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

List of Abbreviations

# na mundakena samano abbato alikaj bhanaj

# icchalobhasamapanno samano kij bhavissati

# (DhP 264)

Sentence Translation:

One is not to be called a monk just because of his bald head, if one is immoral and speaking lies.
How can someone who has desire and greed be called a monk?

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

na mundakena samano abbato alikaj bhanaj
| | | | | |
neg. Adj. N.m. Adj.m. N.n. Adj.m.
| Ins.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Acc.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|______| | | |______|
| | |__________|
|___________|____________|
|______|

List of Abbreviations

iccha+lobha+samapanno samano kij bhavissati
| | | | | |
N.f. N.m. Adj.m. N.m. Adv. V.act.
|_______| Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. | 3.Sg.pres.
|___________| | |______|
|______________|________|
|_______|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

na, neg.: not.

mundakena: mundaka-, Adj.: bald, shaven (head). Ins.Sg. = mundakena.

samano: samana-, N.m.: a recluse, a wandering ascetic, a monk (not only a Buddhist monk).
Nom.Sg. = samano.

abbato: abbata-, Adj.: immoral, breaking ethic precepts. It is derived from the word vata-, N.m.: religious duty, with the negative prefix a-. Nom.Sg.m. = abbato.

alikaj: alika-, N.n.: falsehood, lie. Acc.Sg. = alikaj.

bhanaj: bhanant-, Adj.: speaking. It is an a.pr.p. of the verb root bhan-. Nom.Sg.m. = bhanaj.

List of Abbreviations

icchalobhasamapanno: icchalobhasamapanna-, Adj.: having desire and greed. It is a compound of:
iccha-, N.f.: desire, longing.
lobha-, N.m.: greed.
samapanna-, Adj.: endowed with, possessed of. It is a p.p. of the verb pad- (to go to, to fall to) preceded by the prefixes sam- (denoting "together" or "completely") and a- (towards).
Nom.Sg.m. = icchalobhasamapanno.

samano: see above.

kij: kij-, Inter.Pron.: who. Nom.Sg.n. = kij. Here rather means "how" and should be taken as an adverb.

bhavissati, V.: will be. The verb root is bhu-. 3.Sg.act.fut. = bhavissati.

List of Abbreviations

This verse consists of two syntactically separate sentences. They are:
1) na mundakena samano abbato alikaj bhanaj (one is not to be called a monk just because of his bald head, if one is immoral and speaking lies). The subject is the adjective abbato (immoral, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the active present participle bhanaj (speaking, nominative singular) with its attribute, the noun alikaj (lie, accusative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The verb has an attribute, the adjective mundakena (by bald [head], instrumental singular). The object is the noun samano (monk, nominative singular).
2) icchalobhasamapanno samano kij bhavissati (how can someone who has desire and greed be called a monk). The subject is the compound icchalobhasamapanno (having desire and greed, nominative singular). The verb is bhavissati (will be, 3rd person, singular, active, future). It is modified by the interrogative pronoun kij (how). The object is the noun samano (monk, nominative singular).

Commentary:

There was a monk named Hatthaka. He liked to argue with others. If he was defeated in an argument, he challenged his opponent to meet again at a specified place and time. Hatthaka would get to the place before the appointed time and would declare that the absence of his opponent means he acknowledges his defeat. Therefore he would boast he won the argument.
When the Buddha heard about this, he admonished Hatthaka by this verse (and the following one, DhP 265).

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

na
mundakena
samano
abbato
alikaj
bhanaj
icchalobhasamapanno
iccha
lobha
samapanno
kij
bhavissati