No narrative frame beyond what the verse itself describes; no closing attribution
Speaker
The nun Dhammā, speaking entirely in the first person about a specific incident
Form
A single six-line verse, nothing more
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 concrete physical incident, not an abstract instruction
Why this text
Unlike most of this book's poems, which give instruction or state an attainment without describing how it came about, this verse narrates a specific physical event: a feeble, staff-leaning nun wanders for alms, her limbs give out, and she falls — and it is precisely this fall that becomes the occasion for insight.
Reading guide
Frailty stated plainly, not minimized
The verse opens with an honest description of physical weakness: ‘I wandered for alms though feeble, leaning on a staff’ — the difficulty of the alms round for an aging or unwell body stated without embellishment.
A fall described without drama
‘My limbs wobbled and I fell to the ground right there’ — a plain, almost matter-of-fact account of an ordinary physical failure, not treated as a tragedy or a trial to be overcome.
The fall itself as the turning point
The verse's final lines make the connection explicit: ‘seeing the danger of the body, my mind was freed’ — the very moment of physical failure becomes the occasion for seeing the body's vulnerability clearly enough to let go of it.
Insight through the body, not despite it
This poem offers a different route to the same destination described elsewhere in this book: not through instruction received, or a name's meaning turned into practice, but through a specific bodily experience recognized clearly in the moment it happened.
Key terms
Dhammā — this verse's speaker, a nun who describes a specific fall while on the alms round.
piṇḍapāta — “the alms round” — the activity Dhammā was engaged in, described here as physically demanding for someone feeble.
kāyassa ādīnava — “the danger of the body” — what this verse says Dhammā saw clearly at the moment of her fall, the direct trigger for her freedom.
daṇḍa — “staff” — the support Dhammā is described leaning on, indicating age or physical weakness before her fall.
cariyā — not used here; another of this book's unattributed poems, distinctive for narrating a specific incident rather than stating an instruction or attainment alone.
The text
The text in full: a single six-line verse, with no attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1I wandered for alms though feeble, leaning on a staff. My limbs wobbled and I fell to the ground right there. Seeing the danger of the body, my mind was freed.
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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 activity is Dhammā engaged in at the start of this verse?
Correct: B. Physical weakness stated plainly, without embellishment.
Question 2 of 10
What specific event does the verse describe?
Correct: B. A plain, matter-of-fact account of an ordinary physical failure.
Question 3 of 10
What does the fall become the occasion for?
Correct: B. The moment of physical failure becomes the trigger for insight.
Question 4 of 10
How does this poem's route to insight differ from most others in this book?
Correct: B. A concrete physical incident recognized clearly in the moment, not an abstract instruction.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'kāyassa ādīnava' mean?
Correct: A. Named directly as the trigger for her freedom.
Question 6 of 10
What does the staff mentioned in this verse indicate about Dhammā?
Correct: B. A support needed because of frailty, before her fall.
Question 7 of 10
How long is this poem, compared to the book's typical four-line verses?
Correct: B. One of a small number of slightly longer poems in this book, like Thig 1.11.
Question 8 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the Book of the Ones?
Correct: B. Following the second Sumanā's verse, near the book's very close.
Question 9 of 10
Does this poem have a closing attribution?
Correct: B. Continuing the bare, unattributed pattern of several poems in this book.
Question 10 of 10
What tone does the verse take toward Dhammā's fall?
Correct: B. An ordinary event that becomes significant through what it reveals, not through drama.
