Gāmaṇi — Book of the Ones · Chapter One (Apaṇṇakavagga) · Poem 8 of 10
Setting
A direct address to a 'chief' (gāmaṇi)
Speaker
Unspecified in the canonical verse, though per the commentarial story, a young prince
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 with an interesting layer of wordplay
Why this text
This verse's own wordplay is unusually rich for so short a text: Sujato's comment identifies a term that can mean either an ordinary word for 'chief' or a specific person's name, and a second term the traditional commentary reads narrowly as worldly success where Sujato's own comment argues it more naturally means spiritual practice.
Reading guide
A statement about patient, unhurried success
The verse opens with a general principle: ‘even though they do not hurry, one who hopes for the fruit succeeds’ — before turning personal: ‘I am one whose spiritual life has ripened: know this, chief.’
A term the commentary and Sujato read differently
Per Sujato's comment, the word rendered ‘spiritual life’ (brahmacariya) is explained by the traditional commentary as meaning ‘best conduct’ leading to worldly success, since in the commentarial story the speaker's success is explicitly worldly (a prince winning a kingdom). Sujato's own comment judges this reading ‘unlikely, since it invariably refers to a dedicated spiritual practice’ elsewhere — a case where the bare verse's own vocabulary sits in some tension with the worldly story built around it.
A name that may simply be an ordinary word
Sujato's comment further notes that while ‘gāmaṇi’ (chief, village head) is given in the commentarial story as the specific name of the prince, the verse itself gives no sign of being anything other than its ordinary sense — and, per the commentary's own account, the speaker may in fact be addressing himself, since ‘chief’ is also his own title.
A commentarial story of gradual, humble ascent
Per Sujato's comment, the traditional story tells of the youngest of several princes who won the kingdom not through force or cleverness, but through gradual acts of humble service — a patient path matching the verse's own opening statement about unhurried success.
Key terms
phalāsāva samijjhati — “one who hopes for the fruit succeeds” — the verse's general statement about patient effort.
vipakkabrahmacariyosmi — “I am one whose spiritual life has ripened” — a phrase Sujato's comment argues should keep its ordinary sense of dedicated spiritual practice, against the commentary's reading of mere worldly success.
gāmaṇi — “chief” — per Sujato's comment, likely used here in its ordinary sense, though the commentary treats it as the specific name of the prince being addressed.
Gāmaṇijātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘The Chief’.
brahmacariya — “spiritual life” — a term Sujato's comment notes almost always refers to dedicated spiritual practice, not merely admirable worldly conduct.
The text
The text in full: a single verse, with two comments noting points of interpretive tension between the bare verse and the traditional commentary, discussed above. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Even though they do not hurry, one who hopes for the fruit succeeds. I am one whose spiritual life has ripened: know this, chief.
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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 general principle does the verse open with?
Correct: D. A statement about patient, unhurried effort leading to success.
Question 2 of 10
How does the traditional commentary explain the term 'brahmacariya' (spiritual life) in this verse?
Correct: A. A reading Sujato's own comment judges unlikely, given the term's usual dedicated-practice sense elsewhere.
Question 3 of 10
What does Sujato's own comment argue about that reading?
Correct: B. A case where the bare verse's vocabulary sits in tension with the worldly story built around it.
Question 4 of 10
What does the commentarial story say about the word 'gāmaṇi' (chief)?
Correct: C. Per the commentary, the speaker may even be addressing himself, since 'chief' is also his own title.
Question 5 of 10
What does the (non-canonical) commentarial story say about how the prince won his kingdom?
Correct: D. A patient path matching the verse's own opening statement about unhurried success.
Question 6 of 10
What kind of success does the commentarial story describe — worldly or spiritual?
Correct: A. Creating the interpretive tension Sujato's comment discusses regarding 'brahmacariya'.
Question 7 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: B. The eighth poem in the Apaṇṇakavagga.
Question 8 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 9 of 10
Why is this verse unusually rich in interpretive tension for its short length?
Correct: D. Both flagged directly in Sujato's own comment notes.
Question 10 of 10
According to Sujato's comment, might the speaker in the verse be addressing himself?
Correct: A. A subtle possibility noted in the guide above.
