Cittaka — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Three · Poem 2 of 10
Setting
Karaṁvī, where crested peacocks cry out in a cool breeze
Speaker
An unnamed voice describing the peacocks and their effect
Form
One four-line verse
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
★☆☆☆☆ — vivid nature imagery given a specific practical purpose
Why this text
Crested peacocks with beautiful blue necks cry out at Karaṁvī, playing in a cool breeze — and their cries, this verse says, ‘wake the sleeper to practice absorption’. Unlike Vanavaccha's nature poem in Chapter Two, admired purely for its own sake, this scene is given a direct practical function.
Reading guide
Nature imagery given a purpose
Vanavaccha's rocky crags, cool streams, and ladybugs in Chapter Two closed simply in delight: ‘these rocky crags delight me!’. Here, comparably vivid imagery — crested peacocks, blue necks, a cool breeze — serves a stated end: rousing a sleeping meditator to practice.
Peacocks at play, not merely present
The verse describes the peacocks as sītavātakīḷitā, ‘playing in the cool breeze’ — a livelier image than simply being stirred by wind, giving the birds themselves an active, almost joyful role in the scene.
A short chain from breeze to practice
The verse traces a small causal sequence: a cool breeze moves the peacocks to play, their play produces cries, and those cries wake a sleeper into meditative absorption — an ordinary natural event given a spiritual outcome.
Key terms
mora — “peacock” — the verse's central image, described as crested and blue-necked.
nīlā sugīvā — “blue-necked” — the descriptive compound opening this verse.
sītavātakīḷitā — “playing in the cool breeze” — describing the peacocks' lively activity, not mere passive stirring.
suttaṁ — “the sleeper” — the one roused by the peacocks' cries.
nibodhenti — “they wake” or “they rouse” — the verb naming this verse's stated outcome.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Crested peacocks with beautiful blue necks cry out in Karaṁvī. Stirred by a cool breeze, they wake the sleeper to practice absorption.
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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 describe?
Correct: A. Vivid nature imagery given a direct practical purpose.
Question 2 of 10
How does this verse's use of nature differ from Vanavaccha's poem in Chapter Two?
Correct: B. A function added to imagery that in Chapter Two stood on its own.
Question 3 of 10
How does the verse describe the peacocks' activity in the breeze?
Correct: C. A livelier image than simple passive movement.
Question 4 of 10
What effect do the peacocks' cries have, according to the verse?
Correct: D. The verse's stated outcome.
Question 5 of 10
What sequence does the verse trace, from cause to spiritual result?
Correct: B. An ordinary natural chain leading to a spiritual outcome.
Question 6 of 10
What color is emphasized in the verse's opening description?
Correct: A. The peacocks' necks, named directly.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'nibodhenti' mean?
Correct: D. The verb naming this verse's stated effect.
Question 8 of 10
Where is this scene set, according to the verse?
Correct: B. Named directly as the verse's setting.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'suttaṁ' refer to in this verse?
Correct: A. The one whose practice this verse's scene serves.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Three?
Correct: C. Continuing the chapter's sequence of ten poems.
