Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
When the wise one expels negligence by conscientiousness,
having climbed the stronghold of wisdom, without sorrow,
such a clever one observes the sorrowing crowd
as somebody standing on a mountain observes the foolish
people on the ground.
pamadaj
a+ppamadena yada
nudati pandito
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N.m. neg.
N.m. Rel.Adv. V.act.in.
N.m.
Acc.Sg. |
Ins.Sg. |
3.Sg.pres. Nom.Sg.
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List of Abbreviations
pabba+pasadam
aruyha a+soko
sokinij pajaj
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N.f. N.m.
V.ger. neg. Adj.m. Adj.f.
Adj.f.
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List of Abbreviations
pabbata+ttho
va bhuma+tthe
dhiro bale
avekkhati
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N.m. Adj.m. part. N.m. Adj.m.
N.m. N.m.
V.act.in.
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Nom.Sg Acc.Pl. 3.Sg.pres.
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pamadaj: pamada-, N.m.: negligence. Acc.Sg. = pamadaj.
appamadena: appamada-, N.m.: conscientiousness, non-negligence. A negated (by the negative prefix a-) word pamada-, N.m.: negligence. Doubled p is due to the euphonic combination (a + pamada = appamada). Ins.Sg. = appamadena.
yada, Rel.Adv.: when.
nudati, V.: to expel, to drive away, to reject. The verb root nud-. 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = nudati.
pandito: pandita-, N.m.: wise man, learned man. Nom.Sg. = pandito.
List of Abbreviations
pabbapasadam,
pabbapasada-,
N. : the stronghold of wisdom. A compound of:
pabba-,
N.f.: wisdom.
pasada-,
N.m.: stronghold, palace, building on a high foundation.
Acc.Sg. = pabbapasadam.
aruyha, V.ger.: having climbed. The verb ruh- (to grow, to spread) with the prefix a- (towards). To climb, to ascend, to go up to.
asoko: asoka-, Adj.: free from sorrow. The word soka-, N.m.: grief, sorrow, negated by the negative prefix a-. Nom.Sg.m.: asoko.
sokinij: sokini-, Adj.f.: sorrowful. The word soka-, N.m.: grief, sorrow, with the possessive suffix -in. Feminine form -ini. Acc.Sg. = sokinij.
List of Abbreviations
pajaj: paja-, N.f.: beings, people, mankind. Acc.Sg. = pajaj.
pabbatattho:
pabbatattha-, Adj.: standing on the
mountain. Composed of:
pabbata-, N.m: mountain, hill.
-ttha-,
Adj. suffix: standing. From the verb tha-
(to stand).
Nom.Sg.m. = pabbatattho.
va, part.: as, like.
List of Abbreviations
bhumatthe:
bhumattha-,
Adj.: standing on the ground. Composed of:
bhuma-,
N.m.: ground, earth, soil.
-ttha-,
Adj. suffix: standing. From the verb tha-
(to stand).
Acc.Pl.m. = bhumatthe.
dhiro: dhira-, Adj.: wise, clever. Nom.Sg.m. = dhiro.
bale: bala-, N.m.: fool. Acc.Pl. = bale.
avekkhati, V.: to look at. The verb ikkh- (to see) with the prefix ava- (down, over). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = avekkhati.
List of Abbreviations
This verse is composed of two sentences.
The first one is: pamadaj
appamadena yada
nudati pandito pabbapasadam
aruyha asoko (When the wise one expels
negligence by conscientiousness, having climbed the stronghold of wisdom,
without sorrow). The subject is the word pandito
(wise one, nominative singular), with a attribute asoko (sorrowless,
nominative singular). The verb is nudati (expels, 3rd
person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). The object is pamadaj
(negligence, accusative singular) with its attribute appamadena
(by conscientiousness, instrumental singular). There is a subordinated
clause pabbapasadam
aruyha (having climbed the stronghold
of wisdom). Here the verb is aruyha
(having climbed, gerund) and the object pabbapasadam
(the stronghold of wisdom, accusative singular). The whole sentence is
introduced by the relative adverb yada
(when).
The second sentence is sokinij
pajaj pabbatattho
va bhumatthe
dhiro bale avekkhati
(such a clever one observes the sorrowing crowd as somebody standing on
a mountain observes the foolish people on the ground). We would expect
the adverb tada (then) as a counterbalance
of the relative adverb yada (when)
in the first sentence, but it is not really necessary. We can further analyze
this sentence into two segments: dhiro
sokinij pajaj
avekkhati (the clever one observes sorrowing crowd). Here the subject
is dhiro (clever one, nominative singular)
and the verb avekkhati (observes, 3rd person, singular,
active, indicative, present tense). The object is pajaj
(crowd, accusative singular) with an attribute sokinij
(sorrowing, accusative singular). The second segment is a simile: pabbatattho
va bhumatthe
bale (as somebody standing on a mountain
[observes] fools standing on the ground). Here, the subject is pabbatattho
(standing on a mountain, nominative singular). The verb is missing, the
word avekkhati from the first segment is implied. The object is
bale (fools, accusative plural) with
its attribute bhumatthe
(standing on the ground, accusative plural).
The story says, that one of the chief
disciples of the Buddha, the Elder Mahakassapa
was once practicing meditation, trying to find out which of the beings
in the world were conscientious and which were negligent. He also tried
to find who was about to be born and who was about to die.
The Buddha learned about this and
told him not to waste his time on something like that - because such things
do not lead to the Awakenment. In addition to that, such a task is possible
only for a Buddha, because of the innumerable beings in the world. The
Buddha the spoke this verse.
The negligence is of course best dispelled
with the conscientiousness. When we are able to do that, we will "climb
the stronghold of wisdom", we will reach the Nirvana. Then we can look
at the others, who are still negligent, as somebody on the top of a mountain
can watch the people on the plain below him.
Word pronunciation:
pamadam
appamadena
yada
nudati
pandito
pabbapasadam
pabba
pasadam
aruyha
asoko
sokinij
pajaj
pabbatattho
va
bhumatthe
dhiro
bale
avekkhati