Hārita — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Three · Poem 9 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; a direct self-command
Speaker
Hārita, commanding himself by name
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 direct self-command, echoing an image from earlier in this book
Why this text
Hārita commands himself directly, by name: ‘straighten yourself, like a fletcher straightens an arrow’, then ‘when your mind is upright, Hārita, break ignorance to bits!’ — an imperative addressed to no one but himself.
Reading guide
A named, imperative self-command
Unlike Dabba or Vīra, whose verses praised them in the third person while still naming them within the verse, this poem addresses Hārita directly with commands: ‘straighten yourself’, ‘break ignorance to bits’ — imperative, not descriptive.
A fletcher simile echoing a poem two chapters earlier
‘Like a fletcher straightens an arrow’ nearly repeats the opening simile of Kula's verse (Thag 1.19) in Chapter Two — usukāra, ‘fletcher’, and tejana, ‘arrow-shaft’, both appearing in close to the same phrasing, a callback spanning two chapters rather than confined to one.
Two commands, in sequence
The verse moves through a clear order: straighten the mind first, then break ignorance — discipline positioned as the precondition for the more decisive action that follows it.
Key terms
samunnamaya — “straighten” or “make upright” — the verse's opening imperative.
usukāra — “fletcher” — the same trade named in Kula's verse (Thag 1.19), echoed here.
tejana — “arrow-shaft” — the object a fletcher straightens, and this verse's central simile.
uju — “straight” or “upright” — describing the mind once straightened.
avijjā — “ignorance” — what Hārita commands himself to break to bits.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Straighten yourself, like a fletcher straightens an arrow. When your mind is upright, Hārita, break ignorance to bits!
· · ·
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
How does this verse address Hārita?
Correct: C. Commands, not description.
Question 2 of 10
What simile does the verse use for straightening the mind?
Correct: B. The verse's opening image.
Question 3 of 10
What earlier poem does this simile echo?
Correct: A. A callback spanning two chapters, not confined to one.
Question 4 of 10
What does the verse command Hārita to do once his mind is upright?
Correct: C. The verse's second, decisive command.
Question 5 of 10
In what order do this verse's two commands come?
Correct: D. Discipline positioned as the precondition for the decisive action.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'avijjā' mean?
Correct: B. What Hārita commands himself to break to bits.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'usukāra' mean?
Correct: A. The same trade named in Kula's verse, echoed here.
Question 8 of 10
How does this verse's self-address compare to Dabba's and Vīra's verses in Chapter One?
Correct: B. Imperative rather than descriptive self-naming.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'tejana' mean?
Correct: A. The object a fletcher straightens, and this verse's central image.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Three?
Correct: D. Second to last in the chapter's sequence of ten poems.
