1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: "Bhikkhus!.

"Venerable sir!" those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

2"Bhikkhus, when the liberation of the mind by loving-kindness has been pursued, developed, and cultivated, made a vehicle and basis, carried out, consolidated, and properly undertaken, eight benefits are to be expected. What eight.

"One sleeps well; one awakens happily; one does not have bad dreams; one is pleasing to human beings; one is pleasing to spirits; [n.1615] Amanussā. Lit. "nonhumans." The word primarily refers to earthbound deities, yakkhas, and demons. deities protect one; fire, poison, and weapons do not injure one; and if one does not penetrate further, one moves on to the brahmā world.

"When, bhikkhus, the liberation of the mind by loving-kindness has been pursued, developed, and cultivated, made a vehicle and basis, carried out, consolidated, and properly undertaken, these eight benefits are to be expected."

3For one who, ever mindful, develops
measureless loving-kindness,
the fetters thin out as he sees
the destruction of the acquisitions.

4If, with a mind free from hate,
one arouses love toward just one being,
one thereby becomes good.
Compassionate in mind toward all beings, [n.1616] Sabbe ca pāṇe manasānukampī. Anukampā (the abstract noun of anukampī) has a slightly different nuance than karuṇā, the second immeasurable quality. Anukampā usually suggests compassion as a motive for action on behalf of others, whereas karuṇā generally designates a meditative state.
the noble one generates abundant merit.

5Those royal sages who conquered the earth
with its multitudes of beings
traveled around performing sacrifices:
the horse sacrifice, [n.1617] I translate on the basis of the Be and Ee reading assamedhaṁ, which accords with the name of the first of this traditional group of sacrifices mentioned elsewhere in the Nikāyas. At AN4.39 these sacrifices are condemned for the harm they inflict on helpless creatures. Ce here reads sassamedhaṁ, "the corn sacrifice," the gloss found in Mp (both Ce and Be). The gloss is perhaps apologetic, intended to justify the ascription of this sacrifice to the royal sages. the person sacrifice,
sammāpāsa, vājapeyya, niraggaḷa. [n.1618] These are the names of other sacrifices.

6All these are not worth a sixteenth part
of a well-developed loving mind,
just as the hosts of stars [n.1619] Reading with Be and Ee tāragaṇā va, as against Ce tāragaṇā ca. cannot match
a sixteenth part of the moon's radiance.

7One who does not kill or enjoin killing,
who does not conquer or enjoin conquest,
one who has loving-kindness toward all beings [n.1620] Mettaṁso sabbabhūtānaṁ veraṁ tassa na kenaci. Mp takes mettaṁso to be a compound of mettā and aṁso, glossing it mettāyamānacittakoṭṭhāso, "a portion of a loving mind." BHSD sv aṁśa testifies to the occurrence of maitra aṁśa in BHS literature; maitreṇāṁśena sphuritvā in Divyāvadāna 60.24 and 61.12.
harbors no enmity toward anyone.

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "bhikkhavo"ti. "Bhadante"ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

2"Mettāya, bhikkhave, cetovimuttiyā āsevitāya bhāvitāya bahulīkatāya yānīkatāya vatthukatāya anuṭṭhitāya paricitāya susamāraddhāya aṭṭhānisaṁsā pāṭikaṅkhā. Katame aṭṭha? Sukhaṁ supati, sukhaṁ paṭibujjhati, na pāpakaṁ supinaṁ passati, manussānaṁ piyo hoti, amanussānaṁ piyo hoti, devatā rakkhanti, nāssa aggi vā visaṁ vā satthaṁ vā kamati, uttariṁ appaṭivijjhanto brahmalokūpago hoti. Mettāya, bhikkhave, cetovimuttiyā āsevitāya bhāvitāya bahulīkatāya yānīkatāya vatthukatāya anuṭṭhitāya paricitāya susamāraddhāya ime aṭṭhānisaṁsā pāṭikaṅkhāti.

3Yo ca mettaṁ bhāvayati,
appamāṇaṁ paṭissato;
Tanū saṁyojanā honti,
passato upadhikkhayaṁ.

4Ekampi ce pāṇamaduṭṭhacitto,
Mettāyati kusalī tena hoti;
Sabbe ca pāṇe manasānukampī,
Pahūtamariyo pakaroti puññaṁ.

5Ye sattasaṇḍaṁ pathaviṁ vijetvā,
Rājisayo yajamānā anupariyagā;
Assamedhaṁ purisamedhaṁ,
Sammāpāsaṁ vājapeyyaṁ niraggaḷaṁ.

6Mettassa cittassa subhāvitassa,
Kalampi te nānubhavanti soḷasiṁ;
Candappabhā tāragaṇāva sabbe,
Yathā na agghanti kalampi soḷasiṁ.

7Yo na hanti na ghāteti,
na jināti na jāpaye;
Mettaṁso sabbabhūtānaṁ,
veraṁ tassa na kenacī"ti.

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Paṭhamaṁ.