Sugandha — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Three · Poem 4 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; a short exclamatory verse about a fast attainment
Speaker
Sugandha, speaking of his own rapid progress
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
★☆☆☆☆ — a compact claim of exceptionally fast attainment
Why this text
Sugandha opens with an exclamation, not a boast about himself directly: ‘see the excellence of the teaching!’ Only then does he explain why — just one rainy season after going forth, he attained the three knowledges and fulfilled the Buddha's instructions.
Reading guide
An exclamation pointed outward, not inward
The verse's opening line does not say ‘see my achievement’; it says ‘see the excellence of the teaching’. Sugandha's own rapid progress is offered as evidence for the Dhamma's effectiveness, not simply as personal accomplishment.
A specific, strikingly short timeframe
‘Just one rainy season after I went forth’ dates this attainment precisely: one full annual rains retreat, the traditional marker of a year's monastic seniority — an explicitly rapid timeline for reaching full liberation.
A named formula, not left vague
‘The three knowledges’ names a specific, traditional set of attainments rather than a general claim of awakening — giving Sugandha's declaration a precise content, not only a triumphant tone.
Key terms
anuvassika — “after one rains-retreat” or “within one year” — the specific timeframe this verse claims.
dhammasudhammatā — “the true excellence of the teaching” — what Sugandha invites the reader to see.
tisso vijjā — “the three knowledges” — a traditional formula of specific attainments, named directly rather than left as a vague claim of awakening.
pabbajita — “gone forth” — describing Sugandha's own ordination, the starting point for this verse's timeframe.
sāsana — “instructions” or “dispensation” — what Sugandha says he has fulfilled.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1See the excellence of the teaching! Just one rainy season after I went forth, I attained the three knowledges and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.
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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's opening line invite the reader to see?
Correct: D. Pointed outward to the Dhamma, not simply at himself.
Question 2 of 10
How long after going forth does Sugandha say he attained the three knowledges?
Correct: B. An explicitly rapid, precisely dated timeline.
Question 3 of 10
What does 'tisso vijjā' refer to?
Correct: C. A specific, named set of attainments, not a vague claim.
Question 4 of 10
What does Sugandha say he has fulfilled?
Correct: A. The verse's closing claim.
Question 5 of 10
Is this verse's opening exclamation framed as pointing to Sugandha himself or to the teaching?
Correct: C. His own progress offered as evidence for the Dhamma's effectiveness.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'anuvassika' mean?
Correct: A. The specific timeframe this verse claims for Sugandha's attainment.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'pabbajita' mean?
Correct: A. Describing Sugandha's own ordination, the starting point for this verse's timeframe.
Question 8 of 10
How does this verse's tone compare to a simple boast?
Correct: B. Personal speed offered as evidence, not celebrated for its own sake.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'sāsana' mean?
Correct: B. What Sugandha says he has fulfilled.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Three?
Correct: D. Continuing the chapter's sequence of ten poems.
