Ekudāniya — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Seven · Poem 8 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; a general statement about an ideal type
Speaker
An impersonal voice describing 'the sage', not a first-person self-declaration
Form
One four-line verse in the genitive and dative case throughout
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
★☆☆☆☆ — plain, but grammatically unusual for this collection
Why this text
Unlike almost every poem around it, this verse contains no ‘I’ at all — it describes ‘a sage of higher consciousness, diligent’, and states that ‘there are no sorrows for the unaffected, calm and ever mindful’, entirely in the third person, as a general maxim rather than a personal account.
Reading guide
A verse without a first-person pronoun
Every noun and adjective in this verse sits in the genitive or dative case, describing qualities that belong to ‘such a one’ (tādino) rather than declaring ‘I have done this’ or ‘I am this’ — a grammatically distinct voice from the confessional first person heard through most of this collection so far.
A name that may describe the verse itself
Ekudāniya, ‘one of a single inspired utterance’, may record that this monk was known for exactly one udāna — a spontaneous, generalized exclamation of the kind collected in the Udāna, rather than a first-person narrative of his own path. This verse's impersonal, maxim-like character fits that reading, though this guide does not assert it as confirmed.
A maxim, not a confession
Read as a general statement rather than autobiography, the verse's claim is simple: sorrow does not arise for one who is calm, diligent, and mindful — a principle stated as true of any such person, not a report of one man's particular history.
Key terms
adhicetaso — “of higher consciousness” — the first quality this verse names.
muni — “sage” — the figure this entire verse describes, in the genitive case throughout.
tādino — “for such a one” or “for the unaffected one” — the word this verse's claim about sorrow is built around.
upasanta — “calm” or “peaceful” — one of two final qualities closing the verse.
udāna — “inspired utterance” — the genre this monk's own name may point toward, and the title of a separate collection in the wider canon.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1A sage of higher consciousness, diligent, training in the ways of sagacity: there are no sorrows for the unaffected, calm and ever mindful.
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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 grammatical feature does this verse lack, unlike almost every poem around it?
Correct: D. The verse describes 'a sage' in the genitive and dative, not 'I'.
Question 2 of 10
According to the verse, what is true for 'the unaffected one, calm and ever mindful'?
Correct: B. The verse's central claim, stated as a general principle.
Question 3 of 10
What might the name Ekudāniya record, according to this reading guide?
Correct: D. A reading this guide notes without asserting as confirmed.
Question 4 of 10
How does this reading guide characterize this verse compared to most poems so far?
Correct: B. A grammatically and tonally distinct voice within this collection.
Question 5 of 10
What case does this verse's vocabulary sit in throughout?
Correct: B. A structural mark of its impersonal, maxim-like character.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'muni' mean?
Correct: A. The figure this entire verse describes.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'tādino' mean?
Correct: C. The word this verse's central claim about sorrow is built around.
Question 8 of 10
What is the Udāna, according to this reading guide?
Correct: A. The genre this monk's own name may point toward.
