Ven Narada Thera - An Elementary Pali Course - Selections for Translation

Passage 3: Duggatassa Daana.m (A Pauper's Charity)

Source: Rasavaahinii, Yakkhava~ncita Vagga


Ahosi.m duggato pubbe, baaraa.nasiipuruttame;

I was / poor man / in previous life / in greatest city of Benares

I was a poor man in the greatest city of Benares in the previous life.


daana.m denti naraa tattha, nimantetvaana bhikkhavo.

charity / (they) give / men / there / having invited / monks

There, men invite monks and give charity.


Jiivanto bhatiyaa soha.m, daana.m dente mahaajane;

living / by wages / he-I / charity / giving / in community

I, one living by wages, in the community giving charity,


tu.t.thaha.t.the pamudite, eva.m cintesaha.m tadaa.

pleased and delighted / rejoiced / thus / thought-I / then

pleased, delighted and rejoiced. Then I thought thus,


Sampannavatthaala`nkaaraa, daana.m denti ime janaa;

possessed of clothes and ornaments / charity / (they) give / these / people

"Possessing clothes and ornaments, these people give charity.


paratthapi paha.t.thaava, sampattimanubhonti te.

hereafter-just so / delighted-certainly / success-experience / they

Just so, they experience success hereafter, delighted certainly.


Buddhuppaado aya.m daani, dhammo loke pavattati;

time in which a Buddha is born / this / now / Dhamma / in world / (it) persists

This is now the time in which a Buddha is born, the Dhamma persists in the world.


susiilaa daani vattanti, dakkhi.neyyaa jinorasaa.

virtuous / now / (they) proceed / worthy of gifts / Sons of the Buddha

The virtuous ones proceed now. The Sons of the Buddha are worthy of gifts.


Anaava.t.thito sa.msaaro, apaayaa khalu puuritaa;

not settled / Samsara / hells / indeed / full

Samsara is not secure. Hells are indeed full.


kalyaa.navimukhaa sattaa, kaama.m gacchanti duggati.m.

turning away from good / people / sensual pleasure / (they) go / evil state

Turning away from good, people go to sensual pleasure, to evil state.


Idaani dukkhito hutvaa, jiivaami kasirenaha.m;

now / unhappy / having been / (I) live / with difficulty-I

(I am) unhappy now, with difficulty I live.


daliddo kapa.no diino, appabhogo anaa.lhiyo.

wretched / poor / miserable / having little wealth / destitute

Wretched, poor and miserable; having little wealth, broke.


Idaani biija.m ropemi, sukhette saadhusammate;

now / seed / (I) sow / in fertile land / regarded as good

I sow the seed now, in the fertile land considered as good.


appevanaama tenaaha.m, parattha sukhito siyaa.

I reckon / by this-I / hereafter / happy / should be

By this, I reckon I should be happy hereafter."


Iti cintiya bhikkhitvaa, bhati.m katvaana nekadhaa;

thus / having thought over / having asked for / wages / having made / not in one way

Thus, having thought over, begged and made wages in many ways,


ma.n.dapa.m tattha kaaretvaa, nimantetvaana bhikkhavo.

hall / there / having caused to be built / having invited / monks

got the hall built there and invited the monks,


AAyaasena adaasaaha.m, paayaasa.m amataayaso;

with trouble / gave-I / milk porridge / from beyond death-glory

with difficulty, I gave milk porridge. Glory after death,


tena kammavipaakena, devaloke manorame.

with that / with result of action / in heavenly world / in beautiful

with that result of action, in the beautiful heavenly world


Jaatomhi dibbakaamehi, modamaano anekadhaa;

born-I am / with heavenly joys / rejoicing / not in one way

I am born, with heavenly joys; rejoicing in many ways.


diighaayuko va.n.navanto, tejasiica ahosaha.m.

having a long life / beautiful / in radiance-and / was-I

Having a long life, beautiful and in radiance I was.