Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure
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List of Abbreviations

# andhabhuto ayaj loko tanukettha vipassati

# sakuno jalamutto va appo saggaya gacchati

# (DhP 174)

Sentence Translation:

Blind is this world. Just a few can see clearly here.
Few go to heaven, like a bird released from a snare.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

andha+bhuto ayaj loko tanuko ettha vipassati
| | | | | | |
Adj. Adj.m. Pron.m. N.m. Adj.m. Adv. V.act.in.
| Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. | 3.Sg.pres.
|________| |_______| |______|______|
|______________| |___|

List of Abbreviations

sakuno jala+mutto va appo saggaya gacchati
| | | | | | |
N.m. N.n. Adj.m. part. Adj.m. N.m. V.act.in.
Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg. Dat.Sg. 3.Sg.pres.
| |_____| | | |________|
|___________| | |__________|
|_____________| |
|__________________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

andhabhuto: andhabhuta-, Adj.: blinded, ignorant, not knowing. It is a compound of:
andha-, Adj.: blind.
bhuta-, Adj.: being, having become. It is a p.p. of the verb bhu- (to be).
Nom.Sg.m. = andhabhuto.

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

loko: loka-, N.m.; world. Nom.Sg. = loko.

tanuko: tanuka-, Adj.: little, small, few. Nom.Sg. = tanuko.

ettha: Adv.: here, in this world.
Euphonic combination: tanuko + ettha = tanukettha.

vipassati, V.: see clearly, see with insight. The verb root is pas- (to see) with the prefix vi- (intensifying). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = vipassati.

List of Abbreviations

sakuno: sakuna-, N.m.: bird. Nom.Sg. = sakuno.

jalamutto: jalamutta-, Adj.: freed from a snare. It is a compound of:
jala-, N.n.: snare, net.
mutta-, Adj.: freed, released. It is a p.p. of the verb muc- (to release).
Nom.Sg.m. = jalamutto.

va: a contracted form of eva, part.: just, only.

appo: appa-, Adj.: little, few. Nom.Sg.m. = appo.

saggaya: sagga-, N.m.: heaven. Dat.Sg. = saggaya.

gacchati, V.: goes. The verb root is gam- (to go). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = gacchati.

List of Abbreviations

This verse consists of three syntactically separate sentences. They are:
1) andhabhuto ayaj loko (blind is this world). The subject is the noun loko (world, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the pronoun ayaj (this, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective compound andhabhuto (blind, nominative singular).
2) tanukettha vipassati (just a few can see clearly here). The subject is the adjective tanuko (few, nominative singular). The verb is vipassati (sees with insight, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). It has an attribute, the adverb attha (here).
3) sakuno jalamutto va appo saggaya gacchati (few go to heaven, like a bird released from a snare). This can be further analysed into the main sentence a) and the clause b):
a) appo saggaya gacchati (few go to heaven). The subject is the adjective appo (few, nominative singular). The verb is gacchati (goes, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). The object is the noun saggaya (to heaven, dative singular).
b) sakuno jalamutto va (like a bird released from a snare). The subject is the noun sakuno (bird, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the compound jalamutto (freed from a snare, nominative singular). The particle va (like) connects the clause to the main sentence.

Commentary:

The Buddha once stayed in Alavi and spoke to its people about the impermanence of life. He told them to be aware of death and to reflect that their life is uncertain. He added that they should practice mindfulness as a weapon against the death. Many people did not really understand what he was talking about, but some did. Amongst them there was a young girl, who was a weaver by profession.
Later the Buddha returned to Alavi. The girl wanted to hear his discourse, but her father asked her to wind some thread spools and bring them to him. She did the job quickly and on the way to her father she stopped by the place where the Buddha was talking and listened.
The Buddha knew that the girl was ready to reach the first stage of Awakenment and so he looked at her directly. The girl approached respectfully. The Buddha then asked her four questions and she replied as follows:

"Where have you come from?" "I don't know."
"Where are you going?" "I don't know."
"Don't you know?" "Yes, I know."
"Do you know?" "I don't know."

Many people thought her answers were disrespectful, but the girl explained. By the first question the Buddha meant if she knew what was her previous existence. She replied that she did not know. The second question meant if she knew what would be her future existence. Since she did not know, she said so. The third question meant if she did not know that she would die one day. She replied she knew. And the last question meant if she knew when exactly would she die. She did not know and replied truthfully.
The Buddha applauded her and delivered a discourse. The girl attained the first stage of Awakenment.
Then she continued to her father. He was asleep and she woke him up. When he was waking up, her father accidentally pulled the shuttle and the sharp point hit the girl in her chest. She died instantly and was reborn in the Tusita heaven. Her father, full of remorse and broken-hearted went to the Buddha and asked to be admitted into the Order as a monk. The Buddha granted him permission and the man attained Arahantship soon.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

andhabhuto
andha
bhuto
ayaj
loko
tanuko
ettha
vipassati
sakuno
jalamutto
jala
mutto
va
appo
saggaya
gacchati