Mudulakkhaṇa — Book of the Ones · Chapter Seven (Itthivagga) · Poem 6 of 10
Setting
No narrative scene in the canonical verse itself
Speaker
An ascetic, reflecting on his own desire fulfilled
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 about the nature of craving itself
Why this text
Unlike several of this chapter's other poems, this verse's real target is not women at all, but the nature of craving itself — using one man's desire as its occasion to observe something that applies equally to any object of want: getting exactly what you wished for does not shrink your wanting, but multiplies it.
Reading guide
Desire fulfilled, only to multiply
The verse gives its own honest reversal: ‘one wish I had in the past, before I won Queen Sweetheart. But when I won the moon-eyed lady, wish upon wish was born.’ Per Sujato's comment, an ascetic desires the queen, but once he actually gains her, he finds his list of desires does not shrink but grows.
A verse about craving's own logic, not about her character
This poem's insight does not concern anything about the queen herself — it concerns the structure of craving, which by its own nature never resolves through satisfaction, only multiplies. Unlike several of this chapter's other poems, the object of desire here is incidental to the point being made, which could equally apply to any object of longing.
Key terms
mudulakkhaṇa — “Queen Sweetheart”, literally “of soft, gentle characteristics” — giving this poem its traditional title.
icchā icchaṁ vijāyatha — “wish upon wish was born” — the verse's own central observation about the self-multiplying nature of craving.
aḷārakkhī — “moon-eyed”, per Sujato's comment a term meaning wide-open, expressive eyes.
Mudulakkhaṇajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘Queen Sweetheart’.
craving's own structure — the poem's actual subject, per this reading guide, using a specific desire as its occasion without the verse's insight depending on anything about its particular object.
The text
The text in full: a single verse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1One wish I had in the past, before I won Queen Sweetheart. But when I won the moon-eyed lady, wish upon wish was born.
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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 ascetic discover after winning the queen he desired, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: B. 'Wish upon wish was born.'
Question 2 of 10
What does this reading guide say this poem's real target is?
Correct: C. Unlike several of this chapter's other poems, the object of desire is incidental to the point.
Question 3 of 10
How does this poem's underlying insight compare to earlier poems in this chapter?
Correct: D. A notable shift within this difficult chapter, toward a universal teaching about desire itself.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'aḷārakkhī' mean, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: A. A descriptive epithet for the queen, giving color to the verse's imagery.
Question 5 of 10
Could this poem's central insight apply equally to objects of desire other than a person?
Correct: B. The verse's insight concerns the structure of craving generally, not anything specific to its particular object.
Question 6 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: C. The sixty-sixth poem overall, and the sixth of the Itthivagga.
Question 7 of 10
What is the ascetic's own role in this poem's underlying story?
Correct: D. His own experience of unsatisfied craving after apparent success is the poem's whole subject.
Question 8 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: A. Part of the same ten-poem Itthivagga.
Question 9 of 10
What general teaching about craving does this poem illustrate, familiar from Buddhist doctrine broadly?
Correct: B. A core observation about the nature of desire itself, illustrated through one man's specific experience.
Question 10 of 10
What time span does the verse's contrast span?
Correct: C. The verse's own before-and-after structure delivering its insight about craving.
