Gāthā | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
There is no meditation for the ignorant one. There is
no wisdom for someone, who does not meditate.
Who has both wisdom and meditation, he is indeed close
to the Nirvana.
na atthi
jhānaṃ apaññassa
paññā na
atthi ajhāyato
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neg. V.act.in. N.n.
Adj.m. N.f. neg. V.act.in.
Adj.m.
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Nom.Sg. | 3.Sg.pres. Gen.Sg.
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List of Abbreviations
yamhi
jhānaṃ
ca paññā
ca sa
ve nibbāna+santike
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Rel.Pron.m. N.n.
conj. N.f. conj. Pron.m. part. N.n.
N.n.
Loc.Sg. Nom.Sg.
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Loc.Sg.
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na, neg.: not.
atthi, V.: is. The verb root is as- (to
be). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = atthi.
Euphonic combination: na + atthi = natthi.
jhānaṃ: jhāna-, N.n.: meditation, concentration. It is derived from the verb root jhe- (to meditate, to concentrate). Nom.Sg. = jhānaṃ.
apaññassa: apañña-, Adj.: ignorant, without wisdom. It is derived from the word paññā-, N.f. (see below) and the negative prefix a-. Gen.Sg.m. = apaññassa.
paññā: paññā-, N.f.: wisdom. Nom.Sg. = paññā.
na: see above.
atthi: see above.
ajhāyato: ajhāyant-, Adj.: not meditating. It is derived from the verb root jhe- (to meditate) and the prefix a-. Gen.Sg.m. = ajhāyato.
yamhi: yat-, Rel.Pron.: that, which. Loc.Sg.m. = yamhi.
List of Abbreviations
jhānaṃ: see above.
ca, conj.: and.
paññā: see above.
ca, conj.: and.
sa: tad-, Pron.n.: it. Nom.Sg.m. = sa (the more usual form is so).
ve, part.: indeed.
nibbānasantike:
nibbānasantika-, N.n.: close to the
Nirvana, the presence of the Nirvana. It is a compound of:
nibbāna-,
N.n.: Nirvana, the goal of Buddhism.
santika-, N.n.: presence, vicinity.
Loc.Sg. = nibbānasantike.
List of Abbreviations
This verse consists of three syntactically
separate sentences. They are:
1) natthi jhānaṃ
apaññassa (there is no meditation for
the ignorant one). The subject is the noun jhānaṃ
(meditation, nominative singular). The verb is atthi (is, 3rd
person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). It is negated by
the negative particle na (not). The verb has an attribute, the adjective
apaññassa (for the one who is not wise,
genitive singular).
2) paññā
natthi ajhāyato (there is no wisdom for
someone, who does not meditate). The subject is the noun paññā
(wisdom, nominative singular). The verb is atthi (is, 3rd
person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). It is negated by
the negative particle na (not). The verb has an attribute, the adjective
ajhāyato (for the one who does not
meditate, genitive singular).
3) yamhi jhānaṃ
ca paññā ca sa ve nibbānasantike
(who has both wisdom and meditation, he is indeed close to the Nirvana).
This can be further analysed into two sentences:
a) yamhi jhānaṃ
ca paññā ca (who has both wisdom and meditation).
There are two subjects, the nouns jhānaṃ
(meditation, nominative singular) and paññā
(wisdom, nominative singular). They are connected by two conjunctions ca
(and). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". It has an attribute,
the relative pronoun yamhi (in whom, locative singular). It also
connects this sentence to the following one.
b) sa ve nibbānasantike
(he is indeed close to the Nirvana). The subject is the pronoun sa
(he, nominative singular). It is stressed by the particle ve (indeed).
The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". It has an attribute, the
compound nibbānasantike (in the presence
of the Nirvana, locative singular).
The story for this verse is identical
with the one for the four previous verses (DhP 368 - DhP 371) and for the
following four verses (DhP 373 - DhP376).
Wisdom comes as a product of long
and diligent meditation. There is no other way to obtain wisdom. On the
other hand, one must possess an initial small portion of wisdom in order
to understand the necessity of meditation. As a result, most people never
start to meditate or if they do, they tire quickly and give up.
Only one, who is wise and uses the
wisdom in meditation in order to achieve even more wisdom, is able to reach
the goal of Nirvana.
Word pronunciation:
na
atthi
jhānaṃ
apaññassa
paññā
ajhāyato
yamhi
ca
sa
ve
nibbānasantike
nibbāna
santike