Nakkhatta — Book of the Ones · Chapter Five (Atthakāmavagga) · Poem 9 of 10
Setting
No narrative scene in the canonical verse itself
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, pointed dismissal of superstition
Why this text
This poem's dismissal of astrological timing — ‘the good is the constellation of the good; for what do the stars matter?’ — is echoed in structure by a comparable rhetorical question at this site's own DN 4, adding this to a small but consistent pattern of skepticism toward ritual and superstitious practice across this partial Jātaka selection.
Reading guide
A fool who lets practical good slip away, waiting on the stars
The verse delivers its point in two matched halves: ‘waiting for a constellation, a fool lets the good pass them by. The good is the constellation of the good; for what do the stars matter?’ Per Sujato's comment, a family reneges on an already-set marriage date when told it falls under an unlucky constellation, so the intended bride ends up marrying someone else instead.
An echo of the same rhetorical dismissal elsewhere on this site
Sujato's comment directly compares this poem's closing question to a comparable line at this site's own DN 4: ‘what do the hymns matter?’ — both verses use the same rhetorical structure to dismiss a ritual or traditional practice in favor of a more direct, practical good.
Key terms
nakkhattaṁ paṭimānentaṁ — “waiting for a constellation” — the superstitious delay the verse criticizes.
attho bālaṁ upaccagā — “a fool lets the good pass them by” — the direct cost of that superstitious waiting.
attho atthassa nakkhattaṁ — “the good is the constellation of the good” — the verse's own redefinition of what actually determines auspiciousness.
Nakkhattajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘Constellations’.
DN 4 — the already-completed page on this site with a comparable rhetorical dismissal — ‘what do the hymns matter?’ — per Sujato's own comment.
The text
The text in full: a single verse, echoed in structure by a comparable line already complete on this site's own DN 4. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Waiting for a constellation, a fool lets the good pass them by. The good is the constellation of the good; for what do the stars matter?
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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 verse criticize?
Correct: A. A fool lets the good pass them by while waiting for the stars to align.
Question 2 of 10
What does the verse propose as the real 'constellation of the good'?
Correct: B. 'For what do the stars matter?' — a direct rhetorical dismissal.
Question 3 of 10
What happens in the commentarial story, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: C. A concrete illustration of practical opportunity lost to superstition.
Question 4 of 10
What already-completed page on this site does Sujato's comment compare this verse's closing question to?
Correct: D. Both use the same rhetorical structure to dismiss ritual practice in favor of practical good.
Question 5 of 10
What broader pattern does this poem add to, per this reading guide?
Correct: A. Connecting this poem to a wider thread across this partial Jātaka selection.
Question 6 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: B. The forty-ninth poem overall, and the ninth of the Atthakāmavagga.
Question 7 of 10
What structure does the verse use in its second half?
Correct: C. 'For what do the stars matter?' — mirrored by DN 4's own rhetorical dismissal.
Question 8 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: D. The second-to-last poem of this ten-poem chapter.
Question 9 of 10
What specifically caused the marriage plans to fall through, per the commentarial story?
Correct: A. Superstition directly costing a real, practical opportunity.
Question 10 of 10
What tone does this verse take toward astrological practice?
Correct: B. A pointed rhetorical question rather than a measured discussion.
