| Gāthā | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
| Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
It is good to be virtuous until you are old. Good is a
firmly established trust.
Good is to attain wisdom. To abstain from doing evil
is good.
sukhaṃ
yāva
jarā sīlaṃ
sukhā saddhā
patiṭṭhitā
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Adj.n. Rel.Adv.
N.f. N.n.
Adj.f. N.f.
Adj.f.
Nom.Sg. |
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
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List of Abbreviations
sukho paññāya
paṭilābho pāpānaṃ
akaraṇaṃ
sukhaṃ
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Adj.m. N.f.
N.m. N.n.
N.n. Adj.n.
Nom.Sg. Gen.Sg. Nom.Sg. Gen.Pl.
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
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sukhaṃ: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.n. = sukhaṃ.
yāva, Rel.Adv.: as long as, as far as.
jarā: jarā-, N.f.: old age. Nom.Sg. = jarā.
sīlaṃ: sīla-, N.n.: virtue. Nom.Sg. = sīlaṃ.
sukhā: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.f. = sukhā.
saddhā: saddhā-, N.f.: trust, confidence, faith. Nom.Sg. = saddhā.
patiṭṭhitā: patiṭṭhita-, Adj.: established, fixed, firm. It is a p.p. of the verb root ṭhā- (to stand) with the prefix pati- (against). Nom.Sg.f. = patiṭṭhitā.
List of Abbreviations
sukho: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.m. = sukho.
paññāya: paññā-, N.f.: wisdom. Gen.Sg. = paññāya.
paṭilābho: paṭilābha-, N.m.: obtaining, attainment. It is derived from the verb root labh- (to get) with the prefix paṭi- (on to, at). Nom.Sg. = paṭilābho.
pāpānaṃ: pāpa-, Adj.: evil, wrong. As an N.n.: evil, wrong doing. Gen.Pl. = pāpānaṃ.
akaraṇaṃ: akaraṇa-, N.n.: non-doing, absence of action. The word karaṇa- (doing, acting) is derived from the verb kar-, to do. The word is negated by the negative prefix a- (not). Nom.Sg.: akaraṇaṃ.
sukhaṃ: see above.
List of Abbreviations
This verse consists of four syntactically
separate sentences. They are:
1) sukhaṃ
yāva jarā sīlaṃ
(it is good to be virtuous until you are old). The subject is the noun
sīlaṃ
(virtue, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun jarā
(old age, nominative singular) with its attribute, the relative adverb
yāva (until, up to). The verb is omitted,
implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective sukhaṃ
(good, nominative singular).
2) sukhā
saddhā patiṭṭhitā
(good is a firmly established trust). The subject is the noun saddhā
(trust, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the adjective patiṭṭhitā
(established, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb
"to be". The object is the adjective sukhā
(good, nominative singular).
3) sukho paññāya
paṭilābho
(good is to attain wisdom). The subject is the noun paṭilābho
(attainment, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun paññāya
(of wisdom, genitive singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb
"to be". The object is the adjective sukho (good, nominative singular).
4) pāpānaṃ
akaraṇaṃ sukhaṃ
(to abstain from doing evil is good). The subject is the noun akaraṇaṃ
(non-doing, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun pāpānaṃ
(of evil deeds, genitive plural). The verb is omitted, implying the verb
"to be". The object is the adjective sukhaṃ
(good, nominative singular).
The story for this verse is identical
with the one for the two previous verses (DhP 331 and DhP 332).
Virtue is the first and the most important
factor that we must firmly establish before we start on the way towards
the Awakenment. Abstaining from evil can of course be seen as a part of
a moral life, but special emphasis is being put on this, because it is
the first basic part of morality. Then there is trust, confidence that
the way is truly leading towards the goal, that the methods described by
the Buddha really work. And then can we start cultivating our minds in
meditation in order to attain wisdom and achieve the Awakenment.
Word pronunciation:
sukhaṃ
yāva
jarā
sīlaṃ
sukhā
saddhā
patiṭṭhitā
sukho
paññāya
paṭilābho
pāpānaṃ
akaraṇaṃ