Theragāthā 5.2
Translators: sujato
Verses of the Senior Monks 5.2
Pañcakanipāta
The Book of the Fives
Paṭhamavagga
Chapter One
Subhūtattheragāthā
Subhūta
“Ayoge yuñjamattānaṁ,
When a person, wishing for a certain outcome,
puriso kiccamicchako;
applies themselves where they ought not;
Carañce nādhigaccheyya,
not achieving what they worked for,
‘taṁ me dubbhagalakkhaṇaṁ’.
they say: “That’s a sign of my bad luck.”
Abbūḷhaṁ aghagataṁ vijitaṁ,
When a misfortune is extracted and beaten,
Ekañce ossajeyya kalīva siyā;
to surrender it in part would be like losing at dice;
Sabbānipi ce ossajeyya andhova siyā,
but to surrender it all you’d have to be blind,
Samavisamassa adassanato.
not seeing the even and the uneven.
Yañhi kayirā tañhi vade,
You should only say what you would do;
yaṁ na kayirā na taṁ vade;
you shouldn’t say what you wouldn’t do.
Akarontaṁ bhāsamānaṁ,
The wise will recognize
parijānanti paṇḍitā.
one who talks without doing.
Yathāpi ruciraṁ pupphaṁ,
Just like a glorious flower
vaṇṇavantaṁ agandhakaṁ;
that’s colorful but lacks fragrance;
Evaṁ subhāsitā vācā,
well-spoken speech is fruitless
aphalā hoti akubbato.
for one who does not act on it.
Yathāpi ruciraṁ pupphaṁ,
Just like a glorious flower
Vaṇṇavantaṁ sugandhakaṁ;
that's both colorful and fragrant,
Evaṁ subhāsitā vācā,
well-spoken speech is fruitful
Saphalā hoti kubbato”ti.
for one who acts on it.
… Subhūto thero ….