Paviṭṭha — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Nine · Poem 7 of 10
Setting
A retrospective declaration of the aggregates seen and rebirth ended
Speaker
Paviṭṭha, in the first person
Form
One four-line verse, closing on a couplet shared with an earlier poem
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 well-known category
Why this text
Paviṭṭha declares the five aggregates seen as they truly are, all rebirths shattered, transmigration finished. Its closing two lines — ‘transmigration through births is finished, now there'll be no more future lives’ — are word for word identical to the closing of Thag 1.67 (Ekadhammasavanīya), from Chapter Seven.
Reading guide
A closing couplet shared with Chapter Seven
Vikkhīṇo jātisaṁsāro, natthi dāni punabbhavo, this verse's final two lines, match Thag 1.67's closing exactly, in both Pali and Sujato's English. The line before it shows a partial echo too: both verses open their second line with bhavā sabbe (‘all rebirths’), though each finishes with a different verb — 1.67 says they are samūhatā (‘eradicated’), this verse says padālitā (‘shattered’).
Aggregates seen as they truly are
Khandhā diṭṭhā yathābhūtaṁ opens the verse: the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness — the standard components the canon analyzes a person into) seen ‘as they truly are’ (yathābhūta), a common epistemic phrase throughout the wider canon for seeing something without distortion. The verse doesn't unpack the five aggregates individually — it simply names the outcome of having seen them clearly.
A name meaning 'entered'
Paviṭṭha is the past participle of pavisati (‘to enter’) — a plain, transparent name. This reading guide does not press any further connection between the name and the verse's content beyond noting its literal meaning.
Key terms
khandha — “aggregate” — one of the five standard components (form, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness) the canon analyzes a person into.
yathābhūta — “as it truly is” — a common epistemic phrase for seeing something without distortion.
padālita — “shattered, split open” — describing this verse's own account of what has happened to all rebirths.
bhava — “existence, a state of being” — shared vocabulary between this verse and Thag 1.67's closing couplet.
Paviṭṭha — “entered” — the past participle of pavisati, ‘to enter’.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1The aggregates are seen as they truly are; all rebirths are shattered; transmigration through births is finished; now there’ll be no more future lives.
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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 say has been seen 'as it truly is'?
Correct: A. Khandhā diṭṭhā yathābhūtaṁ, the verse's opening line.
Question 2 of 10
What earlier poem does this verse's closing couplet match word for word?
Correct: B. Both close with 'Vikkhīṇo jātisaṁsāro, natthi dāni punabbhavo'.
Question 3 of 10
Do the two verses' second lines also match exactly?
Correct: C. Samūhatā ('eradicated') in Thag 1.67 versus padālitā ('shattered') here.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'yathābhūta' mean?
Correct: A. A common epistemic phrase throughout the wider canon.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'padālita' mean?
Correct: D. Describing what has happened to all rebirths, according to this verse.
Question 6 of 10
What does the name Paviṭṭha mean?
Correct: A. The past participle of pavisati, 'to enter'.
Question 7 of 10
How many standard aggregates does the canon analyze a person into?
Correct: C. Form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.
Question 8 of 10
Does this verse individually unpack each of the five aggregates?
Correct: B. The verse relies on the category without spelling it out, as several earlier verses in this collection also do.
Question 9 of 10
What does the verse's closing line declare about future lives?
Correct: D. Natthi dāni punabbhavo, the verse's final words.
