Tying the Hand: Life Sustaining Technique in Northern Thailand

Part 1

Today is a good day – a day of Phaya Wan, ^[48] a day of the great ceremony. This is a day of happy heart so do not be sad; a day of great auspicious sign under the sky umbrella that is a happy heart day; a day that King Phaya Wisaratalaracha enters the state. There is no devil to trouble the world. Today is a really great day that the relatives share the big house for you to stay. And a couple of elephants belong to you. Today is a very good day. The relatives have come and sat to watch over khwan’s spittoon. There is chicken meat, boiled chicken, cloths, ornaments, beddings, and stuff of the world. There is also a big gold ring put in the offering bowl and the alms ring with precious stones. It looks extremely beautiful. There are also precious stones of the state.

Please let me invite thirty-two khwan of your body. Don’t be sad, don’t have a sorrowful heart; don’t look for bad words that spark tension; don’t have any self-abhorrence. Please come, all the khwan, khwan of your head and hair, khwan on the back, khwan on the side, come and stay with yourself. Don’t worry, don’t be sad. At night your heart is weakening, so, khwan, don’t cry. Khwan, don’t go to the place of spirits in the forest, khwan, don’t go to play in the forest, khwan, don’t go far walking in the jungle, along the stream, and to the steep cliff. Khwan, don’t go and stay in the big forest, cashew forest, khwan, don’t go and stay in the golden paradise. Khwan, don’t starve, khwan, don’t be frantic with the wood on the horizon and rain. Khwan, don’t go and stay at the lemon tree where the fire of Phaya Thon ^[49] belongs. Khwan, don’t go and walk in the fog. Do not escape from the sky. Khwan, don’t visit a young man in the lowland. That land is not joyful, admirable, and sacred like here at all. Offerings there are not like those of the human land at all. The name of the state is Underwater Kata. May I invite your thirty two khwan to come up, oh, khwan. Come, khwan in the west, khwan in the east, khwan in the south, come, every khwan which have fallen down on the dry land and water land. Today, we have found a good day to welcome you to stay in the house with the thick roof. Come and stay in your house, the proper human big and wide house which is better than the sky but do not come more than thirty-two khwan of you. Come, come, come, every khwan.

Part 2

Thirteenth misfortune, fourteenth water (kho sipsam nam sipsi), the misfortune of the year, month, day and time, misfortune while sleeping, while awake, while walking, misfortune on the back will come and stay. The misfortune in front will go to Tai state and La state on the horizon. The misfortune falls to the land that is called religion by the Lord Buddha. Come, come khwan, come to Tai state. Khwan, come to Kwak state. Khwan, live well, eat well, live well, and be happy. Don’t have pain and illness. And the Lord Buddha saves you, dharma saves you, monks save you, auspicious Lord Buddha, Buddhist monk, Buddhist monk, auspicious supreme dharma. Wish you a long life.

Part 1

Today is a good day, a stable, auspicious day. It is a sacred day and a good day that brings good things to us. Today is greater than any days.

Flowers are arranged. There are a boat, rowers, and memories. And in the jar, there are firestones. There are also a sword and a spade ready in the sky. So, grandmother, please go to find and return the khwan of the young grandson. Let the grandmother eat a full dish of rice and water, because grandfather and grandmother rush to visit khwan soon. Hurry up, don’t go slowly, grandmother. She has a way to look for silver and a necklace.

If the young grandson enters inside the big stone in the forest, grandfather and grandmother, please use a hook to lift it up and use a hammer to hit it. If the khwan escapes and enters inside the stomach of a crab whose name is forest, grandfather and grandmother, please use a small sword to cut it. If the khwan escapes into a small pond, grandfather and grandmother, please bring a pole to hold. If the khwan falls in the water, grandmother, please search for it under the water. If the khwan falls into the mud, grandmother, please seek it. Wherever the khwan goes, such as a cliff and a trap, please seek it and bring back the young grandchild who provides tools for you. If you are tired, do not be afraid. Seek khwan carefully around the fields beside the stream. Please go to look for it in the forest of big trees, in the ever green jungle of the great mountain. In the morning, please go to seek for khwan in the giant’s forest. In the evening, please visit the waterfall fallen into the valley. Find the khwan and get it, visit the place where water falls gently, the place where tadpoles croak, the place where the river in the forest widens. Please look for the khwan in banana forest, taro field, and other fields. There might be spirits and demons teasing humans. So, please go to find the khwan along the pathway heading to the giant town. Please seek for it at the place of guardians, the village guardian, and the state guardian. Please go to look for it at the place of ditch spirit. The spirits and demons often call and take the khwan of human away, they often hide the khwan of human away. So, grandmother and grandfather, please find it in the state of spirits with long hands and big eyes. Please go to seek for it at the place of elephant spirits, spirits with long black legs and contorted mouth, and lecherous female spirits that like biting. Please look for khwan at the pond’s spirit, and two female spirits that are the ocean guardians. Please go to find it in the paradise between the moon and the stars. Please go to seek for it in the middle of the sky where the fog falls down to the grass. Please go to look for it in the state of giants, the state of Garuda, the state of Naga. Please seek for the khwan around the grass and forest areas, even in the nook of grass, please explore them too. If the khwan goes to the moon then call it (the moon) the sun (to deceive the khwan). Even if the khwan went into the stomach of Erawan, ^[50] come back, khwan. If the khwan goes to bathe in the Kongka River and the beautiful lotus pond Anoma in the big Himmaphan (Himavanta) forest, come back. Even if the khwan went into the water that falls from the mouth of an elephant or lion, come back. Even if you went near Vaishravana, we will let you come. Come, khwan.

Part 2

Today is a good day. The grandfather and grandmother are elderly people with long lives and are skilled at catching it. Let them go up in the sky, then they will go through the stars, let them go down in the water, then they go through the state of Garuda, the state of Naga. We have them as nimble people. Even if the khwan of my grandchild, whose name is Mr A, has escaped to the big tree at the shrine of the guardian spirit of the village and the state, grandmother goes to find elephant, horse, cow, buffalo as rewards to repurchase it. If grandmother sees the khwan, bring it back. I don’t regret. Even if the khwan has escaped into the dam, deep in the water where the river widens, tie the khwan and bring it back. Grandmother, go quickly, don’t go slowly. Let the illness in his body go. Don’t let the worry become true. Grandmother, go quickly. Kick the elephant and go quickly. Tell me if you get it, I want to know the news that the khwan has really come back. A stick would help grandmother’s strength. There are also a sword, a chisel, an ax, fishing net, a boat, a raft, and a pole. So, grandmother, go to search along the big creek in the forest. Even if they say the price is one million, grandmother, please give them the ring. Even if they say the price is a hundred thousand, grandmother, please buy it back. Even if they say the price is one billion, grandmother, please buy it back. Don’t feel sorry for losing those properties. They work hard to get it back. Go and look for it, don’t go long, grandmother, come. Relatives, brothers and sisters have come and wait for thirty-two khwan. So, please come back, it is good time. Grandmother, please bring all the khwan, the khwan of head, the khwan of eyes, the khwan of nose, the khwan of breast, the khwan of heart, let them all come together. The khwan of the head, come and stay at the beautiful head. The khwan of ears, come and stay at the ears. The khwan of the eyes, come and stay at the beautiful, lovely eyes. The khwan of cheeks, come and stay at the cheeks as usual. The khwan of nose, come and smell the lovely smelling flowers. The khwan of feet, don’t walk away. Khwan, don’t go away and play. Khwan, don’t go away anywhere. Khwan, don’t go to other place. Please come back to the body. Don’t be absent. Please come to get rid of the illness and danger. Khwan, come to the big house with many floors. Khwan, come and stay permanently with grandfather, aunt, uncle, children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters. Let your life last more than 120 years. Phawa saja taro thamma wathan ayu wanno sukhang phalang. ^[51] Come, khwan.