| Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure |
| Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation |
It is good to be virtuous until you are old. Good is a
firmly established trust.
Good is to attain wisdom. To abstain from doing evil
is good.
sukhaj
yava
jara silaj
sukha saddha
patitthita
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Adj.n. Rel.Adv.
N.f. N.n.
Adj.f. N.f.
Adj.f.
Nom.Sg. |
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
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List of Abbreviations
sukho pabbaya
patilabho papanaj
akaranaj
sukhaj
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Adj.m. N.f.
N.m. N.n.
N.n. Adj.n.
Nom.Sg. Gen.Sg. Nom.Sg. Gen.Pl.
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
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sukhaj: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.n. = sukhaj.
yava, Rel.Adv.: as long as, as far as.
jara: jara-, N.f.: old age. Nom.Sg. = jara.
silaj: sila-, N.n.: virtue. Nom.Sg. = silaj.
sukha: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.f. = sukha.
saddha: saddha-, N.f.: trust, confidence, faith. Nom.Sg. = saddha.
patitthita: patitthita-, Adj.: established, fixed, firm. It is a p.p. of the verb root tha- (to stand) with the prefix pati- (against). Nom.Sg.f. = patitthita.
List of Abbreviations
sukho: sukha-, Adj.: pleasant, agreeable, good. Nom.Sg.m. = sukho.
pabbaya: pabba-, N.f.: wisdom. Gen.Sg. = pabbaya.
patilabho: patilabha-, N.m.: obtaining, attainment. It is derived from the verb root labh- (to get) with the prefix pati- (on to, at). Nom.Sg. = patilabho.
papanaj: papa-, Adj.: evil, wrong. As an N.n.: evil, wrong doing. Gen.Pl. = papanaj.
akaranaj: akarana-, N.n.: non-doing, absence of action. The word karana- (doing, acting) is derived from the verb kar-, to do. The word is negated by the negative prefix a- (not). Nom.Sg.: akaranaj.
sukhaj: see above.
List of Abbreviations
This verse consists of four syntactically
separate sentences. They are:
1) sukhaj
yava jara silaj
(it is good to be virtuous until you are old). The subject is the noun
silaj
(virtue, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun jara
(old age, nominative singular) with its attribute, the relative adverb
yava (until, up to). The verb is omitted,
implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective sukhaj
(good, nominative singular).
2) sukha
saddha patitthita
(good is a firmly established trust). The subject is the noun saddha
(trust, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the adjective patitthita
(established, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb
"to be". The object is the adjective sukha
(good, nominative singular).
3) sukho pabbaya
patilabho
(good is to attain wisdom). The subject is the noun patilabho
(attainment, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun pabbaya
(of wisdom, genitive singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb
"to be". The object is the adjective sukho (good, nominative singular).
4) papanaj
akaranaj sukhaj
(to abstain from doing evil is good). The subject is the noun akaranaj
(non-doing, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun papanaj
(of evil deeds, genitive plural). The verb is omitted, implying the verb
"to be". The object is the adjective sukhaj
(good, nominative singular).
The story for this verse is identical
with the one for the two previous verses (DhP 331 and DhP 332).
Virtue is the first and the most important
factor that we must firmly establish before we start on the way towards
the Awakenment. Abstaining from evil can of course be seen as a part of
a moral life, but special emphasis is being put on this, because it is
the first basic part of morality. Then there is trust, confidence that
the way is truly leading towards the goal, that the methods described by
the Buddha really work. And then can we start cultivating our minds in
meditation in order to attain wisdom and achieve the Awakenment.
Word pronunciation:
sukhaj
yava
jara
silaj
sukha
saddha
patitthita
sukho
pabbaya
patilabho
papanaj
akaranaj