Dhammapada, Dhamma Verses (KN 2)

Kŏ imaṁ paṭhaviṁ vicessati
Who will know 1 this earth
29
Pupphavaggo
4. The Chapter about Flowers
yamalokañ-ca imaṁ sadevakaṁ?
and the lower realm, 2 together with the gods? 3
Ko dhammapadaṁ sudesitaṁ
Who (will reflect) 4 on the well-taught verse of Dhamma
kusalo puppham-ivappacessati? [44]
as a good man reflects on a flower?
Sekho paṭhaviṁ vicessati
The trainee 5 will know this earth
yamalokañ-ca imaṁ sadevakaṁ.
and the lower realm, together with the gods.
Sekho dhammapadaṁ sudesitaṁ
The trainee (will reflect) on the well-taught verse of Dhamma
kusalo puppham-ivappacessati. [45]
as a good man reflects on a flower.
1
Often translated as overcome, or conquer, as far as I can see the word is unattested with that
meaning, unless it be here. Comm: attano ñāṇena vicinissati vijānissati, paṭivijjhissati,
sacchikarissati; note the similarity in meaning to pacessati below.
2
Comm: Yamalokañ-cā ti catubbidhaṃ apāyalokaṁ; Yama’s realm means the fourfold lower realm.
3
The sentence is evidently meant to encompass the three realms of existence. Norman’s translation
here: this world of Yama with its gods is wrong, as there are no gods in the lower realms of
course.
4
Many times translated as gather or pluck, the commentary defines it with: vicinissati vijānissati
upaparikkhissati paṭivijjhissati, sacchikarissati.
5
Sekha is a technical term meaning one who is training, having attained at least to Stream-Entry,
but not yet to the final stage of Awakening.