So attha-laddho sukhito chant

The Watercooler
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Hello everyone🙋‍♂️,

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:point_up:(the text + translation above is taken from dhammatalks.org)

Does anybody know why is it in So attha-laddho sukhito chant both 3rd person and 2nd person are used even though they are directed to the same person? Why not just using either 3rd or 2nd person for the entire verses? Or do they actually refer to different persons (‘May he gain his aims’ refers to the lay person’s departed male relative, while ‘May you, together with all your relatives’ refers to the lay person and their relatives’)?

Much Metta,
Calvin

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So= he

Sā= she

te= they

look at the … after the she… be happy… in the english translation.

P. S. Oh i see.

hohi is imperative 2nd sg. So you is the standard translation.

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So the source of the text (of the last gāthā) can be found in AN 3.155: Pubbaṇhasutta’s last verse

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and its English translation by Bhante Sujato:
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In Bhante Sujato’s translation, he rendered ‘Te atthaladdhā sukhitā’ as ‘Those happy with these benefits’ (as opposed to ‘May they gain their aims, be happy’). Both the 3rd and 2nd persons are still used in the translation, referring to the same person. Yet they make sense contextually.

I think that this way of rendering should be the more common translation of the chant. With an adaptation for use of chanting, perhaps it could be something like:

He who is happy with his worthy purpose fulfilled,
flourish in the Buddha’s teachings;
May you and all your relatives,
be healthy and happy!

She who is happy with her worthy purpose fulfilled,
flourish in the Buddha’s teachings;
May you and all your relatives,
be healthy and happy!

Those happy with their worthy purpose fulfilled,
flourish in the Buddha’s teachings;
May you all and all your relatives,
be healthy and happy!

or a more direct translation:

He delighted, attained the goal,
flourished in the Buddha’s teachings;
May you and all relatives,
be free from diseases and delighted!

She delighted, attained the goal,
flourished in the Buddha’s teachings;
May you and all relatives,
be free from diseases and delighted!

Those delighted, attained the goal,
flourished in the Buddha’s teachings;
May you all and all relatives,
be free from diseases and delighted!