Vāruṇidūsaka — Book of the Ones · Chapter Five (Atthakāmavagga) · Poem 7 of 10
Setting
No narrative scene in the canonical verse itself
Speaker
Unspecified in the canonical verse itself
Form
One four-line stanza, completing this chapter's second refrain pair
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, part of a two-poem pair
Why this text
This poem completes the two-poem refrain pair begun at Ja 46, illustrating the same warning about misunderstood instructions with an entirely different, everyday setting — a brewery instead of a park.
Reading guide
The same refrain, a human rather than animal example
The verse repeats its companion poem's opening and closing formula exactly, changing only the illustration: ‘the simpleton destroys the good, as Koṇḍañña did the toddy.’ Per Sujato's comment, a brewer's apprentice ruins an entire batch of toddy due to simply misunderstanding the instructions he was given.
Two illustrations, one shared lesson
Where Ja 46 used monkeys destroying a park through misapplied enthusiasm, this poem uses a human apprentice destroying a batch of drink through the same underlying failure — showing that this chapter's warning about misunderstanding is not limited to animal folly, but applies equally to ordinary human error.
Key terms
koṇḍañño — the name of the brewer's apprentice in this tale's underlying story — unrelated to the elder Koṇḍañña elsewhere in the canon.
vāruṇiṁ — “toddy” — the fermented drink ruined by the apprentice's misunderstanding, giving this poem its traditional title.
hāpeti atthaṁ dummedho — “the simpleton destroys the good” — the refrain shared word for word with Ja 46.
Vāruṇidūsakajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘Spoiling the Toddy’.
Ja 46 — the previous poem, sharing this poem's exact opening and closing formula with a different illustration.
The text
The text in full: a single verse, completing the refrain pair begun at Ja 46. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Surely not with one who misunderstands the meaning does good conduct lead to happiness. The simpleton destroys the good, as Koṇḍañña did the toddy.
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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 the brewer's apprentice ruin, per this poem?
Correct: C. Giving this poem its traditional title, 'Spoiling the Toddy'.
Question 2 of 10
Why does the apprentice ruin the batch, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: D. The same underlying pattern as Ja 46's monkey groundskeepers.
Question 3 of 10
How does this poem's opening and closing relate to Ja 46's?
Correct: A. Completing a matched two-poem refrain pair.
Question 4 of 10
What is the significance of this poem using a human example after Ja 46's animal one?
Correct: B. Broadening the lesson's apparent scope through a paired but distinct illustration.
Question 5 of 10
Is the 'Koṇḍañña' in this tale related to the well-known elder Koṇḍañña elsewhere in the canon?
Correct: C. A coincidence of naming, not a narrative connection.
Question 6 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: D. The forty-seventh poem overall, and the seventh of the Atthakāmavagga.
Question 7 of 10
What profession is involved in this poem's illustration?
Correct: A. An ordinary trade, contrasting with Ja 46's park setting.
Question 8 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: B. Part of the same ten-poem Atthakāmavagga.
Question 9 of 10
What common thread connects this poem's illustration to Ja 46's?
Correct: C. The same underlying lesson given twice, in animal and human form.
Question 10 of 10
How many poems remain in the Atthakāmavagga after this one?
Correct: D. The chapter's closing stretch, each a standalone poem rather than part of a refrain sequence.
