Nāgita — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Nine · Poem 6 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; a claim about other doctrines, then praise of the Buddha's own transparency
Speaker
An unnamed voice, describing the Buddha's teaching in the third person
Form
One four-line verse, in two halves
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 vocabulary, one notable canonical echo
Why this text
This verse claims that other doctrines exist, but don't lead to extinguishment the way this one does — and closes by praising how the Buddha teaches the Saṅgha: ‘the Teacher shows the palms of his hands’, an image that closely echoes the Buddha's own famous words elsewhere in the canon about withholding nothing from his students.
Reading guide
Many paths, one that leads to extinguishment
The verse's first half makes an exclusivity claim: ‘elsewhere there are many other doctrines’ (puthu aññavādinaṁ), but their paths, unlike this one, don't lead to nibbāna. The verse doesn't argue the point or name any rival teaching — it simply asserts the distinction before turning to why.
An echo of the Buddha's own words on withholding nothing
‘The Teacher shows the palms of his hands’ (satthā sayaṁ pāṇitaleva dassayaṁ) closely echoes a passage in this site's own DN 16 (§2.25), where the Buddha tells Ānanda directly: ‘The Realized One doesn't have the closed fist of a tutor when it comes to the teachings’ — no secret, no held-back portion kept from his students. This verse's open-palms image is the same claim turned into a physical gesture: hands opened rather than a fist closed.
A fifth non-testimonial poem, in yet another register
Thag 1.82 through 1.85 were, in turn, an address to a child, an address to Sīha, a rhetorical question, and a general teaching about practitioners — none of them first-person testimony. This verse extends that run to five poems, shifting register once more: praise of the Buddha's own transparency as a teacher, rather than instruction aimed at anyone in particular.
A name possibly belonging to the Buddha's own attendant
Nāgita is also the name of a monk who appears as the Buddha's personal attendant in two suttas already translated on this site, AN 5.30 and AN 6.42, both titled ‘With Nāgita’. The name is less common than some other cases in this collection, and this verse's content — praise for how openly the Buddha teaches the Saṅgha — would fit naturally with an attendant's vantage point. Still, without a comment confirming it, this reading guide notes the connection as plausible rather than settled.
Key terms
aññavādin — “an exponent of another doctrine” — añña (‘other’) plus vādin (‘one who asserts, a proponent’).
nibbānagama — “leading to extinguishment” — describing what this verse says other paths do not do.
anusāsati — “instructs, teaches” — the verb describing the Buddha's own action toward the Saṅgha.
pāṇitala — “the palm of the hand” — pāṇi (‘hand’) plus tala (‘surface, palm’), the image this verse closes on.
ācariyamuṭṭhi — “the closed fist of a tutor” — the concept the Buddha explicitly denies having, in this site's own DN 16 (§2.25), that this verse's open-palms image echoes.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Elsewhere there are many other doctrines; paths that, unlike this, don’t lead to extinguishment. For the Buddha himself instructs the Saṅgha; the Teacher shows the palms of his hands.
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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 does this verse's first half claim about other doctrines?
Correct: C. Puthu aññavādinaṁ, maggo na nibbānagamo yathā ayaṁ.
Question 2 of 10
What image closes this verse?
Correct: A. Satthā sayaṁ pāṇitaleva dassayaṁ, the verse's final image.
Question 3 of 10
What passage on this site does this verse's closing image closely echo?
Correct: B. The same claim of withholding nothing, expressed as open hands rather than a closed fist.
Question 4 of 10
What does the Buddha say about his teaching in DN 16 §2.25, as quoted in this reading guide?
Correct: D. No secret, no held-back portion kept from his students.
Question 5 of 10
How many consecutive poems in Chapter Nine, including this one, are not first-person testimony?
Correct: D. Each in a different register: address, address, rhetorical question, general teaching, and now praise of the Buddha.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'aññavādin' mean?
Correct: A. Añña ('other') plus vādin ('one who asserts').
Question 7 of 10
What does 'pāṇitala' mean?
Correct: B. Pāṇi ('hand') plus tala ('surface, palm').
Question 8 of 10
What does this reading guide say about identifying this elder with the Buddha's attendant Nāgita from AN 5.30 and AN 6.42?
Correct: C. A more favorable case than most 'same name' instances, but still not confirmed.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'anusāsati' mean?
Correct: D. Describing the Buddha's own action toward the Saṅgha.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'nibbānagama' mean?
Correct: A. What this verse says other paths do not do.
