The Prajñāpāramitā Ratnaguṇasaṁcayagāthā - The Verses on the Perfection of Wisdom Which is the Storehouse of Precious Virtues - is the verse summary of the Aṣṭasahaśrika Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra - the Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 lines - the two together being the earliest Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras. This first gāthā captures something beautiful about the approach of Mahāyāna Buddhism.


Ratnagunasamcayagatha Sutra in the Siddham Script

Transliteration

para prema gaurava prasāda upasthapitvā
prajahitva āvaraṇa kleśamalātikrāntāḥ
śṛṇutā jagārthamabhiprasthita suravratānāṁ
prajñāya pāramita yatra caranti śūrāḥ

Translation

Call forth as much as you can of love, of respect and of faith!
Remove the obstructing defilements, and clear away all your taints!
Listen to the Perfect Wisdom of the gentle Buddhas
Taught for the weal of the world, for heroic spirits intended!

Notes

Sanskrit text from Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon.

Translation by Edward Conze. 1983. Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines and Its Verse Summary. (Four Seasons Foundation : San Francisco). p.9.

Conze thinks that the first two chapters, of which the other chapters are elaborations, may date from the 1st century BCE.