Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
The monk, who is devoted to conscientiousness and who
is fearful of negligence,
unable to regress, he is just in the vicinity of the
Nirvana.
a+ppamada+rato
bhikkhu pamade bhaya+dassi
va
| |
|
|
| |
| |
neg. N.m. Adj.m.
N.m. N.m. N.n.
Adj.m. conj.
|_____| Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
Nom.Sg. | Nom.Sg.
|
|_________|
|
| |______|
|
|____________|
|_________|
|
|____________________|______________|________________
List of Abbreviations
a + bhabbo parihanaya
nibbanass' eva santike
|
|
|
| |
|
neg. Adj.m. N.n.
N.n. part. N.n.
| Nom.Sg. Dat.Sg.
Gen.Sg. | Loc.Sg.
|_____|
|
|______|______|
|____________|
|
_________|
|
|_________________________|
appamadarato:
appamadarata-, Adj.:
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).
rata-, Adj.: devoted. It is
a p.p. of the verb ram- (to delight in, to be devoted to).
Nom.Sg. = appamadarato.
bhikkhu: bhikkhu-, N.m.: a (Buddhist) monk. Nom.Sg. = bhikkhu.
pamade: pamada-, N.m.: negligence. Loc.Sg. = pamade.
List of Abbreviations
bhayadassi: bhayadassin-, N.m.: seeing an
object of fear. A compound of:
bhaya-, N.n.: fear, fright.
dassin-, Adj.: seeing, finding,
realizing. Derived from the verb dis- (to see).
Nom.Sg. = bhayadassi.
The form bhayadassi is due to the metrical requirements.
va, conj.: or.
abhabbo: abhabba-, Adj.: impossible to, unable of. Negated (by the negative prefix a-) word bhabba-, Adj.: able, capable. It is a grd. of the verb root bhu- (to be, to exist). Nom.Sg.m. = abhabbo.
List of Abbreviations
parihanaya: parihana-, N.n.: decrease, decay, regress. Derived from the verb root ha- (to leave, to abandon) with the prefix pari- (all around, completely). Dat.Sg. = parihanaya.
nibbanass' (contracted form of nibbanassa): nibbana-, N.n.: Nirvana, the goal of Buddhism, cessation of greed, hatred and delusion. Gen.Sg. = nibbanassa.
eva, part.: just.
santike: santika-, N.n.: presence, vicinity. Loc.Sg. = santike.
List of Abbreviations
The subject of this sentence is the
word bhikkhu (monk, nominative singular) with three attributes,
appamadarato (devoted to conscientiousness,
nominative singular) and bhayadassi (fearful, nominative singular)
with its own attribute pamade (in negligence,
locative singular). They are connected by the conjuction va
(or). The third attribute is abhabbo (unable, nominative singular)
with its own attribute parihanaya
(of regress, dative singular). The verb here is omitted, implying the verb
"to be".
The attribute to this verb is the
word santike (in the vicinity, locative singular) with its attribute
nibbanassa (of the Nirvana, genitive
singular). The particle eva (just) serves as strengthening particle.
Nigamavatissa
was born and grew up in a small market town near Savatthi.
He became a monk and lived a simple life. For his alms food he went to
the village where his relatives lived and he kept away from all the big
occasions. Even when big benefactors like Anathapindika
and king Pasenadi of Kosala gave monks alms on a grand scale, he did not
attend. Some monks started to say, that he keeps only to his relatives
and does not care about things.
The Buddha asked him about this. He
replied that he goes to his village only for alms food, takes only as much
as is enough, does not care if it is tasty or not. The Buddha praised him
and told the other monks that they should all behave in this way. He also
related the story of the king of parrots:
He lived in a grove of fig trees on
the banks of Ganga with many subjects. When all the fruits were eaten,
everybody left, except for the king, who was satisfied with little. Once
Sakka, the king of gods, wanted to test him and his resolve. He assumed
the form of a goose and asked him why doesn't he move away. The king said
he can not leave out of the gratitude towards the tree. If he can find
enough food to get by, he wouldn't go. It would be ungrateful. Sakka was
impressed and revealed himself. Then he poured the Ganga water over the
withered tree and it was suddenly green and full of fruit.
Then the Buddha said, that the king
of parrots was himself in one of his previous existences and Sakka was
Anuruddha, one of the Buddha's foremost disciples. He then uttered this
verse (DhP 32). At the end of the discourse, Nigamavatissa
became an arahant.
Word pronunciation:
appamadarato
bhikkhu
pamade
bhayadassi
va
abhabbo
parihanaya
nibbanassa
eva
santike