Phi texts

Translation

nulo sano korua

The Heart Sutra

F. Max Müller's Smaller Pragñâ-pâramitâ-hridaya-sûtra begins with five gatherings. Within a few lines it counts each at zero. Form meets emptiness in both directions. The senses vanish from the inventory. Knowledge follows, then pain and the path. The last words cross to another shore.

This page gives Müller's English a complete Phi translation. It follows every proposition he prints. Where Müller writes "till we come to," the gap belongs to the ground truth. The translation does not claim to settle the Sanskrit behind this Victorian English text.

The ground truth is Müller's 1894 translation in Buddhist Mahâyâna Texts, Sacred Books of the East, volume XLIX. It is stored verbatim in texts/sources/buddhist_mahayana_texts_1894.txt, and the citations retain the scan's spellings and broken words. The citations alone carry the personal names Avalokiteshvara and Sariputra. Prajnaparamita, Nirvana, and Svaha also remain there wherever a Phi description would falsely claim equivalence.

Each block gives the Phi sentence, its word-by-word gloss, a literal English back-translation, and the source wording. The translation uses nulo sholu sano, deep complete knowing, for Prajnaparamita and [whu se nelu nela wea nowae thalo] miona, a revered person walking toward awakening, for the venerable Bodhisattva. They show how Phi approaches each relation; the source terms do the rest.

Translation

Adoration and five gatherings

wei [whu theula sano] keluro.

Word-by-word gloss: DAT [REL UNIV know] honor.

Literal English: (Honor to the one who knows all.)

muller: Adoration to the Omniscient !

[whu se nelu nela wea nowae thalo] miona nulo sholu sano to si thole.

Word-by-word gloss: [REL PASS revere COORD TOWARD awaken walk] person deep complete know PST IPFV practice.

Literal English: (The person who is revered and walks toward awakening was practising deep complete knowing.)

muller: The venerable Bodhisattva Avalokite^vara, per- forming his study in the deep Pra^;^aparamita (perfection of wisdom),

shia tha ta shao wi sholei nai tho to remo.

Word-by-word gloss: 3SG DECL.COMP one three-group two gather be DECL.COMP.CLOSE PST think.

Literal English: (They thought that there are five gatherings.)

muller: thought thus : ' There are the five Skandhas,

shia tha ha lo sholei woeli whemoa nai tho to remo.

Word-by-word gloss: 3SG DECL.COMP PROX PL gather natural empty be DECL.COMP.CLOSE PST think.

Literal English: (They thought that these gatherings are empty by nature.)

muller: and these he considered as by their nature empty (phenomenal).'

Form and emptiness

kona miona. shia to haolu.

Word-by-word gloss: VOC person. 3SG PST speak.

Literal English: (O person. They spoke.)

muller: ' O ^'ariputra/ he said,

mua ha kire whemoa nai. whemoa ko kire nai.

Word-by-word gloss: LOC PROX shape empty be. empty FOC shape be.

Literal English: (Here form is emptiness. Emptiness indeed is form.)

muller: form here is emptiness, and emptiness indeed is form.

whemoa lue kire phirae ma nai. kire lue whemoa phirae ma nai.

Word-by-word gloss: empty ABL shape different NEG be. shape ABL empty different NEG be.

Literal English: (Emptiness is not different from form. Form is not different from emptiness.)

muller: Emptiness is not different from form, form is not different from emptiness.

[whu kire nai] whemoa nai. [whu whemoa nai] kire nai.

Word-by-word gloss: [REL shape be] empty be. [REL empty be] shape be.

Literal English: (That which is form is emptiness. That which is emptiness is form.)

muller: What is form that is emptiness, what is emptiness that is form.

morae we ha phelu. nomei we ha phelu. remole we ha phelu. sano we ha phelu.

Word-by-word gloss: sense ALSO PROX hold. name ALSO PROX hold. concept ALSO PROX hold. know ALSO PROX hold.

Literal English: (Perception also holds this. Name also holds this. Conception also holds this. Knowledge also holds this.)

muller: ' The same applies to perception, name, concep- tion, and knowledge.'

The character of emptiness

kona miona.

Word-by-word gloss: VOC person.

Literal English: (O person.)

muller: ' Here, O 6'ariputra,

mua ha theula thena whemoa kire phelu.

Word-by-word gloss: LOC PROX UNIV thing empty shape hold.

Literal English: (Here all things hold the shape of emptiness.)

muller: all things have the character of emptiness,

lo shia mawha thorui mawha lumae phelu.

Word-by-word gloss: PL 3SG NONE beginning NONE end hold.

Literal English: (They hold no beginning and no end.)

muller: they have no beginning, no end,

lo shia mawha kanelu phelu. lo shia we kanelu phelu.

Word-by-word gloss: PL 3SG NONE err hold. PL 3SG ALSO err hold.

Literal English: (They hold no error. They also hold error.)

muller: they are faultless and not faultless,

lo shia [whu sholu ma nai] ma nai. lo shia sholu ma nai.

Word-by-word gloss: PL 3SG [REL complete NEG be] NEG be. PL 3SG complete NEG be.

Literal English: (They are not incomplete. They are not complete.)

muller: they are not imperfect and not perfect.

The litany of absence

kona miona.

Word-by-word gloss: VOC person.

Literal English: (O person.)

muller: Therefore, O .Sariputra,

thelao mua ha whemoa mu kire mu morae mu nomei mu remole mu sano nai.

Word-by-word gloss: CONS LOC PROX empty zero shape zero sense zero name zero concept zero know be.

Literal English: (Therefore, in this emptiness there is no form, no perception, no name, no conception, no knowledge.)

muller: in this emptiness there is no form, no perception, no name, no concepts, no knowledge.

mu mirae mu shonui mu nophae mu lathoe mu weloni mu remo nai.

Word-by-word gloss: zero eye zero ear zero nose zero tongue zero body zero think be.

Literal English: (No eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind.)

muller: No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind.

mu kire mu shonuwa mu whinu mu thorima mu palo mu thena nai.

Word-by-word gloss: zero shape zero sound zero smell zero taste zero touch zero thing be.

Literal English: (No form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no objects.)

muller: No form, sound, smell, taste, touch, objects.'

mu sano mu sano whemoa mu sano lumae mu sano whemoa lumae nai.

Word-by-word gloss: zero know zero know empty zero know end zero know empty end be.

Literal English: (No knowledge, no ignorance, no end of knowledge, no end of ignorance.)

muller: ' There is no knowledge, no ignorance, no destruc- tion of knowledge, no destruction of ignorance,'

mu serao kelu mu lumeo nai. mu serao kelu lumae mu lumeo lumae nai.

Word-by-word gloss: zero old become zero die be. zero old become end zero die end be.

Literal English: (No becoming-old, no death. No end of becoming-old, no end of death.)

muller: ' there is no decay and death, no destruction of decay and death ;

mu kipona mu kipona thorui mu kipona lumae mu kipona lumae ruela nai.

Word-by-word gloss: zero pain zero pain beginning zero pain end zero pain end path be.

Literal English: (No pain, no beginning of pain, no end of pain, no path to pain's end.)

muller: there are not (the four truths, viz. that there) is pain, origin of pain, stoppage of pain, and the path to it.

mu sano mu pilu nai.

Word-by-word gloss: zero know zero take be.

Literal English: (No knowledge, no taking.)

muller: There is no knowledge, no obtaining (of Nirva;/a).

Consciousness and fear

miona wea [whu wea nowae thalo] miona nulo sholu sano ki shua. waeli roa shia nai. shia mua ha waeli menui.

Word-by-word gloss: person TOWARD [REL TOWARD awaken walk] person deep complete know PFV come. conscious AROUND 3SG be. 3SG LOC PROX conscious dwell.

Literal English: (A person has approached the deep complete knowing of the person who walks toward awakening. Consciousness is around them. They dwell within this consciousness.)

muller: ' A man who has approached the Pra^;Hparamita of the Bodhisattva dwells enveloped in conscious- ness '.

lu whekai [whu roa shia nai] waeli lumae se ka kelu. shia lue theula sukima ralu kelu.

Word-by-word gloss: COND CONTR [REL AROUND 3SG be] conscious end PASS CAUS become. 3SG ABL UNIV fear free become.

Literal English: (But when the consciousness that is around them is destroyed, they become free from all fear.)

muller: But when the envelopment of consciousness has been annihilated, then he becomes free of all fear,

helui shia po ma pilu. shia lue sholu nulo shea nirelo phaelo.

Word-by-word gloss: change 3SG POT NEG take. 3SG ABL complete deep peace pleasant feel.

Literal English: (Change cannot take them. They feel pleasure from complete deep peace.)

muller: beyond the reach of change, enjoying final Nirv^awa.

Awakening

pheo theula [whu nowae] miona mua luera nela nosa nela wireo wea nulo sholu sano ki shua lo shia kau mo ko sholu sano ki nowae.

Word-by-word gloss: POST UNIV [REL awaken] person LOC past COORD now COORD future TOWARD deep complete know PFV come PL 3SG ALL CMPR FOC complete know PFV awaken.

Literal English: (After all people of the past, present, and future who awaken have approached deep complete knowing, they have awakened to the highest complete knowledge.)

muller: ' All Buddhas of the past, present, and future, after approaching the Pra^;7aparamita, have awoke to the highest perfect knowledge.'

The verse and the crossing

thelao miona nulo sholu sano ru welao melira na sano. ha ru nulo sano melira nai.

Word-by-word gloss: CONS person deep complete know INTS good song NEC know. PROX INTS deep know song be.

Literal English: (Therefore one must know the very good song of deep complete knowing. This is the song of very deep knowing.)

muller: ' Therefore one ought to know the great verse of the Pra^;7aparamita, the verse of the great wisdom,

mawha melira ha sheo mo welao nai. ha mawha kolo melira phelu.

Word-by-word gloss: NONE song PROX THAN CMPR good be. PROX NONE equal song hold.

Literal English: (No song is better than this one. It has no equal song.)

muller: the unsurpassed verse, the peerless verse,

ha melira theula kipona shena ka nai.

Word-by-word gloss: PROX song UNIV pain calm CAUS be.

Literal English: (This song calms all pain.)

muller: which appeases all pain

lao ha [whu shewo ma nai] ma nai ha theloa nai.

Word-by-word gloss: BECAUSE PROX [REL true NEG be] NEG be PROX truth be.

Literal English: (Because this is not what is untrue, this is truth.)

muller: it is truth, because it is not false

ha melira mua nulo sholu sano to se shemui.

Word-by-word gloss: PROX song LOC deep complete know PST PASS utter.

Literal English: (This song was uttered within deep complete knowing.)

muller: the verse proclaimed in the Pra^^'/Hpara- mitd :

kona nulo sano.

Word-by-word gloss: VOC deep know.

Literal English: (O wisdom.)

muller: O wisdom,

thia ki wepu. thia ki wepu. thia kau phirae kerime ki wepu. thia mua phirae kerime ki kamo.

Word-by-word gloss: 2SG PFV go. 2SG PFV go. 2SG ALL different shore PFV go. 2SG LOC different shore PFV arrive.

Literal English: (You have gone. You have gone. You have gone to the other shore. You have arrived at the other shore.)

muller: gone, gone, gone to the other shore, landed at the other shore, Svaha !

thelao ha nulo sholu sano korua lumae nai.

Word-by-word gloss: CONS PROX deep complete know heart end be.

Literal English: (Thus this is the end of the Heart of Complete Wisdom.)

muller: Thus ends the heart of the Pra^'waparamita.

Notes: melira is a work shaped for voice, whether sung, recited, or held on a page, so it carries Müller's verse without inventing a ritual category. The English "great" cannot borrow whalo, which concerns size or scope. The first claim calls the song very good; the second deepens the knowing it carries. Müller's two rankings then receive their own tests: no song is better, and this one has no equal. shena ka nai calms pain rather than erasing it. Phi puts the reason before the truth claim. Because it has no separate false adjective, an outer ma denies [whu shewo ma nai], what is untrue; theloa then names truth itself. In the mantra, wisdom is directly addressed and thia carries the implied traveler through three goings and one arrival. kerime gives the crossing a literal shore. The Phi mantra ends at arrival; Müller's Svaha follows outside it. The colophon receives its own sentence rather than being left to the title.

Complete translation

nulo sano korua

wei [whu theula sano] keluro. [whu se nelu nela wea nowae thalo] miona nulo sholu sano to si thole. shia tha ta shao wi sholei nai tho to remo. shia tha ha lo sholei woeli whemoa nai tho to remo.

kona miona. shia to haolu. mua ha kire whemoa nai. whemoa ko kire nai. whemoa lue kire phirae ma nai. kire lue whemoa phirae ma nai. [whu kire nai] whemoa nai. [whu whemoa nai] kire nai. morae we ha phelu. nomei we ha phelu. remole we ha phelu. sano we ha phelu.

kona miona. mua ha theula thena whemoa kire phelu. lo shia mawha thorui mawha lumae phelu. lo shia mawha kanelu phelu. lo shia we kanelu phelu. lo shia [whu sholu ma nai] ma nai. lo shia sholu ma nai.

kona miona. thelao mua ha whemoa mu kire mu morae mu nomei mu remole mu sano nai. mu mirae mu shonui mu nophae mu lathoe mu weloni mu remo nai. mu kire mu shonuwa mu whinu mu thorima mu palo mu thena nai. mu sano mu sano whemoa mu sano lumae mu sano whemoa lumae nai. mu serao kelu mu lumeo nai. mu serao kelu lumae mu lumeo lumae nai. mu kipona mu kipona thorui mu kipona lumae mu kipona lumae ruela nai. mu sano mu pilu nai.

miona wea [whu wea nowae thalo] miona nulo sholu sano ki shua. waeli roa shia nai. shia mua ha waeli menui. lu whekai [whu roa shia nai] waeli lumae se ka kelu. shia lue theula sukima ralu kelu. helui shia po ma pilu. shia lue sholu nulo shea nirelo phaelo.

pheo theula [whu nowae] miona mua luera nela nosa nela wireo wea nulo sholu sano ki shua lo shia kau mo ko sholu sano ki nowae.

thelao miona nulo sholu sano ru welao melira na sano. ha ru nulo sano melira nai. mawha melira ha sheo mo welao nai. ha mawha kolo melira phelu. ha melira theula kipona shena ka nai. lao ha [whu shewo ma nai] ma nai ha theloa nai. ha melira mua nulo sholu sano to se shemui.

kona nulo sano. thia ki wepu. thia ki wepu. thia kau phirae kerime ki wepu. thia mua phirae kerime ki kamo. thelao ha nulo sholu sano korua lumae nai.

Translation limits

Müller wording	Phi rendering	Remaining difference
Avalokiteshvara; Sariputra	semantic roles in Phi; exact names in the source lines	The names have no accepted Phi-form onyms. `kona miona` carries direct address but not the addressee's identity.
venerable Bodhisattva	`[whu se nelu nela wea nowae thalo] miona`, a revered person walking toward awakening	Reverence and the direction of practice survive, but the description does not carry the Sanskrit title's full doctrinal history.
Prajnaparamita	`nulo sholu sano`, deep complete knowing	The compound renders Müller's parenthetical "perfection of wisdom" but is not a tradition-specific equivalent.
five Skandhas	`ta shao wi sholei`, five gatherings	The count and gathered character survive; the generic event noun does not encode the Buddhist aggregate theory.
form; emptiness	event noun `kire`; quality noun `whemoa`	`kire` begins from material shape, while `whemoa` begins from an empty vessel. Their ordinary ranges are audible inside the equation.
phenomenal	source citation only	Müller gives the term parenthetically, but Phi has no matching technical contrast to place in that sentence.
faultless and not faultless	holding no error and also holding error	Event-noun `kanelu` carries an error rather than a metaphysical fault. The positive and negative source claims both remain.
not imperfect and not perfect	not what is incomplete, and not complete	Phi has no independent metaphysical imperfect quality. A headless relative places one negation inside another, so "not imperfect" remains intact before completeness is denied.
ignorance; destruction	knowledge's emptiness; caused ending	Phi composes both ideas from the relation under discussion instead of turning them into independent technical roots.
the omitted eighteen elements and causal links	Müller's printed abbreviations	The translation does not reconstruct material absent from its English ground truth.
obtaining Nirvana	no taking, with Nirvana in the source line	`pilu` gives obtaining the shape of reception; Phi does not supply its object.
envelopment annihilated	consciousness around the person is caused to become an end	The force of ending survives, but Phi describes the spatial relation rather than naming annihilation.
enjoying final Nirvana	pleasure felt from `sholu nulo shea`, complete deep peace	`nirelo` restores enjoyment, while the experience is stated without claiming that peace exhausts Nirvana.
Buddhas; awoke	people who awaken; `nowae`	The ordinary verb names waking from sleep. Spiritual awakening is a source-guided extension rather than a separate Phi sense.
great verse; verse of great wisdom	a very good `melira`; a song of very deep knowing	`melira` includes song and poem, but it does not encode ritual status. Phi states the two senses of "great" without extending physical `whalo` into importance.
proclaimed in Prajnaparamita	passively uttered within deep complete knowing	`shemui` preserves the bounded words and their setting, but it does not add proclamation's public force.
O wisdom, gone	wisdom is addressed; `thia` supplies the implied traveler	Müller's participles have no explicit subject. Phi's finite verbs require one.
Svaha	source citation only	The ritual form receives no invented Phi meaning.