Apaṇṇaka — Book of the Ones · Chapter One (Apaṇṇakavagga) · Poem 1 of 10
Setting
No narrative scene — a single self-contained aphoristic verse
Speaker
Unspecified in the canonical verse itself
Form
One four-line stanza
Length
Under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — one short verse, but dense with a gambling metaphor requiring context
Why this text
This is the first poem in this site's partial Jātaka selection — a bare single-verse aphorism, exactly the kind of text this collection is built from. Its central image, ‘taking up the sure bet’, draws on ancient dice-gambling terminology to make a point about wisdom: given a choice between a safe, certain path and a riskier, disputed one, an intelligent person takes the sure bet.
Reading guide
A single verse built entirely on a gambling metaphor
The whole poem is one image: ‘apaṇṇaka’ (‘sure bet’) is, per Sujato's comment, literally a gambling term — a guaranteed winning hand, as opposed to a riskier throw some ‘sophists (takkikā)’ might argue for instead. The verse applies this directly to wisdom: when there are two possible paths, one certain and one merely argued for, ‘an intelligent person, knowing this, would take up the sure bet.’
A commentarial story behind the verse, not part of the canonical text
Per Sujato's own comment, the traditional prose narrative (composed later, and not part of the CC0 canonical text this site translates) compares the ‘sophists’ of the verse to a native spirit (yakkha) who tried to persuade a merchant caravan to abandon its water supply while crossing a desert, trusting a false promise of water ahead. This reading guide notes the story for context, without presenting it as part of the verse itself.
Opening this site's honest partial selection
As explained on this collection's own index page, Bhikkhu Sujato's CC0 translation of the Jātaka covers only 82 of the traditional 547 numbered tales, and even those 82 are bare verse excerpts — the prose narrative framework belongs to later commentary, not the canonical text. This poem, first of the entire Ekakanipāta (Book of the Ones, verses of a single stanza), sets that pattern for everything that follows.
Key terms
apaṇṇaka — “sure bet” — per Sujato's comment, a gambling term for a guaranteed winning hand, as opposed to a riskier throw.
takkikā — “sophists” — those who argue for the riskier, disputed ‘second way’ instead of the sure bet.
medhāvī — “an intelligent person” — the verse's model of right judgment, who takes up the sure bet.
Apaṇṇakajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘Sure Bet’ — also the name given to the whole first chapter (Apaṇṇakavagga) this poem opens.
Ekakanipāta — “Book of the Ones” — the traditional division of Jātaka tales told in a single verse, of which this is the first.
The text
The text in full: a homage line followed by the poem's single verse and its traditional closing tag. No comment note bears on the verse's individual words beyond what is already discussed above. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Homage to him, the blessed one, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha!
§1Some stand on a sure bet, while sophists speak of a second way. An intelligent person, knowing this, would take up the sure bet.
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What does 'apaṇṇaka' (sure bet) literally mean, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: A. As opposed to a riskier throw some might argue for instead.
Question 2 of 10
Who does the verse say would 'take up the sure bet'?
Correct: B. The verse's central point about right judgment.
Question 3 of 10
Who are the 'sophists' (takkikā) in the verse?
Correct: C. Contrasted with the 'sure bet' the intelligent person chooses instead.
Question 4 of 10
What does the (non-canonical) commentarial story compare the sophists to?
Correct: D. Noted for context, without presenting it as part of the canonical verse itself.
Question 5 of 10
How much of the traditional 547 Jātaka tales does this site's selection cover?
Correct: A. As explained on this collection's own index page.
Question 6 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the collection?
Correct: B. Setting the pattern of single-stanza aphorism for the poems that follow it.
Question 7 of 10
What is the Ekakanipāta?
Correct: C. This poem is its first entry.
Question 8 of 10
Does the verse itself specify who is speaking?
Correct: D. Unlike the commentarial story, which supplies specific characters.
Question 9 of 10
What image does the whole poem build on?
Correct: A. Applied to the choice between a certain and a merely argued-for path.
Question 10 of 10
What also shares the name 'Apaṇṇaka' with this poem?
Correct: B. Ten poems in total make up this opening chapter.
