 | Buddhism and the spirit cults in North-east Thailand |  |
APPENDIX TO CHAPTER 13
`SUKHWAN' TEXTS
`Sukhwan nag' text
This is an English translation of a ritual text which is recited by the
paahm or mau khwan at the ceremony of calling the khwan [spirit essence]
of the candidate [nag] before his ordination as Buddhist novice or monk.
The text begins with the `namo', which is a Pali prayer in praise of
the Buddha commonly used in Buddhist worship. The Pali words, repeated
three times, are `Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambudahassa'
meaning `We worship the Blessed One, Arahat, Supreme Lord Buddha'.
The words of the rest of the text are in the ordinary North-east Lao
language and are freely translated here.
This is an auspicious day and year. All of us consisting of elders and
thao phaya[3]
have come together to perform sukhwan ceremony for the
nag, who is going to be separated from his parents in order to receive
the Buddhist triple gems [Buddha, Dhamma (doctrine) and Sangha (order
of monks)]. You [the nag] will see happiness, doubt, self emptied of soul,
disease, death and the transformation into spirit [phii] and of not returning
to life. You have faith, your relatives have faith, merit is made and transferred.
Parents have brought you up since you were a child, since you were
in your mother's womb. Whatever the trials faced by your mother, she
showed perseverance and patience before childbirth. Then you were born.
Your mother had to feed you with chewed rice three times a day and
bathed you three or four times a day. Your mother was industrious. When
it rained or thunder broke, she embraced you and held you close to her
breast and put you to sleep. She placed a pillow next to you to make you
warm.
When you grow up you become a novice and study the Buddhist
precepts. When you are of the right age to be ordained, you go and inform
your relations. They get ready your mat and pillow, upper and lower
robes, your monk's bowl, bag, walking stick, fan and needle. [These are
possessions such as knife and cushion. The pile of gifts looks beautiful,
and it is gathered together so that the one to be ordained may be free
from suffering, live happily and long, for at least a hundred years. May
your life extend to 5,000 years and be blessed with good fortune.
Today is said to be an auspicious day. We are gathered together to
conduct the Khwan Chao Nag[4]
ceremony. Come khwan, don't go to the
forest in search of pleasure. Don't go to look at the gibbon for your pleasure.
Don't look for wildfowl and be enticed by its pleasing call. Don't go in
search of the wild bull; don't be led astray by looking at a herd of elephants
in the forest; don't be led away by looking into caves for pleasure in the
mountains. Don't lose yourself by looking at the wild monkey, sparrow,
tiger, lion, rhinoceros and elephant. Don't tarry in the cave or at the
pond looking at the beautiful fish and the scented lotus. Bring all these
khwan and enter your body and reside with us. If ordained may you
become the head of the wat; when you are a layman may you be a master
with servants. May you have honour and fame which will spread to near
and far places three times a day. May you have a retinue to accompany
you when you make a trip. May you be blessed with power and victory
over cruel Mara [the demon enemy of Buddha]. May Mara prostrate
himself at your feet, and may all your enemies come and worship you
with offerings every day, every hour in the manner of my prayer.
`Sukhwan' text recited at a wedding ceremony
Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambudahassa (three times). Sri,
sri, siddhi praporn.[5]
Flowers exude fragrant odour. Khun Kuan Chao and
Khun Nang Chao[6]
have made the phakhwan [tiered structure made of
flowers for the khwan]. The phakhwan is surrounded by all who are
present. There are provided in abundance cotton strings, rings, beads,
necklaces, and food; also bowls of areca nut for chewing. Also flowers,
liquor, bananas, boiled rice, Bai Sri,[7]
and eggs. The mighty ones (blessed
with ten powers) came down from the sky, wielding bows and arrows. Their
names are: Khun Sri [auspicious], Khun Pandh [bind together], Somsri
[beautiful], Sri Sawan [heaven]. All of them are very beautiful to behold.
Om siddhi chaya praporn. This is leap year, B.E. 2,505, the year of the
Tiger. The season of the year is winter. I'll wed Mr — and Miss —
in accordance with custom. The bowls of flowers are now being lifted to
to chao gotra [founders of the lineage]. The first-born daughter, the middle
ones, and the youngest one are of high price. The elders are here to wed
the couple according to their wish. It is of great merit to let a daughter
get married. Among those who are present here are grandfathers, grandmothers,
parents, old people, and young people who on your [couple's]
right and left sides are assisting the mau khwan.[8] Going round and round
(clockwise and also counter-clockwise) is a vessel of liquor. The older
people are sitting on the upper floor.
Now I should like to call upon the khwan of the beautiful bride to sit
beside the bridegroom, and the khwan of the bridegroom to sit beside the
bride. Now the khwan have arrived. They wear khoom foom [a kind of
flower] above the ears. The blooming flower, above the eyes, is kud kao
[a kind of fragrant flower].
On this auspicious day your khwan should return. Khwan of the shins
should return to the shins. Khwan of the legs should return to the legs.
All the khwan should return today.
On the far left is Chaya. He shows courage when he is among other
people. Everybody displayed signs of happiness while they were in the
procession. The procession was led by Garuda[9]
and followed by Naga[10]
[Garuda was the head and Naga the tail of the procession]. The iron
posts of the palanquin are being guarded by Phii Luang [guardian spirit
of city], as described fully in the Dhamma. Thaen [Creator deity] has
destined you two to become husband and wife and to live a married life.
Now, I'll call upon khwan bakaen [young man, i.e. groom] to return
to the groom. The groom, being slim and slender, is just right for the
bride. Indra[11]
in the heaven has sent him to live with his wife. May he
live 100 years. May he have many sons and daughters, but not as many
as 100,000. He already owns elephants, horses, and golden saddles.
Phraya Dham, the brave, who has power, has arranged for you to become
a husband. When the sun is going down, your khwan will return immediately.
The bride has already made a bedroom for you. She is waiting for you.
In the bedroom there are pha kasa [a kind of cloth], silk, lace, etc. Let the
khwan of the bride return, and also the khwan of the groom that is wandering
far away, please come back today. Khwan that is still following former
with flowers and cosmetics. They have already got these things ready
for you. All the friends of the groom [baw] and of the bride [nang] are
looking forward to seeing you. Rumour has it that you are of great merit.
Please come and eat your breakfast placed in the phakhwan. Please come
and feed the couple with egg-rice according to old custom. The fortune
teller has already stated that today is a good day. So I'll wed this couple,
who will continue to preserve the family tree and inherit the family
wealth. When it is the 7th or 8th day of the lunar month they should
observe precepts. When it is the 14th or 15th day of the lunar month
they should always give food to the monks.
Decha chaya,[12]
khwan of the eyebrows, should return to the eyebrows,
khwan of the eyes should return to the eyes today. Khwan of the cheek,
khwan of the chin, khwan of the waist, khwan of the breast should also
return at once. Please come and sit down around the phakhwan.
Today is a very auspicious day. Today is the beginning. They say the
old will be young again, the old people with white hair will become as
young as children; servants and the poor will be owners of wealth; during
sleep one will get 10,000 baht; when awakened one will get 100,000 baht; Phraa Chao will be given a good ring.
The groom's legs will be on top of the bride's legs; the barn will be
filled up with rice. All these will take place today. I'll perform sukhwan
for you for three days. May the husband's legs rub against the legs of
his wife. May the couple be happy and live joyous days and nights. May
they be humble towards each other.
As a son-in-law you should be broad-minded. Please do not complain.
If you want to drive away the chickens from the house you should say
`So'. If you want to drive away the dogs, you should say `Se'. If you
want to drive away the cattle you should say `Hue, Hue!' Please do not
disobey your relatives. Watch what you say. Don't be too critical of others.
Love your wife. As a daughter-in-law, you should love your husband.
Don't talk behind his back. Make merit. Listen to sermons. During the
dark moon nights please do not roam away from home. That low house
belongs to your ah [uncle or aunt].[13]
The tall one belongs to phau [father].
The one connected with that corridor belongs to lung[14]
[uncle] and pa[15]
[aunt]. The one with a wooden floor, a baked clay roof, Naga's head,
jars, and a horse[16]
statue with beads will belong to you. Both of you should
you have meat, please give some to your aunt. When you have fish, please
give some to your grandmother. They love you very much. May you have
a very good son. Please listen to what your grandfather, grandmother,
father, and mother say to you. Be kind to your relatives. Your left eye
should not look to seek another man; your right eye should not look for
your old lover. You should cook in the morning and in the evening.
Don't get up late. You should make mag and ploo [betel nut] for your
husband, in the morning and in the evening. When you are married you
should do away with your former thoughts. Serve liquor in the small jar
to your servants. Serve liquor in the big jar to your superiors. That
would be good for you. You will have blessing from Phraa Indra. When
it is night-time you should be in bed and not anywhere else. Today it is
good for the two of you to share a pillow. Love each other and show goodwill
to each other. Chaya—chaya mangalang. May you live long and enjoy
good complexion, happiness, and power.
These references are obscure, and probably say that the phakhwan has been made by
a noble couple.
This is Indra, who in Buddhist Thailand is known as king of the Tavatinsa heaven,
the second of the six heavens. In cosmology there are six lower heavens. Tavatinsa means
heaven of thirty-two devas. Indra is dark in colour. It is said that, as a human being, he
was king and had a retinue of thirty-one assistants. Because they made great merit, Indra
became king of this heaven after his death and his retinue became devas.
Lung = elder brother of father or mother or spouse of pa; pa = elder sister of
father or mother or spouse of lung.
Lung = elder brother of father or mother or spouse of pa; pa = elder sister of
father or mother or spouse of lung.
`Sukhwan' text recited for a pregnant woman
Si si pra porn [auspicious blessing].
The air is filled with the fragrance of flower pollen. Khwan [spirit essences]
will be summoned to come together. This is an auspicious time and day
of the year, laden with good luck. Thirty phau-mae-thao [respected old
persons of parental generation] say that the time and day are auspicious.
The astrologers [mau hone, mau yam, mau huhah] say the time and day
are good. Phraa Narai[17]
has said in thirty words that the time and day are
good.
A servant who wishes to consult his master should do so today. It is
said that the accession to the throne of Phraa Khun Myang[18]
should be
done today. It is an auspicious day for the grankaew[19]
bird to build its
nest. It is a good day to train the white gourd plant to climb the bamboo
frame. It is said that a divorced or widowed woman who wishes to climb
to the top of the mountain should start today. Thao Songchai[20]
lulls his
younger siblings to sleep saying that today is a good day. Monks beat the
victory gong and proclaim that today is a good day. Phraa Mettaai[21]
will
have his head shaven today, which is a good day. Kings of one hundred
countries are crowned on this day. Today is a full moon day, a good day.
Please come, khwan. Let the khwan of the shin return to the shin,
stay in its place. Don't run away, hurry to our house. Come and eat
khaw tom [rice gruel] mixed with sesame oil; come and eat fish. Don't
go and stay with a young man in Myang Thaen.[22] Don't go and stay in
the garden and rice field belonging to others. Khwan of the head, young
khwan, the dearest to your husband, return to your house today, at this
moment. Come and look at your slender and most handsome husband.
At this moment your husband might be shedding tears waiting for you
who was born from an elephant's tusk[23] as Nang Sida[24] was. Don't go away
and stay in Phya Thaen's castle in heaven—that beautiful castle will
never be given to you. Return, khwan, don't stay beside the carpet and
pillow in the castle; you will never have that pillow beside you because
you do not have enough merit. You shall never be the owner of the royal
elephant.[25]
Return, khwan, and wear flowers behind your ear. Thirty old persons
[phau-mae-thao] are gathered here to celebrate your coming. Ninety
brahmans are awaiting to celebrate you. This, here, is a large tray made of
sandalwood, and this bowl is made of maikeo wood. All these things have
been got ready for you—there are food and fruit that are the delight of
young children. There is also rice for you. Children, young unmarried
women, divorced and separated women have come to see you. The person
who will handle the placenta and cut the umbilical cord is present here.
Your mother carries you for months when she is with child. During
that time she has to climb down the ladder and climb up to the house;
she complains that she has labour pains. Brothers and sisters have assembled
to watch and guard with care. When your mother carries you, she takes
medicines; she is weary of heart when she sits, walks or lies down, until
the baby is born.
A female baby is born lying flat on its back; a male baby is born lying
flat on its face. After the umbilical cord is cut, siblings and relatives will
wrap the baby with cloth. The nog khaw bird[26]
sings `coo coo', and if it is
her baby let her come and take it away today; otherwise from today, the
baby is mine.[27]
Your [baby's] mother shows solicitude towards you—she
picks you up with her hands and places you in a cradle. Your mother
feeds, bathes you, and then puts you to sleep in the cradle. Her two hands
rock the cradle all day long. She leaves the cradle to drink hot water, and
binding of your left wrist makes you grow big as your uncle [mother's
brother], as tall as the sky, and to have a rank equal to that of others.
If you [mother] have a female baby, may you be happy. If you have
a male baby, may you bring him up with care. If your son receives an
elephant, may it be a large one. Let him sit in the middle of the elephant's
back, and have others follow him in procession. Let him possess 1,000 baht
weight of silver and 100 baht weight of gold. If he has servants, let him
own 100. If he goes anywhere, let people respect him.
Come, khwan, if you have gone away to stay in the jungle with birds,
come back today, now, at this time.
Come, khwan, if you have hidden yourself in the jungle, come back
today.
Come, khwan, if you are staying in the big pond, return today, now, at
this time.
Come, khwan, if you have gone to grow taro in the forest, return today.
Come, khwan, if you have gone away to play at a riverside quay with
steps leading down, return today, at this moment.
Come, khwan, if it rains don't go any farther; if it thunders don't go
away too far. After the rains, don't go and drink water near the rhinoceros'
track; when the sun shines don't go in search of water along the buffalo's
track. In the late morning don't drink water near the elephant's track.
My little slender one, come home to live in the house with a wooden
floor and a roof made of long grass.
Khwan, if you are engaged in upland cultivation, return today at this
moment.
Khwan, if you are conversing with your lover in the jungle, come back
today, at this moment.
Khwan, if you have gone hunting deer in the jungle, return today.
Khwan, if you have left the body because of a scorpion's sting, return
today.
Khwan, if you are away from your home, come back today.
Come, khwan, come and reside in the house in which there is a three-cornered
pillow that is suited to you. Beautiful girls await you around
the phakhwan, and divorced and separated women have assembled to
open the bajsi.[29]
I invite Thao Kamfan,[30]
who holds firm the pillar of the
house, and Thao Kamfua,[31]
who guards the house, to come and celebrate
your return.
Come, khwan, I invite at this moment the little baby sitting in the
rattan chair to help celebrate your return. Come, khwan, I invite phuu
thaw [elders], phau gae [elders], both father and mother, lung [parents'
elder male siblings], pa [parents' elder female siblings], nah [father's
younger siblings] and ah [mother's younger siblings] to celebrate your
coming.
Chayate chaya mangalang.
If the baby is a non-human spirit child it should be claimed today. There is a belief
that a new-born baby is a spirit child and becomes human in about three days.
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