Patna Dhamma Verses
Patna Dhammapadaṁ
Dadantīvarggaḥ
18: The Chapter about Giving
327. Dadanti ve yathāśraddhaṁ,
yathāprasadanaṁ janā,
tattha yo dummano hoti
paresaṁ pānabhojane,
na so divā ca rātto ca,
samādhim adhigacchati.
327. The people give according to faith,
according to their confidence,
herein the one who becomes depressed
because of food and drink given to others,
does not, either by day or night,
attain to good concentration.
328. Yassa cetaṁ samucchinnaṁ,
mūlogghaccaṁ samūhataṁ,
sa ve divā ca rātto ca,
samādhim adhigacchati.
328. For the one in whom this depression is cut off,
destroyed at the root, dug up,
does, by day and night,
attain to good concentration.
329. Aśśo va bhadro kaṣāya puṭṭho,
ātāpino saviṅgaṇo carāṇo.
Śraddhāya sīlena ca vīriyeṇa ca,
samādhinā Dhammavipaśśanāya ca,
te khāntisoracchasamādhisaṇṭhitā,
śutassa praññāya ca sāram ajjhagū.
329. Like a good horse touched by the whip,
living ardent and spiritually intense.
Having faith, virtue and energy,
concentration and insight into the Dhamma,
well-established in patience, meekness and concentration,
they have come to the essence of wisdom and learning.
330. Yo driṣṭe dhamme labhati śraddhāṁ praññāṁ anuttarāṁ,
sa ve mahaddhano loke,
moham aññaṁ bahuṁ dhanaṁ.
330. He who acquires faith and wisdom unsurpassed in this very life,
has great wealth in the world,
other wealth, though great, is useless. Understanding
331. Śraddho sīlena sampanno
yaśabhogasamāhito,
yaṁ yaṁ so bhajate deśaṁ,
tattha tattheva pūjiyo.
331. The faithful one who is possessed of virtue,
and has wealth and fame,
whatever district he resorts to,
right there and then he is worshipped.
332. Śraddhā bitiyaṁ puruṣaṁ carantaṁ,
na naṁ labheyā aśraddho va cāro,
yaśo ca kittī ca tato nam eti,
saggañ-ca gacche śarīraṁ prahāya.
332. Faith is a person’s travelling companion,
he would not accept travelling without faith,
from that there will be fame and renown for him,
and when he abandons the body he goes to heaven.
333. Aśraddho akataññū ca
sandhicchedo ca yo naro,
hatāvakāśo vāntāśo,
sa ve uttimaporuṣo.
333. The person who is beyond mere faith,
who knows that which is unmade,
who has cut off rebirth-linking,
who has destroyed the occasion,
who has thrown out hope and desire,
is surely the person supreme.
334. Kiccho Buddhāna’ uppādo,
kicchā Dhammassa deśanā,
kiccho śraddhapaṭīlābho,
kicchaṁ māccāna’ jīvitaṁ.
334. It is rare the arising of Buddhas,
rare the teaching of the Dhamma,
it is rare to acquire faith,
rare is the life of mortals.
335. Anavaṭṭhitacittassa,
Saddhammam avijānato,
pāriplavaprasādassa,
praññā na paripūrati.
335. For the one with unsettled mind,
who does not know the True Dhamma,
whose confidence is wavering,
wisdom is unfulfilled.
336. Nāprasannacittena,
duṣṭena kupitena vā,
śakkam ājānituṁ Dhammo,
sārambhabahulena vā.
336. For one who has a mind lacking confidence,
that is base or agitated,
and frequently impetuous,
it is not possible to understand the Dhamma.
337. Yo tu vinīya sārambhaṁ,
aprasādaṁ ca cetaso,
prasannacitto sumano,
sa ve nyāyyā subhāṣitaṁ.
337. He who has removed impetuosity,
displeasure from his mind,
with confident mind, happy,
he can understand well-spoken words.
338. Manuṣyapaṭilābhena,
saggānāṁ gamanena ca,
pthivyām ekarājjena –
sotāpattiphalaṁ varaṁ.
338. Acquiring birth as a human,
or going to the heavens,
or having sole sovereignty over the earth –
better is the fruit of stream-entry.
339-340. Yassa śraddhā Tathāgate
acalā supratiṣṭhitā,
śīlañ-ca yassa kallāṇaṁ,
ayirakāntaṁ praśaṁsiyaṁ,
Saṅghe prasādo yassa asti,
ujjubhūtañ-ca daṁśanaṁ,
‘adaridro’ ti tam āhu,
amoghaṁ tassa jīvitaṁ.
339-340. He whose faith in the Realised One
is well-established and unmoveable,
whose virtue is beautiful,
praised by the noble ones,
who has confidence in the Saṅgha,
who sees uprightly,
he they say is ‘not poor’,
his life is not in vain.
341. Tassā śraddhañ-ca śīlaṁ ca prasādaṁ Dhammadaṁśane,
anuyuñjeya medhāvī saraṁ Buddhāna’ śāsanaṁ.
341. Therefore with faith, virtue, confidence and insight into Dhamma,
a sage should devote himself to the essence of the Buddhas’ dispensation.
Dadantīvarggaḥ
The Chapter about Giving