Migasira — The Book of the Twos · Chapter Four · Poem 1 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; two four-line verses, without a translated attribution, opening Chapter Four
Speaker
Migasira, describing his own release
Form
Two four-line verses — going forth and rising, then a witnessed freeing of the mind
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 compact declaration with one striking detail
Why this text
Migasira describes going forth in the Buddha's teaching and rising up, escaping the sensual realm while letting go — then adds an unusual detail: his mind was freed ‘as the supreme one looked on’, a freedom he calls unshakable with the ending of all fetters.
Reading guide
Rising up, while letting go
The first verse pairs two actions that might seem to pull in different directions: ‘letting go’ and ‘rising up’ happen in the same breath, escaping ‘the sensual realm’ not through effortful climbing but through release itself.
Freedom, witnessed
The second verse adds a detail rare in this book: Migasira's mind was freed ‘as the supreme one’ (brahmā) ‘looked on’. Most declarations in this collection report attainment without naming any witness; here the moment of release is explicitly seen by another, unnamed beyond the epithet itself.
Unshakable, and the reason given
The poem closes by naming why this freedom can be called ‘unshakable’: not a feeling or a hope, but a direct consequence — ‘with the ending of all fetters’. The certainty is grounded in what has been removed, not asserted on its own.
Key terms
sammāsambuddhasāsane — “in the teaching of the Buddha” — where Migasira went forth, opening the poem.
kāmadhātuṁ — “the sensual realm” — what is escaped in the same motion as rising up.
brahmuno pekkhamānassa — “as the supreme one looked on” — the poem's distinctive detail, a witnessed moment of release.
akuppā — “unshakable” — describing the freedom declared in the poem's closing line.
sabbasaṁyojanakkhayā — “with the ending of all fetters” — the stated ground for that unshakability.
The text
The text in full: two verses, without a translated attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1When I had gone forth in the teaching of the Buddha, while letting go, I rose up; escaping the sensual realm.
§2Then, as the supreme one looked on, my mind was freed. My freedom is unshakable with the ending of all fetters.
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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 two actions does the first verse pair together?
Correct: A. Release itself, not effortful climbing, is what carries him up.
Question 2 of 10
What is escaped, according to the first verse?
Correct: B. Kāmadhātuṁ, named directly.
Question 3 of 10
What unusual detail does the second verse add to this declaration?
Correct: C. A witnessed release, rarer than this book's usual unwitnessed declarations.
Question 4 of 10
What does the poem give as the ground for calling this freedom 'unshakable'?
Correct: B. Certainty grounded in what has been removed, not merely asserted.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'kāmadhātuṁ' mean?
Correct: C. What is escaped in the poem's opening verse.
Question 6 of 10
How does most of this book typically report attainment, by contrast with this poem?
Correct: D. This poem's witnessed detail is the exception, not the rule.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'akuppā' mean?
Correct: D. Describing the freedom declared at the poem's close.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'sammāsambuddhasāsane' mean?
Correct: D. Where Migasira went forth.
Question 9 of 10
What is the overall structure of this poem?
Correct: A. A compact two-part declaration.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in the Book of the Twos?
Correct: B. Opening the book's fourth chapter, following Chapter Three's ten poems.
