Invited to visit the city of Vaiśālī, which has been ravaged by a terrible epidemic, the Buddha instructs Ānanda to stand at the city’s gate and recite a proclamation, a long mantra, and some verses that powerfully evoke spiritual well-being. Ānanda does so, and the epidemic comes to an end. One of the mahāsūtras related to the literature of the Vinaya, this text, like other accounts of the incident, has traditionally been recited during times of personal or collective illness, bereavement, and other difficulties.
The Translation
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time: The Blessed One was residing in Nāḍikā, at the Impenetrable Dwelling Place.27 The Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, let us proceed to the city of Vaiśālī.”
“Let us do so, O Honored One,” replied the venerable Ānanda, assenting to what the Blessed One had said.
Thereupon the Blessed One, traveling through the country of Vṛji, arrived in Vaiśālī. In Vaiśālī, he stayed in Āmrapālī’s grove.
At that time the Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, go to the city of Vaiśālī, place your foot on the threshold of the city gate, and utter these mantras [F.158.a] and these verses:
“ ‘Visarata visarata visarata visarata28
“ ‘The Buddha, who has compassion for the world, has spoken.29 This is the wish of all buddhas. It is the wish of all pratyekabuddhas. It is the wish of all arhats. It is the wish of all those undergoing training. It is the wish of all śrāvakas. It is the wish of all who speak words of truth. It is the wish of the Dharma.30 It is the wish of Kāmeśvara. It is the wish of Brahmā. It is the wish of Pratyekabrahman. It is the wish of Indra. It is the wish of the gods. It is the wish of the lord of the demigods. It is the wish of all demigods. It is the wish of the servants of the demigods. It is the wish of all bhūtas:
“ ‘Visarata visarata visarata visarata31
“ ‘The Buddha, who has compassion for the world, has spoken.
“ ‘Muñcata muñcata32
“ ‘Do not stay. The epidemic should cease.
“ ‘Nirgacchata nirgacchata nirgacchata nirgacchata33
“ ‘The Buddha, the Great God, the God of Gods, the Supreme God, has arrived. The gods including Indra, the gods including Brahmā, the gods including Īśāna, the gods including Prajāpati, and the Four Protectors of the World have come. Hundreds of thousands of gods, lords of the demigods, and hundreds of thousands of demigods have also come. Hundreds of thousands of bhūtas who have faith in the Blessed One have also come for the sake of all living beings, and they have come to bring great harm to you; so:
“ ‘Nirgacchata nirgacchata nirgacchata nirgacchata
“ ‘Disperse quickly. Those of you who have hateful thoughts, may you be destroyed. Those who have loving thoughts, who do not wish to sin but wish to protect beings, [F.158.b] stay and take on physical form.34 The Buddha, who has compassion for the world, has spoken.
“ ‘Sumu sumu | sumu sumu sumu | sumuru sumuru | sumuru sumuru | sumuru sumuru | sumuru sumuru | muru muru | muru muru | muru muru | muru muru | miri miri | miri miri | miri miri miri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murūrīti | riri riri riri | rīrī rīrī rīrīti | miri miri miriti | hisi miri miriti | mirisi sīsīmī | kaṅkarā karakata | kaṅkarā karakacā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkaro titi kuriśo | kaṅkara kaṅkariśi | ririri ririri | hiritaphu svā | ripu ripu | ripu ripu | ripu ripu | ripu ripu | nāthā nānā | thā thā | ripu ripu | nāthātha | nirgacchata nirgacchata | ripu ripu | nirgacchata palāyāta | ripū ripū pālāyata |35
“ ‘The Buddha, who has compassion for the world, whose wish is to benefit all living beings, who abides in love, who is compassionate, who abides in joy, and who abides in equanimity, has arrived.
“ ‘Kṣipraṃ nirgacchata36 svāhā
“These mantras, which were proclaimed to all the gods and all the bhūtas through the Buddha’s supreme wisdom and truth, will accomplish their purpose. The following verses37 will accomplish their purpose:
“ ‘He in whom all attachment and greed
Are conquered, all defilement gone,
His mind at peace without harmful intent—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘He who leads all worldly beings
To tread the path of liberation,
The teacher of all dharmas—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘The teacher, support of wandering beings,
Who, for the sake of every living creature,
Brings them all to master happiness— [F.159.a]
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘The protector who, with thoughts of love
For all these beings, sustains them always
Just as he would his only child—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘He who in saṃsāra has been
For all saṃsāric beings a support,
An island, and a friend—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘He who has laid bare all phenomena,
Who is pure and free from deception,
Whose words are pure, whose very acts are purity—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘This great hero who, by taking birth,
With perfection attained his purpose
And accomplished all his goals38—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘He whose birth, when this whole earth
With all its forests shook and trembled,
Brought joy for every living creature—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘He who caused, on the seat of awakening,
The earth to quake in all six ways
And Māra to feel despair—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘He who, turning the wheel of the Dharma,
Pronounced the Truths of the Noble Ones
And was extolled as a sage, the Muni—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘The alluring one39 who defeated
All the extremists with the Dharma
And brought all assemblies40 under his influence—
He will bring you well-being.
“ ‘May the Buddha bring you well-being;
May Śakra and the gods bestow well-being;
And may well-being from the bhūtas, too,
Be provided to you always.
“ ‘By the Buddha’s merit and power
And the wishes of the gods,
May whatever goal you seek
This very day be accomplished.
“ ‘Two-legged beings, be well.
Four-legged beings, be well.
When you set out, be well;
And when you return, be well.
“ ‘Be well in the daytime; be well in the night;
Be well at midday, too.
May all of you be always well; [F.159.b]
May all of you know no evil.41
“ ‘Surrounded by a thousand gods,
The Buddha has arrived—
So, you with hateful thoughts, disperse!
And you whose nature is compassion, stay.
“ ‘By the power of the true words of the buddhas,
Pratyekabuddhas, arhats, and those being trained,
Those who do harm to the world
Should be gone from this city.42
“ ‘All sentient beings, all living creatures,
All bhūtas, and every one of you—
May you have nothing but happiness.
May you all be free from illness.
May you all see what is good.
May all of you know no evil.43
“ ‘May whatever bhūtas are assembled here,
All those who live upon the earth or in the sky,
Act always lovingly for human beings
And practice Dharma day and night.’ ”44
To these instructions, the venerable Ānanda replied, “I will do so, O Honored One.”
He went to Vaiśālī as the Blessed One had instructed and, placing his foot on the threshold of the city gate, uttered these mantras and these verses:45
“Visarata visarata visarata visarata46[F.160.a]
“The Buddha, who has compassion for the world, has spoken.47 This is the wish of all buddhas. It is the wish of all pratyekabuddhas. It is the wish of all arhats. It is the wish of all those undergoing training. It is the wish of all śrāvakas. It is the wish of all who speak words of truth. It is the wish of all the Dharmas.48 It is the wish of Kāmeśvara. It is the wish of Brahmā. It is the wish of Pratyekabrahman. It is the wish of Indra. It is the wish of the gods. It is the wish of the lord of the demigods. It is the wish of all demigods. It is the wish of the servants of the demigods. It is the wish of all bhūtas.
“Visarata visarata visarata visarata
“The Buddha, who has compassion for the world, has spoken.
“Muñcata muñcata
“Do not stay. The epidemic should cease.
“Nirgacchata nirgacchata nirgacchata nirgacchata
“The Buddha, the Great God, the God of Gods, the Supreme God, has arrived. The gods including Indra, the gods including Brahmā, the gods including Īśāna, the gods including Prajāpati, and the Four Protectors of the World have come. Hundreds of thousands of gods, lords of the demigods, and hundreds of thousands of demigods have also come. Hundreds of thousands of bhūtas who have faith in the Blessed One have also come for the sake of all living beings, and they have come to bring great harm to you; so:
“Nirgacchata nirgacchata nirgacchata nirgacchata
“Disperse quickly. Those of you who have hateful thoughts, may you be destroyed. Those who have loving thoughts, who do not wish to sin but wish to protect beings, stay and take on physical form.49 The Buddha, who has compassion for the world, has spoken.
“Sumu sumu | sumu sumu sumu | sumuru sumuru | sumuru sumuru | sumuru sumuru | sumuru sumuru | muru muru | muru muru | muru muru | muru muru | miri miri | miri miri | miri miri miri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murumiri | murumiri murūrīti | riri riri riri | rīrī rīrī rīrīti | miri miri mirīti | hisi miri miriti | mirisi sīsīmī | kaṅkarā karakata | kaṅrakara karakaca | kaṅkara kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | [F.160.b] kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkarā kaṅkarā | kaṅkaro tīti kuriśo | kaṅkara kaṅkariśi | ririri ririri | tiritaphu svā | riphu riphu | riphu riphu | riphu riphu | riphu riphu | nāthā nānā | thā thā | ripū ripū | nāthāthā | nirgacchata nirgacchata | ripu ripu | nirgacchata palāyāta | ripū ripū palayātā |50
“The Buddha, who has compassion for the world, whose wish is to benefit all living beings, who abides in love, who is compassionate, who abides in joy, and who abides in equanimity, has arrived.
“Kṣipraṃ nirgacchata svāhā
“These mantras, which were proclaimed to all the gods and all the bhūtas through the Buddha’s supreme wisdom and truth, will accomplish their purpose. The following verses will accomplish their purpose:
“He in whom all attachment and greed
Are conquered, all defilement gone,
His mind at peace without harmful intent—
He will bring you well-being.
“He who leads all worldly beings
To tread the path of liberation,
The teacher of all dharmas—
He will bring you well-being.
“The teacher, support of wandering beings,
Who, for the sake of every living creature,
Brings them all to master happiness—
He will bring you well-being.
“The protector who, with thoughts of love
For all these beings, sustains them always
Just as he would his only child—
He will bring you well-being.
“He who in saṃsāra has been
For all saṃsāric beings a support,
An island, and a friend—
He will bring you well-being.
“He who has laid bare all phenomena,
Who is pure and free from deception,
Whose words are pure, whose very acts are purity—
He will bring you well-being.
“This great hero who, by taking birth,
With perfection attained his purpose
And accomplished all his goals51—
He will bring you well-being.
“He whose birth, when this whole earth [F.161.a]
With all its forests shook and trembled,
Brought joy for every living creature—
He will bring you well-being.
“He who caused, on the seat of awakening,
The earth to quake in all six ways
And Māra to feel despair—
He will bring you well-being.
“He who, turning the wheel of the Dharma,
Pronounced the Truths of the Noble Ones
And was extolled as a sage, the Muni—
He will bring you well-being.
“The alluring one who defeated
All the extremists with the Dharma
And brought all assemblies52 under his influence—
He will bring you well-being.
“May the Buddha bring you well-being;
May Śakra and the gods bestow well-being;
And may well-being from the bhūtas, too,
Be provided to you always.
“By the Buddha’s merit and power
And the wishes of the gods,
May whatever goal you seek
This very day be accomplished.
“Two-legged beings, be well.
Four-legged beings, be well.
When you set out, be well;
And when you return, be well.
“Be well in the daytime; be well in the night;
Be well at midday, too.
May all of you be always well;
May all of you know no evil.
“Surrounded by a thousand gods,
The Buddha has arrived—
So, you with hateful thoughts, disperse!
And you whose nature is compassion, stay.
“By the power of the true words of the buddhas,
Pratyekabuddhas, arhats, and those being trained,
Those who do harm to the world
Should be gone from this city.53
“All sentient beings, all living creatures,
All bhūtas, and every one of you—
May you have nothing but happiness.
May you all be free from illness.
May you all see what is good.
May all of you know no evil.54
“May whatever bhūtas are assembled here,
All those who live upon the earth or in the sky,
Act always lovingly for human beings [F.161.b]
And practice Dharma day and night.”55
This completes the Noble Mahāsūtra “On Entering the City of Vaiśālī.”