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

List of Abbreviations

# sukhaj yava jara silaj sukha saddha patitthita

# sukho pabbaya patilabho papanaj akaranaj sukhaj

# (DhP 333)

Sentence Translation:

It is good to be virtuous until you are old. Good is a firmly established trust.
Good is to attain wisdom. To abstain from doing evil is good.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

sukhaj yava jara silaj sukha saddha patitthita
| | | | | | |
Adj.n. Rel.Adv. N.f. N.n. Adj.f. N.f. Adj.f.
Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
| |_________| | | |_______|
| |___________| |___________|
|____________________|

List of Abbreviations

sukho pabbaya patilabho papanaj akaranaj sukhaj
| | | | | |
Adj.m. N.f. N.m. N.n. N.n. Adj.n.
Nom.Sg. Gen.Sg. Nom.Sg. Gen.Pl. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
| |________| |________| |
|______________| |___________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

sukhaj: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.n. = sukhaj.

yava, Rel.Adv.: as long as, as far as.

jara: jara-, N.f.: old age. Nom.Sg. = jara.

silaj: sila-, N.n.: virtue. Nom.Sg. = silaj.

sukha: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.f. = sukha.

saddha: saddha-, N.f.: trust, confidence, faith. Nom.Sg. = saddha.

patitthita: patitthita-, Adj.: established, fixed, firm. It is a p.p. of the verb root tha- (to stand) with the prefix pati- (against). Nom.Sg.f. = patitthita.

List of Abbreviations

sukho: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.m. = sukho.

pabbaya: pabba-, N.f.: wisdom. Gen.Sg. = pabbaya.

patilabho: patilabha-, N.m.: obtaining, attainment. It is derived from the verb root labh- (to get) with the prefix pati- (on to, at). Nom.Sg. = patilabho.

papanaj: papa-, Adj.: evil, wrong. As an N.n.: evil, wrong doing. Gen.Pl. = papanaj.

akaranaj: akarana-, N.n.: non-doing, absence of action. The word karana- (doing, acting) is derived from the verb kar-, to do. The word is negated by the negative prefix a- (not). Nom.Sg.: akaranaj.

sukhaj: see above.

List of Abbreviations

This verse consists of four syntactically separate sentences. They are:
1) sukhaj yava jara silaj (it is good to be virtuous until you are old). The subject is the noun silaj (virtue, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun jara (old age, nominative singular) with its attribute, the relative adverb yava (until, up to). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective sukhaj (good, nominative singular).
2) sukha saddha patitthita (good is a firmly established trust). The subject is the noun saddha (trust, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the adjective patitthita (established, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective sukha (good, nominative singular).
3) sukho pabbaya patilabho (good is to attain wisdom). The subject is the noun patilabho (attainment, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun pabbaya (of wisdom, genitive singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective sukho (good, nominative singular).
4) papanaj akaranaj sukhaj (to abstain from doing evil is good). The subject is the noun akaranaj (non-doing, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun papanaj (of evil deeds, genitive plural). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective sukhaj (good, nominative singular).

Commentary:

The story for this verse is identical with the one for the two previous verses (DhP 331 and DhP 332).
Virtue is the first and the most important factor that we must firmly establish before we start on the way towards the Awakenment. Abstaining from evil can of course be seen as a part of a moral life, but special emphasis is being put on this, because it is the first basic part of morality. Then there is trust, confidence that the way is truly leading towards the goal, that the methods described by the Buddha really work. And then can we start cultivating our minds in meditation in order to attain wisdom and achieve the Awakenment.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

sukhaj
yava
jara
silaj
sukha
saddha
patitthita
sukho
pabbaya
patilabho
papanaj
akaranaj