The Ten Chapters
The Swayambhu Purana runs to 1,749 verses. Each chapter stands on its own page, complete, with every verse in five layers.
Chapter 1
The Origin of Swayambhu
This is the first chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, the old account of how a self-arisen flame appeared on a hill above what is now the Kathmandu Valley, and how a …
171 verses
Chapter 2
The Fruits of Worshipping Swayambhu
This is the second chapter of the Swayambhu Purana. The Buddha, asked by Maitreya to continue the story, describes the age of Śikhi Buddha, when the self-arisen …
181 verses
Chapter 3
The Draining of the Great Lake
This is the third chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, and the one that tells how the Kathmandu Valley came to exist. In the age of Viśvabhū Buddha, Mañjuśrī sees the …
203 verses
Chapter 4
The Eight Vitaragas and the Founding of the Realm
This is the fourth chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, and it tells how the drained valley became a country. In the age of Krakucchanda Buddha, seven hundred people of …
172 verses
Chapter 5
The Many Holy Fords and Their Merit
This is the fifth chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, and it maps the water of the Kathmandu Valley. Chapter four ended by telling the people of the new country to …
149 verses
Chapter 6
The Naming of Dharmadhātu Vāgīśvara
This is the sixth chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, and the one with the best story in it. Maitreya asks why Swayambhu is also called Vāgīśvara, lord of speech, and …
195 verses
Chapter 7
The Concealment of Dharmadhātu Vāgīśvara
This is the seventh chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, and it answers the question chapter one left hanging: who covered the self arisen light with a stone, and why. …
198 verses
Chapter 8
The Rite for Good Rain
This is the eighth chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, and it is the poem’s hardest look at what a bad ruler costs a country. A young king named Guṇakāmadeva stops …
228 verses
Chapter 9
The Greatness of Shantikar
This is the ninth chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, and it is the shortest so far. Maitreya asks a question about a word: when and how did the teacher come to be …
82 verses
Chapter 10
The Greatness of the Dharma of Swayambhu
This is the tenth and last chapter of the Swayambhu Purana, and it brings the whole book home. The Buddha finishes his teaching on the hill with a promise to a named …
170 verses