Ramaṇīyavihārin — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Five · Poem 5 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; a horse simile for recovery after a stumble
Speaker
An unnamed voice describing a disciple accomplished in vision
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 horse simile about resilience, not uninterrupted perfection
Why this text
‘Though a fine thoroughbred may stumble, it soon stands firm again’ — this verse's point is not flawlessness but recovery: a disciple ‘accomplished in vision’ is compared to a horse that stumbles and rights itself quickly, not one that never stumbles at all.
Reading guide
The same thoroughbred, used differently than before
‘A fine thoroughbred’, bhaddo ājañño, opens this verse in the exact same Pali wording as Belaṭṭhasīsa's verse (Thag 1.16) in Chapter Two — but where that horse ran ‘with ease’, uninterrupted, this one stumbles first, and the verse's whole point rests on what happens next.
Honesty about lapses, paired with confidence in recovery
Unlike verses declaring complete, uninterrupted freedom from fault, this one openly acknowledges that even a fine horse — and, by comparison, even an accomplished disciple — may stumble. The verse's confidence lies entirely in the speed of standing firm again, not in never falling.
A specific attainment named directly
Dassanasampanna, ‘accomplished in vision’, names a specific attainment rather than praising the disciple in only general terms — likely referring to having gained right view, the clarity that makes quick recovery from a lapse possible.
Key terms
bhaddo ājañño — “a fine thoroughbred” — the exact opening phrase shared with Belaṭṭhasīsa's verse (Thag 1.16) in Chapter Two.
khalitvā — “having stumbled” — the moment of lapse this verse openly acknowledges.
patitiṭṭhati — “stands firm again” — the recovery this verse's confidence rests on.
dassanasampanna — “accomplished in vision” — a specific attainment, likely referring to right view.
sāvaka — “disciple” — the verse's closing description of the Buddha's student.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Though a fine thoroughbred may stumble, it soon stands firm again. Even so is one accomplished in vision, a disciple of the Buddha.
· · ·
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 the verse say about a fine thoroughbred?
Correct: C. Resilience after a lapse, not flawless perfection.
Question 2 of 10
What earlier poem in this collection shares this verse's opening phrase, 'a fine thoroughbred'?
Correct: A. The exact same Pali opening, used to a different point.
Question 3 of 10
How does this verse's horse differ from the one in Belaṭṭhasīsa's verse?
Correct: C. A shared image put to a different rhetorical use.
Question 4 of 10
What does this verse's confidence rest on?
Correct: B. Resilience, not flawlessness.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'dassanasampanna' mean?
Correct: A. A specific attainment, likely referring to right view.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'khalitvā' mean?
Correct: A. The moment of lapse this verse openly acknowledges.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'patitiṭṭhati' mean?
Correct: D. The recovery this verse's confidence rests on.
Question 8 of 10
Does this verse declare complete, uninterrupted freedom from fault?
Correct: B. Honesty about lapses, paired with confidence in recovery.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'sāvaka' mean?
Correct: B. The verse's closing description of the Buddha's student.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Five?
Correct: D. Continuing the chapter's sequence of ten poems.
