddha, laid the stone alms bowl of the Master (filled) with water in the hollow of its hands and placed this his figure on a great chariot. He took upon himself the duties of a moral life and made the people also take them on themselves, he instituted a great almsgiving and established security (of life) for all living creatures. Then after he had adorned the town (so that it was) comely as the world of the gods, he descended surrounded by all the bhikkhus dwelling in the Island, to the principal street. Then the bhikkhus who had gathered there reciting the Ratana-Sutta and pouring out water, walked about the street, not far from the royal palace, near the wall, round which they walked with their right side towards it in the three watches of the night. When morning dawned a great cloud poured rain on the earth and all who had suffered from disease, held refreshed high festival. But the Lord of men decreed: ßWhen there shall be on the Island an evil such as famine, plague or the like, thus shall it be done.û

In what follows the Ratanasutta is presented first in the Pàëi with the Sanskrit parallels, and then in the Sanskrit with the Pàëi parallels. In this way it is possible to see not only what is parallel in the two editions of the text, but also, and equally important, what doesn't find a parallel.

The text of Ratanasutta as presented here is as established by the present writer in the New Edition of Khuddakapàñha, which can be found elsewhere on this web site. The text of the Sanskrit version is transliterated from the 1^st volume of E. Senart's standard edition (Paris, 1882. Pgs 290-5).

In the Pàëi the text has 17 verses, while in the Sanskrit there are 19 verses in all. The order of the verses varies in the different editions, and it may be useful to give an overview of the structure of the 2 versions here. The tables below show the correspondence between the 2 versions:

As can be seen from these tables the body of the text is substantially the same, even though some of the verses are in a different order, the only major difference being that verse 13 in the Pàëi finds no equivalent in the Sanskrit version; and the Sanskrit verse 13 has none in the Pàëi.

However the introductions and conclusions of the 2 versions differ substantially, with the Sanskrit version having extra verses not found in the Pàëi. Much of the extra material however, can be found in parallels or partial parallels among other paritta material found in the Catubhàõavàrapàëi mentioned earlier.

The introduction to the Sanskrit version has a partial parallel in Jàtaka 159, the verses of which form the Moraparitta, one of the pieces in the 1st bhàõavàra (see the text for the lines concerned).

tasmà hi taü rakùatha apramattà
màtà va putraü anukampamànà

found in Sanskrit verses 16 & 17, may be compared with the following line found in the Karaõãyamettasutta, which is also chanted as a protection verse:

màtà yathà niyaü puttaü àyusà ekaputtam-anurakkhe
evam-pi sabbabhåtesu mànasaü bhàvaye aparimàõaü

Sanskrit verse 17 is also partially echoed by some verses found in âñànàñiyasutta, which is the culminating sutta found in the Pàëi collection of paritta chants; as will be seen they also bear a verbal similarity to the opening verse of the Sanskrit version:

vipassissa namatthu ~ cakkhumantassa sirãmato
sikhissa pi namatthu ~ sabbabhåtànukampino

vessabhussa namatthu ~ nahàtakassa tapassino
namatthu kakusandhassa ~ màrasenàpamaddino

koõàgamanassa namatthu ~ bràhmaõassa vusãmato
kassapassa namatthu ~ vippamuttassa sabbadhi

aïgãrasassa namatthu ~ sakyaputtassa sirãmato
yo imaü dhammam-adesesi ~ sabbadukkhà panådanaü

(âñànàñiyasuttaü Verses 1-4)

All of this leads us to the conclusion that the extra material found in the Sanskrit has probably been assembled from a floating collection of paritta-type pieces in the oral tradition that preserved, passed on, and re-presented the material coming from the earliest Buddhist teaching.

Pàëi	Sanskrit	Sanskrit	Pàëi
Verse Number 1	= 2	Verse Number 1	= Jàt. 159.2 cd
2	= 15, 16 a, 18 a	2	= 1
3	= 3	3	= 3
4	= 4	4	= 4
5	= 5	5	= 5
6	= 6	6	= 6
7	= 11	7	= 10
8	= 9	8	= 11
9	= 10	9	= 8
10	= 7	10	= 9
11	= 8	11	= 7
12	= 14	12	= 14
13		13
14	= 12	14	= 12
15, 16, 17	cf. 19	15	= 2 abc
		16 a	= 2 d
		17
		18 a	= 2 d
		19	cf. 15 cd, 16 cd, 17 cd