 | Buddhism and the spirit cults in North-east Thailand |  |
APPENDIX 2 TO CHAPTER 12
MORE EXAMPLES OF POTENT `PARITTA' CHANTS
(NOT DISCUSSED IN CHAPTER 12)
The paritta examined here are illustrations of those popularly considered
potent for warding off evil happenings of a dramatic character, such as
eclipses of the sun and moon, snake bites and other harm by wild creatures,
problem that their avowed potency paradoxically derives from the mild
non-violent ethical merit of the Buddha and his disciples.
1. Mora paritta
This paritta and certain Jataka stories from which it is derived are the
basis for the elaboration of important symbols like the peacock and
Garuda (mythical sunbird), which stand opposed to the Naga and snakes
in general; these symbols link up with the planets, the sun and moon and
Rahu, in the cosmology.
To fully understand the implications we must refer to three Jatakas—
the Mora Jataka, Ghatasana Jataka, and the Pandara Jataka.
Mora Jataka: this story was told by the Buddha to a backsliding monk
who was upset by the sight of a woman magnificently attired. The
bodhisattva was once born as a golden peacock, `fair and lovely, with
beautiful red lines under his wings', and lived on a golden hill in Dandaka.
He used to recite a spell in honour of the sun and another in praise of the
Buddhas and was thus protected from harm. A queen of Benares saw in
a dream a golden peacock preaching, and longed for this to come true.
But all attempts to catch the peacock failed and the queen died without
obtaining her wish. Six successive kings failed to snare the peacock until
in the reign of the seventh a hunter snared the peacock with a peahen
which he used as a lure. The peacock, snared because `leaving his charm
unsaid, he came towards her' who woke desire in his breast, was, however,
able to prove to the king that he was not immortal and that the eating of
his flesh would not confer on him the immortality he desired. Before he
departed he discoursed on the theme of nirvana which alone is everlasting.
(Cowell 1895, Vol. II, no. 159.)
Ghatasana Jataka: once the bodhisattva was king of the birds and lived
with his subjects in a giant tree, whose branches spread over a lake. The
Naga-king of the lake, Canda, enraged by the dropping of the birds' dung
into the water, caused smoke to rise and flames to dart up from the water
to the tree, and the bodhisatva, perceiving the danger, flew away with his
flock. (Cowell, ibid. no. 133).
The story was told to a monk whose hut in the forest was burnt by
fire and who delayed finding another shelter, which interfered with his
engaging in meditation. `And if beasts were so discerning, how could
you fall short of them in wisdom.' (Cowell, ibid. no. 133.)
Pandara Jataka: a shipwrecked, wandering, naked and destitute man
called Karambiya was mistaken for an ascetic by people who built him
a hermitage. Among his devotees were a Garuda-king and a Naga-king
out of the Naga the secret of how the Nagas prevented themselves from
being carried off by Garudas, namely the swallowing of large stones which
made them heavy. By seizing the Naga by his tail the Garuda was able
to carry off the Naga, who was then forced to disgorge the stone. The
Naga, lamented his foolishness in divulging his secret and on begging
for mercy, was released by his captor, who set him free with the warning:
`His secret no man should disclose, but guard like a treasure trove.'
Thereafter they lived in harmony as friends. The snake took his revenge
on the fake ascetic by uttering a reproof which resulted in the head of the
ascetic being split into seven pieces. (The Buddha identified himself as
the Garuda and Sariputta as the Naga, and Devadatta as Karambiya.)
(See Cowell 1905, Vol. v, no. 518.)
The Mora paritta, the great `peacock' spell, combines all these (and
other) themes—it comprises words addressed by the peacock, first to the
sun to preserve himself safe in his feeding ground, then to the Buddhas
who have passed away to protect him from harm; and other words to
preserve himself from evil.
The paritta is said to protect humans against snakes, dangerous humans,
animals and birds. Its best known use is against snake bite, on the basis
of all the elaborations by which the peacock preys on snakes.
2. Khanda paritta
The potency of this paritta is to make the poison of deadly creatures,
especially snakes, innocuous. In general it wards off all danger from
creatures. The Canonical basis for the paritta is the reference to the Buddha
issuing in the Anguttara Nikaya and the Cullavagga a charm against
snake bite and recommending its use by monks.
The antidote recommended is, however, quite in line with what we
have noted before: it is not an exorcistic spell but an asseveration of love
for snakes and an affirmation of Buddhist metta, and is charmingly
described in the Khandhavatta Jataka (Cowell 1895, Vol. 11, no. 203).
The bodhisatva, it is said, was once born as a brahman in Kasi and later
became an ascetic. On its being reported to him that many ascetics died
of snake bite, he gathered them together and having admonished them
`If you showed goodwill to the four royal races of snakes, no serpents
would bite you', taught them how, by cultivating love for the four royal
races of snakes, they could prevent themselves from ever being bitten by
them (or any other creature). `Creatures all beneath the sun, / two feet,
four feet, more, or none— / How I love you, every one!' (Ibid. p. 101.)
3. Candima paritta
The moon in Buddhist cosmology is inhabited by a deva called Candima
or Canda. The Candima Sutta in Samyutta Nikaya records the incident
of the Buddha's request to Rahu (the evil planet which swallows the
moon and causes eclipses) to free its victim. The narrative says the moon
(Canda) was seized by the asura Rahu, and the victim, remembering the
Buddha at that moment, appealed thus: `O conquering Buddha, I adore
thee! Thou art perfectly free from evil; I am in distress; be thou my
refuge!' Then Buddha spoke this stanza to the asura Rahu on behalf of
the god Canda: `Rahu! Canda has taken refuge in the holy Tatagatha.
Release Canda. Buddha compassionates the world.' Upon hearing this,
Rahu released Canda and fled to the chief of the asuras; trembling with
fright when questioned why he had released Canda, Rahu replied: `My
head would have been split into seven pieces; I should have had no comfort
in my life; I have been spoken to by the Buddha...otherwise I would
not have released Canda.' (Hardy 1880, pp. 47-8).
4. Suriya paritta
A narrative similar to the above is related about the Sun and Rahu, and
the paritta affords protection of the sun from eclipse.
5. Angulimala paritta
This one is believed to ease the pains of childbirth and more generally,
like the other paritta, to ward off all dangers. Its `historical' antecedents
are intriguing, for it is associated with the famous story of the Buddha's
encounter with the killer of men, Angulimala.
The following is a summary of the story: a son was born, under the
ominous `thieves' constellation', to the wife of the brahman chaplain of
the King of Kosala. While a student, the boy Angulimala aroused the
jealousy of his fellow students, who falsely accused him of improprieties
with the teacher's wife; the teacher in revenge asked as his fee for further
instruction the slaughter of a thousand men and a finger from each victim
as evidence of death. Angulimala murdered 999 victims, thereby causing
great fear and depopulation, and on the eve of apprehension by the king
was in mortal danger of murdering his own mother, who had set out to
warn him, as his thousandth victim. The Buddha forestalled this crime
by appearing before Angulimala, who then pursued the Buddha for
twelve miles without being able to overtake him. The Buddha subsequently
converted him and ordained him as a monk, and secured a reprieve from
the king.
One day when returning from his own natal village after an unsuccessful
round of begging there, Angulimala saw a woman in severe labour pains
and, being helpless and full of piety, reported the event to the Buddha,
who said to him: `Go to the place and say "I have never knowingly put
any creature to death since I was born; by the virtue of this observance
may you be free from pain".' On remonstrating that this was untrue
of his own life, Angulimala was told by the Buddha that since becoming
a monk he was indeed reborn and that his new life was virtuous. Angulimala
did as he was directed and the mother gave birth with as much ease as
water falls from a vessel. (See Malalasekera 1960, Vol. 1, pp. 22-3; Hardy
1880, pp. 257-61.)
This story embodies several points regarding the theory of paritta in
particular, and Buddhist teaching in general. The formula of the paritta
emphasizes that it is the merit of the virtuous arahat that withstands
worldly misfortune, and that the benefit of this merit is transferred to the
layman. The Buddha's own act of conversion of Angulimala through
compassion constitutes again the same message proclaimed in the other
paritta discussed. Furthermore, it is appropriate that the former killer
of men should now preside over their births.
From the point of view of Buddhist doctrine, Angulimala's conversion
and becoming an arahat wiped out his former misdeeds, that is, a beneficent
karma can arise and destroy an evil karma. But Angulimala, though
destined not to be reborn, had to suffer the punishment of demerit in
his last life. He was stoned and hit by people in his goings to procure
alms.
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