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

List of Abbreviations

# caranti bala dummedha amitten'eva attana

# karonta papakaj kammaj yaj hoti katukapphalaj

# (DhP 66)

Sentence Translation:

The stupid fools behave as if they themselves were their enemies,
doing bad deeds, which have bitter fruit.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

caranti bala dummedha amitten' eva attana
| | | | | |
V.act.in. N.m. Adj.m. Adj.m. part. N.m.
3.Pl.pres. Nom.Pl. Nom.Pl. Ins.Sg. | Ins.Sg.
| |_______| |______| |
| | |________|
| |__________________|________________________
|____________________| |
|________________________|

List of Abbreviations

karonta papakaj kammaj yaj hoti katuka+pphalaj
| | | | | | |
Adj.m. Adj.n. N.n. Rel.Pron.n. V.act.in. Adj. N.n.
Nom.Pl. Acc.Sg. Acc.Sg. Nom.Sg. 3.Sg.pres. | Nom.Sg.
| |_______| | | |______|
| | | |__________|
| | |______________|
| |________________|
|______________________|
___________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

caranti, V.: behave, act. The verb root is car- (to behave, to act; the primary meaning is "to walk"). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = caranti.

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

dummedha: dummedha-, Adj.: stupid. Derived from the word medha-, N.f.: wisdom, intelligence, by adding the prefix du- (lacking something, away from). The double m is due to the euphonic combination (du + medha = dummedha). Nom.Pl.m. = dummedha.

amitten': amitta-, N.m.: enemy. It is the word mitta-, N.m.: friend, negated by the negative prefix a-. Ins.Sg. = amittena.
Euphonic combination: amittena + eva = amitten'eva.

eva, part.: just, only.

List of Abbreviations

attana: attan-, N.m.: self. Ins.Sg. = attana.

karonta: karont-, Adj.: doing. It is an a.pr.p. of the verb root kar- (to do). Nom.Pl.m. = karonta.

papakaj: papaka-, Adj.: evil, bad. It is the word papa-, N.n.: evil, wrong doing with the adjective suffix -ka. Acc.Sg.n. = papakaj.

kammaj: kamma-, N.n.: deed, action. Derived from the verb kar- (to do).
Acc.Sg. = kammaj.

List of Abbreviations

yaj: yat-, Rel.Pron.: that, which. Nom.Sg.n.: yaj.

hoti, V.: is. The verb bhu- (to be). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = hoti.

katukapphalaj: katukapphala-, Adj.: having bitter fruit. It is a compound of:
katuka-, Adj.: bitter, acid.
phala-, N.n.: fruit.
Euphonic combination: katuka- + phala- = katukapphala-.
Nom.Sg.n. = katukapphalaj.

List of Abbreviations

The subject of this sentence is the noun bala (fools, nominative plural). It has two attributes, the adjective dummedha (stupid, nominative plural) and the active present participle karonta (doing, nominative plural). This last word has itself an attribute, the noun kammaj (deed, accusative singular) and that in turn has the adjective papakaj (bad, accusative singular) as an attribute. To this noun kammaj there is a dependent clause, yaj hoti katukapphalaj (which has bitter fruit). Here, the subject is the relative pronoun yaj (that which, nominative singular). The object is the compound katukapphalaj (having bitter fruit, nominative singular) and the verb is hoti (is, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense).
In the main sentence, the verb is caranti (behave, 3rd person, plural, active, indicative, present tense). This verb has an attribute, the noun attana (with oneself, instrumental singular). This noun has the noun amittena (with enemy, instrumental singular), strengthened by the particle eva (just), as an attribute.

Commentary:

There was a man named Suppabuddha. In one of his previous existences he killed a courtesan and she vowed a revenge on him. In yet another existence he spat on a holy man.
As a result of these actions he was born as a leper. Once he listened to the Buddha's discourse. He very quickly realized the Dharma and followed the Buddha to the monastery.
Sakka, the king of gods, wanted to test him and so he appeared in front of him and told him: "You are only a poor man. If you renounce the Buddha, I will give you all the wealth of the world." But Suppabuddha replied, that he was actually an extremely rich man - having the faith in the Buddha and his teaching.
Then Sakka related the story to the Buddha, who said that a hundred Sakkas could not turn Suppabuddha of the right path. Suppabuddha then went to see the Buddha and on the way back from the monastery an evil spirit - the woman whom he killed in a previous existence - killed him.
The monks asked the Buddha where was Suppabuddha reborn and the Buddha told them, that he had been reborn in Tavatimsa heaven. By doing bad deeds over the period of several lives he accumulated a lot of defilements. These caused him so much pain and suffering, but his realizing the Dharma has cleared them away.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

caranti
bala
dummedha
amittena
eva
attana
karonta
papakaj
kammaj
yaj
hoti
katukapphalaj
katuka
phalaj