| Gāthā | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
| Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
One should guard one's speech and restrain one's mind.
One should not do any evil bodily deed.
One should purify these three ways of acting.
One should attain the path declared by the Buddha.
vācā+anurakkhī
manasā saṃvuto
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N.f. Adj.m.
N.n. Adj.m.
| Nom.Sg.
Ins.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|________|
|_______|
List of Abbreviations
kāyena ca
akusalaṃ na kayirā
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N.m. conj. N.n.
neg. V.act.
Ins.Sg. |
Acc.Sg. | 3.Sg.opt.
|________|______|
|______|
| |___________|
|________|
List of Abbreviations
ete
tayo kamma+pathe visodhaye
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Pron.m. Num.m. N.n. N.m.
V.act.
Acc.Pl. Acc.Pl.
| Acc.Pl. 3.Sg.opt.
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| |______|
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List of Abbreviations
ārādhaye
maggam isi+ppaveditaṃ
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V.act. N.m.
N.m. Adj.m.
3.Sg.opt. Acc.Sg. |
Acc.Sg.
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vācānurakkhī:
vācānurakkhin-,
Adj.: guarding one's speech. It is a compound of:
vācā-,
N.f.: speech (derived from the verb root vac-, to speak).
anurakkhin-, Adj.: guarding,
protecting. It is derived from the verb root rakkh- (to protect)
with the prefix anu- (along) and the possessive suffix -in.
Euphonic combination: vācā-
+ anurakkhin- = vācānurakkhin-.
Nom.Sg.m. = vācānurakkhī.
manasā: manas-, N.n.: mind. Inst.Sg. = manasā.
saṃvuto: saṃvuta-, Adj.: restrained, governed, guarded. It is a p.p. of the verb var- (to obstruct) with the prefix saṃ- (together, completely). Nom.Sg.m. = saṃvuto.
kāyena: kāya-, N.m.: body. Here as "bodily action". Ins.Sg. = kāyena.
ca, conj.: and.
List of Abbreviations
akusalaṃ: akusala-, Adj.: improper, wrong, bad. As an N.n.: demerit, evil deed. It is the word kusala- (Adj.: good, right, meritorious; as an N.n.: meritorious deed, good deed, merit) negated by the negative prefix a-. Acc.Sg. = akusalaṃ.
na, neg.: not.
kayirā, V.: would do. The verb is root kar- (to do). 3.Sg.act.opt. = kayirā.
ete: etad-, Pron.: this. Acc.Pl.m. = ete.
tayo: ti-, Num.: three. Acc.Pl.m. = tayo.
kammapathe: kammapatha-, N.m.: the way of
acting. It is a compound of:
kamma-, N.n.: deed, action.
Derived from the verb kar- (to do).
patha-, N.m.: road, path.
Acc.Pl. = kammapathe.
List of Abbreviations
visodhaye, V.: should clean, should purify. The verb root is sudh- (to be clean) with the prefix vi- (intensifying sense). 3.Sg.act.caus.opt. = visodhaye.
ārādhaye, V.: should attain, accomplish, fulfill. The verb root is rādh- (to succeed) with the prefix ā- (to, at). 3.Sg.act.opt. = ārādhaye.
maggam: magga-, N.m.: way, road, path. Acc.Sg. = maggam.
isippaveditaṃ: isippavedita-,
Adj.: declared by the Buddha. It is a compound of:
isi-, N.m.: seer, the Buddha.
pavedita-, Adj.: declared,
made known, taught. It is a p.p. of the verb pavedati (to make known).
Euphonic combination: isi- + pavedita-
= isippavedita-.
Acc.Sg.m. = isippaveditaṃ.
List of Abbreviations
This verse consists of five separate
sentences. They are:
1) vācānurakkhī
(one should guard one's speech). The object is the compound vācānurakkhī
(guarding one's speech, nominative singular).
2) manasā
saṃvuto (one should restrain one's
mind). The object is the past participle saṃvuto
(restrained, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun manasā
(by mind, instrumental singular).
3) kāyena
ca akusalaṃ na kayirā
(one should not do any evil bodily deed). The subject is omitted, the verb
implying the third person singular pronoun. The verb is kayirā
(should do, 3rd person, singular, active, optative). It is negated
by the negative particle na (not). The object is the noun akusalaṃ
(evil deed, accusative singular). It has an attribute, the noun kāyena
(by the body, instrumental singular). The conjunction ca (and) connects
this sentence to the previous ones.
4) ete tayo kammapathe visodhaye
(one should purify these three ways of acting). The subject is omitted,
the verb implying the third person singular pronoun. The verb is visodhaye
(one should purify, 3rd person, singular, active, optative).
The object is the compound kammapathe (ways of acting, accusative
plural). It has two attributes, the pronoun ete (these, accusative
plural) and the numeral tayo (three, accusative singular).
5) ārādhaye
maggam isippaveditaṃ (one should attain
the path declared by the Buddha). The subject is omitted, the verb implying
the third person singular pronoun. The verb is ārādhaye
(one should attain, 3rd person, singular, active, optative).
The object is the noun maggam (path, accusative singular). It has
an attribute, the compound isippaveditaṃ
(declared by the Buddha, accusative singular).
Venerable Moggallāna
once went on an alms-round with Venerable Lakkhana. Suddenly Moggallāna
smiled, because he saw a hungry ghost (peta) with the head of a
pig and a human body. Later Lakkhana asked Moggallāna
why he smiled. Moggallāna told him about the
peta.
The Buddha overheard that and told
them that he himself saw the same peta. He then related the peta's
story. Once he was a famous monk who was very good at expounding the Dharma.
Once he came to a monastery, where two friend monks stayed. After a while
he realized that he liked the place very much. There was plenty of good
food and the lay followers liked his way of expounding the Dharma. So he
decided to make the two monks go away and keep the place just for himself.
He set one friend against the other. They quarreled and left away.
Because of this the monk suffered
for a long time. He had to be born as a hungry ghost. The Buddha finished
his story by this verse, saying that we should always guard our actions
bodily, verbal and mental.
Word pronunciation:
vācānurakkhī
vācā
anurakkhī
manasā
saṃvuto
kāyena
ca
akusalaṃ
na
kayirā
ete
tayo
kammapathe
kamma
pathe
visodhaye
ārādhaye
maggaṃ
isippaveditaṃ
isi
paveditaṃ