Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure
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List of Abbreviations

# aciraj vat'ayaj kayo pathavij adhisessati

# chuddho apetavibbano niratthaj va kalivgaraj

# (DhP 41)

Sentence Translation:

Alas! Before long will this body lay upon the ground,
rejected, devoid of consciousness, like a worthless log.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

aciraj vata ayaj kayo pathavij adhisessati
| | | | | |
Adv. Int. Pron.m. N.m. N.f. V.act.
| | Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Acc.Sg. 3.Sg.fut.
| | |________| |________|
|_______|__________|__________________|
|___| |___________________________________________I.
|______________________________II.

List of Abbreviations

chuddho apeta+vibbano niratthaj va kalivgaraj
| | | | | |
Adj.m. Adj. N.m. Adj.n. part. N.n.
Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg.
| |_____| |______|______|
|____________| |___|
I._____| |
II.__________________________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

aciraj, Adv.: before long, shortly. Derived from the word acira-, Adj.: short (time), which is a negated (by the negative prefix a-) word cira-, Adj.: long (time).

vata, Int.: alas! Euphonic combination: vata + ayaj = vat' ayaj.

ayaj: idaj, Pron.: this. Nom.Sg.m. = ayaj.

kayo: kaya-, N.m.: body. Nom.Sg. = kayo.

List of Abbreviations

pathavij: pathavi-, N.f.: earth, ground. Acc.Sg. = pathavij.

adhisessati, V.: will lay on. The verb si- (to lay) with the prefix adhi- (on, upon).
3.Sg.act.fut. = adhisesssati.

chuddho: chuddha-, Adj.: rejected, thrown away, discarded. Nom.Sg.m. = chuddho.

List of Abbreviations

apetavibbano: apetavibbana-, Adj.: without consciousness. A compound of:
apeta-, Adj.: gone away, freed of, deprived of. It is p.p. of the verb i- (to go) with
the verb apa- (away).
vibbana-, N.n.: consciousness.
Nom.Sg.m. = apetavibbano.

List of Abbreviations

niratthaj: nirattha-, Adj.: worthless. The word attha-, N.n.: meaning, worth, goal with the prefix nir- (without, -less). Nom.Sg.n. = niratthaj.

va, part.: as, like.

kalivgaraj: kalivgara-, N.n.: log, a piece of wood. Nom.Sg. = kalivgaraj.

List of Abbreviations

The subject of the main sentence is the word kayo (body, nominative singular). It has three attributes: the pronoun ayaj (this, nominative singular), the adjective chuddho (discarded, nominative singular) and the compound apetavibbano (devoid of consciousness, nominative singular). The verb is adhisessati (will lay upon, 3rd person, singular, active, future tense). It has one attribute, the adverb aciraj (shortly, before long). The object is the noun pathavij (on the ground, accusative singular). The interjection vata (alas) is syntactically independent.
The sentence has a clause, niratthaj va kalivgaraj (like a worthless log). The noun kalivgaraj (log, nominative singular) is the subject of this clause. It has an attribute, the adjective niratthaj (worthless, nominative singular). The verb and object are omitted, both of them are to be taken from the main sentence (i.e. pathavij adhissesati). The particle va (as, like) connects the clause to the main sentence.

Commentary:

There was a monk called Thera Tissa. He diligently meditated and had many students, but then he was afflicted with a disease. Small boils appeared all over his body, and then big sores developed from them. Later sores burst, emitting pus and blood; his robes became dirty and stinky. The monks called him Putigatatissa, Tissa with stinking body. They kept away from him, even his pupils abandoned him, and nobody would go near him.
The Buddha saw his sorrowful state, saw that he would soon die, but that he could also attain arahantship very quickly. So the Buddha went to the fire-shed close to the place, where the Thera was living. He boiled some water, went to the monk's room and started to carry him out. Other monks also gathered and helped him to carry the sick Thera out. They brought him to the fire-shed, bathed him and washed his robes.
After taking the bath, the monk became fresh in body and mind, he developed one-pointedness and concentration. The Buddha then related this verse (DhP 41) and Thera Tissa became an arahant immediately. Soon after that he passed away.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

aciraj
vata
ayaj
kayo
pathavij
adhisessati
chuddho
apetavibbano
apeta
vibbano
niratthaj
va
kalivgaraj