Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure
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List of Abbreviations

# vacanurakkhi manasa sajvuto

# kayena ca akusalaj na kayira

# ete tayo kammapathe visodhaye

# aradhaye maggam isippaveditaj

# (DhP 281)

Sentence Translation:

One should guard one's speech and restrain one's mind.
One should not do any evil bodily deed.
One should purify these three ways of acting.
One should attain the path declared by the Buddha.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

vaca+anurakkhi manasa sajvuto
| | | |
N.f. Adj.m. N.n. Adj.m.
| Nom.Sg. Ins.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|________| |_______|

List of Abbreviations

kayena ca akusalaj na kayira
| | | | |
N.m. conj. N.n. neg. V.act.
Ins.Sg. | Acc.Sg. | 3.Sg.opt.
|________|______| |______|
| |___________|
|________|

List of Abbreviations

ete tayo kamma+pathe visodhaye
| | | | |
Pron.m. Num.m. N.n. N.m. V.act.
Acc.Pl. Acc.Pl. | Acc.Pl. 3.Sg.opt.
| | |______| |
| |_________| |
|_______________| |
|_______________________|

List of Abbreviations

aradhaye maggam isi+ppaveditaj
| | | |
V.act. N.m. N.m. Adj.m.
3.Sg.opt. Acc.Sg. | Acc.Sg.
| | |______|
| |_________|
|_______________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

vacanurakkhi: vacanurakkhin-, Adj.: guarding one's speech. It is a compound of:
vaca-, N.f.: speech (derived from the verb root vac-, to speak).
anurakkhin-, Adj.: guarding, protecting. It is derived from the verb root rakkh- (to protect) with the prefix anu- (along) and the possessive suffix -in.
Euphonic combination: vaca- + anurakkhin- = vacanurakkhin-.
Nom.Sg.m. = vacanurakkhi.

manasa: manas-, N.n.: mind. Inst.Sg. = manasa.

sajvuto: sajvuta-, Adj.: restrained, governed, guarded. It is a p.p. of the verb var- (to obstruct) with the prefix saj- (together, completely). Nom.Sg.m. = sajvuto.

kayena: kaya-, N.m.: body. Here as "bodily action". Ins.Sg. = kayena.

ca, conj.: and.

List of Abbreviations

akusalaj: akusala-, Adj.: improper, wrong, bad. As an N.n.: demerit, evil deed. It is the word kusala- (Adj.: good, right, meritorious; as an N.n.: meritorious deed, good deed, merit) negated by the negative prefix a-. Acc.Sg. = akusalaj.

na, neg.: not.

kayira, V.: would do. The verb is root kar- (to do). 3.Sg.act.opt. = kayira.

ete: etad-, Pron.: this. Acc.Pl.m. = ete.

tayo: ti-, Num.: three. Acc.Pl.m. = tayo.

kammapathe: kammapatha-, N.m.: the way of acting. It is a compound of:
kamma-, N.n.: deed, action. Derived from the verb kar- (to do).
patha-, N.m.: road, path.
Acc.Pl. = kammapathe.

List of Abbreviations

visodhaye, V.: should clean, should purify. The verb root is sudh- (to be clean) with the prefix vi- (intensifying sense). 3.Sg.act.caus.opt. = visodhaye.

aradhaye, V.: should attain, accomplish, fulfill. The verb root is radh- (to succeed) with the prefix a- (to, at). 3.Sg.act.opt. = aradhaye.

maggam: magga-, N.m.: way, road, path. Acc.Sg. = maggam.

isippaveditaj: isippavedita-, Adj.: declared by the Buddha. It is a compound of:
isi-, N.m.: seer, the Buddha.
pavedita-, Adj.: declared, made known, taught. It is a p.p. of the verb pavedati (to make known).
Euphonic combination: isi- + pavedita- = isippavedita-.
Acc.Sg.m. = isippaveditaj.

List of Abbreviations

This verse consists of five separate sentences. They are:
1) vacanurakkhi (one should guard one's speech). The object is the compound vacanurakkhi (guarding one's speech, nominative singular).
2) manasa sajvuto (one should restrain one's mind). The object is the past participle sajvuto (restrained, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun manasa (by mind, instrumental singular).
3) kayena ca akusalaj na kayira (one should not do any evil bodily deed). The subject is omitted, the verb implying the third person singular pronoun. The verb is kayira (should do, 3rd person, singular, active, optative). It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The object is the noun akusalaj (evil deed, accusative singular). It has an attribute, the noun kayena (by the body, instrumental singular). The conjunction ca (and) connects this sentence to the previous ones.
4) ete tayo kammapathe visodhaye (one should purify these three ways of acting). The subject is omitted, the verb implying the third person singular pronoun. The verb is visodhaye (one should purify, 3rd person, singular, active, optative). The object is the compound kammapathe (ways of acting, accusative plural). It has two attributes, the pronoun ete (these, accusative plural) and the numeral tayo (three, accusative singular).
5) aradhaye maggam isippaveditaj (one should attain the path declared by the Buddha). The subject is omitted, the verb implying the third person singular pronoun. The verb is aradhaye (one should attain, 3rd person, singular, active, optative). The object is the noun maggam (path, accusative singular). It has an attribute, the compound isippaveditaj (declared by the Buddha, accusative singular).

Commentary:

Venerable Moggallana once went on an alms-round with Venerable Lakkhana. Suddenly Moggallana smiled, because he saw a hungry ghost (peta) with the head of a pig and a human body. Later Lakkhana asked Moggallana why he smiled. Moggallana told him about the peta.
The Buddha overheard that and told them that he himself saw the same peta. He then related the peta's story. Once he was a famous monk who was very good at expounding the Dharma. Once he came to a monastery, where two friend monks stayed. After a while he realized that he liked the place very much. There was plenty of good food and the lay followers liked his way of expounding the Dharma. So he decided to make the two monks go away and keep the place just for himself. He set one friend against the other. They quarreled and left away.
Because of this the monk suffered for a long time. He had to be born as a hungry ghost. The Buddha finished his story by this verse, saying that we should always guard our actions bodily, verbal and mental.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

vacanurakkhi
vaca
anurakkhi
manasa
sajvuto
kayena
ca
akusalaj
na
kayira
ete
tayo
kammapathe
kamma
pathe
visodhaye
aradhaye
maggaj
isippaveditaj
isi
paveditaj