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

List of Abbreviations

# duppabbajjaj durabhiramaj duravasa ghara dukkha

# dukkho 'samanasajvaso dukkhanupatitaddhagu

# tasma na caddhagu siya na ca dukkhanupatito siya

# (DhP 302)

Sentence Translation:

It is difficult to become a monk. It is difficult to enjoy it. Unpleasant and difficult to endure is a life of a householder.
Painful is association with unequal. Wanderer in the round of rebirth is always followed by suffering.
Therefore, do not be a wanderer and do not be followed by suffering.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

duppabbajjaj durabhiramaj duravasa ghara dukkha
| | | | |
Adj.n. Adj.n. Adj.m. N.m. Adj.m.
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Pl. Nom.Pl. Nom.Pl.
|________|______|
|____|

List of Abbreviations

dukkho asamana+sajvaso dukkha+anupatito addhagu
| | | | | |
Adj.m. Adj. N.m. N.n. Adj.m. N.m.
Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
| |_______| |_______| |
|_____________| |___________|

List of Abbreviations

tasma na ca addhagu siya na ca dukkha+anupatito siya
| | | | | | | | | |
Pron. neg. conj. N.m. V.act. neg. conj. N.n. Adj.m. V.act.
Abl.Sg. | | Nom.Sg. 3.Sg.opt. | | | Nom.Sg. 3.Sg.opt.
| |____|______|_______| | | |________| |
| | |___| |____|_________|____________|
| |____| | |_____|
| | |______|
|______________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

duppabbajjaj: duppabbajja-, Adj.: difficult to renounce, difficult to go forth. It is derived from the verb pabbajati (to go forth) with the prefix du(p)- (difficult, bad). Nom.Sg.n. = duppabbajjaj.

durabhiramaj: durabhirama-, Adj.: difficult to delight. It is derive from the verb root ram- (to enjoy, to delight in) = with the prefix abhi- (intensifying) and du(r)- (difficult, bad).
Nom.Sg.n. = durabhiramaj.

duravasa: duravasa-, Adj.: difficult to dwell in, difficult to stay in. It is derived from the verb root vas- (to dwell) with the prefixes a- (at, in) and du(r)- (difficult, bad). Nom.Pl.m. = duravasa.

ghara: ghara-, N.m.: house. Nom.Pl. = ghara.

dukkha: dukkha-, Adj.: painful, unpleasant, causing suffering. Nom.Pl.m. = dukkha.

List of Abbreviations

dukkho: dukkha-, Adj.: painful, unpleasant, causing suffering. Nom.Sg.m. = dukkho.

asamanasajvaso: asamanasajvasa-, N.m.: company with unequal. It is a compound of:
asamana-, Adj.: unequal, different. It is the word samana-, Adj.: equal, same, even, with the negative prefix a-.
sajvasa-, N.m.: association, company. It is derived from the verb root vas- (to live) with the prefix saj- (together).
Nom.Sg. = asamanasajvaso.
Euphonic combination: dukkho + asamanasajvaso = dukkho 'samanasajvaso.

dukkhanupatito: dukkhanupatita-, Adj.: befallen by suffering, affected by suffering. It is a compound of:
dukkha-, Adj.: see above. As an N.n.: suffering, pain.
anupatita-, Adj.: befallen, affected with. It is a p.p. of the verb root pat- (to fall) with the prefix anu- (along, with).
Euphonic combination: dukkha- + anupatita- = dukkhanupatita-.
Nom.Sg.m. = dukkhanupatito.

List of Abbreviations

addhagu: addhagu-, N.m.: wanderer, wayfarer, traveler. Nom.Sg. = addhagu.
Euphonic combination: dukkhanupatito + addhagu = dukkhanupatitaddhagu.

tasma: tad-, Pron.: that. Abl.Sg. = tasma (therefore, lit. "from that").

na, neg.: not.

ca, conj.: and.

addhagu: see above.
Euphonic combination: ca + addhagu = caddhagu.

List of Abbreviations

siy a, V.: would be. The verb root is as-. 3.Sg.act.opt. = siya.

na, neg.: not.

ca, conj.: and.

dukkhanupatito: see above.

siya: see above.

List of Abbreviations

This verse consists of seven syntactically separate sentences. They are:
1) duppabbajjaj (it is difficult to become a monk). The subject is the compound duppabbajjaj (it is difficult to go forth, nominative singular).
2) durabhiramaj (it is difficult to enjoy it). The subject is the compound durabhiramaj (it is difficult to enjoy, nominative singular).
3) duravasa ghara dukkha (unpleasant and difficult to endure is a life of a householder). The subject is the noun ghara (houses, nominative plural). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". There are two objects, the adjectives duravasa (difficult to live in, nominative plural) and dukkha (painful, nominative plural).
4) dukkho asamanasajvaso (painful is association with unequal). The subject is the compound asamanasajvaso (association with unequal, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective dukkho (painful, nominative singular).
5) dukkhanupatitaddhagu (wanderer in the round of rebirth is always followed by suffering). The subject is the noun addhagu (wanderer, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the compound dukkhanupatito (followed by suffering, nominative singular).
6) tasma na caddhagu siya (therefore, do not be a wanderer). The subject is omitted, the verb implying the third person singular pronoun. The verb is siya (should be, 3rd person, singular, active, optative). It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The object is the noun addhagu (wanderer, nominative singular). The conjunction ca (and) serves mainly metrical purposes. The pronoun tasma (therefore, lit. "from that", ablative singular) introduces the sentence.
7) na ca dukkhanupatito siya (do not be followed by suffering). The subject is omitted, the verb implying the third person singular pronoun. The verb is siya (should be, 3rd person, singular, active, optative). It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The object is the compound dukkhanupatito (followed by suffering, nominative singular). The conjunction ca (and) serves mainly metrical purposes.

Commentary:

Once there was a big festival in Vesali. The city was lit up and full of happy people, everybody was singing and dancing. A young monk in the monastery saw the festival from a distance and felt dissatisfied with his life as a monk. He complained aloud that he has the worst lot in the whole world. At that instant, a guardian spirit appeared and told the monk that as those in hells envy those in heaven, so do people from the city envy the monks in the forest. The monk realized the truth.
In the morning he told this story to the Buddha, who admonished him with this verse, further adding that the monk should reflect on the impermanence and pain in the lives of all beings.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

duppabbajjaj
durabhiramaj
duravasa
ghara
dukkha
dukkho
asamanasajvaso
asamana
sajvaso
dukkhanupatito
dukkha
anupatito
addhagu
tasma
na
ca
siya