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.