Muni's PlayThis is the Heart Sūtra (Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra), one of the most important texts in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Below is the entirety of the sutra in Sanskrit, its transliteration and translation, organized into sections with callouts for clarity.
this is the source for translation: A Sanskrit and English line by line (interlinear) version of this famous text summaring the heart of wisdom teachings in the Mahāyāna.
edited by
Edward Conze
translated by
Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदयसूत्रम् (The Heart Sūtra)
Invocation
Sanskrit Text
ॐ! नमो भगवत्यै आर्यप्रज्ञापारमितायै!
Transliteration
Oṁ! Namo Bhagavatyai Ārya-Prajñāpāramitāyai!
Translation
Hail! Reverence to the Fortunate and Noble Perfection of Wisdom
The Meditation of Avalokiteśvara
Sanskrit Text
आर्यावलोकितेश्वरो बोधिसत्त्वो गम्भीरां प्रज्ञापारमिता चर्यां चरमाणो व्यवलोकयति स्म पञ्चस्कन्धांस्तांश्च स्वभावशून्यान् पश्यति स्म।
Transliteration
Ārya-Avalokiteśvaro Bodhisattvo, gambhīrāṁ prajñāpāramitā caryāṁ caramāṇo, vyavalokayati sma panca-skandhāṁs tāṁś ca svabhāvaśūnyān paśyati sma.
Translation
The Noble Buddha-to-be Avalokiteshvara, while dwelling deep in the practice of the perfection of wisdom, beheld these five constituent groups (of mind and body) and saw them empty of self-nature.
Form and Emptiness
Sanskrit Text
इह शारिपुत्र रूपं शून्यता शून्यतैव रूपं; रूपान्न पृथक् शून्यता शून्यताया न पृथग् रूपं; यद्रूपं सा शून्यता या शून्यता तद्रूपं; एवमेव वेदनासंज्ञासंस्कारविज्ञानं।
Transliteration
Iha, Śāriputra, rūpaṁ śūnyatā, śūnyataiva rūpaṁ; rūpān na pṛthak śūnyatā, śunyatāyā na pṛthag rūpaṁ; yad rūpaṁ, sā śūnyatā; ya śūnyatā, tad rūpaṁ; evam eva vedanā-saṁjñā-saṁskāra-vijñānaṁ.
Translation
Here, Sariputra, Form (Rupa) is emptiness (Sunyata), emptiness is surely form; Emptiness is not different from form, form is not different from emptiness; Whatever form there is, that is emptiness; Whatever emptiness there is, that is form. The same for feelings (Vedana), perceptions (samjna), volitional processes (Samskara) and consciousness (Vijnana).
The Characteristics of Emptiness
Sanskrit Text
इह शारिपुत्र सर्वधर्माः शून्यतालक्षणा, अनुत्पन्ना अनिरुद्धा; अमला अविमला; अनूना अपरिपूर्णाः।
Transliteration
Iha, Śāriputra, sarva-dharmāḥ śūnyatā-lakṣaṇā, anutpannā, aniruddhā; amalā, avimalā; anūnā, aparipūrṇāḥ.
Translation
Here, Śāriputra, All things have the characteristic of emptiness, no arising, no ceasing; no purity, no impurity; no deficiency, no completeness.
The Negations
Sanskrit Text
तस्माच्छारिपुत्र शून्यतायां न रूपं न वेदना न संज्ञा न संस्काराः न विज्ञानम्; न चक्षुःश्रोत्रघ्राणजिह्वाकायमनांसि; न रूपशब्दगन्धरसस्प्रष्टव्यधर्माः; न चक्षुर्धातुर्यावन्न मनोविज्ञानधातुः;
न अविद्या न अविद्याक्षयो यावन्न जरामरणं न जरामरणक्षयो; न दुःखसमुदयनिरोधमार्गा; न ज्ञानं न प्राप्तिर्न अप्राप्तिः।
Transliteration
Tasmāc Śāriputra, śūnyatāyāṁ na rūpaṁ, na vedanā, na saṁjñā, na saṁskārāḥ, na vijñānam; na cakṣuḥ-śrotra-ghrāna-jihvā-kāya-manāṁsi; na rūpa-śabda-gandha-rasa-spraṣṭavya-dharmāḥ; na cakṣūr-dhātur yāvan na manovijñāna-dhātuḥ; na avidyā, na avidyā-kṣayo yāvan na jarā-maraṇam, na jarā-maraṇa-kṣayo; na duḥkha-samudaya-nirodha-mārgā; na jñānam, na prāptir na aprāptiḥ.
Translation
Therefore, Śāriputra, In emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no volitional processes, no consciousness; There are no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body or mind; No forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, thoughts; No eye-element (and so on) up to no mind-consciousness element; No ignorance, no destruction of ignorance (and so on) up to no old age and death, no destruction of old age and death; No suffering, arising, cessation, path; No knowledge, no attainment, no non-attainment.
The State of the Bodhisattva
Sanskrit Text
तस्माच्छारिपुत्र अप्राप्तित्वाद्बोधिसत्त्वस्य प्रज्ञापारमितामाश्रित्य विहरत्यचित्तावरणः, चित्तावरणनास्तित्वादत्रस्तो विपर्यासातिक्रान्तो निष्ठानिर्वाणप्राप्तः।
Transliteration
Tasmāc Śāriputra, aprāptitvād Bodhisattvasya Prajñāpāramitām āśritya, viharaty acittāvaraṇaḥ, cittāvaraṇa-nāstitvād atrastro, viparyāsa-atikrānto, niṣṭhā-Nirvāṇa-prāptaḥ.
Translation
Therefore, Śāriputra, Because of the Buddha-to-be’s non-attainments he relies on the Perfection of Wisdom, and dwells with his mind unobstructed, having an unobstructed mind he does not tremble, overcoming opposition, he attains the state of Nirvāṇa.
The Full Awakening of Buddhas
Sanskrit Text
त्र्यध्वव्यवस्थिताः सर्वबुद्धाः प्रज्ञापारमितामाश्रित्य अनुत्तरां सम्यक्सम्बोधिमभिसम्बुद्धाः।
तस्माज्ज्ञातव्यं प्रज्ञापारमिता महामन्त्रो महाविद्यामन्त्रो ऽनुत्तरमन्त्रो समसममन्त्रः सर्वदुःखप्रशमनः सत्यममिथ्यत्वात्।
Transliteration
Tryadhva-vyavasthitāḥ sarva-Buddhāḥ Prajñāpāramitām āśritya anuttarāṁ Samyaksambodhim abhisambuddhāḥ. Tasmāj jñātavyam Prajñāpāramitā mahā-mantro, mahā-vidyā mantro, ’nuttara-mantro, samasama-mantraḥ, sarva duḥkha praśamanaḥ, satyam, amithyatvāt.
Translation
All the Buddhas abiding in the three times through relying on the Perfection of Wisdom fully awaken to the unsurpassed Perfect and Complete Awakening. Therefore one should know the Perfection of Wisdom is a great mantra, a great scientific mantra, an unsurpassed mantra, an unmatched mantra, the subduer of all suffering, the truth, not falsehood.
The Mantra
Sanskrit Text
प्रज्ञापारमितायामुक्तो मन्त्रः तद्यथा — गते गते पारगते पारसंगते बोधि स्वाहा!
Transliteration
Prajñāpāramitāyām ukto mantraḥ tad-yathā: gate gate pāragate pārasaṁgate Bodhi svāhā!
Translation
In the Perfection of Wisdom the mantra has been uttered in this way: Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, Awakening, blessings!
Conclusion
Sanskrit Text
इति प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदयं समाप्तम्।
Transliteration
Iti Prajñāpāramitā-Hṛdayam Samāptam
Translation
Thus the Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom is Complete
Related Gunas: Sattva