Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure
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List of Abbreviations

# anikkasavo kasavaj yo vatthaj paridahissati

# apeto damasaccena na so kasavaj arahati

# (DhP 9)

Translation:

Who is not rid of defilement, and will wear a yellow robe,
Devoid of restraint and truth, he does not deserve a yellow robe.

Sentence structure:
List of Abbreviations

a + ni + kkasavo kasavaj yo vatthaj paridahissati
| | | | | | |
neg. Pref. N.m. N.n. rel.pron.m. N.n. V.act.fut.
| | Nom.Sg. Acc.Sg. Nom.Sg. Acc.Sg. 3.Sg.
| |________| |_________|__________| |
|___________| | |___________|
|______________________________| |________________________I.
|____________________________________________________II.

apeto dama+saccena na so kasavaj arahati List of Abbreviations
| | | | | | |
Adj.m. N.n. N.n. neg. Pron.m. N.n. V.act.pres.
Nom.Sg. | Ins.Sg. | Nom.Sg. | 3.Sg.in.
| |______| |_______|______|_______|
|___________| |___| |
II._____| |________|
I.___| |
|_____________________________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

anikkasavo: anikkasava-, Adj.: not without defilement.
nikkasava-, Adj.: without defilement:
kasava-, N.m.: defilement, with the prefix ni- (without).
The whole word is negated by the negative prefix a-. Nom.Sg.m. = anikkasavo.

kasavaj: kasava-, Adj.: yellow. As an attribute of vattha (see below) denoting the yellow robes of Buddhist monks. Sometimes (as in the second line of this verse and the following verse) can be used without the word vattha.
Acc.Sg.n. = kasavaj.

yo: yad-, Rel.Pron.n., that which. Nom.Sg.m. = yo.

List of Abbreviations

vatthaj: vattha-, N.n.: dress, garment. Acc.Sg. = vatthaj.

paridahissati: the verb dha- (to put, to place) with the prefix pari- (around). 3.Sg.fut.act. = paridahissati.

apeto: apeta-, Adj.: gone away, freed of, deprived of. It is p.p. of the verb i- (to go) with the verb apa- (away). Nom.Sg.m. = apeto.

damasaccena: damasacca-, N.n.: restraint and truth. A compound of:
dama-, N.n.: restraint, self-control.
sacca-, N.n.: truth.
Ins.Sg. of the compound = damasaccena.

List of Abbreviations

na, neg.: not.

so: tad-, Pron.n.: it. Nom.Sg.m. = so.

kasavaj: kasava-, Adj.: see above.

arahati: the verb arah-, to deserve. 3.Sg.pres.act.in. = arahati.
List of Abbreviations

There are two related sentences in this verse. One is: anikkasavo kasavaj yo vatthaj paridahissati apeto damasaccena and one is: na so kasavaj arahati.
The syntax in the first sentence is rather atypical, although of course, in poetry the rules of syntax are not strictly followed. It should rather be: yo anikkasavo apeto damasaccena kasavaj vatthaj paridahissati.
The subject is yo (one, who), which is in nominative singular. The verb paridahissati (will wear) is in 3rd person, singular, future, active voice. The subject has two attributes. First is anikkasavo (not rid of defilement), it agrees with the subject and is in nominative singular. Second one is apeto damasaccena (devoid of restraint and truth). Here apeto (devoid) is in nominative singular and damasaccena ("by" restraint and truth) is in instrumental singular, since it is actually an attribute to apeto.
Second sentence is na so kasavaj arahati. Again, we would rather expect a bit different syntax, like: so kasavaj na arahati, but the deviation from "proper" syntax is not that big. The subject here is so (he) which is in nominative singular. The verb arahati (deserves, 3rd person, singular, active voice, indicative, present tense) is negated by the negative na (not). The word kasavaj is the object of this sentence, it is in accusative singular.

Commentary:

This verse as well as the following one (DhP 10) talks about who is and who is not worthy to wear a monk's robe. One, who did not get rid of defilement (anikkasavo), who is full of these impurities, who does not know self-control and restraint (dama) and who is far away (apeto) from truth (sacca), does not deserve to wear a yellow robe. Such a person can not call himself a monk, even if he should be dressed in the monk's robe.
As defilement (kasava) are usually understood so called three roots of evil: lobha (greed), dosa (hatred) and moha (delusion).

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

anikkasavo
kasavaj
yo
vatthaj
paridahissati
apeto
damasaccena
na
so
arahati