Meghiya — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Seven · Poem 6 of 10
Setting
Staying close by his teacher, after receiving counsel
Speaker
Meghiya, describing what he heard and attained
Form
One six-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, gratitude-framed declaration
Why this text
Meghiya's verse opens with gratitude: ‘he counseled me, the great hero, the one who has gone beyond all things’. After staying close by that counsel, mindful, Meghiya closes with the same declaration heard from Sugandha (Thag 1.24) and Añjanavaniya (Thag 1.55) earlier in this collection: the three knowledges attained, the Buddha's instructions fulfilled.
Reading guide
A third appearance of the same closing formula
‘Tisso vijjā anuppattā, kataṁ buddhassa sāsanan’ ti — ‘I've attained the three knowledges and fulfilled the Buddha's instructions’ — closes this verse exactly as it closed Sugandha's in Chapter Three and Añjanavaniya's in Chapter Six, now appearing for a third time across this collection.
A name shared with the Buddha's attendant before Ānanda
Meghiya is also the name of the monk who served as the Buddha's personal attendant in a discourse recorded at AN 9.3 and Ud 4.1, both already covered on this site — there, Meghiya leaves the Buddha's side to meditate alone in a mango grove against advice, struggles with unwholesome thoughts, and is taught the five things that ripen the heart's release. Whether this verse's speaker is that same Meghiya, this reading guide does not assert; it notes the shared name and the matching role — staying close to a teacher's counsel — without claiming they are confirmed to be identical.
Six lines, longer than most poems in this chapter
Where most poems in this collection's Book of the Ones run to four lines, this one extends to six — gratitude for counsel, then the act of staying close and listening, then the standard closing declaration, each given its own couplet.
Key terms
mahāvīro — “the great hero” — the title Meghiya gives the one who counseled him.
sabbadhammāna pāragū — “one who has gone beyond all things” — a further epithet for that same teacher.
santike — “close by” — describing where Meghiya stayed after hearing the teaching.
tisso vijjā — “the three knowledges” — named in this verse's closing couplet, shared word for word with Sugandha and Añjanavaniya.
Meghiya — a name shared with the Buddha's attendant in a discourse recorded at AN 9.3 and Ud 4.1, already covered on this site.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1He counseled me, the great hero, the one who has gone beyond all things. When I heard his teaching I stayed close by him, mindful. I’ve attained the three knowledges and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.
· · ·
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 title does Meghiya give to the one who counseled him?
Correct: A. The verse's opening gratitude.
Question 2 of 10
What closing couplet does this verse share with Sugandha's (Thag 1.24) and Añjanavaniya's (Thag 1.55) verses?
Correct: D. Appearing here for a third time across this collection.
Question 3 of 10
What does Meghiya do after hearing the teaching, according to the verse?
Correct: B. Vihāsiṁ santike sato — staying near, attentive.
Question 4 of 10
What does this reading guide say about the Meghiya of AN 9.3 and Ud 4.1?
Correct: D. The same cautious treatment applied to other shared names earlier in this chapter.
Question 5 of 10
In AN 9.3, what happens after Meghiya leaves the Buddha to meditate in a mango grove?
Correct: B. A well-known teaching moment, already covered on this site.
Question 6 of 10
How many lines does this verse have, compared to most poems in this chapter?
Correct: B. Gratitude, staying close, and the closing declaration each given their own couplet.
Question 7 of 10
What role did the Meghiya of AN 9.3 hold at the time of that discourse?
Correct: A. A role held before Ānanda took on that position.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'santike' mean?
Correct: A. Describing where Meghiya stayed after hearing the counsel.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Seven?
Correct: C. Poem 6 of 10.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'mahāvīro' mean?
Correct: C. The title opening this verse's gratitude.
