English
Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. 1. The fearless, speaking on the path of debate, The lamp of the three worlds, the invincible hero; The destroyer of all veils of knowable things, I salute the Teacher of infinite range. 2. Born of the Lord of the three worlds, the dispeller of fear, Served by pure knowledge and conduct; The cutter of the bonds of manifold connections, I salute the Dhamma, subtle and very difficult to see. 3. By a mere touch of whose hand, Living beings attain the cessation of suffering, the immortal state; Worthy of offerings, with well-composed senses, I salute the Sangha, the disciples of the King of Sages. 4. He who adorned the city of Kāḷaka Nāgara, The compassionate hero, the commander of the army; Seeking the growth of the Buddha's Dispensation, And desiring the welfare of the people. 5. Born of the pure white lineage of the moon's nectar, With growing faith in the Dispensation of the King of Sages; Speaking kindly, following the path of righteousness, Always knowing the people like a mother. 6. The beloved queen of the heroic King Parakkama, Possessing great wealth and intelligence; Having made Līlāvatī fulfill her desires, The mark of sovereignty over the entire island of Lanka. 7. Having pleased the noble-minded Kumāra, The compassionate one, born of the lineage of King Paṇḍu; Having established faith, named Madhurinda, Well-trained in the teachings and the arts. 8. The three islands of Sīhaḷa, long devoid of a king, He dispelled the ill-repute that had arisen; And with fine robes and other offerings, He satisfied the well-controlled ascetics. 9. Desiring the long endurance of the Teaching, Grateful, endowed with heroic wisdom; Intelligent, named Candima Bandhukitti, By him I was respectfully requested. 10. Even though a chronicle of the Tooth Relic of the Conqueror Has been composed in the vernacular language by poets in Sīhaḷa; For the growth of the Māgadhī language, I will compose it for those dwelling in other lands as well. 11. This Conqueror, in the prosperous city called Amaravatī, Having once been named Sumedha; Skilled in the divisions of all the Vedas and sciences, Was a young man in a wealthy Brahmin family. 12. Indeed, I, afflicted by the misery of birth, Overwhelmed by old age, death... Whose lips were swollen; 'The blissful state, free from birth and decay, I will seek,' thus he pondered in secret. 13. A vast amount of wealth and grain, He established, hard to give up for the miser; Beloved friends and relatives, Whom he cherished with great affection, he left behind. 14. Having abandoned all delightful pleasures, And renounced his home, near the Himalayas; He approached the mountain, famed as Dhammika, Adorned with various kinds of trees. 15. In a hermitage, agreeable to his mind, created by the king of gods, In a place inaccessible to wild animals; Having discarded his fine clothes and wearing a deerskin, With matted hair, he took on the garb of an ascetic. 16. Well-restrained, with controlled senses, Sustaining his body with fruits and the like; He reached the perfection of the supernormal powers, And there he found the bliss of meditative absorption. 17. By the joyful populace, dwellers in the beautiful city, Well-prepared, on the road, While Sumedha the ascetic was still unready, They were clearing the path. 18. He saw Dīpaṅkara Buddha, The guide who sees the other shore of the unfathomable ocean of knowledge, The vanquisher of becoming, the leader to Nibbāna; Served by hundreds of thousands of those who have destroyed the taints. 19. Then, for the sake of the three-world's benefactor, together with his Saṅgha, Having sacrificed even his body and life; Having spread out his matted hair and deerskin, He made a bridge with his own body in the mud. 20. 'Without stepping in the mud, in this great flood, May the Buddha and his Saṅgha cross over on my back'; Having resolved thus, he lay down there, Looking upon this triple world as helpless. 21. His mind stirred by compassion for beings, To lift up those afflicted by suffering from the ocean of existence; He made a great aspiration, with uplifted vigor, For the attainment of the state of complete enlightenment. 22. Then, the sage, knowing his intention, The great sage gave him the prophecy; After the Tathāgata had departed from that city, The self-controlled one reflected on the qualities of perfection. 23. Then, for four incalculable aeons, with unwavering vigor, And one hundred thousand more; In various births, for the ripening of enlightenment, He fulfilled the qualities of pure accumulation; Then, having been reborn in Tusita, the greatly glorious one, By attaining enlightenment at the Bodhi tree; The compassionate one, awaiting the right time, Experienced glory fully for a long time. 25. A thousand times ten world-systems, With assembled lords of gods and others; Eagerly desiring the attainment of Buddhahood, Approached him respectfully and requested. 26. Then, passing away, in the city named Kapilavatthu, Ever mindful, the sole banner of the Sakya clan; He became the son of King Suddhodana, By Queen Mahamaya, his consort. 27. Immediately after birth, upon the earth, Having stood firm, he looked in all directions; Then the directions became unobstructed, And gods and humans worshiped him there. 28. They held up parasols and other protections from the sun, Invisible, the deities in the sky; He took seven steps facing north, And uttered this authoritative speech. 29. Named Siddhattha Kumara, according to the truth, Of great strength, with a body captivating in youth; In three palaces, free from the seasons' changes, He enjoyed wealth and splendor. 30. Once, on a pleasure garden path, one struck by old age, Then one diseased, and one dead, and a recluse; Having seen these in order, with a mind detached, He desired to renounce all existences. 31. With flower-lamps and other offerings, at night, Escorted by the inhabitants of the heavens; With Channa and the horse Kanthaka, Then the greatly compassionate one departed. 32. Gradually reaching the Anoma River, With sands like polished pearls and gems; Having stood firm, he cut off his excellent topknot, And threw it into the sky, severed by a sharp sword. 33. Having received it, the lord of the gods, With a golden casket, then; Made a three-yojana-high stupa of blue gems, For his own topknot in his own realm. 34. Then the potter-god Brahma, Brought robes and other requisites; Then, his own pair of garments, in the sky, He threw up, accepting the praised attire. 35. Having received that, lotus-born Brahma, Powerful, urged by the force of devotion; In his own realm, he made a twelve-yojana, Stupa of cloth, with blue and other gems. 36. Well-restrained, mindful, with senses controlled, Of refined conduct, avoiding attachment to tastes; With unmatched prowess, He undertook the Great Struggle. 37. Then on the full moon day of Vesakha, Approaching the root of the spontaneous Bodhi tree; On a grass seat fourteen cubits in extent, He sat down, resolute in his effort. 38. The earth and sky trembled, With terrifying forms and appearances; Shaking the earth with its mountains and oceans, The Conqueror overcame Māra's army at dawn. 39. With gods, asuras, and Brahmā hosts assembled, In the three worlds, with flower garlands and the like; As the sound of divine drums resounded, He awakened to enlightenment at the end of the night. 40. Then trembled, with mountains and forests, A thousand times ten world-systems; The salty ocean roared greatly, A great light spread throughout the worlds. 41. The blind received clear sight, The deaf from birth heard sounds; The mute spoke with eloquent words, The lame walked and played. 42. The hunchbacked became straight and handsome, Fire was extinguished even in Avīci and other hells; Beings were released from bonds, Hunger and the like departed from the realm of ghosts. 43. Diseases and afflictions ceased for beings, Fear did not oppress animals; People became friendly and spoke kindly, Elephants trumpeted like peacocks. 44. Horses became joyful, All the drums sounded by themselves; Ornaments on beings shone, The directions became clear and even on all sides. 45. A gentle, pleasant, cool breeze blew, Rain fell, though it was not the season; Birds abandoned their flight in the sky, Water sprang up from the earth. 46. Rivers stood still, not flowing, Countless lights shone in the sky; Doors were opened everywhere, People had no words to express themselves. 47. Mountains and the like were seen without obstruction, A fragrance blew, highly esteemed by the gods; Trees bore fruits and flowers, The ocean was covered with lotuses. 48. On land and in water, flower garlands, Of various kinds. Flowers blossomed everywhere; With a constant rain of flower fragrance, All the earth, sky, and people existed. 49. Sitting on the excellent throne there, the Conqueror, The bliss born of dwelling in fruition attainment; Then experiencing what was long desired, He spent seven days. 50. Rising into the sky then, Showing the Twin Miracle, the great sage; With the miracle, he dispelled the doubt Of the inhabitants of the triple world in the Conqueror. 51. Then descending from the seat of victory, Standing just to the northeast, For seven days with unblinking eyes, He honored that seat and the Bodhi tree. 52. Then in the jeweled cloister, the Conqueror, Between the standing place and the seat, In the magnificent one created by the best of gods, He walked back and forth for seven days. 53. Then in the western direction of the Bodhi tree, Sitting in the jeweled house, the Conqueror; Contemplating the method of the Universal Condition, He spent seven days. 54. Then from the body of the Teacher,