Thag 3.8 — Vassika

English translation by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Translation

Text

Thag 3:8 Yasoja

His limbs knotted
like a kālā plant,
his body lean
& lined with veins,
knowing moderation
in food & drink:
    the man of undaunted heart.

Touched by gnats
& horseflies
    in the wilds,
    the great wood,
like an elephant
at the head of a battle:
    He, mindful,
    should stay there,
    endure.

One alone is like Brahmā,
two, like devas,
three, like a village,
more than that:
    a hullabaloo.