The Vaṭṭaka Paritta
The Vaṭṭaka Paritta (the paritta of the Bodhisatta when he was a baby quail) with the Pali recitation text plus translation and explanation — a baby quail's act of truth amid a forest fire, invoking the virtues present in the world and its own condition until the fire retreats. Commonly chanted for protection from fire.
The Vaṭṭaka Paritta is a "narrative paritta" that draws on an episode from a Jātaka of the Bodhisatta, when he was born as a baby quail — a baby quail amid a forest fire performs an act of truth (saccakiriyā), invoking the virtues present in the world and its own condition, and the forest fire retreats 16 karīsa. This paritta is commonly chanted for protection from fire.
The text is not merely a "fire-quenching spell," but a recollection of the power of truth in everyday life — one who truly practices truthfulness is able to make his own "act of truth" when facing danger, not merely recite a spell.
How to read this page
Above is the full recitation text for continuous chanting (with a copy button); below is the translation and explanation, along with the background according to the Vaṭṭaka Jātaka and the mechanism of the act of truth.
Full Recitation Text
The entire Vaṭṭaka Paritta — from invoking the virtues present in the world, to recollecting the power of the Dhamma and the Victors of old, up to the act of truth that made the forest fire retreat — ready to chant straight through.
อัตถิ โลเก สีละคุโณ สัจจัง โสเจยยะนุททะยา เตนะ สัจเจนะ กาหามิ สัจจะกิริยะมะนุตตะรัง อาวัชชิตวา ธัมมะพะลัง สะริตวา ปุพพะเก ชิเน สัจจะพะละมะวัสสายะ สัจจะกิริยะมะกาสะหัง สันติ ปักขา อะปัตตะนา สันติปาทา อะวัญจะนา มาตา ปิตา จะ นิกขันตา ชาตะเวทะ ปะฏิกกะมะ สะหะ สัจเจ กะเต มัยหัง มะหาปัชชะลิโต สิขี วัชเชสิ โสฬะสะกะรีสานิ อุทะกัง ปัตวา ยะถา สิขี สัจเจนะ เม สะโม นัตถิ เอสา เม สัจจะปาระมีติ ฯ
Translation and Explanation
The following is the translation and explanation of the whole text, along with the background according to the Vaṭṭaka Jātaka. The original Pali has its own copy button.
The Verse — The Baby Quail's Act of Truth
อัตถิ โลเก สีละคุโณ สัจจัง โสเจยยะนุททะยา เตนะ สัจเจนะ กาหามิ สัจจะกิริยะมะนุตตะรัง อาวัชชิตวา ธัมมะพะลัง สะริตวา ปุพพะเก ชิเน สัจจะพะละมะวัสสายะ สัจจะกิริยะมะกาสะหัง สันติ ปักขา อะปัตตะนา สันติปาทา อะวัญจะนา มาตา ปิตา จะ นิกขันตา ชาตะเวทะ ปะฏิกกะมะ สะหะ สัจเจ กะเต มัยหัง มะหาปัชชะลิโต สิขี วัชเชสิ โสฬะสะกะรีสานิ อุทะกัง ปัตวา ยะถา สิขี สัจเจนะ เม สะโม นัตถิ เอสา เม สัจจะปาระมีติ ฯ
In this world there is the virtue of morality, there is truth, there is purity, there is compassion. By those words of truth, I shall make a supreme act of truth. Recollecting the power of the Dhamma, recollecting the Victors of old (the Buddhas of the past), and relying on the power of truth, I made an act of truth: "My wings exist, but I cannot fly; my feet exist, but I cannot walk; my father and mother have gone out (to seek food). O flame, retreat!" When I had made the act of truth, the great blazing flame died out completely, sparing a span of 16 karīsa (about 64 rai), like a flame doused with water. In this world there is nothing equal to my truth — this is my perfection of truth.
The Vaṭṭaka Paritta is a "narrative paritta" — it draws on an episode from a Jātaka of the Bodhisatta, when he was born as a baby quail, as the text of protection.
Background (according to the Vaṭṭaka Jātaka) — In one of his past lives the Bodhisatta was born as a baby quail (vaṭṭaka), in a nest on the forest floor, its wings not yet grown, its feet not yet able to walk. One day a forest fire raged furiously into the forest, and his father and mother flew away, unable to help. So the baby quail made an act of truth (saccakiriyā, the utterance of a truthful statement so that the result asked for may come to pass), invoking the virtues present in the world and the virtues of his own. At once the forest fire retreated far off, 16 karīsa (a circuit of about 64 rai). This event became the prior perfection of truth of the Bodhisatta, as the Buddha recounted in the Jātaka.
The mechanism of the chant — the act of truth (Truth-Act) — In Buddhist thought, a truthful utterance has a special power. When one speaks a truth that one knows well (especially a virtue that one genuinely practices) and asks for a result accordingly, all things comply. In the Vaṭṭaka Paritta the baby quail uses truth on two levels:
Level 1: The truth about virtue in the world — In this world there is sīlaguṇa (the virtue of morality), sacca (truth), soceyya (purity), and anuddayā (compassion).
Level 2: The truth about his own condition — He has wings but cannot fly, has feet but cannot walk, his parents have gone out — a factual truth that cannot be denied.
When both truths are joined together and he asks the fire to retreat → the fire truly retreats.
The benefit of using this text — In the Thai and Sri Lankan traditions, the Vaṭṭaka Paritta is commonly chanted for protection from fire. Some households chant it regularly to guard the home from fire; some monasteries chant it at housewarming ceremonies — because they trust in the power of this act of truth, which has already borne fruit in the past.
The deeper practical import — The text is not merely a "fire-quenching spell," but a recollection of the power of truth in everyday life. One who truly practices truthfulness is able to make his own "act of truth" when facing danger, not merely recite a spell. The closing phrase "esā me saccapāramī" = "this is my perfection of truth" — a declaration that this truth is one of the ten perfections that the Bodhisatta accumulates in order to attain Buddhahood.
Note
The Vaṭṭaka Paritta is one of the "Seven Discourses" (Chet Tamnan), commonly chanted for protection from fire · The distinctive point of this text is the power of the act of truth — a truthful utterance invoking genuine virtue to quell danger, as the baby quail made the forest fire retreat.