Once upon a time, during the reign of Brahmadatta king of Benares, the Bodhisatta came into the world as a young brahmin of Kasi. When he came of age, he quelled his passions and took upon him the life of an ascetic; he developed the Supernatural Faculties and the Attainments; he built an hermitage by the bend of the Ganges near the foot of Himalayas, and there he lived, surrounded by a band of ascetics, lost in the rapture of meditation.

At that time there were many kinds of snakes upon the Ganges bank, which did mischief to the hermits, and many of them perished by snake bite. The ascetics told the matter to the Bodhisatta. He summoned all the ascetics to meet him, and thus addressed them, “If you showed goodwill to the four royal races of snakes, no serpents would bite you. Therefore from this time forward do you show goodwill to the four royal races.” Then he added: “Virupakkha, Erapatha, Chabbyaputta, and Kanhagotamas are of the royal races.”

After thus naming the four royal families of the snakes, he added “If you can cultivate goodwill towards these, no snake creature will bite you or do you harm. If you love them, they will not harm you.”

Having declared the nature of the love within him, he uttered another verse by way of prayer.

“Creatures all, two feet or four,

You with none, and you with more,

Do not hurt me, I implore!”

Then again, in general terms, he repeated:

“All ye creatures that have birth,

Breathe, and move upon the earth,

Happy be ye, one and all,

Never into mischief fall.”

Thus he explained how one must show love and goodwill to all creatures without distinction; he reminded his hearers of the virtues of the Three Treasures, saying “Infinite is the Buddha, infinite the Law, and the Order infinite.” He said, “Remember the quality of the Three Treasures, and thus having shown them the infinity of the Three Treasures, and wishing to show them that all beings are finite, he added, “Finite and measurable are creeping things, snakes, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, lizards, mice.”

Then again, “As the passions and lusts in these creatures are the qualities which make them finite and limited, let us be protected night and day against these finite things by the power of the Three Treasures, which are infinite; Therefore remember the worth of the Three Treasures.” Then he recited this stanza:-

“Now I am guarded safe, and fenced around;

Now let all creatures leave me to my ground.

All honour to the Blessed One I pay,

And the seven Buddhas who have passed away.”

And bidding them also remember the seven Buddhas while they did honour, the Bodhisatta composed this guardian charm and delivered it to his band of sages. Then onwards the sages bore in mind the Bodhisatta’s admonition, and cherished love and goodwill, and remembered the Buddha’s virtues. As they did this, all the snake kind departed from them. And the Bodhisatta cultivated the Excellencies, and attained to Brahma’s heaven.