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Translators: sujato

Verses of the Senior Monks 2.2

Dukanipāta
The Book of the Twos

Paṭhamavagga
Chapter One

Piṇḍolabhāradvājattheragāthā

Bhāradvāja the Alms-Gatherer

“Nayidaṁ anayena jīvitaṁ,
You can’t live by fasting,

Nāhāro hadayassa santiko;
but food doesn’t lead to peace of heart.

Āhāraṭṭhitiko samussayo,
Seeing how this bag of bones is sustained by food,

Iti disvāna carāmi esanaṁ.
I wander, seeking.

Paṅkoti hi naṁ pavedayuṁ,
They know it’s just a swamp,

Yāyaṁ vandanapūjanā kulesu;
this homage and veneration in respectable families.

Sukhumaṁ sallaṁ durubbahaṁ,
Honor is a subtle dart, hard to extract,

Sakkāro kāpurisena dujjaho”ti.
and hard for a sinner to give up.

Itthaṁ sudaṁ āyasmā piṇḍolabhāradvājo thero gāthāyo abhāsitthāti.
That is how these verses were recited by the senior venerable Bhāradvāja the Alms-Gatherer.