Tittha — Book of the Ones · Chapter Three (Kuruṅgavagga) · Poem 5 of 10
Setting
No narrative scene in the canonical verse itself
Speaker
Unspecified in the canonical verse itself, addressed to a 'rider' (sārathi)
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 pairing two loosely related observations
Why this text
This poem pairs a practical observation about a fussy horse's changing preferences with a second, only loosely connected remark about overeating — an example of how these terse single-verse tales can carry more than one idea at once, without spelling out how they relate.
Reading guide
A canny keeper's practical adjustment
The verse's first half is a simple instruction: ‘at one ford or another, lead the horse to drink, rider.’ Per Sujato's comment, when a fussy horse refuses to drink at one ford, its canny keeper realizes the problem is not the horse's thirst but the specific location, and simply looks elsewhere.
A second observation about excess
The verse's second half turns to a different point entirely: ‘for a man who overeats, even milk-rice — a prized delicacy — becomes a torment.’ This reading guide presents both halves as the verse itself gives them, without asserting a specific connective logic beyond what the bare text supports; readers may notice their own resonance between a creature refusing what's wrong for it and a person spoiling even what's good through excess.
Key terms
tittha — “ford” — a river crossing point, one of which the fussy horse eventually accepts.
accāsana — “overeating” — per Sujato's comment, literally ‘ati’ (over) plus ‘asana’ (eating).
pāyāsassapi tappati — “even milk-rice is a torment” — the verse's closing point about how excess spoils even what is good.
Titthajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘Fords’.
sārathi — “rider” (or charioteer) — the addressee of the verse's first-half instruction.
The text
The text in full: a single verse, pairing two loosely related observations, discussed above. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At one ford or another lead the horse to drink, rider. For man who overeats, even milk-rice is a torment.
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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 practical problem does the verse's first half address?
Correct: A. 'At one ford or another, lead the horse to drink, rider.'
Question 2 of 10
What insight does the canny keeper have, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: B. A simple adjustment rather than forcing the issue.
Question 3 of 10
What does the verse's second half address?
Correct: C. 'For a man who overeats, even milk-rice is a torment.'
Question 4 of 10
Does this reading guide assert a specific logical connection between the verse's two halves?
Correct: D. Consistent with this collection's practice of not overclaiming meaning beyond the bare text.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'accāsana' mean, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: A. Breaking down the term's literal construction.
Question 6 of 10
What is milk-rice (pāyāsa) generally regarded as, that makes the verse's point sharper?
Correct: B. Even the best food becomes unpleasant in excess.
Question 7 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: C. The twenty-fifth poem overall, and the fifth of the Kuruṅgavagga.
Question 8 of 10
Who is addressed directly in the verse's first half?
Correct: D. Given the practical instruction to try a different ford.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: A. Part of the same ten-poem Kuruṅgavagga.
Question 10 of 10
What kind of resonance might a reader notice between the verse's two halves, without the guide asserting it as definitive?
Correct: B. Offered as a possible reading, not an asserted fact about the verse's composition.
