Read, reflect, pray
Sutta Nipāta 2-4: Mahāmaṅgalasutta
Viggo Fausböll, 1881 · Historical English translation
So it was heard by me:
At one time Bhagavat dwelt at Sāvatthī, in Jetavana, in the park of Anāthapiṇḍika. Then, when the night had gone, a deity of beautiful appearance, having illuminated the whole Jetavana, approached Bhagavat, and having approached and saluted him, he stood apart, and standing apart that deity addressed Bhagavat in a stanza:
1. ‘Many gods and men have devised blessings, longing for happiness, tell thou (me) the highest blessing.’ (257)
2. Buddha said: ‘Not cultivating (the society of) fools, but cultivating (the society of) wise men, worshipping those that are to be worshipped, this is the highest blessing. (258)
3. ‘To live in a suitable country, to have done good deeds in a former (existence), and a thorough study of one’s self, this is the highest blessing. (259)
4. ‘Great learning and skill, well-learnt discipline, and well-spoken words, this is the highest blessing. (260)
5. ‘Waiting on mother and father, protecting child and wife, and a quiet calling, this is the highest blessing. (261)
6. ‘Giving alms, living religiously, protecting relatives, blameless deeds, this is the highest blessing. (262)
7. ‘Ceasing and abstaining from sin, refraining from intoxicating drink, perseverance in the Dhammas, this is the highest blessing. (263)
8. ‘Reverence and humility, contentment and gratitude, the hearing of the Dhamma at due seasons, this is the highest blessing. (264)
9. ‘Patience and pleasant speech, intercourse with Samaṇas, religious conversation at due seasons, this is the highest blessing. (265)
10. ‘Penance and chastity, discernment of the noble truths, and the realisation of Nibbāna, this is the highest blessing. (266)
11. ‘He whose mind is not shaken (when he is) touched by the things of the world (lokadhamma), (but remains) free from sorrow, free from defilement, and secure, this is the highest blessing. (267)
12. ‘Those who, having done such (things), are undefeated in every respect, walk in safety everywhere, theirs is the highest blessing.’ (268)
Mahāmaṅgala is ended.
Translation, numbering and rights
Viggo Fausböll, 1881. Public-domain 1881 translation, from the free non-commercial EPUB distributed by Reading Faithfully (edition 1.0, February 2012), transcribed by Christopher M. Weimer for the Internet Sacred Text Archive. This reader is free and non-commercial. Pali diacritics follow the EPUB. Translator introductions and footnotes are omitted; discourse prose, verses and the concluding passages are retained.
This 1881 edition uses consecutive verse numbers ending at 1148. It differs from the Japanese edition and must not be aligned by verse number alone. The final reading includes the concluding praises and Piṅgiya’s dialogue. The source’s printed numbering is retained, including gaps. A repeated “1041” in the source is retained; the expected “1047” is not silently substituted. No verse text is supplied by guesswork.
This historical English translation uses older vocabulary. It is independent of the Japanese translation linked from this site. The Japanese edition’s translator and license are credited there.