Sutta Translation

“Ta.m ki.m maññatha, bhikkhave, katama.m nu kho vara.m – ya.m amu.m mahanta.m aggikkhandha.m aaditta.m sampajjalita.m sajotibhuuta.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeyya vaa, ya.m vaa khattiyakañña.m vaa braahma.nakañña.m vaa gahapatikañña.m vaa mudutalunahatthapaada.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeyya vaa”ti? "Etadeva, bhante, vara.m - ya.m khattiyakañña.m vaa braahma.nakañña.m vaa gahapatikañña.m vaa mudutalunahatthapaada.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeya vaa, dukkhañheta.m, bhante, ya.m amu.m mahanta.m aggikkhandha.m aaditta.m sampajjalita.m sajotibhuuta.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeyya vaa"ti.

“Ta.m ki.m maññatha, bhikkhave, katama.m nu kho vara.m –
it / what / (you) think / monks / which / now / now / better
"What do you think, monks? Which is better?

  • ta.m - third person singular pronoun (neuter nominative-accusative or masc.-fem. accusative).
  • ki.m - what (neuter singular of 'ka' as an interrogative particle).
  • maññatha - (you) think (plural 2nd person of 'maññati').
  • bhikkhave - monks (vocative plural).
  • katama.m - which.
  • nu - then, now (interrogative particle).
  • kho - now, then (emphatic particle).
  • vara.m - best, supreme, better, most excellent.

ya.m amu.m mahanta.m aggi-kkhandha.m aaditta.m sampajjalita.m sajotibhuuta.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeyya vaa,
whether / that / great / fire-mass / burning / blazing / glowing / having embraced / sitting close to / or / lying down close to / or
Whether, embracing that great mass of fire, burning, blazing, glowing, and sitting or lying down close to (it),

  • ya.m (ind.) if, whether.
  • amu.m - that (accusative).
  • mahanta.m - large (accusative of mahaa, adjective in -ant).
  • aggikkhanda.m - fire-mass, mass of fire.
  • aaditta.m - on fire, blazing, burning.
  • sampajjalita.m - in flames, ablaze.
  • sajotibhuuta.m - ablaze, aglow.
  • aali'ngetvaa - having embraced, past adverbial participle of 'aali'ngati'.
  • upanisiideyya - optative of 'upanisiidati', to sit close to or down by.
  • vaa - or.
  • upanipajjeyya - optative of 'upanipajjati', to lie down close or on top of (with object in accusative case).

ya.m vaa khattiya-kañña.m vaa braahma.na-kañña.m vaa gahapati-kañña.m vaa mudu-taluna-hattha-paada.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeyya vaa”ti?
that / or / kshatriya-woman / or / brahmin-woman / or / householder-woman / or / tender-young-hand-foot / having embraced / sitting close to / or / lying down close to / or / (end-quote)
or, embracing a kshatriya or brahmin or householder woman with young and tender hands and feet, and sitting or lying down close to (her)?"

  • ya.m (rel. pron.) that, which, who.
  • kaññaa - a young (unmarried) woman, maiden, girl.
  • khattiyakañña.m - a maid of khattiya (Sk. kshatriya, arictocratic) birth (accusative case).
  • braahma.nakañña.m - a maid of braahma.na birth.
  • gahapatikañña.m - a maid of gahapatika (householder) birth.
  • mudu-taluna-hatthapaada.m - tender young hand and foot.
  • ti - thus, end-quote.

"Etadeva, bhante, vara.m -
this / venerable Sir / better
“This, venerable Sir, would surely be better:

  • etadeva = etad+eva: just this, only this, this alone.

ya.m khattiya-kañña.m vaa braahma.na-kañña.m vaa gahapati-kañña.m vaa mudu-taluna-hattha-paada.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeya vaa,
that which / or / kshatriya-woman / or / brahmin-woman / or / householder-woman / or / tender-young-hand-foot / having embraced / sitting close to / or / lying down close to / or
embracing a kshatriya or brahmin or householder woman with young and tender hands and feet, and sitting or lying down close to (her),

dukkhañheta.m, bhante, ya.m amu.m mahanta.m aggi-kkhandha.m aaditta.m sampajjalita.m sajotibhuuta.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeyya vaa"ti.
for it would be painful / venerable Sir / that which / that / great / fire-mass / burning / blazing / glowing / having embraced / sitting close to / or / lying down close to / or / (end quote)
for it would be painful, venerable Sir, to embrace that great, burning, blazing, glowing mass of fire, and sit or lie down close to it.”

  • dukkhañheta.m = dukkha+hi+eta.m: for it would be painful, for it is painful.
"What do you think, monks? Which is better? Whether, having embraced that great mass of fire, burning, blazing, glowing, sitting or lying down close to (it), or, embracing a kshatriya or brahmin or householder woman with young and tender hands and feet, and sitting or lying down close to (her)?" “This, venerable Sir, would surely be better: embracing a kshatriya or brahmin or householder woman with young and tender hands and feet, and sitting or lying down close to (her), for it would be painful, venerable Sir, to embrace that great, burning, blazing, glowing mass of fire, and sit or lie down close to it.”

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contributed by the good folks at the Pali discussion group
[ http://www.tipitaka.net/maillist.htm ]