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

List of Abbreviations

# na hi papaj kataj kammaj sajju khiraj va muccati

# dahaj taj balam anveti bhasmacchanno va pavako

# (DhP 71)

Sentence Translation:

An evil deed when done, doesn't instantly bear fruits; just like milk does not coagulate at once.
Burning, it follows the fool like fire covered with ashes.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

na hi papaj kataj kammaj sajju khiraj va muccati
| | | | | | | | |
neg. part. Adj.n. Adj.n. N.n. Adv. N.n. part. V.pas.in.
| | Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg. | 3.Sg.pres.
|_____| |________| | | |_____| |
| |___________| | | |
|__________________|__________|_________|_________|
| |_________|____|
|________________| |
|____________|

List of Abbreviations

dahaj taj balam anveti bhasma+cchanno va pavako
| | | | | | | |
Adj.n. Pron.n. N.m. V.act.in. N.n. Adj.m. part. N.m.
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Acc.Sg. 3.Sg.pres. | Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg.
|__________| | | |_______| | |
|____________|________| |_________|______|
|______| |___|
|____________________________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

na, neg.: not.

hi, part.: indeed.

papaj: papa-, Adj.: evil, wrong. Nom.Sg.n. = papaj.

kataj: kata-, Adj.: done. P.p. of the verb kar- (to do). Nom.Sg.n. = kataj.

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

sajju, Adv.: instantly, quickly.

List of Abbreviations

khiraj: khira-, N.n.: milk. Nom.Sg. = khiraj.

va, part.: as, like.

muccati, V.: to be released, to be freed. The verb is muc-. 3.Sg.pas.in.pres. = muccati. Here it is probably a misspelling for mucchati, V.: to coagulate, to curdle, fig. to bear results. The verb root is much-. 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = mucchati.

dahaj: dahant-, Adj.: burning. It is an a.pr.p. of the verb root dah- (to burn). Nom.Sg.n. = dahaj.

taj: tad-, Pron.: it. Nom.Sg.n. = taj.

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

List of Abbreviations

anveti, V.: follows. The verb root is i- (to go), preceded by prefix anu- (with, along, following). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = anveti.

bhasmacchanno: bhasmachanna-, Adj.: covered with ashes. It is a compound of:
bhasma-, N.n.: ash, dust.
channa-, Adj.: covered. It is a p.p. of the verb chad- (to cover).
Euphonic combination: bhasma- + channa- = bhasmacchanna-.
Nom.Sg.m. = bhasmachanno.

va: see above.

pavako: pavaka-, N.m.: fire. Nom.Sg. = pavako.
List of Abbreviations

The two lines of this verse form two syntactically separate sentences.
In the first sentence the subject is the noun kammaj (deed, nominative singular). It has two attributes, adjectives papaj (bad, nominative singular) and kataj (done, nominative singular). The verb is muccati (is freed, 3rd person, singular, passive, indicative, present tense; but the meaning here is "coagulates" for the milk and "bears results" for the evil deeds). This verb is negated by the negative prefix na (not). The verb has an attribute, the adverb sajju (instantly). There is a clause in this sentence, khiraj va (like milk). The subject is the noun khiraj (milk, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb muccati from the main sentence. The particle va (like) connects the clause to the main sentence.
In the second sentence, the subject is the personal pronoun taj (it, nominative singular; it points to the noun kammaj from the first sentence). It has an attribute, the active present participle dahaj (burning, nominative singular). The verb is anveti (follows, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). The object is the noun balaj (fool, accusative singular). There is a clause, bhasmachanno va pavako (like a fire covered with ashes). Here the subject is the noun pavako (fire, nominative singular). It has the compound bhasmachanno (covered with ashes, nominative singular) as an attribute. The particle va (like) connects the clause to the main sentence.

Commentary:

Once the Venerable Moggallana with Venerable Lakkhana were on alms round in the city of Rajagaha. Suddenly Venerable Moggallana smiled but did not say anything. When they returned to the monastery, Lakkhana asked why he smiled. Moggallana explained, that he saw a peta-ghost in the village. The Buddha then said that he himself saw that very peta on the day he attained awakenment. In one of his previous existences it was a rich landowner. There lived an Individual Buddha (Paccekabuddha) close to one of his fields. People who went to pay their respects to this Buddha had to pass through his field. He feared that this would damage the field and so he set fire to it. So the Buddha had to move to some other place. Because of this evil deed he was reborn as a peta-ghost.
At the end the Buddha spoke this verse, saying that although at the time of the evil action it may seem there are no consequences, they will surely come in the future. Because we cannot see the fire through the ashes it is covered with, does not mean there is no fire at all.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

na
hi
papaj
kataj
kammaj
sajju
khiraj
va
muccati
dahaj
taj
balam
anveti
bhasmacchanno
bhasma
channo
pavako