Takkapaṇḍita — Book of the Ones · Chapter Seven (Itthivagga) · Poem 3 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
★☆☆☆☆☆ — a case where the traditional target of an imprecation is genuinely uncertain
Why this text
This poem is placed within the Itthivagga by the traditional commentary, which reads its opening imprecation as directed at women — but Sujato's own comment finds a genuine grammatical basis to doubt that reading, noting that the verse's grammar does not actually require it and may not have originally concerned women at all.
Reading guide
An imprecation, and advice to live above it
The verse opens sharply: ‘hateful ingrates! Slanderous traitors!’ — before turning to instruction: ‘live the spiritual life, mendicant, you will not be bereft of happiness.’ Per Sujato's comment, the traditional commentary explains these opening lines as directed against women.
A grammatical basis for genuine doubt
Sujato's comment observes something the traditional reading passes over: the grammatical gender across these lines is ambiguous, except for one word (‘akataññū’, ‘ingrates’), which is masculine plural. The comment concludes that ‘either a non-standard form is used, or the verse was not originally about women’ at all — an honest acknowledgment that the traditional interpretive framing of this whole chapter may, in this specific case, rest on shakier ground than it first appears.
A parallel already on this site
Sujato's comment also points to a parallel at this site's own AN 5.230, connecting this verse's second half to a broader, already-completed discussion of monastic conduct and its rewards.
Key terms
kodhanā akataññū ca — “hateful ingrates!” — the verse's opening imprecation, with ‘akataññū’ grammatically masculine plural, per Sujato's comment casting doubt on the traditional reading that it targets women.
takka — normally “logic”, giving this poem its traditional title, ‘The Philosopher’.
brahmacariyaṁ cara — “live the spiritual life” — the verse's positive instruction, following its opening imprecation.
Takkapaṇḍitajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘The Philosopher’.
AN 5.230 — the already-completed page on this site Sujato's comment connects to this verse's second half.
The text
The text in full: a single verse, whose traditional framing Sujato's own comment casts genuine grammatical doubt on, discussed above. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Hateful ingrates! Slanderous traitors! Live the spiritual life, mendicant, you will not be bereft of happiness.
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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
How does the traditional commentary read this verse's opening imprecation, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: C. The reading this reading guide's own discussion goes on to question.
Question 2 of 10
What grammatical detail does Sujato's comment note about this verse?
Correct: D. A detail the traditional commentary's reading passes over.
Question 3 of 10
What conclusion does Sujato's comment draw from this grammatical observation?
Correct: A. An honest acknowledgment that the traditional framing may rest on shakier ground than it first appears.
Question 4 of 10
What already-completed page on this site does Sujato's comment connect to this verse's second half?
Correct: B. Linking this verse's positive instruction to a broader already-completed discussion.
Question 5 of 10
What positive instruction does the verse turn to after its opening imprecation?
Correct: C. The verse's constructive turn, regardless of who or what its opening imprecation targets.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'takka' normally mean, giving this poem its title?
Correct: D. The traditional title, 'The Philosopher'.
Question 7 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: A. The sixty-third poem overall, and the third of the Itthivagga.
Question 8 of 10
Why does this reading guide highlight the grammatical ambiguity Sujato's comment raises?
Correct: B. An honest engagement with uncertainty, rather than treating the traditional framing as settled fact.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: C. Part of the same ten-poem Itthivagga.
Question 10 of 10
What is the verse's reading uncertain about, per Sujato's comment on 'vihāhasi'?
Correct: D. A further layer of textual uncertainty noted honestly in the comment.
