--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "flrobert2000" <flrobert2000@...> wrote:

>
> Dear all,
>
> This is a sentence extracted from the story of Ma.t.thaku.n.dali
> (Yamakavaggo) who never was able to listen to the Buddha because of
> his miserly father. However he was able to profess his faith

mentally

> just before dying and was reborn in heaven.
>
> Andhabaalapitara.m nissaaya evaruupa.m buddha.m upasa.mkamitvaa ...
> daana.m vaa daatu.m dhamma.m vaa sotu.m naalattha.m ... a~n~na.m
> kattabba.m natthii ti manameva pasaadesi.

I suggest the following: "Because of a foolish father, I did not get
(a chance)to come to such an awakened being and offer alms (to him)
or listen to dhamma. There is nothing else that can be done (now).
So thinking he just made his(own) mind happy (about the Buddha." (1)
In translating a gerundive/absolutive (a word ending in -tvaa or -ya)
one must first look at the verb or other verbal form to which it is
tagged. In this case "upasa.mkamitvaa daana.m daatu.m/ dhamma.m
sotu.m" should be taken together and connected with "na alattha.m".
(2) The last word is an aorist 1st p. sing., "I did not get". What
did I not get? "evaruupa.m buddha.m upasa.mkamitvaa daana.m daatu.m,
dhamma.m sotu.m": (a chance) to approach such a Buddha and....".(3)
iti is a conjunction like that in English. It can be translated
as "so thinking/ so saying" etc. depending on the context. (4)
mana.m eva pasaadesi: he entertained plesant feelings (about the
Buddha).

Good luck!

Mahipaliha