Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure
Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation

List of Abbreviations

#

# Manopubbavgamma dhamma

# Manosettha manomaya

# Manasa ce padutthena

# Bhasati va karoti va

# Tato naj dukkham anveti

# Cakkaj va vahato padaj

# (DhP 1)

Translation:

All mental phenomena are preceded by mind,
Mind is their master, they are produced by mind.
If somebody speaks or acts
With a corrupted mind,
Hence suffering follows him,
Like the wheel the foot of the bearing animal.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

Mano+pubbav+gamma dhamma
| | | |
N.n. Adv. Adj.m. N.m.
| | Nom.Pl. Nom.Pl.
| |_______| |
|____________| |
|_________________|
|________________________ List of Abbreviations

Mano+settha mano+maya
| | | |
N.n. Adj.m. N.n. Adj.m.
| Nom.Pl. | Nom.Pl.
|________| |______|
____|______________|

Manasa ce padutthena
| | |
N.n. part. Adj.m.
Ins.Sg. | Ins.Sg.
|_______|______|
|___|
|______________________________ List of Abbreviations

Bhasati va karoti va
| | | |
V.act.in. conj. V.act.in conj.
3.Sg.pres. | 3.Sg.pres. |
|___________| |________|
|_________________|
______________|
|______________________________

Tato naj dukkham anveti
| | | |
Adv. Pron.m. N.n. V.act.in.
| Acc.Sg. Nom.Sg. 3.Sg.pres.
| | |________|
| |____________|
|______________|
|______________________________ List of Abbreviations
____________|

Cakkaj va vahato padaj
| | | |
N.n. enc. N.m. N.n.
Nom.Sg . | Gen.Sg. Acc.Sg.
| | |________|
|__________|__________|
|____|
________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

manopubbavgamma: manopubbavgamma-, Adj.: preceded by mind. Compound of
mano: manas-, N.n.: mind. The compound form: mano.
pubbavgamma-, Adj.: preceded. This is itself a compound of two words:
pubbaj. Adv.: before. The compound form: pubbav.
gamma-, Adj., ger.: going. Derived from the verb gam- (to go).
Nom.Pl.: manopubbavgamma.

dhamma: dhamma-, N.m.: here does not mean Buddha's teaching, but should be interpreted rather as "mental phenomena". Nom.Pl.: dhamma.

manosettha: manosettha-, Adj.: having mind as a master. Compound of two words:
mano: explained above.
settha-, Adj.: best, excellent.
Thus the compound literally means "having the mind as the best".
Nom.Pl.: manosettha.

List of Abbreviations

manomaya: manomaya-, Adj.: created by mind. Compound of two words:
mano: explained above
maya-, Adj.: made of, created by, consisting of, produced by.
Nom.Pl.: manomaya.

manasa: manas-, N.n.: mind (explained also above). Inst.Sg.: manasa.

ce, part.: conditional particle "if".

padutthena: paduttha-, Adj.: corrupted, spoilt; p.p. of the verb dus- (to become bad or damaged) preceded by the strengthening prefix pa-. Ins.Sg.: padutthena.

bhasati: Verb bhas-, to speak. Here 3rd person singular, active indicative, present tense: speaks.

List of Abbreviations

v a, conj.: or.

karoti: Verb kar-, to do, to act, to perform. Here 3rd person singular, active indicative, present tense: acts.

tato, Adv.: originally Abl.Sg. of tat- (it), literally "from that". Because of that, thence, thereupon, afterwards.

naj: ena-, pron. In Pali used only in Acc.Sg.m.: naj (him).

dukkham: dukkha-, N.n.: suffering. Nom.Sg.: dukkhaj.

List of Abbreviations

anveti: verb i-, to go, preceded by prefix anu- (with, along, following). Here 3rd person singular, active indicative, present tense: follows.

cakkaj: cakka-, N.n.: wheel. Nom.Sg. = cakkaj.

va, enc.: as if, like.

vahato: vahant-, Adj.: bearing, carrying. Here N.m.: bearer, carrier. Derived (pr.p.) from the verb vah-, to carry. Gen.Sg.: vahato.

padaj: pada-, N.n.: foot. Acc.Sg.: padaj.
List of Abbreviations

The first word of the first sentence (manopubbavgamma) is a compound and forms an attribute to the subject of the sentence (the second word, dhamma). Compounds are very common in Indian languages, more so in Sanskrit, but to some extent also in Pali. The concept, which in English needs several words (preceded by mind) can be conveyed by only single word ("mind-preceded") in Pali. The whole compound is in nominative plural to agree with the subject.

The subject (dhamma) is also in nominative plural. As the verb is "to be", it is again omitted.

Next are two more attributes of the subject (manosettha and manomaya). Again, they are both compounds ("mind-mastered" and "mind-produced") and they are also in nominative plural, as they have to agree with the subject. Here ends the first sentence of this verse.

As we can see from the second sentence, the syntax is rather free. It is especially true in the poetry, although even the prose is syntactically much more free than in other languages.

The subject is omitted in this sentence; it is the third person singular pronoun (he or she or generally "one"). The main verbs are bhasati and karoti ("speaks" and "acts"). They are connected by two conjunctions va (or) as is common in Pali - in English we could use the pair "either - or". They are in the third person (denoting "one"), singular, present tense and indicative mood.

The attributes to the verbs (manasa padutthena) are in the Instrumental case. This case expresses the instrument by which the action is done. It is an answer to the question "[By] whom?" "[By] what?". They must agree with each other in case and number.

Note that the particle "ce" (if) occurs between two words of the attribute (manasa ce padutthena). Usually we would expect it at the end of the main sentence (manasa padutthena bhasati va karoti va ce), but in the poetry this syntax is allowed.

Next sentence is subordinated to the main sentence. It begins with and adverb (tato; thus, therefore) linking it to the previous sentence.

The subject here is dukkha (suffering). It is in nominative singular. The main verb (anveti; follows) is in third person, singular, present tense and indicative mood.

The object is naj (him; meaning the one who acts or speaks with a corrupted mind). It is in accusative case.

Next is a clause cakkaj va vahato padaj (like the wheel the foot of the bearing animal). The verb is omitted (the verb anveti, follows, is implied from the previous sentence). The object padaj (foot) is in nominative case. Its attribute vahato (bearer's) is in genitive case. This case expresses a relation between two nouns. It can be translated by "of". It is an answer to the questions "Whose?".

Cakkaj (wheel) is the object in this sentence. It is in accusative case.

Again, we can note that the enclitic va (as, like) is placed just after the object. Usually we would expect this syntax: cakkaj vahato padaj va.

Commentary:

In this verse (and the following one, DhP 2) some philosophical observations are made about the nature of our mind. It says that all the mental phenomena, happiness or suffering, joy or sorrow are made by, or are the outcome of, the quality of the mind. These mental phenomena are (according to the teachings of Abhidhamma) feelings (vedana), perception (sabba) and volitional activities (savkhara). And because these phenomena are created by, or so closely related to, the mind, they are always "colored" in the same way as the mind is. If the mind (as in this verse) is corrupted, full of evil thoughts, then only suffering and sorrow awaits us as a result of this. In other words, the mind, creating these mental phenomena simply creates them "to its own image". Therefore, negative thinking always brings with it suffering and sorrow, just as the wheel follows in the path of the animal carrying the charriot. We experience suffering only because our minds are not purified, we are not awakened. To purify the mind is to get rid of suffering once and for all.

Pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

manopubbavgamma
mano
pubbavgamma
dhamma
manosettha
settha
manomaya
maya
manasa
ce
padutthena
bhasati
va
karoti
tato
naj
dukkham
anveti
cakkaj
va
vahato
padaj