Patna Dhamma Verses
Patna Dhammapadaṁ
Vācāvarggaḥ
16: The Chapter about Verbalising
278. Vācānurakkhī manasā susaṁvto,
kāyena yo akuśalaṁ na sevati,
ete ttayo kammapathe viśodhiya,
prāppojja so śāntipadaṁ anuttaraṁ.
278. Verbally guarded, well-restrained in mind,
he who does not practice a wrong deed with the body,
purifying these three paths of action,
would attain the unsurpassed state of peace.
279. Kāyapradoṣaṁ rakkheyā,
kāyena saṁvto siyā,
kāyaduccaritaṁ hettā,
kāyena sucaritaṁ care.
279. One should guard against bodily faults,
one should be restrained bodily,
abandoning wrong bodily conduct,
one should have good bodily conduct.
280. Vācāpradoṣaṁ rakkheyā,
vācāya saṁvto siyā,
vācāduccaritaṁ hettā,
vācāya sucaritaṁ care.
280. One should guard against verbal faults,
one should be restrained verbally,
abandoning wrong verbal conduct,
one should have good verbal conduct.
281. Manapradoṣaṁ rakkheyā,
manasā saṁvto siyā,
manoduccaritaṁ hettā,
manasā sucaritaṁ care.
281. One should guard against mental faults,
one should be restrained mentally,
abandoning wrong mental conduct,
one should have good mental conduct.
282. Kāyena saṁvtā dhīrā,
vācāya utta cetasā,
sabbattha saṁvtā dhīrā,
te ve suparisaṁvtā.
282. The wise are restrained bodily,
verbally and also mentally,
the wise are restrained in every way,
they are indeed very well-restrained.
283. Porāṇam etaṁ Ādhora,
na etaṁ ahunā-r-iva:
nindanti tohnim āsīnaṁ,
nindanti mitabhāṇikaṁ,
bahubhāṇikaṁ pi nindanti,
nāsti loke anindito.
283. This is something of old, Ādhora,
this is not something of today:
they blame the one who sits silently,
they blame the one who talks in moderation,
they blame the one who talks a lot,
there is no one in the world not blamed.
284. Na cābhu na ca bhaviṣyati,
na cetarahi vijjati
ekāntanindito poṣo,
ekāntaṁ vā praśaṁsito.
284. There was not and there will not be,
and at present there is not found
a person totally blameworthy,
or one totally praiseworthy.
285. Yañ-ca bālā adhammaṭṭhaṁ
pūjeyu garaheyu vā,
aviñūṁ avibhāvāya,
na taṁ atthāya kāyaci.
285. He who would worship or reproach the one who is unrighteous,
a fool with lack of intelligence, that is to no purpose.
286-287. Yaṁ ca viñū praśaṁsanti,
anuvicca suve suve,
acchidravattiṁ medhāviṁ,
praññāśīlasamāhitaṁ.
nikkhaṁ jāmbūnadasseva,
ko taṁ ninditum arihati?
Devā pi naṁ praśansanti,
Brahmuṇā pi praśaṁsito.
286-287. The one who, after being examined
day by day, is praised by the wise,
faultless in conduct, sagacious,
attending to virtue and wisdom,
one who is like a golden coin,
who is there worthy to blame him?
That one is praised by the gods,
and has been praised by the Brahmās too.
288. Na vākkaraṇamātteṇa,
vannapukkhalatāya vā,
sādhurūpī naro hoti,
iśśukī maccharī śaṭho.
288. Not by eloquence only,
or by a beautiful complexion,
is a person honourable,
if still jealous, selfish and deceitful.
289. Yamhi saccaṁ ca Dhammo ca
viratī saṁyyamo damo,
sa vāntadoṣo medhāvī
sādhurūpī ti vuccati.
289. In whom is truth, Dhamma, abstinence,
restraint and good training,
that sage who has thrown out hatred is said to be honourable.
290. Bahuṁ pi ce sahitaṁ bhāṣamāno,
na takkaro hoti naro pramatto,
gopo va gāvo gaṇayaṁ paresaṁ,
na bhāgavā śāmaṇṇassa hoti.
290. Even though reciting abundant scriptures,
the heedless fellow, who does not do what they say,
like a cowboy counting other’s cattle,
does not partake of the ascetic life.
291. Appaṁ pi ce sahitaṁ bhāṣamāno,
Dhammassa hoti anudhammacārī,
rāgaṁ ca doṣaṁ ca prahāya mohaṁ,
vimuttacitto akhilo akañcho,
anupādiyāno iha vā hure vā
sa bhāgavā śāmannassa hoti.
291. Even though reciting but few scriptures,
but living righteously in accordance with Dhamma,
abandoning greed, hate and delusion,
with mind released, completely without doubt,
that one, unattached here and hereafter,
surely partakes of the ascetic life.
292. Saccaṁ bhaṇe, na kujjheyā,
deyā appā pi yācito,
etehi ttihi ṭṭhāṇehi
gacche devāna’ santike.
292. One should speak out the truth, one should not get angry,
when requested you should give, if only a little,
through these three conditions
one can go to the presence of the gods.
293. Na ve kadāryyā devalokaṁ vrajanti,
bālā hi bhe na praśaṁsanti dānaṁ,
dhīro tu dānaṁ anumodamāno,
teneva so devalokaṁ pareti.
293. The miserly go not to the world of the gods,
fools surely do not praise giving,
but the wise one rejoices in giving,
and through that he goes to the world of the gods.
294. Śīlavantaṁ śuciṁ dacchaṁ,
dhammaṭṭhaṁ saccavādinaṁ,
āttano kārakaṁ śantaṁ,
taṁ jano kurute priyaṁ.
294. Having virtue, being pure and clever,
principled, knowing the truths,
the good one doing the deeds that are his own,
that one the people love.
295. Śreyo ayoguḍā bhuttā tattā, aggiśikhopamā,
yaṁ ca bhuñjeya duśśīlo
rāṣṭapiṇḍaṁ asaṁyyato.
295. It’s better to have eaten glowing iron balls, like flames of fire,
than that the monastic who is unrestrained and unvirtuous
should enjoy the country’s almsfood.
296. Kuśo yathā dugghīto hastam evānukantati,
śāmannaṁ dupparāmāṭṭhaṁ,
nirayāya upakaṭṭati.
296. As kusa grass, wrongly grasped, cuts into the hand,
so does the ascetic life, wrongly grasped,
drag one down to the underworld.
297. Ekadhammam atītassa,
muṣāvādissa jantuno,
vitinnaparalokassa,
nāsti pāpaṁ akāriyaṁ.
297. For the person speaking falsely,
who has transgressed in this one thing,
who has abandoned the next world,
there is no wickedness left undone.
298. Na hi śastaṁ suniśitaṁ,
viṣaṁ hālāhalaṁ tathā,
evaṁ khipraṁ atipāteti
vācā dubbhāṣitā yathā.
298. For not a well-sharpened sword,
or even deadly poison,
destroy quite as quickly as words that are badly spoken.
299. Puruṣassa jāyamānassa kuṭhārī jāyate mukhe,
yāya chindati āttānaṁ vācaṁ dubbhāṣitaṁ bhaṇaṁ.
299. For with the birth of a man an axe is born in his mouth,
with which he cuts himself speaking a word that is badly spoken.
300. Yo hi nindiye praśaṁsati,
uttavā nindati yo praśaṁsiye,
vicināti mukhena so kaliṁ,
kalinā tena sukhaṁ na vindati.
300. He who praises the blameworthy,
or he who blames the praiseworthy,
piles up bad fortune with his mouth,
and because of that bad fortune he does not find happiness.
301. Appāmātto ayaṁ kalī yo
akkhehi dhanaṁ parājaye,
sabbassaṁ pi sahāpi āttanā;
ayam eva mahataro kalī:
yo sugatesu manaṁ pradūṣaye.
Compared to he who has a small measure of bad fortune
through dice and loses his wealth,
everything he owns, together with his self;
this is indeed a far greater bad fortune:
he who has a corrupt mind aimed at those faring well.
302. Śataṁ sahasrāṇi nirabbudānāṁ
chattrīśatiṁ, pañca ca abbudāni,
yaṁ ayiragarahī nirayaṁ upeti,
vācaṁ manaṁ ca praṇidhāya pāpikāṁ.
301. For one hundred and thirty-six thousand
nirabbudas, and five abbudas, Vast numbers of inconceivable size.
he goes to hell through reproaching the noble ones,
having wicked verbal and mental intentions.
303. Kallāṇim eva bhāṣeyā,
na ’ssa mucceya pāpikā,
mokkho kallāṇiye śreyo,
muttā tapati pāpikāṁ.
303. He should speak wholesomely,
he should not speak wickedly,
the speaking of what is wholesome is best,
having spoken wickedly he suffers.
304. Kallāṇim eva seveyā,
na ’ssa mucceya pāpikā,
mokkho kallāṇiye śreyo,
muttā tapati pāpikāṁ.
304. He should practice wholesomely,
he should not speak wickedly,
the speaking of what is wholesome is best,
having spoken wickedly he suffers.
305. Vācaṁ bhāṣeyā kallāṇiṁ,
na ’ssa mucceya pāpikā,
jātaṁ krodhaṁ nivāreyā,
so biṣabbhi nirujjhati.
305. He should speak wholesome words,
he should not speak wickedly,
arisen anger he should constrain,
he ceases from hatred.
Vācāvarggaḥ
The Chapter about Verbalising