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

List of Abbreviations

# mam'eva kataj mabbantu gihi pabbajita ubho

# mam'ev'ativasa assu kiccakiccesu kismici

# iti balassa savkappo iccha mano ca vaddhati

# (DhP 74)

Sentence Translation:

"Let both householders and monks think that it was done by me,
let them be under my will, in whatever duties."
Such are fool's thoughts. His desire and pride grows.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

mama eva kataj mabbantu gihi pabbajita ubho
| | | | | | |
Pron. part. Adj.n. V.act. N.m. N.m. Adj.m.
Gen.Sg. | Acc.Sg. 3.Pl.imp. Nom.Sg. Nom.Pl. Nom.Du.
|_______| | | |_______| |
|________| | |___________|
|___________| |
|______________________|
|______________________________________

List of Abbreviations

mama eva ativasa assu kicca+akiccesu kismici
| | | | | | |
Pron. part. Adj.m. V.act. N.n. N.n. Pron.n.
Gen.Sg. | Nom.Pl. 3.Pl.opt. | Loc.Pl. Loc.Sg.
|_______| | | |______| |
|________| | |_________|
|____________|_____________|
|____|
__________________|

List of Abbreviations

iti balassa savkappo iccha mano ca vaddhati
| | | | | | |
part. N.m. N.m. N.f. N.m. conj. V.act.in.
| Gen.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. | 3.Sg.pres.
__| |_______| |________|_____| |
|_________| |_____________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

mama: aham, Pron.: I. Gen.Sg. = mama.

eva, part.: just, only.
Euphonic combination: mama + eva = mam'eva.

kataj: kata-, Adj.: done. It is a p.p. of the verb root kar- (to do). Acc.Sg.n. = kataj.

mabbantu, V.: let them think. The verb root is man- (to think).
3.Pl.act.imp. = mabbantu.

gihi: gihin-, N.m.: householder, lay follower. Derived from the word gaha-, N.m.: house, by adding the possessive suffix -in. Nom.Sg. = gihi.

List of Abbreviations

pabbajita: pabbajita-, Adj.: One who has "gone forth" from home and became a monk. It is a p.p. of the verb pabbajati (to go forth). Nom.Pl.m. = pabbajita.

ubho: ubha-, Adj.: both. Nom.Du.m. = ubho. This is a rare remnant of dual in Pali.

mama: see above.

eva: see above.

ativas a: ativasa-, Adj.: under one's will, dependent upon. It is the word vasa-, N.m: power, control, will, with the prefix ati- (according to, up to). Nom.Pl.m. = ativasa.
Euphonic combination mama + eva + ativasa = mam'ev'ativasa.

List of Abbreviations

assu: may they be. The verb root is as- (to be). 3.Pl.act.opt = assu.

kiccakiccesu: kiccakicca-, Adj. and N.n.: all kinds of duties, various duties. It is a compound of:
kicca-, N.n.: duty, what ought to be done. It is a grd. of the verb kar- (to do).
akicca-, N.n.: negated (by the negative prefix a-) word kicca- (see above).
The meaning of the compound is not "what is duty and what is not", but rather "all kinds of duties".
Loc.Pl. = kiccakiccesu.

kismici: kibci-, Pron.: whatever. Loc.Sg.n. = kismici.

iti, part.: a particle, symbolizing the end of direct speech. In English this is expressed by quotation marks. Sometimes it is written as ti.

balassa: bala-, Adj.: childish, young. As an N.m.: "like a child", fool, ignorant person.
Gen.Sg. = balassa.

List of Abbreviations

savkappo: savkappa-, N.m.: thought, intention. Nom.Sg. = savkappo.

iccha: iccha-, N.f.: desire, longing. Nom.Sg. = iccha.

mano: mana-, N.m.: pride, conceit. Nom.Sg. = mano.

ca, conj.: and.

vaddhati, V.: grows, increases. The verb root is vaddh-. 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = vaddhati.

List of Abbreviations

There are basically two main sentences in this verse. The second of them is iccha mano ca vaddhati (desire and pride grows). Here, the subject is double, the nouns iccha (desire, nominative singular) and mano (pride, nominative singular). They are connected by the conjunction ca (and). The verb is vaddhati (grows, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense).
The rest of this verse forms the first sentence. It can be further divided into the main sentence and the direct speech. The main sentence is iti balassa savkappo (such is fool's thought). Here the subject is the noun savkappo (thought, nominative singular). It has the noun balassa (fool's, genitive singular) as an attribute. The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The particle iti (end of the direct speech) introduces the sentence and connects it to the direct speech.
The direct speech can be subdivided into two sentences. They form the first and second lines of the verse respectively.
In the first sentence, the subject is double, the nouns gihi (householder, nominative singular) and pabbajita (monks, nominative plural). They are connected by the adjective ubho (both, nominative dual). The verb is mabbantu (let them think, 3rd person, plural, active, imperative). The object is the adjective kataj (done, accusative singular). It has an attribute, the pronoun mama (my, genitive singular) that is strengthened by the particle eva (just, only).
In the second part of the direct speech, the subject is omitted, implying the subject from the previous sentence (gihi, pabbajita). It has an attribute, the adjective ativasa (under [my] will, nominative plural). This word has itself two attributes, the pronoun mama (my, genitive singular) that is strengthened by the particle eva (just, only). The second attribute is the adjective/noun kiccakiccesu (in all duties, locative plural) with its attribute, the indefinite pronoun kismici (in whatever, locative singular). The verb is assu (may they be, 3rd person, plural, active, optative).

Commentary:

The story for this verse is identical with the story for the previous one, as they actually form two parts of one rather long verse (see DhP 73).
As with the monk Sudhamma in the story, if we become too attached to our surroundings, if we identify ourselves with it, our desires will grow. If we feel that only we know how to do things and if we expect everybody to follow our leadership in whatever has to be done, our pride will only increase. Needles to say, desire and pride are hindrances on the way to Awakenment.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

mam'eva
mama
eva
kataj
mabbantu
gihi
pabbajita
ubho
mam'ev'ativasa
ativasa
assu
kiccakiccesu
kicca
akiccesu
kismici
iti
balassa
savkappo
iccha
mano
ca
vaddhati