Whatever creatures in the animal realm, monks, that hear the sound of the roaring lion, are, for the most part, stricken with fear, dread and terror. Hole-dwellers creep into their holes. Water-dwellers dash for the water. Birds fly into the air.

And, monks, even those royal elephants tethered with stout chains in villages, towns and kingdoms – even they – burst and rend those bonds asunder, and voiding extrements, run helter skelter.

So mightily powerful, O! monks, is the lion, the king of beasts over all beings in the animal realm – so potent, so majestic.

Even so, monks, when a Tathagata arises in the world, the worthy-of-honour, fully-awakened, perfect in knowledge and conduct, well-farer, world-knower, unsurpassed charioteer of tameable men, teacher of gods and men, a Buddha, an Exalted One – and teaches the Dhamma :

Such is form, such its arising, such its passing away,
Such is feeling, such its arising, such its passing away,
Such is perception, such its arising, such its passing away,
Such are preparations, such their arising, such their passing away,
Such is consciousness, such its arising, such its passing away.

Then monks, even those gods with long life-spans, beautiful and blissful, long established in lofty mansions, - even they, on hearing the Tathagata’s Dhamma-teaching, are, for the most part, stricken with fear, dread and terror. "It seems, friends, impermanent as we are, we imagined ourselves to be permanent. Unstable as we are, we imagined ourselves to be stable. Not-eternal as we are, we imagined ourselves to be eternal. Indeed, friends, we are impermanent, unstable, not-eternal, and counted among the self-biassed.’

So mightily powerful, monks, is the Tathagata, over the world including the gods – so potent, so majestic …………………"

• S. N. III.p.84

The ‘Lion’s Roar’ is a graphic depiction of the impact of the Buddha’s teaching on universal impermanence, on gods and men steeped in delusion. Their complacent belief in a permanent self is shaken by it to such an extent that they are ‘for the most part, stricken with fear, dread and terror.’ This impressive declaration highlights the unique message a Tathagata has for the worldlings caught up in the Samsaric cycle of births and deaths. It is a clarion call to wake up and see things-as-they-are.