Restraint over the eye is good. Good is restraint over the ear.
Restraint over the nose is good. Good is restraint over the tongue.

cakkhuna sajvaro sadhu sadhu sotena sajvaro
|                    |           |         |         |            |
N.n.           N.m.     Adv.  Adv.   N.n.      N.m.
Ins.Sg.     Nom.Sg.    |         |     Ins.Sg.  Nom.Sg.
|___________|           |         |         |_______|
          |____________|         |_________|

List of Abbreviations

ghanena sajvaro sadhu sadhu jivhaya sajvaro
|                  |           |        |          |             |
N.n.         N.m.    Adv.  Adv.    N.f.       N.m.
Ins.Sg.   Nom.Sg.    |        |       Ins.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|__________|           |        |          |_______|
        |____________|        |_________|

cakkhuna: cakkhu-, N.n.: eye. Ins.Sg. = cakkhuna.

sajvaro: sajvara-, N.m.: restraint. It is derived from the verb root var- (to cover) with the prefix saj- (together). Nom.Sg. = sajvaro.

sadhu, Adv.: well, good.

sotena: sota-, N.n.: ear. Ins.Sg. = sotena.

sajvaro: see above.

List of Abbreviations

ghanena: ghana-, N.n.: nose. Ins.Sg. = ghanena.

sajvaro: see above.

sadhu: see above.

jivhaya: jivha-, N.f.: tongue. Ins.Sg. = jivhaya.

sajvaro: see above.

List of Abbreviations

    This verse consists of four syntactically separate sentences. They are:
    1) cakkhuna sajvaro sadhu (restraint over the eye is good). The subject is the noun sajvaro (restraint, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun cakkhuna (by eye, instrumental singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adverb sadhu (good, well).
    2) sadhu sotena sajvaro (good is restraint over the ear). The subject is the noun sajvaro (restraint, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun sotena (by ear, instrumental singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adverb sadhu (good, well).
    3) ghanena sajvaro sadhu (restraint over the nose is good). The subject is the noun sajvaro (restraint, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun ghanena (by nose, instrumental singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adverb sadhu (good, well).
    4) sadhu jivhaya sajvaro (good is restraint over the tongue). The subject is the noun sajvaro (restraint, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun jivhaya (by tongue, instrumental singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adverb sadhu (good, well).

    In Savatthi there were five monks who practiced restraint over just one of the senses. All of them claimed that they alone practiced the most important and difficult type of restraint. They quarreled for a long time and could not agree. Finally they went to ask the Buddha, who answered them with this verse (and the following one, DhP 361), saying that one must control all senses in order to reach the Awakenment.

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

cakkhuna
sajvaro
sadhu
sotena
ghanena
jivhaya