This verse urges ‘Gotama’ — not the Buddha, who had already passed away, but Ānanda, addressed by their shared clan name — to meditate and not be negligent, closing with a dismissive question: ‘what use is this hullabaloo to you?’ Sujato's own comment places this at one of the most consequential moments in early Buddhist history: the night, by tradition, of Ānanda's own awakening.
Reading guide
Addressed to 'Gotama' — but not the Buddha
Gotama was the Buddha's own clan name, but by the time this verse is set, the Buddha had already passed away. Ānanda, his cousin and longtime attendant, belonged to the same Sakyan clan and so could be addressed the same way. The verse's opening word can mislead a reader expecting it to speak to the Buddha himself; per the comment, it speaks to Ānanda instead.
A verse for the most liminal moment in early Buddhist history
Sujato's comment explains the setting in detail: this occurred, according to the Pali commentary, shortly after the Buddha's parinibbāna. Ānanda, still only a stream-enterer, was striving toward arahantship before the imminent First Council, but kept getting drawn into consoling the grief-stricken laypeople around him. Following this exhortation, he meditated late into the night, then lay down mindfully to rest — and, in the exact liminal instant between standing and lying down, with his feet already lifted off the floor but his head not yet reaching the pillow, he became fully awakened. The comment cites this account from Rockhill's The Life of the Buddha, and notes that the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya corroborates it, adding that Vajjiputta was Ānanda's own attendant at the time; the Pali Vinaya recounts the same events but without quoting this verse.
The same verse, in two very different mouths
This exact verse also appears at SN 9.5, already complete on this site, spoken there by an unnamed forest deity to Ānanda — but in a subtler context: not the urgency of a passed Teacher and an approaching Council, but Ānanda spending too much time on lay persuasion at the expense of his own seclusion. The comment also flags a textual variant: both Norman and Bodhi read osiya (‘having laid’) rather than opiya in the second line, agreeing with the commentarial gloss — a small but genuine textual-critical detail.
Whose Vajjiputta is this?
Sujato's own comment raises a question this reading guide usually has to raise itself: ‘The earlier verse of Vajjiputta (Thag 1.61) is also about the monastic love of the forest, and it is not clear if these are different people.’ This is a rare case where the site's own source material flags the identity question directly, rather than leaving it to this reading guide's inference.
Key terms
rukkhamūla — “the root of a tree” — a standard dwelling place for a meditating monk.
opiya — “having laid” — the reading in this text; Norman and Bodhi's variant reading is osiya, agreeing with the commentarial gloss.
pamāda — “negligence, carelessness” — what the verse warns against.
biḷibiḷikā — “hullabaloo, bustle, fuss” — the verse's dismissive final word for whatever is currently occupying the addressee.
Gotama — the Sakyan clan name, shared by both the Buddha and — per this verse's setting — Ānanda.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1You’ve left for the jungle, the root of a tree, having laid extinguishment in your heart. Meditate, Gotama, don’t be negligent! What use is this hullabaloo to you?
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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 does the verse actually address as 'Gotama', according to Sujato's comment?
Correct: B. The Buddha had already passed away by the time of this setting.
Question 2 of 10
When does the comment say this verse's setting occurred?
Correct: A. A pivotal moment in early Buddhist history, per the Pali commentary.
Question 3 of 10
What happened to Ānanda, by tradition, immediately after this exhortation?
Correct: B. One of the most vivid enlightenment-moment images in the tradition.
Question 4 of 10
Where does this exact same verse also appear, already translated on this site?
Correct: A. A subtler context there: excessive time spent on lay persuasion.
Question 5 of 10
What textual variant does the comment note for this verse's second line?
Correct: A. A small but genuine textual-critical detail.
Question 6 of 10
Does Sujato's own comment resolve whether this Vajjiputta is the same person as the Vajjiputta of Thag 1.61?
Correct: C. A rare case where the site's own source material flags this uncertainty directly.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'biḷibiḷikā' mean?
Correct: C. The verse's dismissive final word.
Question 8 of 10
According to the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, what was Vajjiputta's relationship to Ānanda at the time?
Correct: D. Corroborating the setting described in the Pali commentary.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'rukkhamūla' mean?
Correct: D. A standard dwelling place for a meditating monk.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Twelve?
Correct: D. Immediately after Kimbila's verse, and immediately before the chapter's close.
