Gāthā | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
Easy to see are faults of others; one's own faults are
difficult to see.
One exposes the faults of others like husks.
One's own conceals like a cheating player of dice an
unlucky throw.
sudassaṃ vajjam
aññesaṃ
attano pana duddasaṃ
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Adj.n. N.n.
Adj.m. Pron.m. part. Adj.n.
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Gen.Pl. Gen.Sg.
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List of Abbreviations
paresaṃ hi
so vajjāni
opunāti yathā
bhusaṃ
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Adj.m. part. Pron.m. N.n.
V.act.in. Rel.Adv. N.n.
Gen.Pl. | Nom.Sg.
Acc.Pl. 3.Sg.pres. |
Acc.Sg.
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List of Abbreviations
attano pana chādeti
kaliṃ va kitavā
saṭho
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Pron.m. part. V.act.caus. N.m. part.
Adj.m. Adj.m.
Gen.Sg. | 3.Sg.pres.
Acc.Sg. | Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
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sudassaṃ: sudassa-, Adj.: easy to see. It is derived from the verb root das- (to see) with the prefix su- (well, good). Nom.Sg.n. = sudassaṃ.
vajjam: vajja-, N.n.: fault, what should be avoided. Nom.Sg. = vajjam.
aññesaṃ: añña-, Adj.: other, different. Gen.Pl.m. = aññesaṃ.
attano: attan-, N.m./Pron.: self, oneself. Gen.Sg. = attano.
pana, part.: indeed.
duddasaṃ: duddasa-, Adj. difficult to see. It is derived from the verb root das- (to see) with the prefix du- (bad, difficult). Nom.Sg.n. = duddasaṃ.
List of Abbreviations
paresaṃ: para-, Adj.m.: other. Gen.Pl. = paresaṃ.
hi, part.: indeed.
so: tad-, Pron.n.: it. Nom.Sg.m. = so.
vajjāni: vajja-, N.n.: see above. Acc.Pl. = vajjāni.
opunāti, V.: lay bare, expose. Lit. to winnow, sift. The verb root is pū- (to cleanse) with the prefix ava- (away; here shortened to o-). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = opunāti.
yathā, Rel.Adv.: as, just like.
bhusaṃ: bhusa-, N.n.: chaff, husk. Acc.Sg. = bhusaṃ.
List of Abbreviations
attano: see above.
pana: see above.
chādeti, V.: covers, conceals. The verb root is chad- (to cover). 3.Sg.act.caus.pres. = chādeti.
kaliṃ: kali-, N.m.: an unlucky throw at dice, number one. Acc.Sg. = kaliṃ.
va, part.: as, like.
kitavā: kitavā-, Adj.: one who is lucky at throwing dice. Nom.Sg.m. = kitavā.
saṭho: saṭha-, Adj.: deceitful, treacherous, fraudulent. Nom.Sg.m. = saṭho.
List of Abbreviations
This verse consists of four syntactically
separate sentences. They are:
1) sudassaṃ
vajjam aññesaṃ
(easy to see are faults of others). The subject is the noun vajjam
(fault, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the adjective aññesaṃ
(of others, genitive plural). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to
be". The object is the adjective sudassaṃ
(easy to see, nominative singular).
2) attano pana duddasaṃ
(one's own faults are difficult to see). The subject is the word vajjam
from the previous sentence. It has an attribute, the noun/pronoun attano
(one's own, genitive singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb
"to be". The object is the adjective duddasaṃ
(difficult to see, nominative singular). The particle pana (indeed)
serves only for metrical purposes.
3) paresaṃ
hi so vajjāni opunāti
yathā bhusaṃ
(one exposes the faults of others like husks). This can be further analysed
into the main sentence and the clause:
a) paresaṃ
hi so vajjāni opunāti
(one exposes the faults of others). The subject is the pronoun so
(he, nominative singular). The verb is opunāti
(exposes, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present
tense). The object is the noun vajjāni
(faults, accusative plural). It has an attribute, the adjective paresaṃ
(of others, genitive plural). The particle hi (indeed) serves only
for metrical purposes.
b) yathā
bhusaṃ (like husks). The object is the
noun bhusaṃ (chaff, accusative singular).
The relative adverb yathā (like, as)
connects the clause to the main sentence.
4) attano pana chādeti
kaliṃ va kitavā
saṭho (one's own conceals like a cheating
player of dice an unlucky throw). This can be further analysed into the
main sentence and the clause:
a) attano pana chādeti
(one's own conceals). The subject is the noun vajjāni
from the previous sentence. It has an attribute, the noun/pronoun attano
(one's own, genitive singular). The verb is chādeti
(conceals, 3rd person, singular, active, causative, present
tense). The particle pana (indeed) serves only for metrical purposes.
b) kaliṃ
va kitavā saṭho
(like a cheating player of dice an unlucky throw). The subject is the adjective
kitavā (a player, one who is lucky
at throwing dice, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the adjective
saṭho (cheating, nominative singular).
The verb is chādeti from the main sentence.
The object is the noun kaliṃ (number
one, an unlucky throw, accusative singular). The particle va (as,
like) connects the clause to the main sentence.
In the town of Bhaddiya there lived
a rich man named Mendaka. When the Buddha arrived at Bhaddiya, he realized
that Mendaka and his whole family are able to understand the Dharma. He
explained the teaching to them and after hearing the Dharma from him, Mendaka,
his wife, son, daughter-in-law and servant all attained the first level
of Awakenment. Mendaka related how many ascetic teachers spoke ill of the
Buddha and tried to dissuade Mendaka from seeing the Buddha. The Buddha
explained by this verse, that it is only very natural to see others' faults
and not to see one's own.
The Buddha then revealed the past
existences of Mendaka. He was always a rich man who donated many things
to those seeking Awakenment.
Word pronunciation:
sudassaṃ
vajjam
aññesaṃ
attano
pana
duddasaṃ
paresaṃ
hi
so
vajjāni
opunāti
yathā
bhusaṃ
chādeti
kaliṃ
va
kitavā
saṭho