Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
Irrigators lead water. Arrow-makers bend arrow-shaft.
Carpenters bend wood. Virtuous ones master themselves.
udakaj hi
nayanti nettika
usu+kara
namayanti tejanaj
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N.n. part. V.act.in.
N.m. N.n. Adj.m. V.act.in.
N.n.
Acc.Sg . | 3.Pl.pres. Nom.Pl.
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List of Abbreviations
daruj
namayanti tacchaka attanaj
damayanti subbata
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N.n. V.act.in.
N.m. N.m. V.act.in.
Adj.m.
Acc.Sg. 3.Pl.caus. Nom.Pl. Acc.Sg.
3.Pl.pres. Nom.Pl.
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udakaj: udaka-, N.n.: water. Acc.Sg. = udakaj.
hi, part.: indeed.
nayanti, V.: lead. The verb root is ni-. 3.Pl.act.in.pres. = nayanti.
nettika: nettika-,
Adj: irrigating, for irrigation. As a N.m.: irrigator.
Nom.Pl. = nettika.
usukara:
usukara-, N.m.: arrow-maker. It is
a compound of:
usu-, N.m.: arrow.
kara-,
Adj.: doing. As a N.m.: one, who makes, maker. It is derived from the verb
kar-, to do.
Nom.Pl. = usukara.
namayanti, V.: bend. The verb root is nam-. 3.Pl.act.in.caus. = namayanti.
List of Abbreviations
tejanaj: tejana-, N.n.: the shaft of an arrow. Acc.Sg. = tejanaj.
daruj: daru-, N.n.: wood. Acc.Sg. = daruj.
namayanti: see above.
tacchaka: tacchaka-, N.m.: carpenter. Nom.Pl. = tacchaka.
attanaj: attan-, N.m.: self, oneself. Acc.Sg. = attanaj.
damayanti, V.: tame, subdue, master. The verb root
is dam- (to tame).
3.Pl.act.in.pres. = damayanti.
subbata: subbata-, Adj.: virtuous, devout. It is the word vata-, N.m.: religious duty, precept, with the prefix su- (well). Euphonic combination: su- + vata- = subbata-. Nom.Pl.m. = subbata.
List of Abbreviations
This verse contains four independent
sentences. They are:
1) udakaj
hi nayanti nettika (irrigators lead water).
The subject is the noun nettika (irrigators,
nominative plural). The verb is nayanti (lead, 3rd person,
plural, active, indicative, present tense). The object is the noun udakaj
(water, accusative singular). The particle hi (indeed) stresses
the object and serves mainly for metrical purposes.
2) usukara
namayanti tejanaj (arrow-makers bend arrows).
The noun usukara
(arrow-makers) is the subject of this sentence. The verb is namayanti
(bend, 3rd person, plural, active, causative, present tense).
Object is the noun tejanaj (arrow-shaft,
accusative singular).
3) daruj
namayanti tacchaka (carpenters bend wood).
The subject is the noun tacchaka (carpenters,
nominative plural). The verb is namayanti (bend, 3rd
person, plural, active, causative, present tense). The noun daruj
(wood, accusative singular) is the object in this sentence.
4) attanaj
damayanti subbata (virtuous ones master
themselves). The adjective subbata
(virtuous ones, nominative plural) is the subject here. The verb is damayanti
(master, 3rd person, plural, active, indicative, present tense).
The object is the noun attanaj
(oneself, accusative singular).
Venerable Sariputta
once had a very young novice. His name was Sukha. One day, he went with
Sariputta on his alms-round. He observed irrigators
irrigating the fields, arrow-makers making their arrows and carpenters
working with wood. He asked Venerable Sariputta
if those things, which have no mind, could be guided to wherever one wishes.
Sariputta replied that it is so. The young
novice then thought, "If those things, which have no mind, could be guided
to wherever one wishes, then why could not I master myself?"
He then asked permission from Sariputta,
returned to the monastery and diligently practiced. He was about to attain
Arahantship, when Sariputta returned and was
going towards the novice's hut. The Buddha saw this and he also saw that
the novice was just about to attain the goal, so he met Sariputta
outside and prevented him from going to the novice's hut by asking him
various questions. The novice indeed attained Arahantship very soon and
the Buddha explained that the reason, why he kept Sariputta
outside, was to enable the young novice to attain his goal without being
interrupted.
Word pronunciation:
udakaj
hi
nayanti
nettika
usukara
usu
kara
namayanti
tejanaj
daruj
tacchaka
attanaj
damayanti
subbata