This refuge is not safe; this refuge is not supreme.
Having come to such a refuge, one will not be free from all suffering.

na     etaṃ    kho saraṇaṃ  khemaṃ  na     etaṃ     saraṇam uttamaṃ
|           |          |         |              |         |         |              |             |
neg. Pron.n.  part.   N.n.       Adj.n.   neg. Pron.n.     N.n.      Adj.n.
|      Nom.Sg.   |    Nom.Sg.  Nom.Sg.  |    Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|           |______|         |             |          |         |_______|              |
|                 |________|             |          |_________|___________|
|______________|___________|                   |____|
              |______|

List of Abbreviations

na     etaṃ  saraṇam āgamma  sabba+dukkhā pamuccati
|           |           |            |            |          |              |
neg. Pron.n.   N.n.    V.ger.     Adj.     N.n.     V.pas.in.
|      Acc.Sg. Acc.Sg.      |            |     Abl.Sg.   3.Sg.pres.
|           |______|            |            |______|             |
|                |__________|                  |                   |
|______________|_______________|___________|
                          |              |_______|
                          |___________|

na, neg.: not.

etaṃ: etad-, Pron.: this. Neuter: etaṃ. Nom.Sg. = etaṃ.
Euphonic combination: na + etaṃ = n'etaṃ.

kho, part.: indeed.

saraṇaṃ: saraṇa-, N.n.: refuge. Nom.Sg.: saraṇaṃ.

khemaṃ: khema-, N.n.: safe, calm, peaceful. Nom.Sg.n. = khemaṃ.

na: see above.

etaṃ: see above.

saraṇam: see above (saraṇaṃ).

List of Abbreviations

uttamaṃ: uttama-, Adj.: highest, supreme. Nom.Sg.n. = uttamaṃ.

na: see above.

etaṃ: see above. Here Acc.Sg.

saraṇam: see above. Here Acc.Sg.

āgamma, V.ger.: having come. The verb root is gam- (to go) with the prefix ā- (towards).

sabbadukkhā: sabbadukkha-, N.n.: all suffering. It is a compound of:
    sabba-, Adj.: all.
    dukkha-, N.n.: sorrow, pain, suffering.
Abl.Sg. = sabbadukkhā.

pamuccati, V.: to be released, to be freed. The verb root is muc- (to be released) with the strengthening prefix pa-. 3.Sg.pas.in.pres. = pamuccati.

List of Abbreviations

    This verse consists of three syntactically separate sentences. They are:
    1) n'etaṃ kho saraṇaṃ khemaṃ (this refuge is not safe). The subject is the noun saraṇaṃ (refuge, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the pronoun etaṃ (this, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The object is the adjective khemaṃ (safe, nominative singular). The particle kho (indeed) serves mainly for metrical purposes.
    2) n'etaṃ saraṇam uttamaṃ (this refuge is not supreme). The subject is the noun saraṇam (refuge, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the pronoun etaṃ (this, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The object is the adjective uttamaṃ (supreme, nominative singular).
    3) n'etaṃ saraṇam āgamma sabbadukkhā pamuccati (having come to such a refuge, one will not be free from all suffering). This can be further analysed into the main sentence b) and the clause a):
    a) etaṃ saraṇam āgamma (having come to such a refuge). The subject is omitted; the verb pamuccati from the main sentence implies the third person singular pronoun. The verb is in the gerund, āgamma (having come). The object is the noun saraṇam (to the refuge, accusative singular) with its attribute, the pronoun etaṃ (to this, accusative singular).
    b) na sabbadukkhā pamuccati (one will not be free from all suffering). The subject is omitted; the verb implies the third person singular pronoun. The verb is pamuccati (is freed, 3^rd person, singular, passive, indicative, present tense). It is negated by the negative particle na (not). The verb has an attribute, the compound sabbadukkhā (from all suffering, ablative singular).

    The story for this verse is identical with the one for the preceding verse (DhP 188) and the following ones (DhP 190, DhP 191, DhP 192).
    Trees or mountains are not liberated from the round of rebirths. Neither are the protective gods that may inhabit them. Therefore, taking these things as a refuge will not help us in the goal, liberation of mind from the round of rebirths, the Samsāra.

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

na
etaṃ
kho
saraṇaṃ
khemaṃ
uttamaṃ
āgamma
sabbadukkhā
sabba
dukkhā
pamuccati