Abhaya Paritta (The Verse of Fearlessness)

The Abhaya Paritta is a short but powerful verse — chanted to dispel bad omens, ill fortune, inauspicious bird-cries, evil planets, and bad dreams by the power of the Triple Gem, repeating the same aspiration three times, changing the "instrument" to the power of the Buddha, the power of the Dhamma, and the power of the Sangha.

It is the shortest verse in the Seven Discourses (Chet Tamnan), and so is well suited for daily recitation — commonly chanted upon waking from a bad dream, at the start of the day, or before a journey, for well-being.

Full Recitation Text (for chanting)

A continuous recitation of all three verses, uttering the same aspiration to dispel bad omens three times, changing the power from the Buddha, to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha — ready to chant straight through.

Translation and Explanation

The following is the translation and explanation of the meaning. The original Pali has its own copy button. All three verses have the same meaning — asking that the five bad omens perish — differing only in the power invoked.

The Verse — Dispelling Bad Omens by the Power of the Triple Gem

The Abhaya Paritta is a short but powerful verse — chanted "to dispel unseen dangers," especially the five things that people of old greatly feared.

1. Dunnimittaṃ (bad omen) — seeing an inauspicious sign, such as waking to find something broken, or coming upon a dead animal.

1. Avamaṅgalaṃ (ill fortune) — every kind of inauspicious thing, such as a wailing cry heard in the house at night.

1. Amanāpo sakuṇassa saddo (the displeasing cry of a bird) — by ancient belief, the cries of certain birds at unfitting times (such as an owl's cry in the home, or a crow's cry in the morning) were held to be bad omens.

1. Pāpaggaho (evil planet) — misfortune arising from the position of a baleful planet in the zodiac — a belief of ancient astrology.

1. Dussupinaṃ akantaṃ (an unwished-for bad dream) — an ominous dream that leaves the heart uneasy.

The device of this verse is to repeat the same aspiration three times, changing the "instrument" each time.

• First time — buddhānubhāva (the power of the Buddha)

• Second time — dhammānubhāva (the power of the Dhamma)

• Third time — saṅghānubhāva (the power of the Sangha)

Repeating three times, drawing on the power of each member of the Triple Gem, carries the sense of "reinforcing the intention + gathering the full power of all three," — the same structure as the Jaya Paritta that follows at the end of the collection (Bhavatu sabbamaṅgalaṃ × three times).

In practice, this Abhaya Paritta is commonly chanted:

• On waking from a bad dream — to dispel the effect of the dream

• At the start of the day — to ward off any bad omen that may come

• Before a journey — for well-being