The Verses of Prasenajit
In Sanskrit: Prasenajid Gāthā.
In Tibetan: Sälgyäl Kyi Tshigsu Cäpa.
I prostrate to the Three Jewels!
King Prasenajit set down a parasol, a crown,
A yak-tail fan, a sword, a jewel, and a pair of felted shoes, and
Having perfectly prostrated after joining his hands,
He asked the Protector of the World this question:
“When all of the tathāgatas, the embodiments of compassion,
Whose intentions are to benefit, pass beyond sorrow,
What supreme minds and bliss will people achieve
In other lives, because of making offerings?”
The Bhagavān, the Lion among Men, who enjoyed direct perception of
The former and latter limits of all phenomena,
Within the direct perception of Excellent Joy
Gave these answers to Prasenajit’s question:
“What are the various karmic results that
People will achieve in other lives because of
Making offerings to all of the conquerors?
King, listen to the answer of that question.
“However many atoms there are in a
Stūpa or statue of the Bhagavān,
The person who constructs that will
Definitely achieve that many royal births within heavenly realms.
“Having experienced all of the supreme grounds of the
Marvelous form and formless realm concentrations,
They will finally achieve the state of a buddha,
Free from the sufferings of birth, old age, and so forth.
“Whoever, here, constructs a statue of the Conqueror,
They will have the quality of an excellent, pleasant body
Whose senses are restrained, is brilliant like the sun, and
Is pleasing to the eye in all of the worlds.
“Whoever constructs a statue of the One Gone to Bliss,
“Their body will be free of stains, and
Will be soft and broad like the essence of a lotus, and
They will be free from the sufferings of sickness and pain.
“Someone who makes a statue of the Protector of the World
Will be born neither as a slave nor servant,
Will become neither a beggar nor outcast, and, additionally,
None of their senses will degenerate.
“All people who build a stūpa of Munīndra1
Will have bodies that are stable and completely without pain,
They will have supreme resources and many treasuries of jewels, and
They will also be able to subdue all groups of enemies.
“By offering the life-tree2 for a stūpa of the Conqueror
You will achieve the Dharma and that which is concordant with the Dharma,
You will have supreme morality, study, and patience, and
You will accomplish all your goals in all worlds.
“By offering the stacked parasol spire3 to a supreme stūpa
You will be born among devas and humans,
You will have a stable body, like that of Viṣṇu, and
You will have the quality of being an object of respect.
“By spreading white chalk on a stūpa of Munīndra
You will have a long life in the worlds of devas or humans,
You will expel all disease and misery of body and mind, and
You will always be happy and be rich with wealth.
“By making a stūpa of Munīndra that is covered
With sheets adorned with gold and silver
A person will have the characteristic, in other lives, of
A body that is firm, bright and also glowing, and beautiful.
“Whoever, with a mind of faith, offers
A canopy to any stūpa or statue,
Will become the sole king ruling the whole earth,
As limitless as the edge of the ocean, without exception.
“By hanging, joyfully, various broad parasols
At a stūpa of the One Gone to Bliss
You will become similar to a parasol in the world of devas and humans4,
Like the ruler of devas and humans.
“Any person who hangs various beautiful banners
On that source of stainless merit5
Which contains the essence of anyone’s bodily remains
Will have power and become an object of veneration to all three worlds.
“By offering a crown to a stūpa of the One Gone to Bliss
You achieve the status of glorious ruler of humans and glorious ruler of devas, and
You also experience supreme bliss, after which
You achieve the special crown of complete liberation.
“Because of having offered a bell at a stūpa of the Conqueror
You will have a vigorous and great renown and
The pleasant, melodious voice of Brahma, you will remember your births, and
You will receive all varieties of adornments.
“Whichever learned one, with a mind of faith
Hangs a garland at a stūpa of the One Gone to Bliss,
That one, having meritorious karma, will have a
Golden garland decorated with many jewels hung around their head.
“Those who hang ornaments on a stūpa of the Teacher
Will come into the world with a body
Adorned with a jeweled necklace, gemstone garland, and
Supreme bracelets and armlets.
“Whoever anoints a stūpa of the One Gone to Bliss
With earth and dung will be born
As a deva or human with an attractively colored body and
Completely pure, unblemished happiness.
“Whoever sweeps at a stūpa of Munīndra
Will be very pleasant to look at and beautiful to the eyes,
Will have an excellent face and the hue of a lotus, and
Will also be free from all the faults of existence.
“Whoever anoints a stūpa of the One Gone to Bliss
With an oil lamp in conjunction with supreme incense
Will be worshipped with incense, will have their body
Anointed with sandalwood, and will be like the rays of the sun.
“Whichever person offers a ritual bath with clean and pure perfume
At the stūpa of Munīndra
Will have a body that is free from stains, free from torment,
Free of weak coloring, and free from pain.
“Anyone who beautifies with various paints
The building of a stūpa or statue of the Buddha
Will be enhanced with all of the good qualities
That are possessed by one gone to bliss.
“Whoever, during the springtime,
Pacifies the dust6 surrounding a stūpa with clean water
Will have all women joyfully clear away the dust for them
Wirth golden handled brooms.
“Whatever person that, for the sake of the Three Jewels,
Constructs a noble and pleasing maṇḍala,
Because of that they will have all their fingers and toes,
And all their limbs will be without defect.
“Whoever offers flowers and
Freshly grown fruit to the Three Jewels
Will, when circling among all transmigratory beings, have
The indomitable power that completely obtains the supreme taste.
“Whoever offers a large, complete flower garden
To a statue of the Conqueror
Will be excellently adorned with various attractive appearances
Among the worlds of devas and humans.
“Because of offering fragrant scents to a stūpa of the Buddha,
Offering great and extensive incense,
Conjoined with incense made from agaru7
Your entire body will have the aroma of incense.
“Anyone who joyfully offers
Yak-tail fans to a stūpa of the One Gone to Bliss,
That great one will also be extravagantly fanned
By the fan which is the joyful mind, the compassion of all conquerors.
“Whoever offers to the Omniscient One a
Beautiful mirror, perfectly stainless like the full moon,
Will, in all of their successive series of births,
Be deserving of appreciation by all devas and humans.
“Anyone who appropriately offers any sort of special offering that they have
To a stūpa of the One Gone to Bliss
Will achieve the highest enlightenment
That is devoid of stains and sorrow.
“All people who respectfully pay homage with a bowed head
To a stūpa or statue of the Buddha
Will be held in greater and greater esteem
By all devas and humans.
“Whoever circumambulates, with faith,
A stūpa or statue of Munīndra
Will, in later lives, be paid homage by all of their greatest enemies, and
Will become the perfect vessel for having all good qualities.
“All people who, joyfully and with respect,
Perform physical labor at
The unsurpassable stūpas and statues
Will have extremely great treasuries in all of their lives.
“Because of offering the sound of music to a stūpa of the Conqueror
You will have marvelous eloquence that is profound and insightful,
Will perfect the five branches, have attractive language, and
Will fill the world with your voice.
“Whoever offers praise at that place containing the remains of the Conqueror
Will obtain the sound of flutes, melodious songs, and
Attractive, pleasant sounds, and
Will also achieve the authentic discriminating knowledges. 8
“Any person who intelligently covers the crown
Of the Guru of the World with grass or bricks9,
Or causes another to do so,
Will become like a refuge for all transmigratory beings.
“Any person who builds a shrine of the Conqueror
Will, when circling among transmigratory beings,
Receive a resplendent residence like the abode of Indra, and
Have bliss at all times of the year.
“Those who, joyfully, continuously bring about an eon’s joy
For those abiding the higher states which are the results of excellent karma
Will achieve a state of rest that is free from pain and,
In the end will achieve the state of peace.
“Whoever raises a beautiful entryway, like a shimmering rainbow,
At the main entrance of [a stūpa of] the Subduer
Wil, in other lives, receive houses with entryways
That are perfectly adorned.
“For all people who, with faith, dig a moat and erect a gate
In order to protect a reliquary of the Teacher’s body
It will not, in their other series of births, be possible
For enemies to separate them from their virtue and excellent qualities.
“Any people who, not in response to another but
By their own volition make a sewn cover for
Old stūpas belonging to anyone
Will have an excellent body with the foremost excellent qualities.
“Because of clearing away the old flowers at a stūpa of the Conqueror.
Attachment will become non-attachment, anger doesn’t become more anger,
Ignorance will become non-delusion, wrong views don’t become desire, and
People will be very joyful and happy.
“Whoever offers a beautifully adorned elephant, hanging with bells, and
A tamed horse along with its chariot
To the Teacher and the assembly of noble ones
Will attain the unsurpassed Great Vehicle.
“Whatever being offers favorable, shining jewels
To the Protector of the World
Will attain the seven precious jewels10 and
The precious, stainless branches of enlightenment11.
“Because of offering cloth to a stūpa of the Conqueror
You will be clothed with the clothing of modesty, which is merit and love,
You will have joy and all good qualities, be free of miserliness, and
Your complexion will be gentle and a color like gold.
“Because of offering butter lamps at an unparalleled stūpa
You will have eyes like fully blossomed petals of the blue utpala flower,
Beautiful, broad eyes that are clear and attractive, and
The stainless divine eye.
“Anyone who offers extensive butter lamps at a stūpa
Will have eyes that are incredibly attractive and beautiful,
Broad eyes the color of sapphires, and
Will be worthy to be appreciated by all men and women.
“Whoever sits at night with hands folded before the Mighty Subduer, and offers
Desirable objects and their substitutes, and wicks for butter lamps
Will, in other lives, have the result,
That even their body will have the luster of a large jewel.
“When butter lamps that were offered to the Conqueror are dying out
Whoever, with a joyful mind,
Joyfully requests the essence
Will, moreover, certainly achieve the five eyes12.
“When people, with virtuous minds, rejoice
In actions done by another at a stūpa of the Conqueror,
Then although they did not do those actions,
It is, in short, just as if they had done them.
“All people who, when a cold wind blows in from side,
Joyfully give bedding to those endowed with morality
Will, when circling among transmigratory beings,
Receive a golden throne and supreme seat.
“Anyone who gives excellent food that is
Appropriate for a renunciate to the saṇgha
Will, when abiding in retreat within saṃsāra
Receive food with good color, taste, and so on.
“Anyone who gives extensive drink that is
Appropriate for a renunciate to the saṇgha
Will, when abiding in retreat within saṃsāra
Receive drink with good color, taste, and so on.
“Anyone who, having heard the excellent method of holy Dharma
That was spoken by the Guru of the World, puts it into practice
Will quickly cross the waves of the afflictions and
The frightening ocean of existence.
“King, once all of this virtuous karma
Matures as the various types of samsaric bliss, then
The result of a buddha’s enlightenment
Will be just easy to achieve.”
Then, the king, with a face of resplendent joy,
Having circumambulated the sage and the saṇgha,
Prostrated with his head at the feet of Munīndra.
Then the king left the Jetavana Grove.
The Verses of Prasenajit are complete.
Translator’s Colophon: This text was translated by Ven. Gyalten Lekden, at the request of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, in Sera Je Monastery during the concluding days of the 2019 rains retreat. I request forgiveness for any errors. May any merit from this translation be dedicated to the continued display of good health and long life on the part of all holy gurus who show the authentic path.
Notes
1. A sobriquet for Śākyamuni Buddha.
2. (Tib: sogshing; Wylie srog shing; Sanskrit yūpa or yaṣṭi) This is the wooden pole that runs through the center of a stūpa.
3. (Tib dugtsheg; Wylie gdugs brtsegs; Sanskrit chattravali) This is the series of diminishing circular parasols or wheels that form the spire of a stūpa.
4. That is to say you will become a source of shelter.
5. A stūpa is considered a source of merit (Tib: sönam jungnä; Wylie bsod nams ‘byung gnas) because it is a basis for making offerings and for devotion, and from that one accumulates merit.
6. This is referencing the practice of scattering water on the ground to moisten the dust and prevent it from being kicked up as people walk on it.
7. Agarwood is a very fragrant wood that is considered especially good for incense. It is formed from the heartwood of Aquilaria trees (of which there are a number of varieties) when the trees are infected with a specific type of mold. In response to the mold the wood becomes very dark and resinous and is credited with numerous beneficial properties.
8. There are four authentic discriminating knowledges (Tib: soso yangdag rigpa; Wylie so so yang dag rig pa; Sanskrit: pratisaṃvedanā): that of meaning, dharma, definitive language, and confidence.
9. The crown here meaning the crown of the head. This is to say whoever builds a stūpa around the remains of a buddha.
10. The seven precious gems are: ruby, sapphire, lapis, emerald, diamond, pearl, and coral.
11. There are also seven branches of enlightenment, which are: mindfulness, investigation of dharma, effort, joy, pliancy, concentration, and equanimity.
12. The five eyes are five super-knowledges or clairvoyant minds (not to be confused with the six clairvoyances). They are the divine eye, fleshy eye, dharma eye, wisdom eye, and buddha eye.