Māgha Pūjā
(Leader)
Handa mayaṁ buddhassa bhagavato pubba-bhāga-namakāraṁ karomase:
Now let us chant the preliminary passage in homage to the Awakened One, the Blessed One:
(All)
[Namo tassa] bhagavato arahato sammā-
sambuddhassa. (three times)
Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One,
the Rightly Self-awakened One.
Ajjāyaṁ māgha-puṇṇamī sampattā, māgha-nakkhattena puṇṇa-cando yutto, yattha Tathāgato arahaṁ sammā-sambuddho, cāturaṅgike sāvaka-sannipāte, ovāda-pāṭimokkhaṁ uddisi.
Today is the full moon day in the month of Māgha, the date on which the Tathāgata—the Worthy One, Rightly Self-awakened—held the four-factored meeting of his disciples and gave the Pāṭimokkha Exhortation.
Tadā hi aḍḍha-terasāni bhikkhu-satāni, sabbesaṁ-yeva khīṇāsavānaṁ, sabbe te ehi-bhikkhukā, sabbe’pi te anāmantitāva, Bhagavato santikaṁ āgatā, Veḷuvane kalandaka-nivāpe, māgha-puṇṇamiyaṁ vaḍḍhamānakacchāyāya.
At that time, 1,250 monks—all entirely free of defilements, all recipients of the Come-Bhikkhu ordination, all unnotified of the meeting—came to the Blessed One’s presence in the Squirrels’ Feeding Ground in the Bamboo Forest in the late afternoon of the full moon day in Māgha.
Tasmiñ-ca sannipāte,
Bhagavā visuddh’uttam’uposathaṁ akāsi,
ovāda-pāṭimokkhaṁ uddisi.
And in that meeting, the Blessed One led an utterly pure full-moon observance and gave the Pāṭimokkha Exhortation.
Ayaṁ amhākaṁ Bhagavato, ekoyeva sāvaka-sannipāto ahosi, cāturaṅgiko, aḍḍha-terasāni bhikkhu-satāni, sabbesaṁ-yeva khīṇāsavānaṁ.
This was the only time our Blessed One held a four-factored meeting with his disciples, 1,250 monks, all with effluents ended.
Mayan’dāni, imaṁ māgha-puṇṇamī-nakkhatta-samayaṁ, takkālasadisaṁ sampattā, sucira-parinibbutam-pi taṁ Bhagavantaṁ samanussaramānā, imasmiṁ tassa Bhagavato sakkhi-bhūte cetiye,
Now, on this same date—the full-moon day in Māgha—remembering the Blessed One, even though he long ago was totally unbound, we have come to this memorial to him.
Ime daṇḍa-dīpa-dhūpādi-sakkāre gahetvā, attano kāyaṁ sakkār’ūpadhānaṁ karitvā,
We take these offerings—candles, incense, & so forth—and make our bodies a vessel for them.
Tassa Bhagavato yathā-bhucce guṇe anussarantā, imaṁ paṭimā-gharaṁ [thūpaṁ] tikkhattuṁ padakkhiṇaṁ karissāma, yathā-gahitehi sakkārehi pūjaṁ kurumānā.
Reflecting on the Blessed One’s virtues as they actually are, we will circumambulate this image shelter [stupa] three times, paying homage to him with the offerings we hold.
Sādhu no bhante Bhagavā, sasāvaka-saṅgho, sucira-parinibbutopi, guṇehi dharamāno,
Even though the Blessed One, together with that Community of his Noble Disciples, long ago was totally unbound, he is remembered through his virtues.
Ime amhehi gahite sakkāre paṭiggaṇhātu, amhākaṁ dīgha-rattaṁ hitāya sukhāya.
May he accept the offerings we hold, for the sake of our long-term welfare & happiness.
