Ven Narada Thera - An Elementary Pali Course Lesson XIV

Exercise 14-A: Translate into English.

1. "Eva.m me suta.m"

thus / by me / heard

Thus I have heard.


2. Mayi gate* so aagato.

I / gone / he / come

He came when I was gone.


3. Ki.m tena kata.m?

what / by him / done

What is done by him?


4. So tassa va.n.na.m bha.namaano ma.m upasa.mkami.

he / his / praise / speaking / me / approached

Speaking his praise, he approached me.


5. Aha.m magge gacchanto tasmi.m rukkhe nisinna.m sakuna.m passi.m.

I / on way / going / on that / on tree / seated / bird / saw

Going on the way, I saw the bird perched on that tree.


6. Bhikkhuuhi lokassa dhammo desetabbo.

by monks / to world / Dhamma / should be preached

The Dhamma should be preached to the world by the monks.


7. Puñña.m kattabba.m, paapa.m na kaatabba.m.

good / should be done / evil / should not be done

Good should be done, evil should not be done.


8. Ajja etena maggena mayaa gantabba.m.**

today / by this / by road / by me / should go

I should go by this path today.


9. Sabbaa itthiyo dhamma.m sunantiyo etaaya saalaaya nisiidi.msu.

all / women / doctrine / hearing / in this / in hall / were seated

All the women listening to the doctrine were seated in this hall.


10. Pa.n.ditaa ya.m ya.m desa.m bhajanti tattha tatth'eva puujitaa honti.***

wise men / whichever / place / visit / here and there-just / venerated / are

Whichever place the wise men visit, they are venerated at that very place.


11. Buddhena bujjhitaani saccaani mayaa'pi bujjhitabbaani.

by Buddha / understood / truths / by me-too / should be understood

The truths understood by the Buddha should be understood by me too.


12. Para.m loka.m (tayi) gacchante* tayaa kata.m puñña.m vaa paapa.m vaa tayaa saddhi.m gacchati.

[to] the other / [to] world / (you) / going / by you / done / merit or / evil or / with you / goes

As you go to the other world, good or evil done by you goes with you.


13. .Thito vaa nisinno vaa gacchanto vaa sayanto (or sayaano) vaa aha.m sabbesu sattesu metta.m karomi.

stood or / seated or / going or / lying (down) or / I / in all / in beings / loving-kindness / do

Either standing, sitting, moving or lying down, I extend loving-kindness to all beings.


14. Vejjasaalaaya vasantaana.m gilaanaana.m pure osadha.m daatabba.m, pacchaa aparesa.m daatabba.m.

in doctor-hall / dwelling / to sick people / earlier / medicine / should be given / to others / afterwards

Medicine should be given to the patients staying in the hospital first, (it) should be given to the others later.


15. Ki.m nu kattabban'ti ajaanantaa te mama purato a.t.tha.msu.

what / - / to be done / not knowing / they / of me / in the presence / stood

Not knowing "what to be done", they stood in front of me.


16. "Pemato**** jaayati soko -- pemato jaayati bhaya.m;

from attachment / arises / grief / from attachment / arises / fear

From attachment, grief arises, so does fear;


Pemato vippamuttassa -- n'atthi soko kuto bhaya.m."

from attachment / released / is not / grief / whence / fear

Released from attachment, without grief, where comes fear.


17. "Ta.nhaaya jaayati soko -- ta.nhaaya jaayati bhaya.m;

from craving / arises / grief / from craving / arises / fear

From craving, grief arises, so does fear;


Ta.nhaaya vippamuttassa -- n'atthi soko kuto bhaya.m."

from craving / released / is not / grief / whence / fear

released from craving, without grief, where comes fear.


18. Ekasmi.m samaye aññataro devo rattiya.m Buddha.m upasa`nkamitvaa saddhaaya vanditvaa bhuumiya.m a.t.thaasi.

on one / on occassion / a certain / deva / in night / Buddha / having approached / with faith / having saluted / on ground / stood

On one occassion, a certain deva approached the Buddha in the night, saluted (him) with faith and stood on the ground.


.Thito so devo Buddha.m eka.m pañha.m pucchi.

stood / that / deva / Buddha / one / question / asked

That deva, standing, asked the Buddha one question.


Pucchantassa devassa Buddho eva.m dhamma.m desesi.

asking / deva / Buddha / thus / Dhamma / preached

The Buddha thus preached the Dhamma to the deva who is asking.


19. Te ga`ngaaya.m nahaayante maya.m passimhaa.

them / in river / bathing / we / saw

We saw them bathing in the river.


20. "Sabbesu bhuutesu nidhaaya da.n.da.m*****

towards all / towards beings / having left aside / stick

Leaving aside the cudgel towards all beings,


Avihe.thaya.m aññataram'pi tesa.m

not hurting / certain (one) - and / of them

and not hurting any of them,


Na puttam'iccheyya kuto sahaaya.m

not / son / (he) should wish / whence / friend

he would not wish (for) a son. Whence a friend?


Eko care khaggavisaa.nakappo."

one / should wander / like a rhinoceros

One should wander (alone) like a rhinoceros.


* These are Locative absolutes. Duroiselle 603(ii): The Locative absolute may often be translated by "when, while, since" and sometimes by 'although'. Warder Chapter 16: Noun (or Pronoun) + Participle [can be active or passive]. Both in locative case. See also Exercise 14B-10.


** Sentence in Absolute voice. See Ven. Pandita's explanation:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pali/message/6595


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pali/message/6626


*** See Ven. Pandita's explanation on vicchaa, the concept of reduplicated words, and analysis of the sentence in Relational Grammar:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pali/message/6769


**** 'to' is another suffix for forming the ablative.


***** Verse from Sutta Nipaata. More doctrinal information here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pali/message/6667


Exercise 14-B: Translate into Pali.

1. This was done by you.

ida.m* / kata.m / te

Ida.m te kata.m.


2. The branch was cut by him.

saakhaa / chinnaa / tena

Saakhaa tena chinnaa.


3. I saw a man going in the street.

aha.m / passi.m / nara.m / gacchanta.m / visikhaaya

Aha.m visikhaaya gacchanta.m nara.m passi.m.


4. She stood saluting the sage.

saa / a.t.thaasi / vandantii / muni.m

Saa muni.m vandantii a.t.thaasi.


5. I came home when he had gone to school.

aha.m / aagato / ghara.m / tasmi.m / gate** / paa.thasaala.m

Tasmi.m paa.thasaala.m gate aha.m ghara.m aagato.


6. The monkeys ate the fallen fruits.

kapayo / khaadi.msu / patitaani / phalaani

Kapayo patitaani phalaani khaadi.msu.


7. They saw her sitting in the hall.

te / passi.msu / ta.m / nisiidanti.m / salaaya

Te salaaya nisiidanti.m ta.m passi.msu.


8. You should not bathe in the river (Ganges).

tayaa / na nahaatabba.m / ga`ngaaya.m

Tayaa ga`ngaaya.m na nahaatabba.m.


9. Let him do what should be done.

so / karontu / ya.m…ta.m / kattabba.m

Ya.m kattabba.m ta.m so karontu.


10. Thus should it be understood by you.

eva.m / te / ta.m / da.t.thabba.m***

Eva.m te ta.m da.t.thabba.m.


11. The books written by me should not be given to them.

potthakaani / likhitaani / mayaa / na daatabbaani / tesa.m

Mayaa likhitaani potthakaani na tesa.m daatabbaani.


12. My friends saw the jewel that was thrown into the fire.

mayha.m / mittaani / passi.msu / ma.ni.m / khitta.m / aggimhi

Mayha.m mittaani aggimhi khitta.m ma.ni.m passi.msu.


13. I sat on the ground listening to the doctrine preached by the monks.

aha.m / nisiidi.m / bhuumiya.m / su.nanto / dhamma.m / desita.m / bhikkhuuhi

Bhikkhuuhi desita.m dhamma.m su.nanto aha.m bhuumiya.m nisiidi.m.


14. The virtuous should do much merit.

gu.navantehi / kattabba.m / bahu.m / puñña.m

Gu.navantehi bahu.m puñña.m kattabba.m.


15. The people saw the sick persons drinking medicine given by the physician.

naraa / passi.msu / gilaane / pibante / osadha.m / dinna.m / vajjena

Naraa vajjena dinna.m osadha.m pibante gilaane passi.msu.


* Refer to Lesson 15.


** Locative absolute: see also Exercise 14A-2/12.


*** Da.t.thabba [from dassati]: should be seen as, should be regarded as.