Sādhu (Pali word)

Sādhu or Sathu is a Pali word of Sanskrit origin which is used as a formula of approbation in both religious and secular contexts in Southeast Asia. It is a kind of Buddhist Amen,[1] similar also to the Svāhā used as a denouement at the end of a mantra in Vedic religions which also served as a form of salutation.[2] Though it is an "untranslatable phrase",[3] it can be variously translated as "amen",[4] "good", "yes"[5] "thank you",[6] "I have received",[7] "well done",[8] "be it so"[9] or "all shall be well".[10]

Not to be confused with Sadhu, Sadu (disambiguation), or Sato (beverage).
Translations of
Sathu
Palisādhu
Burmeseသာဓု
(MLCTS: sadhu)
Khmerសាធុ
(UNGEGN: sathŭ)
Shanသႃႇထူႉ
([sàa thṵ̂u])
Thaiสาธุ
(RTGS: sathu)
Glossary of Buddhism

Etymology

In Sanskrit, sadhu describes a holy person or entity. This is used after someone has completed some task with excellence or fulfillment, often in a commitment to religious life.

In Pali, the word sathu means good, excellent, auspicious. It is used with this meaning in Dhammapada Verse 35: "The mind is difficult to control; swiftly and lightly, it moves and lands wherever it pleases. It is good (sathu) to tame the mind, for a well-tamed mind brings happiness."[11]

While the Sanskrit refers to a mystic, the Pali refers to a moral attitude. The term Sadhu directed to a person therefore literally translates to “blessed one.” This can mean an enlightened being such as a Buddha, but also refers to the common man who strives for enlightenment in his own life.

Use

A shout for victory

Satho is a cry for joy in ancient Vedic stories and it is still used in Hindu culture as a general shout of approval in battle.[12] In the Thai version of a legend of the Bhagavad Gita translated by Eliakim Littell, the words sathu, sathu, are put in the mouth of the King:[13]

The King will cry: "Sathu, sathu! It is good, it is good!"

An original word of Siddhartha

This word was used by the Buddha when devotees asked him about deep or hard issues. Sadhu is therefore occasionally used in the Tripiṭaka as an exclamation. In the Vinaya Piṭaka, to show his appreciation of something Śāriputra had said, the Buddha responded:

Sathu, sathu Śāriputra!

— Vin. I,56

An approbation cry

Sathu is most often heard as a cry of approval at Buddhist sermons.[14] The preacher usually ends his sermon by wishing that all present will one day attain nirvana which is greeted with cries in unison of "satho, satho". Buddhists say “Sathu Sathu Sathu” three times to answer a religious question or express their religious feelings if they find that the request is satisfactory. Its closest English equivalent would probably be ‘wow’ in this context.[15]

It can be used in a religious setting by monks, such as when receiving offerings, as well as in a profane context; thus, when Burmese monk U Tiloka admonished the villagers to refuse to pay land revenue and capitation taxes in order to obtain home rule against the British Empire, he usually concluded his speeches by asking all who accepted his preaching to say sathu three times.[16]

The sathu exclamation is sometimes associated to the sound of conch[17] or to the striking of a gong being to mark the end of the chapter, in such occasions as the sermons of the Vessantara Festival.[18]

Blessing to be blessed

Sathu may also used in prayers of petition bowing to an image of the Buddha[19] or by soldiers offering obedience[20] to kings[21] or by believers praying to deities such as Burmese nats[22] and devatas:

Sathu, sathu, we are so poor and suffering. May the great devata bestow a great blessing on us. May we be granted a child of our own.

— Lao Folktales[23]

Interpretation

Triple repetition: discipline

The threefold repetition of sathu is very commonplace in Southeast Asia. Sathu repeated three times is interpreted as referring to three elements: a disciplined body, words, and mind.

Fourth utterance: respect

Sadhu is sometimes repeated a fourth time in a longer and emphatic tone. The reason Buddhists utter the fourth “Sadhu” in such a long manner may be honorific with respect to those who are most disciplined according to the Noble Eightfold Path.[15]

Social networks

Sathu, sathu, sathu associated with a joint-hands emoticon has become a popular comment on social networks as sign of reverence and encouragement.

Music

Saathukaan (Thai: สาธุการ[24]) is the traditional melody used by Thai musicians for eulogy and oblation in honour of the Triple Gem, while as special Saathukaan played only by drums is an invitatory for great teachers.[25] Thai pop singer Boom Boom Cash produced a song entitled Sathu (Thai: สาธุ) in May 2018. Contemporary worship music in Thailand also translates the Christian blessing as sathu, as in the translation of Blessed be your Name (Thai: เพลง สาธุการพระนาม).[26]

Look up សាធុ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References
  1. Pym, Christopher (1959). The Road to Angkor. R. Hale. p. 113.
  2. Lal, Kishori Saran (1969). Studies in Asian History: Proceedings of the Asian History Congress, 1961. [Published for the] Indian Council for Cultural Relations [by] Asia Publishing House. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-210-22748-0.
  3. Byles, Marie Beuzeville (1962). Journey Into Burmese Silence. Allen & Unwin. p. 124. ISBN 978-90-70012-79-3.
  4. Pezet, Edmond (1975). "L'office quotidien dans les monastères theravada". Studua Missionalia: Vol. 24 (in French). Gregorian University. p. 149.
  5. Collins, Steven (1998-05-13). Nirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities. Cambridge University Press. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-521-57054-1.
  6. U Pandita. "45. Alive and strong". One Life's Journey. Panditãrãma.
  7. "Traditional festivals of Cambodia". Traditional Festivals of ASEAN. ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information. 2003. p. 42.
  8. U, Khin Zaw (2006). Myanmar Culture. Today Publishing House. p. 38.
  9. Nākhō̜nthap, Thapanī; Chāt, Thailand Samnakngān Khana Kammakān Watthanatham hǣng (1992). Essays on Cultural Thailand. Office of the National Culture Commission, Ministry of Education, Thailand. p. 128. ISBN 978-974-7903-25-6.
  10. Velder, Christian; Velder, Katrin A. (2003). The Rice Birds: Folktales from Thailand. White Lotus Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-974-480-029-9.
  11. "Dhammapada Verse 35 (Annatarabhikkhu Vatthu)". Tipitaka (English translation). Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  12. Hopkins, E. Washburn (1931). "Hindu Salutations". Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London. 6 (2): 383. ISSN 1356-1898. JSTOR 607665.
  13. Littell, Eliakim; Littell, Robert S. (1873). "Buddhist preaching". Littell's Living Age. Vol. 116. T. H. Carter & Company. p. 255.
  14. Collins, Steven (1998-05-13). Nirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities. Cambridge University Press. p. 547. ISBN 978-0-521-57054-1.
  15. "Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu (Sadu Sadu Sadu)". The Budding Buddhist. 2021-08-07. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  16. Smith, Donald Eugene (2015-12-08). Religion and Politics in Burma. Princeton University Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-4008-7879-6.
  17. Burma Dept of Information and Broadcasting (1956). Burma: The Anniversary. Director of Information, Union of Burma. p. 2.
  18. Bowie, Katherine A. (2017-02-21). Of Beggars and Buddhas: The Politics of Humor in the Vessantara Jataka in Thailand. University of Wisconsin Pres. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-299-30950-3.
  19. Kingshill, Konrad (1991). Ku Dæng -- Thirty Years Later: A Village Study in Northern Thailand, 1954-1984. Northern Illinois University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-877979-76-7.
  20. Ruth, Richard A. (2010-09-16). In Buddha's Company: Thai Soldiers in the Vietnam War. University of Hawaii Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8248-6085-1.
  21. Phya Khankhaak, the Toad King: A Translation of an Isan Fertility Myth in Verse. Bucknell University Press. 1996. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8387-5306-4.
  22. Mackenzie, Donald Alexander (1929). Burmese Wonder Tales. Blackie & Son. p. 172.
  23. Thotsa, Wayuphā; Nēttavong, Kongdư̄an (2008). Lao Folktales. Libraries Unlimited. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-59158-345-5.
  24. "สาธุ" [Sathu]. www.thai-language.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  25. Wong, Deborah; Wong, Professor Deborah (2001-08-15). Sounding the Center: History and Aesthetics in Thai Buddhist Performance. University of Chicago Press. p. 269. ISBN 978-0-226-90585-3.
  26. "สาธุการพระนาม". www.thaiworship.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
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