Ven Narada Thera - An Elementary Pali Course Lesson VIII

Exercise 8-A: Translate into English.

1. Muni narapati.m Dhammena sa`nga.nhitvaa* agami.

sage / king / with Dhamma / having helped / went

The sage, having helped/supported the king with Dhamma, went (away).

Alt: The sage, having restrained the king in the Dhamma, left.**

Alt: The sage captivated the king with the Dhamma and went away.**


2. Kapayo rukkha.m aaruhitvaa phalaani khaadi.msu.

monkeys / tree / having climbed / fruits / ate

The monkeys, having climbed the tree, ate the fruits.


3. Kadaa tumhe kavimhaa potthakaani alabhittha?

when / you / from poet / books / received

When did you receive the books from the poet?


4. Aha.m tesa.m aaraame adhipati ahosi.m.

I / their / in temple / chief / was

I was the chief in their temple.


5. Maya.m gahapatiihi saddhi.m ga`ngaaya udaka.m aaharitvaa aggimhi khipimhaa.

we / with householders / from river / water / having brought / into fire / threw

We, having brought water from the river with the householders, threw (it) into the fire.

Alt: We, together with the householders, brought water from the river and threw it into the fire.


6. Narapati hatthena asi.m gahetvaa assa.m aaruhi.

king / with hand / sword / having taken / horse / mounted

The king, having taken the sword in (his) hand, mounted the horse.


7. Tva.m tuyha.m pati.m aadarena sa`nga.nho.

you / your / husband / with care / treated

You treated your husband with care.


8. Gahapatayo narapatino purato .thatvaa vadi.msu.

householders / of king / in front / having stood / spoke

The householders, having stood before the king, spoke.


9. Atithii amhaaka.m ghara.m aagantvaa aahaara.m bhu~nji.msu.

guests / our / [to] house / having come / food / ate

The guests came to our house and ate food.


10. Saku.naa khettesu viihi.m disvaa khaadi.msu.

birds / in fields / paddy / having seen / ate

The birds, having seen the paddy in the fields, ate (it).


11. Narapati gahapatimhaa ma.ni.m labhitvaa kavino adaasi.

king / from householder / jewel / having obtained / to poet / gave

The king obtained the jewel from the householder and gave (it) to the poet.


12. Adhipati atithiihi saddhi.m aahaara.m bhu~njitvaa muni.m passitu.m agaami.

chief / with guests / food / having eaten / sage / to see / went

Having eaten the food with the guests, the chief went to see the sage.


13. Aha.m mayha.m ~naatino ghare cira.m vasi.m.

I / my / relative's / in house / for a long time / lived

I lived for a long time in my relative's house.


14. Sunakhaa a.t.thiini gahetvaa magge dhaavi.msu.

dogs / bones / having taken / on road / ran

The dogs took the bones and ran on the road.


15. Dhamma.m sutvaa gahapatiina.m Buddhe saddha.m uppajji.

Dhamma / having heard / to householders / in Buddha / faith / arose

Lit: To the householders arose faith in the Buddha having heard the Dhamma.

After hearing the Dhamma, faith in the Buddha arose in the householders.


* Sa`nga.nhaati has three forms of indeclinable absolutive (or gerund): (1) sa`nga.nhitvaa, (2) sa`ngahetvaa, (3) sa`ngayha. [The past participle is sa`ngahita.]


** These alternative answers are rendered in idiomatic English.

[ sa`nga.nhaati = sa.m + ga.nhaati

sa.m- = a prefix which probably means "well, thoroughly, properly" here.

ga.nhaati = seize, take, grab

sa`nga.nhaati = "seize well"; captivate ]


*** went = agami; came = aagami.


Exercise 8-B: Translate into Pali.

1. The father of the sage was a king.

janako / munino / ahosi / narapati

Munino janako narapati ahosi.


2. O householders, why did you not advise your children to go to school?

gahapatayo / kasmaa / tumhe / na ovadittha / tumhaaka.m / daarake / gantu.m / paa.thasaala.m

Gahapatayo, kasmaa tumhe paa.thasaala.m gantu.m tumhaaka.m daarake na ovadittha?


3. We saw the king and came.

maya.m / disvaa / narapati.m / aagamimhaa

Narapati.m disvaa maya.m aagamimhaa.


4. I went and spoke to the poet.

aha.m / gantvaa / avadi.m / kavi.m

Aha.m gantvaa kavi.m avadi.m.


5. The chief of the temple sat on a chair and preached the Doctrine to the householders.

adhipati / aaraamassa / nisiiditvaa / pii.the / desesi / Dhamma.m / gahapatina.m

Pii.the nisiiditvaa aaraamassa adhipati gahapatina.m Dhamma.m desesi.


6. Only yesterday I wrote a letter and sent to my master.

eva / hiiyo / aha.m / likhitvaa / lekhana.m / pesesi.m / mayha.m / adhipatissa

Eva hiiyo aha.m lekhana.m likhitvaa mayha.m adhipatissa pesesi.m.


7. The poet compiled a book and gave to the king.

kavi / sa`nga.nhitvaa / potthaka.m / adaasi / narapatino

Kavi potthaka.m sa`nga.nhitvaa narapatino adaasi.


8. Our relatives lived in the guest's house for a long time and left only (this) morning.

amhaaka.m / ~naatayo / vasitvaa / atithissa / ghare / cira.m / nikkhami.msu / paato'va

Amhaaka.m ~naatayo cira.m atithissa ghare vasitvaa paato'va nikkhami.msu.


9. The householders bought paddy from the farmers and sowed in their fields.

gahapatayo / ki.nitvaa / viihi.m / kassakehi / vapi.msu / tesa.m / khettesu

Gahapatayo kassakehi viihi.m ki.nitvaa tesa.m khettesu vapi.msu.


10. We sat on the benches and listened to the advice of the sage.

maya.m / nisiiditvaa / pii.thesu / su.nimhaa / ovaada.m / munissa

Pii.thesu nisiiditvaa maya.m munissa ovaada.m su.nimhaa.


11. The king built a temple and offered to the sage.

narapati / katvaa / aaraama.m / puujesi / mu.nino

Aaraama.m katvaa narapati mu.nino puujesi.


12. After partaking* my morning meal with the guests I went to see my relatives.

bhu~njitvaa / mayha.m / paataraasa.m / atithinaa saddhi.m / aha.m / agami.m / passitu.m / mayha.m / ~naatayo

Mayha.m paataraasa.m atithinaa saddhi.m bhu~njitvaa aha.m mayha.m ~naatayo passitu.m agami.m.


13. I bought fruits from the market and gave to the monkey.

aha.m / ki.nitvaa / phalaani / aapa.nasmaa / adaasi.m / kapino

Aha.m aapa.nasmaa phalaani ki.nitvaa kapino adaasi.m.


14. Why did you stand in front of the fire and play with the monkey?

kasmaa / tva.m / .thatvaa / purato / aggissa / kii.lo / kapinaa saddhi.m

Kasmaa aggissa purato .thatvaa tva.m kapinaa saddhi.m kii.lo?


15. Faith arose in the king after hearing the Doctrine from the sage.**

saddhaa / uppajji / narapatino / sutvaa / Dhamma.m / munismaa

Munismaa Dhamma.m sutvaa saddhaa narapatino uppajji.


* Use 'bhu~njitvaa'.


** See (1) Exercise 8A/15. (2) http://www.tipitaka.net/pali/palidd/paliload.php?page=a12.

Various way to rewrite the sentence:

- So narapati muninaa dhamma.m sutvaa, tassa saddhaa uppajji.

he / the king / from the sage / the Doctrine / having heard / for him / faith / arose

- (Yo) narapati muninaa dhamma.m sutvaa, tassa saddhaa uppajji.