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Tigumbacetiyathomanā
Praise of the Tigumba Shrine Better known as Shwedagon, the most sacred shrine in Myanmar. Tigumba is another name for Yangon or Rangoon, and this is its principle shrine.
A Pāli and English line by line (interlinear) version of a chanting text from Myanmar praising the Shwedagon Pagoda, which illustrates the variations that occur in the Siloka metre.
re-edited The text is found on the Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana CD-ROM (version 3, Igatpuri, no date, but = 1999), it appears though to have been carelessly transcribed, and I have made a number of changes here, based on sense and prosody, which are recorded in the footnotes. The text appears to have been written to illustrate the variations (
Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa
Reverence to him, the Fortunate One, the Worthy One, the Perfect Sambuddha
−−−⏑¦⏑−−⏑¦⏑−−⏑¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Yo Dīpaṅkaramūlamhi padaṁ hatthagataṁ Text:
He who renounced his possessions at the feet Lit: at the foot. of (Buddha) Dīpaṅkara,
−−−−¦⏑−−−¦−−−⏑¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Sammāsambodhim-ākaṅkhaṁ: vande tassa siroruhaṁ. [01]
Wishing for Perfect Awakening: I worship his hair (relics).
−−−−¦⏑−−⏑¦⏑−−−¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Pūretvā Bodhisambhāram-ahesaṁ yo anuttaraṁ,
He who fulfilled the conditions for unsurpassed Awakening,
⏑−⏑−¦−,−−⏑¦−⏑−⏑¦⏑−⏑− mavipulā Twice mavipulā occurs in these verses, but in neither case does it have the expected break at the fifth syllable. It appears that some writers in Pāḷi didn’t adhere to this rule about the break.
Alattha Buddhattaṁ: tassa kesadhātuvaraṁ name. [02]
And attained the state of Awakening: his noble hair relics I revere.
−−−−¦−⏑−⏑¦⏑−−⏑¦⏑−⏑− ravipulā
Laddhā Buddhattaṁ chaṭhānam-atikkamma pavedayi,
After attaining the state of Awakening he announced at the sixth place,
⏑−−−¦−⏑⏑−¦−⏑−⏑¦⏑−⏑− bhavipulā
Vimuttiṁ Rājāyatane: tassa kesavaraṁ name. [03]
The King’s Stead Tree, (his) liberation: his noble hair (relics) I revere.
−⏑−⏑¦−⏑−⏑¦−⏑⏑−¦⏑−⏑− ravipulā
Tattha Sakkadattiyam-pi nāgalataṁ harītakaṁ,
There he partook of the betel leaves and myrobalan given by (Lord) Sakka,
⏑−−−¦⏑−−⏑¦−−−⏑¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Anotattodakaṁ bhuñji: vande tassa siroruhaṁ. [04]
And the water from (Lake) Anotatta: I worship his hair (relics).
⏑−−⏑¦−⏑−−¦⏑−−−¦⏑−⏑− ravipulā
Tadā muggaselapattaṁ Mahārājūhi dinnakaṁ.
Then the green rock bowl was given by the (Four) Great Kings.
⏑−⏑−¦⏑−−−¦−−⏑−¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Lokahitam-apekkhanto Nātho yo: tassa te name.
The one who is Lord sought The present participle is used with finite sense here, as is common in Sanskrit. the benefit of the world: him I revere.
⏑−−−¦−−⏑⏑¦⏑−⏑⏑¦⏑−⏑− tavipulā
Tadā dinnaṁ Text:
Then sweet rice balls were given by the two brothers,
⏑⏑−−¦⏑−−⏑¦−⏑−⏑¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Paribhuñjesi mantham-pi: tassa sīsasiriṁ name. [06]
And he also enjoyed milk-rice: his splendid head I revere.
−⏑−⏑¦−⏑−−¦⏑−⏑⏑¦⏑−⏑− ravipulā
Yo Tapussabhallikānaṁ tadā dvisaraṇaṁ adā,
He who then gave the two refuges to Tapussa and Bhallika, At that time there was no Saṅgha, so they only went for two refuges. They were the first disciples, and according to Myanmar tradition they brought the hairs back to Yangon and established the Shwedagon Cetiya.
−−⏑−¦⏑⏑⏑−¦−⏑−⏑¦⏑−⏑− navipulā
Lokamhi sabbapaṭhamaṁ: tassa sīrivahaṁ name. [07]
The foremost of all in the world: his noble head I revere.
⏑−−⏑¦−⏑−−¦−−−−¦⏑−⏑− ravipulā
Tadā tatthupaṭṭhakānaṁ tesaṁ kese adā ăṭṭha, Text:
Then he gave to those supporters there eight of his hairs,
−⏑⏑⏑¦⏑−−−¦−−−−¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Lokahitam-apekkhanto, Nātho yo: tassa te name. [08]
The one who is Lord, desiring the benefit of the world: him I revere.
−⏑−−¦−−−⏑¦−⏑−⏑¦⏑−⏑− mavipulā
Te pi taṁ āhāritvāna, =
After bringing them, they built at Pokkharabbati Apparently another name for Yangon in the mind of the author.
⏑−⏑−¦⏑−⏑−¦⏑−−−¦⏑−⏑− javipulā (Anuṭṭubha)
Sajīvakesacetiyaṁ: name taṁ sabbapubbakaṁ. [09]
The hair shrine endowed with life: I revere all this in former times.
⏑−⏑⏑¦−⏑−⏑¦−−−−¦⏑−⏑− ravipulā
Uposathuposathamhi muñcantaṁ nīlarasmiyo,
On every one of the Fast Days dark rays are emitted,
⏑⏑−−¦⏑−−−¦⏑−−−¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Bhagavā eva lokatthaṁ karontaṁ: taṁ sadā name. [10]
The Fortunate One surely brings benefit to the world: I rever him always.
−−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦−−⏑−¦⏑−⏑− ravipulā
Cūḷāmaṇidussacetyaṁ kālamhi Bodhisattake,
In time the Crest-Jewel and the Clothes Shrine of the Buddha-to-be (was built),
−⏑−−¦⏑−−⏑¦⏑⏑−−¦⏑−⏑− pathyā
Buddhakāle idaṁ sabbapaṭhamaṁ: taṁ namāmahaṁ. [11]
In a Buddha-period this is the foremost of all: I revere it.
⏑−⏑−¦−−⏑−¦−−⏑−¦⏑−⏑− tavipulā
Namāmahaṁ vandāmahaṁ pūjemahaṁ siroruhaṁ,
I revere, I worship, I honour the hair (relics),
−⏑⏑−¦⏑⏑⏑−¦−⏑−−¦⏑−⏑− navipulā
Puññam-idaṁ bhavatu me paccayo āsavakkhaye. [12]
May the merit (of writing these verses) be a condition for me (to attain) the destruction of the pollutants.
Tigumbacetiyathomanā Niṭṭhitā.
Praise of the Tigumba Shrine is Finished