Dhammapada, Dhamma Verses (KN 2)

Introduction – 8
Appamatto pamattesu, || suttesu bahujāgaro,
Heedful amongst the heedless ones, || wakeful amongst the ones who sleep,
abalassaṁ va sīghasso hitvā, || yāti sumedhaso.
like a swift horse who abandons || a weak horse, the wise one moves on.
Occasionally, because of the density, or lack thereof, of information in the verse, I have
had to vary this so that some verses are four lines of six or ten syllables.
In the Dhammapada there are quite a few verses written in other metrical structures,
which include Tuṭṭhubha (11 syllables), Jagati (12 syllables), Vetālīya and
Opacchandasaka (both variable in length). 1
These are set out as four separate lines, matching the semantic unit, which here is
normally the line:
Example (Vetālīya) (v. 15):
Idha socati, pecca socati,
Here he laments, after death he laments,
pāpakārī ubhayattha socati,
the wicked one laments in both places,
so socati, so vihaññati,
he laments, he suffers vexation,
disvā kammakiliṭṭham-attano.
seeing the defilement of his own deeds.
Example (Tuṭṭhubha) (v. 19):
Bahum-pi ce sahitaṁ bhāsamāno,
Even though reciting abundant scriptures,
na takkaro hoti naro pamatto,
the heedless fellow, who does not do (what they say),
gopo va gāvo gaṇayaṁ paresaṁ,
like a cowboy counting other’s cattle,
na bhāgavā sāmaññassa hoti.
does not partake of the ascetic life.
1
For more details of the metre see my New Edition of the Dhammapada: http://bit.ly/ABT-
NewDhp.