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

List of Abbreviations

#

# Manopubbavgamma dhamma

# Manosettha manomaya

# Manasa ce pasannena

# Bhasati va karoti va

# Tato naj sukhaj anveti

# Chaya va anapayini

Translation:

All things are preceded by mind,
Mind is their master, they are produced by mind.
If somebody speaks or acts
With a purified mind,
Hence happiness follows him,
Like never departing shadow.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

Mano+pubbav+gamma dhamma
| | | |
N.n. Adv. Adj.m. N.m.
| | Nom.Pl. Nom.Pl.
| |______| |
|___________| |
|_________________|
|________________________ List of Abbreviations

Mano+settha mano+maya
| | | |
N.n. Adj.m. N.n. Adj.m.
| Nom.Pl. | Nom.Pl.
|_______| |_____|
____|____________|

Manasa ce pasannena
| | |
N.n. part. Adj.m.
Ins.Sg. | Ins.Sg.
|_______|______|
|___|
|________________________________ List of Abbreviations

Bhasati va karoti va
| | | |
V.act.in. conj. V.act.in conj.
3.Sg.pres. | 3.Sg.pres. |
|____________| |_________|
|__________________|
_______________|
|_______________________________

Tato naj sukham anveti
| | | |
Adv. Pron.m. N.n. V.act.in.
| Acc.Sg. Nom.Sg. 3.Sg.pres
| | |___________|
| |____________|
|_____________|
|_______________________________ List of Abbreviations
__________________|

Chaya va anapayini
| | |
N.f. enc. Adj.f.
Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg.
|________|_______|
|____|
______|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

manopubbavgamma: manopubbavgamma-, Adj.: preceded by mind. Compound of
mano: manas-, N.n.: mind. The compound form: mano.
pubbavgamma-, Adj.: preceded. This is itself a compound of two words:
pubbaj. Adv.: before. The compound form: pubbav.
gamma-, Adj., ger.: going. Derived from the verb gam- (to go).
Nom.Pl.: manopubbavgamma.

dhamma: dhamma-, N.m.: here does not mean Buddha's teaching, but can be interpreted as 1) mental states or 2) things generally. Nom.Pl.: dhamma.

manosettha: manosettha-, Adj.: having mind as a master. Compound of two words:
mano: explained above.
settha-, Adj.: best, excellent.
Thus the compound literally means "having the mind as the best".
Nom.Pl.: manosettha.

List of Abbreviations

manomaya: manomaya-, Adj.: created by mind. Compound of two words:
mano: explained above
maya-, Adj.: made of, created by, consisting of, produced by.
Nom.Pl.: manomaya.

manasa: manas-, N.n.: mind (explained also above). Inst.Sg.: manasa.

ce, part.: conditional particle "if".

pasannena: pasanna-, Adj.: purified, clear, bright; p.p. of the verb sad- (to become bright or purified) preceded by the strengthening prefix pa-. Ins.Sg.: pasannena.

bhasati: Verb bhas-, to speak. Here 3rd person singular, active indicative, present tense: speaks.

List of Abbreviations

va, conj.: or.

karoti: Verb kar-, to do, to act, to perform. Here 3rd person singular, active indicative, present tense: acts.

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

naj: ena-, pron. In Pali used only in Acc.Sg.m.: naj (him).

sukham: sukha-, N.n.: happiness. Nom.Sg.: sukhaj.

List of Abbreviations
anveti: verb i-, to go, preceded by prefix anu- (with, along, following). Here 3rd person singular, active indicative, present tense: follows.

chaya: chaya-, N.f.: shadow. Nom.Sg.: chaya.

va, enc.: as if, like.

anapayini: anapayin-, Adj.: non-departing. Possessive form of the word apaya (separation, loss) preceded by negative particle an- (not). The word apaya is derived from the verb i-, to go, preceded by the prefix apa- (away from). Nom.Sg.f.: anapayini.

List of Abbreviations

Most of this verse is identical with DhP 1. Please, see DhP 1 for the notes on the first four lines of this verse.

We will talk about the last line, a clause chaya va anapayini (like a never departing shadow). Chaya (shadow) is in nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence. The verb is omitted (again, the verb anveti is implied).

We talked about the enclitic va (as, like) in DhP 1, therefore we will not mention it again here.

The last word anapayini (never departing) is an attribute to the subject. It agrees with it in case - it is in nominative.

Commentary:

This verse is closely related to the previous one (DhP 1). If the mind is purified, the mental phenomena it creates are also pure. Therefore, joy and happiness follow as surely as suffering and sorrow in case of a defiled mind. As we can see from these two verses, happiness and suffering depends on us entirely, on our own minds, on the thoughts that we are harboring. There is no other way to happiness then purification of mind and ultimately, in destroying all the defilement completely and reaching the highest goal, the awakenment of Nirvana.

Pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:
manopubbavgamma
mano
pubbavgamma
dhamma
manosettha
settha
manomaya
maya
manasa
ce
pasannena
bhasati
va
karoti
tato
naj
sukham
anveti
chaya
va
anapayini