Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
An evil deed when done, doesn't instantly bear fruits;
just like milk does not coagulate at once.
Burning, it follows the fool like fire covered with ashes.
na hi papaj
kataj kammaj
sajju khiraj
va muccati
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neg. part. Adj.n. Adj.n.
N.n. Adv. N.n. part.
V.pas.in.
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List of Abbreviations
dahaj
taj balam
anveti bhasma+cchanno va pavako
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Adj.n. Pron.n.
N.m. V.act.in. N.n. Adj.m.
part. N.m.
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Acc.Sg. 3.Sg.pres. |
Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg.
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na, neg.: not.
hi, part.: indeed.
papaj: papa-, Adj.: evil, wrong. Nom.Sg.n. = papaj.
kataj: kata-, Adj.: done. P.p. of the verb kar- (to do). Nom.Sg.n. = kataj.
kammaj: kamma-,
N.n.: deed, action. Derived from the verb kar- (to do).
Nom.Sg. = kammaj.
sajju, Adv.: instantly, quickly.
List of Abbreviations
khiraj: khira-, N.n.: milk. Nom.Sg. = khiraj.
va, part.: as, like.
muccati, V.: to be released, to be freed. The verb is muc-. 3.Sg.pas.in.pres. = muccati. Here it is probably a misspelling for mucchati, V.: to coagulate, to curdle, fig. to bear results. The verb root is much-. 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = mucchati.
dahaj: dahant-, Adj.: burning. It is an a.pr.p. of the verb root dah- (to burn). Nom.Sg.n. = dahaj.
taj: tad-, Pron.: it. Nom.Sg.n. = taj.
balam: bala-, Adj.: childish, young. As an N.m.: "like a child", fool, ignorant person. Acc.Sg. = balam.
List of Abbreviations
anveti, V.: follows. The verb root is i- (to go), preceded by prefix anu- (with, along, following). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = anveti.
bhasmacchanno: bhasmachanna-, Adj.: covered
with ashes. It is a compound of:
bhasma-, N.n.: ash, dust.
channa-, Adj.: covered. It
is a p.p. of the verb chad- (to cover).
Euphonic combination: bhasma- + channa-
= bhasmacchanna-.
Nom.Sg.m. = bhasmachanno.
va: see above.
pavako:
pavaka-, N.m.: fire. Nom.Sg. = pavako.
List of Abbreviations
The two lines of this verse form two
syntactically separate sentences.
In the first sentence the subject
is the noun kammaj (deed, nominative
singular). It has two attributes, adjectives papaj
(bad, nominative singular) and kataj
(done, nominative singular). The verb is muccati (is freed, 3rd
person, singular, passive, indicative, present tense; but the meaning here
is "coagulates" for the milk and "bears results" for the evil deeds). This
verb is negated by the negative prefix na (not). The verb has an
attribute, the adverb sajju (instantly). There is a clause in this
sentence, khiraj
va (like milk). The subject is the noun khiraj
(milk, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb muccati
from the main sentence. The particle va (like) connects the clause
to the main sentence.
In the second sentence, the subject
is the personal pronoun taj (it, nominative
singular; it points to the noun kammaj
from the first sentence). It has an attribute, the active present participle
dahaj (burning,
nominative singular). The verb is anveti (follows, 3rd
person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). The object is the
noun balaj
(fool, accusative singular). There is a clause, bhasmachanno va
pavako (like a fire covered with ashes).
Here the subject is the noun pavako (fire,
nominative singular). It has the compound bhasmachanno (covered
with ashes, nominative singular) as an attribute. The particle va
(like) connects the clause to the main sentence.
Once the Venerable Moggallana
with Venerable Lakkhana were on alms round in the city of Rajagaha.
Suddenly Venerable Moggallana smiled but did
not say anything. When they returned to the monastery, Lakkhana asked why
he smiled. Moggallana explained, that he saw
a peta-ghost in the village. The Buddha then said that he himself saw that
very peta on the day he attained awakenment. In one of his previous existences
it was a rich landowner. There lived an Individual Buddha (Paccekabuddha)
close to one of his fields. People who went to pay their respects to this
Buddha had to pass through his field. He feared that this would damage
the field and so he set fire to it. So the Buddha had to move to some other
place. Because of this evil deed he was reborn as a peta-ghost.
At the end the Buddha spoke this verse,
saying that although at the time of the evil action it may seem there are
no consequences, they will surely come in the future. Because we cannot
see the fire through the ashes it is covered with, does not mean there
is no fire at all.
Word pronunciation:
na
hi
papaj
kataj
kammaj
sajju
khiraj
va
muccati
dahaj
taj
balam
anveti
bhasmacchanno
bhasma
channo
pavako