235
Paṇḍupalāsova dānisi,
Yamapurisāpi ca te upaṭṭhitā;
Uyyogamukhe ca tiṭṭhasi,
Pātheyyampi ca te na vijjati.
Now you are like a withered leaf,
and the messengers of death await you;
You stand at the |door of departure::mouth of death [uyyogamukha]|,
and |provisions for the journey::this is a reference to the cultivation of the spiritual qualities [pātheyya]| are nowhere to be found.
236
So karohi dīpamattano,
Khippaṁ vāyama paṇḍito bhava;
Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo,
Dibbaṁ ariyabhūmiṁ upehisi.
Make |yourself as your own island::yourself as your own support, refuge [dīpamattano]|,
strive swiftly, be |wise::astute, intelligent, learned, skilled [paṇḍita]|;
Blowing away |impurities::defilements, pollutants, stains [mala]|, and |blemish free::spotless [anaṅgaṇa]|,
you will arrive at the divine abode of the Noble Ones.
237
Upanītavayo ca dānisi,
Sampayātosi yamassa santikaṁ;
Vāso te natthi antarā,
Pātheyyampi ca te na vijjati.
You are now |advanced in age::come to the last stage of life [upanītavaya]|,
headed to the presence of death;
There is no resting place for you in the interval,
and provisions for the journey are nowhere to be found.
238
So karohi dīpamattano,
Khippaṁ vāyama paṇḍito bhava;
Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo,
Na punaṁ jātijaraṁ upehisi.
Make yourself as your own island,
strive swiftly, be wise;
Rid of impurities, and without blemish,
you will not be born again, aging no more.
239
Anupubbena medhāvī,
thokaṁ thokaṁ khaṇe khaṇe;
Kammāro rajatasseva,
niddhame malamattano.
The |discerning one::who has good judgement [medhāvī]| |gradually::step by step [anupubbena]|,
little by little, moment by moment;
Blows off impurities from oneself,
just as a smith purifies silver.
240
Ayasāva malaṁ samuṭṭhitaṁ,
Tatuṭṭhāya tameva khādati;
Evaṁ atidhonacārinaṁ,
Sāni kammāni nayanti duggatiṁ.
Just as rust arises from iron,
and |corrodes::consumes [khādati]| the very metal from which it arose;
In the same way, for the |overly negligent person::who indulges oneself too much [atidhonacārī]|,
their actions lead them to a |bad destination::state of misery [duggati]|.
241
Asajjhāyamalā mantā,
anuṭṭhānamalā gharā;
Malaṁ vaṇṇassa kosajjaṁ,
pamādo rakkhato malaṁ.
Non-recitation is the stain of |chants::mantras [mantā]|,
non-effort is the stain of households;
Laziness is the stain of |beauty::good looks [vaṇṇa]|,
|negligence::carelessness, heedlessness [pamāda]| is the stain of |protecting::guarding, watching over [rakkhati]|.
242
Malitthiyā duccaritaṁ,
maccheraṁ dadato malaṁ;
Malā ve pāpakā dhammā,
asmiṁ loke paramhi ca.
|Immorality::bad conduct [duccarita]| is the stain of a woman,
|stinginess::selfishness, meanness, tight-fistedness [macchera]| is the stain of giving;
Indeed, the stains are |harmful::injurious, destructive, bad, or evil [pāpaka]| qualities,
both in this world and the next.
243
Tato malā malataraṁ,
avijjā paramaṁ malaṁ;
Etaṁ malaṁ pahantvāna,
nimmalā hotha bhikkhavo.
But worse than these stains,
is |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]| - the ultimate stain;
Having put an end to this stain,
be |spotless::stainless [nimmala]|, bhikkhus.
244
Sujīvaṁ ahirikena,
kākasūrena dhaṁsinā;
Pakkhandinā pagabbhena,
saṅkiliṭṭhena jīvitaṁ.
Easy is the life of one who is |shameless::lacking sense of right and wrong, without conscience [ahirika]|,
brazen as a crow, destructive;
|Audacious::forward [pakkhandī]|, |brash::impudent [pagabbha]|,
|defiled::tainted, corrupted [saṅkiliṭṭha]| in livelihood.
245
Hirīmatā ca dujjīvaṁ,
niccaṁ sucigavesinā;
Alīnenāppagabbhena,
suddhājīvena passatā.
Hard is the life of one |with a sense of right and wrong::having conscience [hirīmant]|,
|continuously::regularly, reliably [nicca]| |seeking purity::seeking the good [sucigavesī]|;
|Not sluggish::not stuck [alīna]| and |unassuming::courteous, respectful [appagabbha]|,
living a pure life and seeing clearly.
246
Yo pāṇamatipāteti,
musāvādañca bhāsati;
Loke adinnamādiyati,
paradārañca gacchati.
Whoever takes life,
speaks falsehood;
takes what is not given in the world,
and goes to another’s partner.
247
Surāmerayapānañca,
yo naro anuyuñjati;
Idheva meso lokasmiṁ,
mūlaṁ khaṇati attano.
Drinking liquor, wine, and beer,
such a person gives oneself up;
Right here, in this very world,
they |uproot::dig up [khaṇati]| their own foundation.
248
Evaṁ bho purisa jānāhi,
pāpadhammā asaññatā;
Mā taṁ lobho adhammo ca,
ciraṁ dukkhāya randhayuṁ.
Know this, O good man,
|unrestrained::uncontrolled [asaññata]| and with harmful mental qualities;
Let not |greed::a grasping mental quality of craving, possessiveness, or lustful wanting that clings to objects or experiences; it fuels attachment and obstructs renunciation and contentment [lobha]| and |false teaching::wrong views, unjust means, wrongdoing and misconduct [adhamma]|,
|afflict::harm, oppress [randhayi]| you with suffering for a long time.
249
Dadāti ve yathāsaddhaṁ,
yathāpasādanaṁ jano;
Tattha yo ca maṅku bhavati,
paresaṁ pānabhojane;
Na so divā vā rattiṁ vā,
samādhimadhigacchati.
A person gives |according to what they have faith in::according to what one has confidence in [yathāsaddhaṃ]|,
and according to what |inspires one::pleases one [pasādana]|;
But whoever is |troubled::upset, disturbed [maṅku]|,
about others receiving food and drink;
Does not attain |collectedness::stability of mind, stillness of mind, mental composure [samādhi]|,
whether by day or by night.
250
Yassa cetaṁ samucchinnaṁ,
mūlaghaccaṁ samūhataṁ;
Sa ve divā vā rattiṁ vā,
samādhimadhigacchati.
But for one in whom this envy,
has been cut off at the root, uprooted entirely;
They attain collectedness,
whether by day or by night.
251
Natthi rāgasamo aggi,
natthi dosasamo gaho;
Natthi mohasamaṁ jālaṁ,
natthi taṇhāsamā nadī.
There is no fire like |passion::intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāga]|,
no grip like |aversion::hatred, hostility, mental attitude of rejection, fault-finding, resentful disapproval [dosa]|;
No net like |delusion::illusion, misperception, erroneous belief, false idea, misapprehension; a fundamental distortion of reality that sustains confusion, clouds discernment, and fuels further doubt [moha]|,
and no river like |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇhā]|.
252
Sudassaṁ vajjamaññesaṁ,
attano pana duddasaṁ;
Paresaṁ hi so vajjāni,
opunāti yathā bhusaṁ;
Attano pana chādeti,
kaliṁva kitavā saṭho.
It is easy to see the |faults::errors, mistakes [vajja]| of others,
but |difficult to see::hard to perceive [duddasa]| one’s own;
One exposes the faults of others,
as easily as |chaff::husk [bhusa]| is sifted through;
But hides one’s own faults,
like a crafty gambler conceals |a losing throw::bad luck [kalī]|.
253
Paravajjānupassissa,
niccaṁ ujjhānasaññino;
Āsavā tassa vaḍḍhanti,
ārā so āsavakkhayā.
For one who looks for others’ faults,
always finding something to blame;
Their |defilements::mental outflows, discharges, taints [āsava]| grow,
and they are far from the |wearing away of the taints::gradual exhaustion and elimination of the mental defilements or deep-seated afflictions such as sensual desire, craving for existence, views, and ignorance [āsava + khaya]|.
254
Ākāseva padaṁ natthi,
samaṇo natthi bāhire;
Papañcābhiratā pajā,
nippapañcā tathāgatā.
Just as there is no path in the sky,
there is no ascetic outside [the Buddha’s Dhamma];
While people |delight in proliferation::enjoy various opinions, delight in speculation, engage in conceptual proliferation [papañcābhirata]|,
the |Tathāgatas::those who have arrived at the truth, epithet of the Buddha [tathāgata]| are free from proliferation.
255
Ākāseva padaṁ natthi,
samaṇo natthi bāhire;
Saṅkhārā sassatā natthi,
natthi buddhānamiñjitaṁ.
Just as there is no path in the sky,
there is no ascetic outside [the Buddha’s Dhamma];
Conditioned things are not |everlasting::eternal [sassata]|,
and the Buddhas never |waver::are disturbed, experience agitation [iñjita]|.