Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure
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List of Abbreviations

# na brahmanassetad akibci seyyo

# yada nisedho manaso piyehi

# yato yato hijsamano nivattati

# tato tato sammatimeva dukkhaj

# (DhP 390)

Sentence Translation:

For a Brahmin, there is nothing better
than when he is holding the mind back from agreeable things.
When one turns away from a wish to hurt,
then one just calms down the suffering.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

na brahmanassa etad akibci seyyo
| | | | |
neg. N.m. Pron.n. Pron.n. Adj.n.
| Dat.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|________| |_______| |
| |___________|
|_____________________|
|_________________________________________

List of Abbreviations

yada nisedho manaso piyehi
| | | |
Rel.Adv. Adj.m. N.n. Adj.m.
| Nom.Sg. Gen.Sg. Ins.Pl.
| | |______|
| |__________|
|_______________|
________|

List of Abbreviations

yato yato hijsa+mano nivattati
| | | | |
Rel.Adv. Rel.Adv. N.f. N.n. V.act.in.
|__________| | Gen.Sg. 3.Sg.pres.
| |_____| |
| |___________|
|___________________|
|__________________________________________

List of Abbreviations

tato tato sammati eva dukkhaj
| | | | |
Adv. Adv. V.act.in. part. N.n.
|______| 3.Sg.pres. | Acc.Sg.
| |______| |
| |__________|
|__________________|
____________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

na, neg.: not.

brahmanassa: brahmana-, N.m.: Brahmin, a holy man. Dat.Sg. = brahmanassa.

etad: etad-, Pron.: this. Nom.Sg.n. = etad.
Euphonic combination: brahmanassa + etad = brahmanassetad.

akibci: akibci-, Pron.: nothing. It is the word kibci-, Pron. (something) negated by the negative prefix a-. Nom.Sg.n. = akibci.

seyyo: seyya-, Adj.: better. Nom.Sg.n. = seyyo.

yada, Rel.Adv.: when.

List of Abbreviations

nisedho: nisedha-, Adj.: restraining, holding back. Nom.Sg.m. = nisedho.

manaso: manas-, N.n.: mind. Gen.Sg. = manaso.

piyehi: piya-, Adj.: dear, agreeable. Ins.Pl.m. = piyehi.

yato, Rel.Adv.: whence, since, from which time.

yato: see above. The repetition yato yato: whenever.

hijsamano: hijsamano-, N.n.: wish to hurt. It is a compound of:
hijsa-, N.f.: hurt, injury, killing. It is derived from the verb root hijs- (to hurt). The compound form: hijsa-.
mano-, N.n.: mind.
Gen.Sg.m. = hijsamano.

List of Abbreviations

nivattati, V.: turns away from. The verb root is vat- (to turn) with the prefix ni- (away).
3.Sg.act.in.pres. = nivattati.

tato, Adv.: then.

tato: see above. The repetition tato tato: just then, thence.

sammati, V.: calms, is appeased. The verb root is sam- (to be appeased). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = sammati.

eva, part.: just, only.
Euphonic combination: sammati + eva = sammatimeva.

dukkhaj: dukkha-, N.n.: suffering. Acc.Sg. = dukkhaj.

List of Abbreviations

This verse consists of two syntactically separate sentences. They are:
1) na brahmanassetad akibci seyyo yada nisedho manaso piyehi (for a Brahmin, there is nothing better than when he is holding his mind back from agreeable things). This van be analysed into two segments:
a) na brahmanassetad akibci seyyo (for a Brahmin, there is nothing better). The subject is the pronoun akibci (nothing, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the pronoun etad (this, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The verb has an attribute, the noun brahmanassa (for a Brahmin, dative singular).
b) yada nisedho manaso piyehi (than when he is holding his mind back from agreeable things). The subject is the adjective nisedho (holding back, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the adjective piyehi (with agreeable [things], instrumental plural). This word has also an attribute, the noun manaso (of mind, genitive singular). The relative adverb yada (when) connects this segment to the previous one.
2) yato yato hijsamano nivattati tato tato sammatimeva dukkhaj (when one turns away from a wish to hurt, then one just calms down the suffering). This can be analysed into two related sentences:
a) yato yato hijsamano nivattati (when one turns away from a wish to hurt). The subject is omitted; the verb implies the third person singular pronoun. The verb is nivattati (turns away, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). The object is the compound hijsamano (from a wish to hurt, genitive singular). Two relative adverbs yato (whenever) connect this sentence to the following one.
b) tato tato sammatimeva dukkhaj (then one just calms down the suffering). The subject is omitted; the verb implies the third person singular pronoun. The verb is sammati (calms down, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). It is stressed by the particle eva (just). The object is the noun dukkhaj (suffering, accusative singular). Two adverbs tato (then) connect this sentence to the previous one.

Commentary:

The story for this verse is identical with the one for the previous verse (DhP 389).
Whenever we are angry, but manage to turn away from the feelings of hatred and wish to hurt the opposite party, then we just won a small victory on the road towards the Awakenment and the appeasement of all suffering.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

na
brahmanassa
etad
akibci
seyyo
yada
nisedho
manaso
piyehi
yato
hijsamano
hijsa
mano
nivattati
tato
sammati
eva
dukkhaj