Verse 60

Long is the night to the sleepless;
long is the league to the weary.
Long is worldly existence to fools
who know not the Sublime Truth.

Verse 59

Even so, on the rubbish heap
of blinded mortals the disciple
of the Supremely Enlightened One shines
resplendent in wisdom.

Verse 58

Upon a heap of rubbish
in the road-side ditch blooms a lotus,
fragrant and pleasing.

Verse 57

Mara never finds the path
of the truly virtuous,
who abide in heedfulness
and are freed by perfect knowledge.

Verse 56

Faint is the fragrance
of tagara and sandal,
but excellent is the fragrance
of the virtuous,
wafting even amongst the gods.

Verse 55

Of all the fragrances --
sandal, tagara, blue lotus and jasmine --
the fragrance of virtue
is by far the sweetest.

Verse 54

Not the sweet smell of flowers,
not even the fragrance of sandal,
tagara, or jasmine
blows against the wind.
But the fragrance of the virtuous
blows against the wind.
Truly the virtuous man
pervades all directions
with the fragrance of his virtue.

Verse 53

As from a great heap of flowers
many garlands can be made,
even so should many good deeds
be done by one born a mortal.

Verse 52

Like a beautiful flower full of color
and also fragrant,
even so,
fruitful are the fair words
of one who practices them.

Verse 51

Like a beautiful flower
full of color but without fragrance,
even so,
fruitless are the fair words
of one who does not practice them.

Verse 50

Let none find fault with others;
let none see the omissions
and commissions of others.
But let one see one's own acts,
done and undone.

Verse 49

As a bee gathers honey
from the flower without injuring
its color or fragrance,
even so the sage goes on his alms-round
in the village.

Verse 48

The Destroyer
brings under his sway
the person of distracted mind who,
insatiate in sense desires,
only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).

Verse 47

As a mighty flood
sweeps away the sleeping village,
so death carries away the person
of distracted mind
who only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).

Verse 46

Realizing that this body is like froth,
penetrating its mirage-like nature,
and plucking out Mara's
flower-tipped arrows of sensuality,
go beyond sight of the King of Death!

Verse 45

A striver-on-the path
shall overcome this earth,
this realm of Yama
and this sphere of men and gods.
The striver-on-the-path
shall bring to perfection
the well-taught path of wisdom,
as an expert garland-maker would
his floral design.

Verse 44

Who shall overcome this earth,
this realm of Yama
and this sphere of men and gods?
Who shall bring to perfection
the well-taught path of wisdom
as an expert garland-maker
would his floral design?

Verse 43

Neither mother, father,
nor any other relative
can do one greater good
than one's own well-directed mind.

Verse 42

Whatever harm an enemy
may do to an enemy,
or a hater to a hater,
an ill-directed mind
inflicts on oneself a greater harm.

Verse 41

Ere long, alas!
This body will lie upon the earth,
unheeded and lifeless,
like a useless log.

Verse 40

Realizing that this body
is as fragile as a clay pot,
and fortifying this mind
like
a well-fortified city,
fight out Mara
with the sword of wisdom.
Then, guarding the conquest,
remain unattached.

Verse 39

There is no fear for an awakened one,
whose mind is not sodden (by lust)
nor afflicted (by hate),
and who has gone beyond
both merit and demerit.

Verse 38

Wisdom never becomes perfect
in one whose mind is not steadfast,
who knows not the Good Teaching
and whose faith wavers.

Verse 37

Dwelling in the cave (of the heart),
the mind, without form,
wanders far and alone.
Those who subdue this mind
are liberated from the bonds of Mara.

Verse 36

Let the discerning man
guard the mind,
so difficult to detect and extremely subtle,
seizing whatever it desires.
A guarded mind brings happiness.

Verse 35

Wonderful, indeed,
it is to subdue the mind,
so difficult to subdue, ever swift,
and seizing whatever it desires.
A tamed mind brings happiness.

Verse 34

As a fish when pulled out of water
and cast on land
throbs and quivers,
even so is this mind agitated.
Hence should one abandon
the realm of Mara.

Verse 33

Just as a fletcher straightens
an arrow shaft,
even so the discerning man
straightens his mind --
so fickle and unsteady,
so difficult to guard and control.

Verse 32

The monk who delights
in heedfulness
and looks with fear at heedlessness
will not fall.
He is close to Nibbana.

Verse 31

The monk who delights
in heedfulness
and looks with fear at heedlessness
advances like fire,
burning all fetters, small and large.

Verse 30

By Heedfulness did Indra
become the overlord of the gods.
Heedfulness is ever praised,
and heedlessness ever despised.

Verse 29

Heedful among the heedless,
wide-awake among the sleepy,
the wise man advances
like a swift horse
leaving behind a weak jade.

Verse 28

Just as one upon the summit of a mountain
beholds the groundlings,
even so when the wise man
casts away heedlessness
by heedfulness
and ascends
the high tower of wisdom,
this sorrowless sage beholds
the sorrowing and foolish multitude.

Verse 27

Do not give way to heedlessness.
Do not indulge in sensual pleasures.
Only the heedful and meditative
attain great happiness.

Verse 26

The foolish and ignorant
indulge in heedlessness,
but the wise one keeps his heedfulness
as his best treasure.

Verse 25

By effort and heedfulness,
discipline and self-mastery,
let the wise one make for himself
an island which no flood can overwhelm.

Verse 24

Ever grows the glory of him
who is energetic, mindful
and pure in conduct,
discerning and self-controlled,
righteous and heedful.

Verse 23

The wise ones, ever meditative
and steadfastly persevering,
alone experience Nibbana,
the incomparable freedom
from bondage.

Verse 22

Clearly understanding
this excellence of heedfulness,
the wise exult therein and enjoy the resort
of the Noble Ones.

Verse 21

Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless.
Heedlessness is the path to death.
The heedful die not.
The heedless are as if dead already.

Verse 20

Little though
he recites the sacred texts,
but puts the Teaching
into practice,
forsaking lust, hatred, and delusion,
with true wisdom
and emancipated mind,
clinging to nothing
of this or any other world --
he indeed partakes
of the blessings of a holy life.

Verse 19

Much though he recites
the sacred texts,
but acts not accordingly,
that heedless man
is like a cowherd
who only counts the cows of others --
he does not partake
of the blessings of the holy life.

Verse 18

The doer of good
delights here and hereafter;
he delights in both the worlds.
The thought, "Good have I done,"
delights him, and he delights
even more when gone to realms of bliss.

Verse 17

The evil-doer
suffers here and hereafter;
he suffers in both the worlds.
The thought, "Evil have I done,"
torments him, and he suffers
even more when gone to realms of woe.

Verse 16

The doer of good
rejoices here and hereafter;
he rejoices in both the worlds.
He rejoices and exults,
recollecting his own pure deeds.

Verse 15

The evil-doer
grieves here and hereafter;
he grieves in both the worlds.
He laments and is afflicted,
recollecting his own impure deeds.

Verse 14

Just as rain
does not break through
a well-thatched house,
so passion never penetrates
a well-developed mind.

Verse 13

Just as rain
breaks through
an ill-thatched house,
so passion penetrates
an undeveloped mind.

Verse 12

Those who know
the essential to be essential
and the unessential to be unessential,
dwelling in right thoughts,
do arrive at the essential.

Verse 11

Those who mistake
the unessential to be essential
and the essential to be unessential,
dwelling in wrong thoughts,
never arrive at the essential.

Verse 10

But whoever is purged of depravity,
well-established in virtues
and filled with self-control
and truthfulness,
he indeed is worthy of the yellow robe.

Verse 9

Whoever being depraved,
devoid of self-control
and truthfulness,
should don the monk's yellow robe,
he surely is not worthy of the robe.

Verse 8

Just as a storm
cannot prevail against a rocky mountain,
so Mara can never overpower
the man who lives meditating
on the impurities, who is controlled
in his senses, moderate in eating,
and filled with faith and earnest effort.

Verse 7

Just as a storm
throws down a weak tree,
so does Mara overpower the man
who lives for the pursuit of pleasures,
who is uncontrolled in his senses,
immoderate in eating,

indolent and dissipated.

Verse 6

There are those
who do not realize
that one day we all must die.
But those who do realize this

settle their quarrels.

Verse 5

Hatred is never appeased
by hatred in this world.
By non-hatred alone
is hatred appeased.
This is a law eternal

Verse 4

"He abused me,
he struck me,
he overpowered me,
he robbed me."
Those who do not harbor such thoughts
still their hatred.

Verse 3

"He abused me,
he struck me,
he overpowered me,
he robbed me."
Those who harbor such thoughts
do not still their hatred.

Verse 2

Mind precedes all mental states.

Mind is their chief;

they are all mind-wrought.

If with a pure mind

a person speaks or acts,

happiness follows him

like his never-departing shadow.

Verse 1

Mind precedes all mental states

Mind is their chief;

they are all mind-wrought.

If with an impure mind

a person speaks or acts,

suffering follows him like the wheel

that follows the foot of the ox.