Sambulakaccāna — The Book of the Twos · Chapter Four · Poem 5 of 10
Setting
A frightful hole or cave, during heavy rain
Speaker
Sambulakaccāna, describing his own fearlessness
Form
Two four-line verses — a scene and its claim, then the same claim restated more plainly
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 vivid weather scene, restated for emphasis
Why this text
Sambulakaccāna describes staying alone in a ‘frightful hole’ while the heavens rain and pour, with no fear, no dread, no goosebumps — then restates the same claim a second time as simply his ‘normal state’.
Reading guide
A storm, and a solitary shelter
The first verse sets a vivid scene: the heavens raining and pouring, Sambulakaccāna alone in a ‘frightful hole’ (bherave bile) — a cave or hollow explicitly named as frightening, not a comfortable retreat.
No fear, stated three ways
The claim of fearlessness is itself layered: ‘no fear’, ‘no dread’, ‘no goosebumps’ — three distinct words for the absence of alarm, stacked rather than left to a single term.
The same claim, restated as ordinary
The second verse doesn't add new content; it restates the same fearlessness almost word for word, but reframes it as ‘dhammatā mamesā’, ‘this is my normal state’ — not a single triumphant moment but a settled, ongoing condition, closely echoing the near-repeated structure already seen at Thag 2.23 (Sobhita).
Key terms
bherave bile — “in a frightful hole” — the poem's central setting, named as frightening rather than comfortable.
bhayaṁ — “fear” — the first of three terms denied in both verses.
chambhitattaṁ — “dread” — the second term in that same triad.
lomahaṁso — “goosebumps” — the third, most physical term in the triad.
dhammatā mamesā — “this is my normal state” — the second verse's reframing of the same fearlessness as ordinary rather than exceptional.
The text
The text in full: two verses, without a translated attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1The heavens rain, the heavens pour, I’m staying alone in a frightful hole. But while I’m staying alone in that frightful hole, I’ve no fear, no dread, no goosebumps.
§2This is my normal state while staying alone in a frightful hole: I’ve no fear, no dread, no goosebumps.
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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 is happening in the weather, in the first verse?
Correct: A. A vivid storm scene opens the poem.
Question 2 of 10
How does the poem describe Sambulakaccāna's shelter?
Correct: A. Named explicitly as frightening, not comfortable.
Question 3 of 10
How many distinct terms for fearlessness are stacked in the first verse?
Correct: B. A layered denial rather than a single word.
Question 4 of 10
What does the second verse do with this claim?
Correct: B. A settled, ongoing condition rather than a single triumphant moment.
Question 5 of 10
Which earlier poem in this book uses a similar near-repeated two-verse structure?
Correct: C. The same claim restated with only small changes.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'dhammatā mamesā' mean?
Correct: C. Reframing fearlessness as ordinary rather than exceptional.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'chambhitattaṁ' mean?
Correct: D. The second of three terms denied in this poem.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'lomahaṁso' mean?
Correct: D. The third, most physical term in the fearlessness triad.
Question 9 of 10
Is Sambulakaccāna's fearlessness in this poem framed as accompanied by other people?
Correct: C. Ekako, 'alone', named directly in both verses.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Four?
Correct: D. Following Migasira, Sivaka, Upavāṇa, and Isidinna.
