Jotidāsa — The Book of the Twos · Chapter Two · Poem 2 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; an extended six-line first verse followed by a four-line second verse
Speaker
Jotidāsa, teaching on the consequences of harsh action
Form
A six-line verse, longer than this book's usual four-line unit, followed by a standard 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
★★☆☆☆ — one obscure word, flagged as uncertain even by the translator
Why this text
Jotidāsa describes people who act harshly — attacking, binding, hurting others in every way — and states that they are treated the same way in return, since their deeds don't vanish; the second verse generalizes this into a direct claim that everyone is heir to whatever deed, good or bad, they perform.
Reading guide
A longer first verse, six lines instead of four
This poem's first verse runs to six lines rather than this book's usual four — itemizing harsh acts (attacking, binding with rope, hurting people ‘in all kinds of ways’) before stating the consequence: those who act this way ‘are treated in the same way’, since ‘their deeds don't vanish’. Chapter Two's poems vary more in length than Chapter One's did; this is the first instance.
A flagged translation uncertainty
Sujato's own comment on this poem's opening word, veṭhamissena, states plainly that ‘the reading and derivation... are unclear’, working out only a probable sense — some kind of strong twisted material used for binding, i.e. rope. This is a rare moment where the translator's uncertainty is stated directly rather than resolved silently.
Heir to one's own deeds
The second verse generalizes from the first verse's specific harsh acts to a universal claim: whatever deed a person does, good or bad, they are ‘heir to each and every deed they do’. This site's own MN 135, ‘The Shorter Analysis of Deeds’, develops the same principle at length — ‘sentient beings are the owners of their deeds and heir to their deeds’ — unpacked there into seven paired examples.
Key terms
veṭhamissena — an obscure term, likely referring to twisted rope used for binding — its exact reading and derivation are flagged as unclear even in Sujato's own comment.
pharusūpakkamā — “hurting in harsh ways” — part of the first verse's inventory of harsh actions.
kammaṁ na panassati — “deeds don't vanish” — the first verse's closing claim about consequence.
kalyāṇaṁ ... pāpakaṁ — “good... bad” — the two categories of deed the second verse says everyone is heir to.
dāyādo — “heir” — the term describing one's relationship to one's own deeds, echoed in this site's own MN 135.
The text
The text in full: a six-line verse followed by a four-line verse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1People who act harshly—attacking people, binding them with rope, hurting them in all kinds of ways—they’re treated in the same way; their deeds don’t vanish.
§2Whatever deeds a person does, whether good or bad, they are the heir to each and every deed they do.
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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 the first verse describe people doing to others?
Correct: D. An inventory of harsh acts opens the poem.
Question 2 of 10
What does the verse say happens to those who act this harshly?
Correct: B. Consequence tracks the deed.
Question 3 of 10
How long is this poem's first verse, compared to the book's usual unit?
Correct: C. The first instance in Chapter Two of a poem varying from the standard length.
Question 4 of 10
What does Sujato's own comment say about the word 'veṭhamissena'?
Correct: D. A rare moment of stated translation uncertainty.
Question 5 of 10
What does the second verse claim about deeds, good or bad?
Correct: C. A universal claim, generalizing from the first verse's specific acts.
Question 6 of 10
What does this site's own MN 135 develop at greater length?
Correct: B. Unpacked there into seven paired examples.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'dāyādo' mean?
Correct: A. Describing one's relationship to one's own deeds.
Question 8 of 10
Does this poem's second verse limit its claim to only harsh or violent deeds?
Correct: A. A broader principle than the first verse's specific examples.
Question 9 of 10
What is 'pharusūpakkamā' part of?
Correct: D. One term among several describing harsh treatment of others.
