Thag 3.71 min read

Vāraṇa

Vāraṇattheragāthā

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

0.1Theragāthā 3.7Verses of the Senior Monks 3.7
0.2TikanipātaThe Book of the Threes
0.3PaṭhamavaggaChapter One

0.4VāraṇattheragāthāVāraṇa

1.1“Yodha koci manussesu,Anyone among men1.2parapāṇāni hiṁsati;who harms other creatures:1.3Asmā lokā paramhā ca,that person will fall1.4ubhayā dhaṁsate naro.both from this world and the next.
2.1Yo ca mettena cittena,But someone with a mind of love,2.2sabbapāṇānukampati;sympathetic for all creatures:2.3Bahuñhi so pasavati,a person like that2.4puññaṁ tādisako naro.brims with much merit.
3.1Subhāsitassa sikkhetha,You should all train <j>to learn well-spoken words,¹3.2samaṇūpāsanassa ca;to attend closely to ascetics,3.3Ekāsanassa ca raho,to sit alone in hidden places,3.4cittavūpasamassa cā”ti.and to settle the mind.

3.5… Vāraṇo thero ….

Translator’s notes

I read sikkhetha as second person plural optative, and subhāsitassa (etc.) as dative (of purpose), although we would expect the āya form in this sense. The commentary glosses with third singular and accusative (subhāsitaṁ sikkheyya). However, this flattens this verse into the same third person voice as the previous two. Its distinctive diction, together with the fact that it exists as a separate verse at SN 2.1:2.1 (where, further, it appears to be a quotation), suggest its separate origin and purpose.
↩ thag3.7:3.1