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

List of Abbreviations

# vari pokkharapatte va araggeriva sasapo

# yo na limpati kamesu tam ahaj brumi brahmanaj

# (DhP 401)

Sentence Translation:

Like water to a lotus leaf, like a mustard seed to the point of an arrow,
who doesn't cling to sense-pleasures - him do I call a Brahmin.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

vari pokkhara+patte va aragge+r+iva sasapo
| | | | | | |
N.n. N.n. N.n. part. N.n. part. N.m.
Nom.Sg. | Loc.Sg. | Loc.Sg. | Nom.Sg.
| |_______| | |_______|_____|
|____________| | |___|
|______________| |
|_________________|
|___________________________________

List of Abbreviations

yo na limpati kamesu tam ahaj brumi brahmanaj
| | | | | | | |
Rel.Pron.m. neg. V.act.in. N.m. Pron.m. Pron. V.act.in. N.m.
Nom.Sg. | 3.Sg.pres. Loc.Pl. Acc.Sg. Nom.Sg. 1.Sg.pres. Acc.Sg.
| |______| | | | | |
| |__________| | | | |
|____________________| |______|________|________|
__________| | |____|
| |______|
|_____________________________________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

vari: vari-, N.n.: water. Nom.Sg. = vari.

pokkharapatte: lotus-leaf. It is a compound of:
pokkhara-, N.n.: lotus.
patta-, N.n.: leaf.
Loc.Sg. = pokkharapatte.

va, part.: as, like.

aragge: aragga-, N.n.: the head of an arrow. Loc.Sg. = aragge.

iva, part.: like, as (another, more often used form of this word is va).
Euphonic combination: aragge + iva = araggeriva.

sasapo: sasapa-, N.m.: mustard seed. Nom.Sg. = sasapo.

List of Abbreviations

yo: yad-, Rel.Pron.: that which. Nom.Sg.m. = yo.

na, neg.: not.

limpati, V.: clings to, stains. The verb root is lip-. 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = limpati.

kamesu: kama-, N.m.: sense-pleasure, sense desire. Loc.Pl. = kamesu.

tam: tad-, Pron.: it. Masculine form: so-, he. Acc.Sg. = tam (him).

ahaj, Pron.: I. Nom.Sg. = ahaj.

brumi, V.: [I] say, proclaim. The verb root is bru-. 1.Sg.act.in.pres. = brumi.

brahmanaj: brahmana-, N.m.: Brahmin, a holy man. Acc.Sg. = brahmanaj.

List of Abbreviations

This verse consists of two syntactically connected sentences. They are:
1) vari pokkharapatte va araggeriva sasapo yo na limpati kamesu (like water to a lotus leaf, like a mustard seed to the point of an arrow, who doesn't cling to sense-pleasures). The subject is the relative pronoun yo (who, nominative singular). The verb is limpati (clings, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The object is the noun kamesu (to sense-pleasures, locative plural). There are two dependent clauses:
a) vari pokkharapatte va (like water to a lotus leaf). The subject is the noun vari (water, nominative singular) and the object is the compound pokkharapatte (to a lotus leaf, locative singular). The particle va (like) connects the clause to the main sentence.
b) araggeriva sasapo (like a mustard seed to the point of an arrow). The subject is the noun sasapo (mustard seed, nominative singular) and the object is the noun aragge (to the point of an arrow, locative singular). The particle iva (like) connects the clause to the main sentence.
2) tam ahaj brumi brahmanaj (him do I call a Brahmin). The subject is the pronoun ahaj (I, nominative singular). The verb is brumi ([I] say, 1st person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). The object is the noun brahmanaj (Brahmin, accusative singular). It has one attribute, the pronoun tam (him, accusative singular).

Commentary:

Once some monks were discussing the story of the Arahant nun Uppalavanna who was raped in the forest (see DhP 69). In this connection they asked the Buddha if Arahants enjoy sensual pleasures or do not. The Buddha replied with this verse, saying that the Arahants do not enjoy sensual pleasures, because the do not cling to anything at all.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

vari
pokkharapatte
pokkhara
patte
va
aragge
iva
sasapo
yo
na
limpati
kamesu
tam
ahaj
brumi
brahmanaj