[continuing from DhP 242]
Ignorance is the ultimate stain, greater than any of these other stains.
Having abandoned this stain, be pure, monks.

tato   malā  malataraṃ   avijjā  paramaṃ  malaṃ
|           |            |              |            |             |
Adv.  N.n.     Adj.n.      N.f.      Adj.n.      N.n.
|      Abl.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|______|            |              |            |_______|
     |__________|              |                   |
              |_____________|___________|
                         |_______|

List of Abbreviations

etaṃ       malaṃ pahatvāna nimmalā    hotha bhikkhavo
|                  |            |              |              |            |
Pron.n.     N.n.    V.ger.      Adj.m.     V.act.     N.m.
Acc.Sg.  Acc.Sg.       |        Nom.Sg. 2.Pl.imp. Voc.Pl.
|__________|            |              |________|            |
         |____________|                     |___________|
                   |________________________|

tato, Adv.: than that.

malā: mala-, N.n.: impurity, stain, dirt. Abl.Sg. = malā.

malataraṃ: malatara-, Adj.: more dirty, more impure. It is the word mala-, Adj.: dirty, impure, in the comparative (adding the suffix -tara). Nom.Sg.n. = malataraṃ.

avijjā: avijjā-, N.f.: ignorance, not knowing. It is the word vijjā-, N.f.: knowing, knowledge (it is derived from the verb root vid-, to know) negated by the negative particle a-. Nom.Sg. = avijjā.

paramaṃ: parama-, Adj.: most, highest, absolute. Nom.Sg.n. = paramaṃ.

malaṃ: mala-, N.n.: impurity, stain, dirt. Nom.Sg. = malaṃ.

List of Abbreviations

etaṃ: etad-, Pron.: this. Acc.Sg.n. = etaṃ.

malaṃ: mala-, N.n.: see above. Acc.Sg. = malaṃ.

pahatvāna, V.ger.: having renounced, abandoned or eliminated. It is a ger. of the verb hā- (to leave, to give up) with the strengthening prefix pa-.

nimmalā: nimmala-, Adj.: clean, without impurities, stainless, pure. It is the word mala- (see above) with the prefix ni- (without). Nom.Pl.m. = nimmalā.

hotha, V.: be. The verb root is (b)hū-. 2.Pl.act.imp. = hotha.

bhikkhavo: bhikkhu-, N.m.: a (Buddhist) monk. Voc.Pl. = bhikkhavo.

List of Abbreviations

    This verse consists of two syntactically separate sentences. They are:
    1) tato malā malataraṃ avijjā paramaṃ malaṃ (ignorance is the ultimate stain, greater than any of these other stains). The subject is the noun avijjā (ignorance, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the noun malaṃ (stain, nominative singular). It has two attributes, the adjective paramaṃ (highest, nominative singular) and the adjective malataraṃ (more dirty, nominative singular). This word has an attribute, the noun malā (than the stain; lit. from that stain, ablative singular) with its attribute, the adverb tato (that that, from that).
    2) etaṃ malaṃ pahatvāna nimmalā hotha bhikkhavo (having abandoned this stain, be pure, monks). This can be further analysed into two sentences:
    a) etaṃ malaṃ pahatvāna (having abandoned this stain). The subject is omitted. The verb is in gerund, pahatvāna (having abandoned). The object is the noun malaṃ (stain, accusative singular) with its attribute, the pronoun etaṃ (this, accusative singular).
    b) nimmalā hotha bhikkhavo (be pure, monks). The subject is the noun bhikkhavo (o, monks; vocative plural). The verb is hotha (be, 2^nd person, plural, active, imperative). The object is the adjective nimmalā (pure, nominative plural).

    The story for this verse is identical with the one for the previous one (DhP 242).
    All the other stains, such as wrong conduct etc. are derived from the main "impurity", ignorance. It is because we are ignorant of the true reality, that we commit these evil deeds. Therefore, only if we destroy our ignorance, can we truly be called "pure". Destruction of ignorance is the main goal of the Buddha's teaching. This is what is called Nirvana.

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

tato
malā
malataraṃ
avijjā
paramaṃ
malaṃ
etaṃ
pahatvāna
nimmalā
hotha
bhikkhavo