Heraññakāni — The Book of the Twos · Chapter Two · Poem 3 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; two four-line verses, without a translated attribution
Speaker
Heraññakāni, on impermanence and consequence
Form
Two four-line verses — an impermanence simile, then a warning about unrealized consequence
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 plain warning, without narrative
Why this text
Heraññakāni pictures life wasting away like water in tiny streams, days and nights rushing by, then warns that a fool doing bad deeds doesn't realize it now — the result will be bitter later.
Reading guide
Life, wasting away like a tiny stream
The first verse states that days and nights ‘rush by’ and life is ‘cut short’, then supplies its central image: mortal life wastes away ‘like the water in tiny streams’ — not a great river in flood, but a small, easily-depleted watercourse, emphasizing how quickly and quietly a lifespan can run dry.
Bad deeds, and a delayed reckoning
The second verse turns from impermanence to consequence: a fool doing bad deeds ‘doesn't realize’ what's coming, since the bitterness and bad result only arrive ‘later on’. The danger named here isn't the deed itself but the gap between doing it and recognizing its cost.
A second poem on consequence, back to back
This is the second poem in a row to focus on the workings of kamma: Thag 2.12 (Jotidāsa) stated that deeds ‘don't vanish’ and that everyone is heir to what they do; this poem adds the further point that the fool caught in the act often can't see this at all, only discovering the cost once it's already ‘later on’.
A name possibly tied to a trade
Heraññakāni's name relates to herañña, ‘gold’ or ‘treasury’, and may point to a family occupation such as money-changing or goldsmithing — though the poem itself says nothing about his background, and this guide treats the etymology as background information only, not a claim the text makes about him.
Key terms
ahorattā — “days and nights” — what the first verse says ‘rush by’, opening the poem.
kunnadīnaṁva odakaṁ — “like the water in tiny streams” — the central simile for how mortal life wastes away.
bālo — “fool” — who the second verse says fails to realize the consequence of bad deeds while doing them.
kaṭukaṁ — “bitter” — what the second verse says the result will be, once it finally arrives.
vipāko — “result” — the standard term for the ripening of an action, named directly in the poem's closing line.
The text
The text in full: two verses, without a translated attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1The days and nights rush by, and then life is cut short. The life of mortals wastes away, like the water in tiny streams.
§2But while doing bad deeds the fool doesn’t realize—it’ll be bitter later on; for the result will be bad for them.
· · ·
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 compare mortal life to?
Correct: D. A small, quietly-depleted watercourse, not a dramatic flood.
Question 2 of 10
What does the second verse say a fool doesn't realize?
Correct: D. Blindness to consequence while the deed is being done.
Question 3 of 10
When does the poem say the bitter result actually arrives?
Correct: C. A delayed reckoning, not an instant one.
Question 4 of 10
How does this poem relate to Thag 2.12, the poem immediately before it?
Correct: C. Two consecutive poems on the workings of kamma, from different angles.
Question 5 of 10
What does the guide say about Heraññakāni's name?
Correct: B. Etymology offered cautiously, not asserted as textual fact.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'vipāko' mean?
Correct: A. The standard term for the ripening of an action.
Question 7 of 10
What does the first verse say about days and nights?
Correct: A. The poem's opening observation about time's passage.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'kaṭukaṁ' mean?
Correct: A. Describing the delayed result of bad deeds.
Question 9 of 10
Does this poem include an extended narrative?
Correct: B. A direct warning, stated without story.
