Table of Contents | Words: Alphabetical - Frequency - Inverse - Length - Statistics | Help | IntraText Library

Dhammapada

IntraText CT - Text

  • IV  -Blossoms
    • 53*:
Previous - Next

Click here to hide the links to concordance

53*53:

Just as from a heap of flowers
many garland strands can be made,
    even so
one born & mortal
    should do
-- with what's born & is mortal --
    many a skillful thing.

 




53: The last line of the Pali here can be read in two ways, either "even so, many a skillful thing should be done by one born & mortal" or "even so, many a skillful thing should be done with what's born & mortal." The first reading takes the phrase jatena maccena, born & mortal, as being analogous to the flower-arranger implicit in the image. The second takes it as analogous to the heap of flowers explicitly mentioned. In this sense, "what's born & is mortal" would stand for one's body, wealth, and talents.






Previous - Next

Table of Contents | Words: Alphabetical - Frequency - Inverse - Length - Statistics | Help | IntraText Library

Best viewed with any browser at 800x600 or 768x1024 on Tablet PC
IntraText® (V89) - Some rights reserved by EuloTech SRL - 1996-2007. Content in this page is licensed under a Creative Commons License