University of Virginia Library

Ratana sutra (sutta)

The alleged historical circumstances of this sutra called `The Jewel Discourse'
are a part of contemporary popular village lore. It was preached
at the city of Vesali under remarkable circumstances. The city was
devastated by pestilence, drought and famine, and its citizens begged of
the Buddha to rid it of its calamities. The Buddha consented to visit the
city and as soon as he commenced the journey rain began to fall. According
to one version, the Buddha first taught the sutra to his disciple, Ananda,
and asked him to circumambulate the city and recite it while sprinkling
water from the Buddha's bowl. When he did so the spirits fled from the
city and the people recovered from their calamities. Afterwards the Buddha
preached the sutra to a large assembly composed not only of the citizens
of Vesali but also of the devas of two deva worlds with Sakka (Indra) at
their head. (The full story is reported in Nanamoli 1960; also see Malalasekera
1960, Vol. II, pp. 709-10; Hardy 1880, pp. 243-4.)

The Ratana sutra is one of the most famous and often-used paritta
because of its dramatic warding off of evil and misfortune. But what
do the words recited actually say? Out of its total seventeen verses
the first two contain a request to the devas to receive the homage and
offerings of men and protect them in their danger; then follow twelve
verses extolling the virtues of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha;
it ends with three verses spoken by Sakka on behalf of the gods, expressing
adoration of the Buddhist Trinity. The words, then, affirm the twofold
character of gods—their benevolence and acceptance of propitiation by

humans, and their adoration and subordination to the Buddhist Trinity;
the most important implication is that blessings are transferred to the laity
by virtue of the attainments of the Trinity. The great potency attributed
to the words, the imperative dispersal of misfortune, is not actually
contained in the words.