Kaṭṭahāri — Book of the Ones · Chapter One (Apaṇṇakavagga) · Poem 7 of 10
Setting
A direct appeal, spoken to an unnamed 'great king'
Speaker
A son, per the commentarial story a child born to the king and a wood-gathering woman
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, emotionally direct appeal
Why this text
Where most of this chapter's verses are general aphorisms, this one is a direct, personal appeal — a son's plea to a father who has denied him. Its commentarial story, involving a king's affair with a commoner and his initial refusal to acknowledge the resulting child, gives the bare verse a specific, human situation to stand for.
Reading guide
A son's direct appeal
The verse is spoken in the first person, directly to a ‘great king’: ‘I am your son... provide for me, ruler of the people. The king provides for others, what then of his own offspring?’ Its logic is simple and pointed — if a king cares for his subjects generally, how much more should he care for his own child.
A commentarial story of denial and eventual acknowledgment
Per Sujato's comment, the traditional (non-canonical) story tells of a king who, visiting a park, became enamoured of a simple country girl gathering wood and had sex with her. Knowing she had conceived, she informed the king, who gave her a signet ring as a token. Later, she brought the child before the court, but the king denied them, even when they presented themselves — setting up the direct appeal this verse itself gives voice to.
A verse standing in for a resolution the canonical text does not give
The bare verse ends on the appeal itself, without confirming whether the king relents. This reading guide presents the verse as it stands in the canonical text, without asserting an ending that belongs only to the later commentarial tradition.
Key terms
putto tyāhaṁ mahārāja — “I am your son, great king!” — the verse's opening, direct claim of kinship.
posa janādhipa — “provide for me, ruler of the people” — the son's direct request.
sakaṁ pajaṁ — “his own offspring” — the verse's closing point, that a king's own child deserves at least as much care as his subjects.
Kaṭṭhahārijātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘The Wood Gatherer’ — referring to the mother's occupation in the commentarial story.
signet ring — in the commentarial story, the token the king gives the woman as proof of his identity, later used to support the child's claim.
The text
The text in full: a single verse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1I am your son, great king! Provide for me, ruler of the people. The king provides for others, what then of his own offspring?
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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
Who speaks this verse, and to whom?
Correct: C. 'I am your son, great king! Provide for me, ruler of the people.'
Question 2 of 10
What is the verse's central logical appeal?
Correct: D. A simple, pointed logic moving from general care to particular obligation.
Question 3 of 10
What does the (non-canonical) commentarial story say the mother's occupation was?
Correct: A. Giving this poem its traditional title, 'The Wood Gatherer'.
Question 4 of 10
What token does the king give the woman in the commentarial story?
Correct: B. Later used to support the child's claim before the court.
Question 5 of 10
Does the bare canonical verse confirm whether the king ultimately relents?
Correct: C. This reading guide presents the verse as it stands, without asserting an ending belonging only to later commentary.
Question 6 of 10
What happened, per the commentarial story, when the mother first brought the child before the court?
Correct: D. Setting up the direct appeal the verse itself gives voice to.
Question 7 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: A. The seventh poem in the Apaṇṇakavagga.
Question 8 of 10
How does this verse's tone differ from most of this chapter's other poems?
Correct: B. Most of this chapter's verses state general principles; this one voices a specific, human plea.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: C. Part of the same ten-poem opening chapter.
Question 10 of 10
How did the affair between the king and the woman begin, per the commentarial story?
Correct: D. The origin point of the situation this verse's appeal responds to.
