Ratanattaya-ppaṇāma — Homage to the Triple Gem
Loka Nīti · 1 verse (gāthā) with translation and explanation
1. Opening Verse of the Treatise
โลกนีตึ ปวกฺขามิ นานาสตฺถสมุทฺธฏํ มาคเธเนว สงฺเขปํ วนฺทิตฺวา รตนตฺตยํ ฯ
Having paid homage to the Triple Gem, I shall now expound the treatise of the Loka Nīti, gathered and selected in brief from various nīti texts, composed in the Magadhī (Pali) tongue.
This is the "prefatory declaration," the opening pledge of the treatise. Following the custom of the sages of old, the author first reverently bows to the Triple Gem — the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha — before beginning a great work, so that the undertaking may be accomplished auspiciously.
The author sets out the scope of the work in three respects:
Content — it is "nīti," that is, guidance on the customs and conduct of the people of the world, selected from "nānā-sattha," the various texts of both the Buddhist and the Brahmanical traditions.
Manner of presentation — it is compiled in brief (saṅkhepa), without lengthy elaboration.
Language — it uses Magadhī, that is, the Pali language, which was the common tongue of scholarly circles in that age.
The term Loka Nīti comes from loka (the world, the general public) + nīti (a norm, a rule, a code of conduct); together it means "the rule of conduct that guides the people of the world," or "the code of practice for the happiness of the world."