‘I went forth to save my life,’ Mudita admits — not out of faith, at first — before embracing faith after ordination and taking a vow nearly identical to Thag 3.2's: no food, no drink, no leaving, no lying down, until the dart of craving is plucked. His poem closes not only this chapter, but the entire Book of the Fours.
Reading guide
An honest confession of impure motive
The opening line is unusually candid: ‘I went forth to save my life’ (jīvikatthohaṁ) — not faith, but survival, brought Mudita to ordination. Only afterward, ‘after receiving full ordination’, did he ‘embrace faith’ and strive ‘strong in effort’. Few poems in this collection state an originally impure motive this plainly before describing genuine practice growing from it.
A vow nearly identical to Thag 3.2's, in a different book
The third verse's vow — ‘I won't eat, I won't drink, I won't leave my dwelling, nor will I lie down on my side, until the dart of craving is plucked’ — matches Thag 3.2 (Paccaya)'s vow almost word for word, differing only in a single minor phrase (vihārā ca na nikkhame here, vihārato na nikkhame there). This is the same extreme formula recurring across two different books, not merely within one.
A book's close with no separate chapter marker, again
As with Thag 3.16, this book has only one chapter, so the Pali moves directly from this poem's attribution to Catukkanipāto niṭṭhito, ‘the Book of the Fours is concluded’, with no separate chapter-closing line. The Tatruddānaṁ that follows names all twelve elders in two groups — the first nine capped with dasete buddhasāvakā, ‘these ten disciples of the Buddha’, though only nine names precede it, and the final three correctly capped te tayo, ‘these three’. This reading guide notes the mismatch honestly rather than silently correcting it.
A closing tally that does not match this book's own poems
The final summary verse states forty-eight verses (dve ca paññāsa is more precisely read as ‘fifty-two’) and thirteen elders (therā... terasa) — but this book, as translated on this site, comprises twelve poems of four verses each: forty-eight verses, twelve elders, both numbers confirmed by the name list immediately preceding this same closing verse. This reading guide reports the discrepancy as the source text presents it, without proposing which number is correct or how the mismatch arose.
Key terms
jīvikatthohaṁ — “to save my life” — Mudita's admitted, originally impure reason for going forth.
taṇhāsalle anūhate — “until the dart of craving is plucked” — the vow's condition, matching Thag 3.2 almost word for word.
Catukkanipāto niṭṭhito — “the Book of the Fours is concluded” — this book's sole closing marker, with no separate chapter-level marker preceding it.
dasete buddhasāvakā — “these ten disciples of the Buddha” — capping a group of only nine names in the uddāna, a mismatch this reading guide notes without resolving.
gāthāyo... therā... terasa — “verses... elders... thirteen” — the closing tally's numbers, which do not match this book's twelve poems as translated on this site.
The text
The text in full: four verses, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1I went forth to save my life. But I embraced faith after receiving full ordination. I strove, strong in effort:
§2gladly, let this body be broken! Let this scrap of meat disintegrate! Let both my legs fall off at the knees!
§3I won’t eat, I won’t drink, I won’t leave my dwelling, nor will I lie down on my side, until the dart of craving is plucked.
§4As I meditate like this, see my energy and vigor! I’ve attained the three knowledges and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.
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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 Mudita admit about his original motive for going forth?
Correct: C. Faith came only after full ordination.
Question 2 of 10
How does this poem's vow compare to Thag 3.2 (Paccaya)'s?
Correct: D. The same extreme formula recurring across two different books.
Question 3 of 10
What marks this poem's transition from chapter close to book close?
Correct: B. As with Thag 3.16 in the Book of the Threes.
Question 4 of 10
What mismatch does this reading guide note in the uddāna's own tally language?
Correct: C. Noted honestly, not silently corrected.
Question 5 of 10
What does the book's final closing verse state, in terms of verses and elders?
Correct: D. A discrepancy this reading guide reports without resolving.
Question 6 of 10
How many poems and verses does this book actually comprise, as translated on this site?
Correct: A. Confirmed both by the poems themselves and by the name list preceding the mismatched tally.
Question 7 of 10
Does this reading guide attempt to resolve why the closing tally doesn't match?
Correct: B. No cause is proposed; the numbers are simply reported honestly.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'jīvikatthohaṁ' mean?
Correct: A. Mudita's admitted original motive for going forth.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'taṇhāsalle anūhate' mean?
Correct: A. The condition of the vow shared with Thag 3.2.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in this collection's overall structure?
Correct: C. The twelfth and final poem of this book's single chapter.
