---
title: "Verses of the Senior Monks · Theragāthā"
author: "The Elder Monks"
translator: "Bhikkhu Sujato"
languages: [pi, en]
shelf: "Pali Canon"
section: 12 of 22
url: https://scriptura.si/works/pali-theragatha/12/
cite: "The Elder Monks, tr. Bhikkhu Sujato, Verses of the Senior Monks · Theragāthā, section 12. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/pali-theragatha/12/"
---

# Verses of the Senior Monks · Theragāthā

*The Elder Monks, tr. Bhikkhu Sujato*

Poems of awakening by more than two hundred and sixty monks of the Buddha’s time.

> Pali: the Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka (Buddha Jayanti edition, 2500), from SuttaCentral’s bilara-data, dedicated to the public domain (CC0).

> English: Bhikkhu Sujato, from SuttaCentral’s bilara-data, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the segment numbers the two texts share, gathered into paragraphs; verse keeps its lines.

## 12. Chapter Twelve · Thag 1.111–1.119

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/pali-theragatha/12/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/pali-theragatha/12/#p-N

[¶0] Thag 1.111 · Jenta

> Pali: Thag 1.111 · Jentattheragāthā

[¶1] Going forth is hard; living at home is hard;
Dhamma is profound; money is hard to come by.
Getting by is difficult for we <j>who accept whatever comes,
so we should always think about impermanence.

> Pali: “Duppabbajjaṁ ve duradhivāsā gehā,
Dhammo gambhīro duradhigamā bhogā;
Kicchā vutti no itarītareneva,
Yuttaṁ cintetuṁ satatamaniccatan”ti.

[¶2] > Pali: … Jento thero ….

[¶3] Thag 1.112 · Vacchagotta

> Pali: Thag 1.112 · Vacchagottattheragāthā

[¶4] I am a master of the three knowledges, <j>I’m a great meditator,
an expert in serenity of heart.
I’ve realized my heart’s goal
and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.

> Pali: “Tevijjohaṁ mahājhāyī,
cetosamathakovido;
Sadattho me anuppatto,
kataṁ buddhassa sāsanan”ti.

[¶5] > Pali: … Vacchagotto thero ….

[¶6] Thag 1.113 · Vanavaccha (2nd)

> Pali: Thag 1.113 · Vanavacchattheragāthā

[¶7] The water’s clear and the rocks are broad,
monkeys and deer are all around;
festooned with dewy moss,
these rocky crags delight me!

> Pali: “Acchodikā puthusilā,
gonaṅgulamigāyutā;
Ambusevālasañchannā,
te selā ramayanti man”ti.

[¶8] > Pali: … Vanavaccho thero ….

[¶9] Thag 1.114 · Adhimutta (1st)

> Pali: Thag 1.114 · Adhimuttattheragāthā

[¶10] Your body is uncomfortably heavy,
and life is running out;
greedy for physical pleasure,
how can you find happiness as an ascetic?

> Pali: “Kāyaduṭṭhullagaruno,
hiyyamānamhi jīvite;
Sarīrasukhagiddhassa,
kuto samaṇasādhutā”ti.

[¶11] > Pali: … Adhimutto thero ….

[¶12] Thag 1.115 · Mahānāma

> Pali: Thag 1.115 · Mahānāmattheragāthā

[¶13] By Mount Nesādaka,
with its famous covering
of abundant shrubs and trees,
you’re found deficient.

> Pali: “Esāvahiyyase pabbatena,
Bahukuṭajasallakikena;
Nesādakena girinā,
Yasassinā paricchadenā”ti.

[¶14] > Pali: … Mahānāmo thero ….

[¶15] Thag 1.116 · Pārāsariya (1st)

> Pali: Thag 1.116 · Pārāpariyattheragāthā

[¶16] I’ve given up the six spheres of sense-contact,
my sense doors are guarded and well restrained;
I’ve ejected the root of gloom
and attained the ending of defilements.

> Pali: “Chaphassāyatane hitvā,
guttadvāro susaṁvuto;
Aghamūlaṁ vamitvāna,
patto me āsavakkhayo”ti.

[¶17] > Pali: … Pārāpariyo thero ….

[¶18] Thag 1.117 · Yasa

> Pali: Thag 1.117 · Yasattheragāthā

[¶19] I’m well-anointed and well-dressed,
adorned with all my jewelry.
I’ve attained the three knowledges
and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.

> Pali: “Suvilitto suvasano,
sabbābharaṇabhūsito;
Tisso vijjā ajjhagamiṁ,
kataṁ buddhassa sāsanan”ti.

[¶20] > Pali: … Yaso thero ….

[¶21] Thag 1.118 · Kimbila (1st)

> Pali: Thag 1.118 · Kimilattheragāthā

[¶22] Old age falls like a curse;
it’s the same body, but it seems like someone else’s.
I remember myself as if I were someone else,
but I’m still the same, I haven’t been away.

> Pali: “Abhisattova nipatati,
Vayo rūpaṁ aññamiva tatheva santaṁ;
Tasseva sato avippavasato,
Aññasseva sarāmi attānan”ti.

[¶23] > Pali: … Kimilo thero ….

[¶24] Thag 1.119 · Vajjiputta (2nd)

> Pali: Thag 1.119 · Vajjiputtattheragāthā

[¶25] You’ve left for the jungle, the root of a tree,
having laid extinguishment in your heart.
Meditate, Gotama, don’t be negligent!
What use is this hullabaloo to you?

> Pali: “Rukkhamūlagahanaṁ pasakkiya,
Nibbānaṁ hadayasmiṁ opiya;
Jhāya gotama mā ca pamādo,
Kiṁ te biḷibiḷikā karissatī”ti.

[¶26] > Pali: … Vajjiputto thero ….