Alas! Before long will this body lay upon the ground,
rejected, devoid of consciousness, like a worthless log.

aciraṃ vata    ayaṃ         kāyo     pathaviṃ adhisessati
|            |            |               |               |               |
Adv.    Int.    Pron.m.      N.m.         N.f.        V.act.
|            |       Nom.Sg.   Nom.Sg.   Acc.Sg.   3.Sg.fut.
|            |            |________|                |________|
|_______|__________|__________________|
       |___|                  |___________________________________________I.
                                                       |______________________________II.

List of Abbreviations

chuddho apeta+viññāṇo niratthaṃ    va kaliṅgaraṃ
|                |          |               |           |          |
Adj.m.    Adj.    N.m.       Adj.n.    part.    N.n.
Nom.Sg.    |     Nom.Sg.  Nom.Sg.    |     Nom.Sg.
|                |_____|                |______|______|
|____________|                         |___|
I._____|                                       |
II.__________________________|

aciraṃ, Adv.: before long, shortly. Derived from the word acira-, Adj.: short (time), which is a negated (by the negative prefix a-) word cira-, Adj.: long (time).

vata, Int.: alas! Euphonic combination: vata + ayaṃ = vatayaṃ.

ayaṃ: idaṃ, Pron.: this. Nom.Sg.m. = ayaṃ.

kāyo: kāya-, N.m.: body. Nom.Sg. = kāyo.

List of Abbreviations

pathaviṃ: pathavī-, N.f.: earth, ground. Acc.Sg. = pathaviṃ.

adhisessati, V.: will lay on. The verb si- (to lay) with the prefix adhi- (on, upon).
3.Sg.act.fut. = adhisesssati.

chuddho: chuddha-, Adj.: rejected, thrown away, discarded. Nom.Sg.m. = chuddho.

List of Abbreviations

apetaviññāṇo: apetaviññāṇa-, Adj.: without consciousness. A compound of:
    apeta-, Adj.: gone away, freed of, deprived of. It is p.p. of the verb i- (to go) with
    the verb apa- (away).
    viññāṇa-, N.n.: consciousness.
Nom.Sg.m. = apetaviññāṇo.

List of Abbreviations

niratthaṃ: nirattha-, Adj.: worthless. The word attha-, N.n.: meaning, worth, goal with the prefix nir- (without, -less). Nom.Sg.n. = niratthaṃ.

va, part.: as, like.

kaliṅgaraṃ: kaliṅgara-, N.n.: log, a piece of wood. Nom.Sg. = kaliṅgaraṃ.

List of Abbreviations

    The subject of the main sentence is the word kāyo (body, nominative singular). It has three attributes: the pronoun ayaṃ (this, nominative singular), the adjective chuddho (discarded, nominative singular) and the compound apetaviññāṇo (devoid of consciousness, nominative singular). The verb is adhisessati (will lay upon, 3rd person, singular, active, future tense). It has one attribute, the adverb aciraṃ (shortly, before long). The object is the noun pathaviṃ (on the ground, accusative singular). The interjection vata (alas) is syntactically independent.
    The sentence has a clause, niratthaṃ va kaliṅgaraṃ (like a worthless log). The noun kaliṅgaraṃ (log, nominative singular) is the subject of this clause. It has an attribute, the adjective niratthaṃ (worthless, nominative singular). The verb and object are omitted, both of them are to be taken from the main sentence (i.e. pathaviṃ adhissesati). The particle va (as, like) connects the clause to the main sentence.

    There was a monk called Thera Tissa. He diligently meditated and had many students, but then he was afflicted with a disease. Small boils appeared all over his body, and then big sores developed from them. Later sores burst, emitting pus and blood; his robes became dirty and stinky. The monks called him Pūtigatatissa, Tissa with stinking body. They kept away from him, even his pupils abandoned him, and nobody would go near him.
    The Buddha saw his sorrowful state, saw that he would soon die, but that he could also attain arahantship very quickly. So the Buddha went to the fire-shed close to the place, where the Thera was living. He boiled some water, went to the monk's room and started to carry him out. Other monks also gathered and helped him to carry the sick Thera out. They brought him to the fire-shed, bathed him and washed his robes.
    After taking the bath, the monk became fresh in body and mind, he developed one-pointedness and concentration. The Buddha then related this verse (DhP 41) and Thera Tissa became an arahant immediately. Soon after that he passed away.

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

aciraṃ
vata
ayaṃ
kāyo
pathaviṃ
adhisessati
chuddho
apetaviññāṇo
apeta
viññāṇo
niratthaṃ
va
kaliṅgaraṃ