Restraint over the eye is good. Good is restraint over the ear.
Restraint over the nose is good. Good is restraint over the tongue.

cakkhunā saṃvaro sādhu sādhu sotena saṃvaro
|                    |           |         |         |            |
N.n.           N.m.     Adv.  Adv.   N.n.      N.m.
Ins.Sg.     Nom.Sg.    |         |     Ins.Sg.  Nom.Sg.
|___________|           |         |         |_______|
          |____________|         |_________|

List of Abbreviations

ghānena saṃvaro sādhu sādhu jivhāya saṃvaro
|                  |           |        |          |             |
N.n.         N.m.    Adv.  Adv.    N.f.       N.m.
Ins.Sg.   Nom.Sg.    |        |       Ins.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|__________|           |        |          |_______|
        |____________|        |_________|

cakkhunā: cakkhu-, N.n.: eye. Ins.Sg. = cakkhunā.

saṃvaro: saṃvara-, N.m.: restraint. It is derived from the verb root var- (to cover) with the prefix saṃ- (together). Nom.Sg. = saṃvaro.

sādhu, Adv.: well, good.

sotena: sota-, N.n.: ear. Ins.Sg. = sotena.

saṃvaro: see above.

List of Abbreviations

ghānena: ghāna-, N.n.: nose. Ins.Sg. = ghānena.

saṃvaro: see above.

sādhu: see above.

jivhāya: jivhā-, N.f.: tongue. Ins.Sg. = jivhāya.

saṃvaro: see above.

List of Abbreviations

    This verse consists of four syntactically separate sentences. They are:
    1) cakkhunā saṃvaro sādhu (restraint over the eye is good). The subject is the noun saṃvaro (restraint, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun cakkhunā (by eye, instrumental singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adverb sādhu (good, well).
    2) sādhu sotena saṃvaro (good is restraint over the ear). The subject is the noun saṃvaro (restraint, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun sotena (by ear, instrumental singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adverb sādhu (good, well).
    3) ghānena saṃvaro sādhu (restraint over the nose is good). The subject is the noun saṃvaro (restraint, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun ghānena (by nose, instrumental singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adverb sādhu (good, well).
    4) sādhu jivhāya saṃvaro (good is restraint over the tongue). The subject is the noun saṃvaro (restraint, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun jivhāya (by tongue, instrumental singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adverb sādhu (good, well).

    In Sāvatthi there were five monks who practiced restraint over just one of the senses. All of them claimed that they alone practiced the most important and difficult type of restraint. They quarreled for a long time and could not agree. Finally they went to ask the Buddha, who answered them with this verse (and the following one, DhP 361), saying that one must control all senses in order to reach the Awakenment.

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

cakkhunā
saṃvaro
sādhu
sotena
ghānena
jivhāya