Isidatta declares the five aggregates fully understood, their root cut, the end of suffering reached. His verse's opening two lines are word for word identical to Thag 1.90 (Sāmidatta), thirty poems earlier — and this poem closes not only Chapter Twelve, but the entire Book of the Ones: 120 poems, now complete.
Reading guide
Aggregates understood, root cut — again
Pañcakkhandhā pariññātā, tiṭṭhanti chinnamūlakā, ‘the five aggregates are fully understood, they remain, but their root is cut’, opens this verse exactly as it opened Thag 1.90, thirty poems earlier in Chapter Nine. The two verses diverge only in their closing half: Thag 1.90 concludes with transmigration finished and no more future lives, while this verse concludes with dukkhakkhayo anuppatto, patto me āsavakkhayo, ‘I have reached the end of suffering and attained the ending of defilements’. It is the widest span yet found in this collection between two poems sharing an identical opening — from near the middle of the Book of the Ones all the way to its very close.
Not just a chapter's end, but the Book's
Every chapter so far has closed with a chapter marker and an uddāna listing its ten names. This poem carries an additional layer: after Chapter Twelve's own closing (vaggo dvādasamo, then its uddāna, in which Isidatta himself is given the added epithet mahāyaso, ‘of great renown’, not found in his own verse), a second closing follows — Ekakanipāto niṭṭhito, ‘the Book of the Ones is concluded’ — with its own separate summary verse for the entire book: one hundred and twenty elders, their task done, undefiled, ‘well recited in the Book of the Ones by the great sage’. Sujato leaves both closing layers untranslated, as with every chapter marker and uddāna so far; this reading guide paraphrases their content without treating either as part of the verse proper.
120 elders, a milestone reached
With this poem, the Book of the Ones is complete on this site: 120 poems across twelve chapters, each independently researched and cross-checked against bilara-data, Sujato's comments where they survive, and this project's own accumulated cross-references. The remaining Theragātha — organized into twenty further books, grouped by how many verses each elder is credited with, from the Book of the Twos onward — is a considerably different structure, and will need its own fresh survey of scale before work continues.
Key terms
pañcakkhandha — “five aggregates” — the standard components of a person, as in Thag 1.90.
dukkhakkhaya — “the end of suffering” — dukkha (‘suffering’) plus khaya (‘ending, destruction’).
āsavakkhaya — “the ending of defilements” — āsava (‘defilement’) plus khaya (‘ending’).
Ekakanipāto niṭṭhito — “the Book of the Ones is concluded” — the untranslated marker closing the entire book, distinct from each chapter's own closing marker.
susaṅgīta — “well recited, well compiled” — describing the whole Book of the Ones in its book-level summary verse.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1The five aggregates are fully understood, they remain, but their root is cut. I have reached the end of suffering and attained the ending of defilements.
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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 this verse say about the five aggregates?
Correct: A. Pañcakkhandhā pariññātā, tiṭṭhanti chinnamūlakā.
Question 2 of 10
What earlier poem does this verse's opening two lines match, word for word?
Correct: C. Identical opening, thirty poems apart — the widest such span found so far.
Question 3 of 10
How does this verse's closing half differ from Thag 1.90's?
Correct: D. The two verses share an opening but diverge in their conclusion.
Question 4 of 10
What additional closing layer does this poem carry, beyond the usual chapter-level marker and uddāna?
Correct: D. Ekakanipāto niṭṭhito, followed by its own book-level uddāna.
Question 5 of 10
What epithet does Chapter Twelve's own uddāna add to Isidatta's name?
Correct: B. Not found in his own verse, continuing a pattern seen in several recent chapters' uddānas.
Question 6 of 10
How many poems, across how many chapters, does the Book of the Ones contain in total?
Correct: B. Now complete with this poem.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'dukkhakkhaya' mean?
Correct: A. Dukkha ('suffering') plus khaya ('ending').
Question 8 of 10
How is the wider Theragātha organized after the Book of the Ones?
Correct: A. A considerably different structure than the Book of the Ones' chapters.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'susaṅgīta' mean?
Correct: A. Describing the whole Book of the Ones in its closing summary verse.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in the Theragātha as a whole?
Correct: D. Closing both the chapter and the entire 120-poem book.
