Lomasakaṅgiya — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Three · Poem 7 of 10
Setting
Dense undergrowth — grasses, vines, reeds, and creepers — being physically pushed aside
Speaker
Lomasakaṅgiya, describing his own determined physical effort
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 concrete, physical image of determination
Why this text
Lomasakaṅgiya's verse is entirely physical: ‘with my chest I'll thrust aside the grasses, vines, reeds and creepers’, using his own body as the tool for pushing into seclusion, rather than describing determination in abstract terms.
Reading guide
Determination stated as bodily action
Rather than saying he will overcome obstacles in a general sense, Lomasakaṅgiya specifies exactly how: ‘with my chest’, physically forcing his way through undergrowth — determination given a concrete, bodily form.
Four named plants, not a generic tangle
Grasses, vines, reeds, and creepers are named one after another rather than lumped together as simply ‘undergrowth’ — an itemized, almost naturalist's list of what stands between him and seclusion.
A closing line shared word for word with Gosāla's verse
This verse's closing phrase, ‘fostering seclusion’, matches Gosāla's verse (Thag 1.23) exactly in the Pali — vivekamanubrūhayaṁ — even though the two verses lead up to it in entirely different ways: Gosāla by way of a meal and quiet contemplation, Lomasakaṅgiya by way of physically forcing through undergrowth.
Key terms
ura — “chest” — the body part Lomasakaṅgiya names as his tool for pushing through undergrowth.
panudissāmi — “I will thrust aside” or “I will push away” — this verse's central verb.
kusa — “grass” — the first of four plants named in this verse.
muñjapabbaja — “reeds and rushes” — among the plants named as obstacles in this verse.
vivekamanubrūhayaṁ — “fostering seclusion” — this verse's closing phrase, matching Gosāla's verse (Thag 1.23) exactly in the Pali.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1With my chest I’ll thrust aside the grasses, vines, reeds and creepers, and foster seclusion.
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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 body part does Lomasakaṅgiya say he uses to push through undergrowth?
Correct: D. A concrete, physical image rather than an abstract claim of determination.
Question 2 of 10
How many specific plants does the verse name?
Correct: C. An itemized, naturalist's list rather than a generic tangle.
Question 3 of 10
What does this verse's closing phrase, 'fostering seclusion', match exactly?
Correct: B. The exact same closing Pali phrase, vivekamanubrūhayaṁ.
Question 4 of 10
How do Gosāla's and Lomasakaṅgiya's verses differ in how they lead up to their shared closing phrase?
Correct: C. Two very different paths to the same closing line.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'panudissāmi' mean?
Correct: A. This verse's central verb, describing his physical action.
Question 6 of 10
How is Lomasakaṅgiya's determination expressed in this verse?
Correct: B. Determination given a concrete, physical form.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'kusa' mean?
Correct: A. The first of four plants named in this verse.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'muñjapabbaja' refer to?
Correct: A. Among the plants named as obstacles in this verse.
Question 9 of 10
What is Lomasakaṅgiya's stated goal in pushing through this undergrowth?
Correct: B. The verse's closing purpose.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Three?
Correct: D. Continuing the chapter's sequence of ten poems.
