Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure
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List of Abbreviations

# pare ca na vijananti mayaj ettha yamamase

# ye ca tattha vijananti tato sammanti medhaga

# (DhP 6)

Translation:

The others do not understand that we should restrain ourselves here.
Those who understand that, therefore appease their quarrels.

Sentence structure:
List of Abbreviations

pare ca na vijananti mayaj ettha yamamase
| | | | | | |
Adj. conj. neg. V.act.in. Pron. Adv. V.med.opt.
Nom.Pl. | | 3.Pl.pres. Nom.Pl. | 3.Pl.pres.
|_________| |_________| |________|________|
|_______________| |___|
|____________________________| List of Abbreviations

ye ca tattha vijananti tato sammanti medhaga
| | | | | | |
rel.Pron. conj. Adv. V.act.in. Adv. V.act.in. N.m.
Nom.Pl. | | 3.Pl.pres. | 3.Pl.pres. Nom.Pl.
|___________| |__________| | |____________|
|________________| |_________________|
|________________________________|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

pare: para-, Adj.: other. Nom.Pl.m.: pare.

ca, conj.: and.

na, neg.: not.

vijananti: the verb ba- or ja- (to know) with the prefix vi- (intensifying prefix). To understand, to realize. 3.Pl.act.in.pres.: vijananti.

mayaj: Pron. ahaj, I. Nom.Pl.: mayaj (we).

List of Abbreviations

ettha: Adv.: here, in this place.

yamamase: the verb yam- (to restrain, to control). This form is used only in this place and there is no consensus about its etymology. Probably it is 3.Pl.opt.med.pres. (We should restrain ourselves). But some translate it "We must die" (deriving it from the word yama-, N.m.: death, the god of death).

ye: rel.Pron. yad-, that which. Nom.Pl.m. = ye (those [people] who).

ca: see above.

List of Abbreviations

tattha: Adv.: there, in this, about that.

vijananti: see above.

tato, Adv.: originally Abl.Sg. of tat- (it), literally "from that". Because of that, thence, thereupon, afterwards.

sammanti: the verb sam- (to be appeased). 3.Pl.act.in.pres.: sammanti.

medhaga: medhaga-, N.m.: quarrel, strife. Nom.Pl.: medhaga. Note the passive structure of this verse (literally: those who understand this, therefore [their] quarrels are appeased).
List of Abbreviations

The first line consists of two sentences ("pare ca na vijananti" and "mayaj ettha yamamase"). In the first sentence the subject is pare (others, nominative plural) and the verb is vijananti (understand; 3rd person, plural, active voice, indicative, present tense). The verb is negated by the negative particle na (not). The conjunction ca (and) connects this verse to the previous one (this chapter contains pairs of verses connected in meaning to each other).

The second verse has as its subject the word mayaj (we, nominative plural). The verb is yamamase (we should restrain [ourselves]), it is probably 3rd person, plural, optative (used for hypothetical action, for suggesting something. It can be translated by "should", "would" and "may"), medium voice (this voice was originally - in Sanskrit - used to express the action done for the oneself - ie. in case one wants to say "I do for myself" one would use medium voice, in case of "I do for somebody else" the active voice would be used). The adverb ettha (here) is an attribute to the verb.

The second line again brings two sentences ("ye ca tattha vijananti" and "tato sammanti medhaga"). In the first one, the subject is ye (those, who, nominative plural) and the verb is vijananti (understand, same as above). The conjunction ca (and) connects it to the previous line.

In the second sentence, the subject is medhaga (quarrels, nominative plural) and the verb sammanti (are appeased, 3rd person, plural, active voice, indicative, present tense). The adverb tato (therefore) connects this sentence to the previous one.

Commentary:

This verse is related to the previous one (DhP 5), even if this relation is not apparent immediately. In DhP 5 we are told that hatred can not be appeased by hatred but only by abstention from hatred. Here it says that some people do not understand this, do not know that we should restrain ourselves, that we should not give in to hatred. Those who realize that, of course, stop their enmity and quarreling, thus stopping hatred completely.

By the word "others" the authors probably meant the people, who do not realize this eternal law (that hatred can be appeased by non-hatred only). The use of the word "here" ("that we should restrain ourselves here") suggests this world, our present situation. It can also point to the previous verse - then we should understand "here" as "this" (meaning this eternal law of appeasing hatred by non-hatred).

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

pare
ca
na
vijananti
mayaj
ettha
yamamase
ye
tattha
tato
sammanti
medhaga