Not by mere rules and rituals, nor by great knowledge,
nor by attaining concentration, nor by having a solitary dwelling,
[continued in DhP 272]

na    sīla+bbata+mattena bāhu+saccena  vā   pana
|         |         |          |         |           |         |       |
neg. N.n.  N.m.  Adj.n.   Adj.    Adj.n.  conj. part.
|         |_____|    Ins.Sg.      |      Ins.Sg.    |____|
|              |________|          |______|            |
|                      |_____________|                 |
|                                  |________________|
|                                                  |____________________________________
|__________________________________________|
                                 |__________________________________[continued in DhP 272]

List of Abbreviations

atha    vā samādhi+lābhena vivitta+sayanena vā
|           |        |            |           |             |         |
Adv. conj.  N.m.     N.m.    Adj.        N.n.   conj.
|______|        |        Ins.Sg.      |         Ins.Sg.    |
      |             |_______|           |_______|          |
      |___________|                        |_________|
                |________________________|
_____________________|

na, neg.: not.

sīlabbatamattena: sīlabbatamatta-, Adj.: only rules and rituals. It is a compound of:
    sīla-, N.n.: rule, virtue.
    bata-, N.m.: religious duty, ritual, precept.
    matta-, Adj.: measure, just only, mere.
Euphonic combination: sīla- + bata- = sīlabbata-.
Ins.Sg.n. = sīlabbatamattena.

bāhusaccena: bāhusacca-, N.n.: great learning, profound knowledge. It is derived from the word bahusacca-, Adj.: of great learning. This word is derived from:
    bahu-, Adj.: large, much, very.
    sacca- or suta-, Adj.: heard. It is a p.p. of the verb root su- (to hear).
Ins.Sg. = bāhusaccena.

List of Abbreviations

vā, conj.: or.

pana, part.: indeed.

atha, Adv.: and also, and then.

vā: see above.

samādhilābhena: samādhilābha-, N.m.: attaining of concentration of mind. It is a compound of:
    samādhi-, N.m.: concentration, firmness of mind. It is derived from the verb root dhā-, to put, with the prefixes saṃ-, together and ā-, towards.
    lābha-, N.m.: gain, possession.
Ins.Sg. = samādhilābhena.

List of Abbreviations

vivittasayanena: vivittasayana-, N.n.: solitary dwelling. It is a compound of:
    vivitta-, Adj.: separate, solitary, secluded. It is a p.p. of the verb root vic- (to separate) with the prefix vi- (away, from).
    sayana-, N.n.: bed, couch.
Ins.Sg. = vivittasayanena.

vā: see above.

List of Abbreviations

    This verse contains only attributes to the verb of the following sentence (see DhP 272). This verb is negated by the negative particle na (not) in this sentence. The attributes are:
    1) sīlabbatamattena (by mere rules and rituals, instrumental singular).
    2) bāhusaccena vā pana (or by great knowledge). The attribute is the compound bāhusaccena (by great knowledge, instrumental singular). It is connected to the other attributes by the conjunction vā (or) and the particle pana (indeed).
    3) atha vā samādhilābhena (or by attaining concentration). The attribute is the compound samādhilābhena (by attaining concentration, instrumental singular). It is connected to the other attributes by the conjunction vā (or) and the adverb atha (and then).
    4) vivittasayanena vā (or by having a solitary dwelling). The attribute is the compound vivittasayanena (by having a solitary dwelling, instrumental singular). It is connected to the other attributes by the conjunction vā (or).

    There were many monks who were practicing the Dharma. Not all of them had reached the Awakenment quickly. Once a group of monks came to see the Buddha. Some of them had observed the rules perfectly and were very virtuous. Others studied a lot of the Buddha's discourses and yet others were good in meditation.
    The Buddha asked them if they had attained the Awakenment. They replied that they did not but that it should be easy, since they had achieved so much already. The Buddha replied with this verse (and the following one, DhP 272).

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

na
sīlabbatamattena
sīla
bata
mattena
bāhusaccena
bāhu
saccena
vā
pana
atha
samādhilābhena
samādhi
lābhena
vivittasayanena
vivitta
sayanena