No narrative setting beyond what the verses state; no closing attribution
Speaker
A second nun also named Mittā, speaking entirely in the first person
Form
A four-line verse followed by a 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
★★☆☆☆ — traces a clear before-and-after within two short verses
Why this text
This second Mittā's verse traces a specific spiritual trajectory in miniature: devoted observance of the sabbath in hopes of a heavenly rebirth, followed by ordination, and finally a state beyond even that earlier hope — no longer wanting rebirth among the gods at all.
Reading guide
A devout layperson's practice, described specifically
The first verse lists precise observance details: the sabbath ‘complete in all eight factors’, kept ‘on the fourteenth and the fifteenth days’, plus the eighth day and the fortnightly special displays — the specific calendar of a committed lay practice.
A stated former goal: the company of gods
‘I rejoiced in the host of gods’ names what this devout observance once aimed at — a favorable heavenly rebirth, a legitimate and widely held aspiration in itself.
A visible change in circumstance
The second verse marks ordination in concrete, physical terms: ‘today I eat just once a day, my head is shaven, I wear the outer robe’ — description grounded in daily bodily practice, not abstract commitment.
Outgrowing the earlier aspiration entirely
The verse's closing lines state something stronger than simple progress: ‘I don't long for the host of gods, for stress has been removed from my heart’ — not achieving the earlier goal, but moving beyond wanting it at all.
Key terms
Mittā — this verse's speaker, a second nun of the same name as Thig 1.8's Mittā, distinguished by the title ‘(2nd)’.
uposatha — the “sabbath” or observance day, kept here ‘complete in all eight factors’ before ordination.
aṭṭhaṅgika — “eight-factored” — describing the fuller observance-day precepts kept by a devoted layperson.
ekabhattika — “eating just once a day” — one of the concrete monastic practices named as marking the change described in the second verse.
cariyā — not used here; another of this book's poems with no closing attribution, tracing a clear before-and-after across its two verses.
The text
The text in full: two verses, with no attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1I rejoiced in the host of gods, having observed the sabbath complete in all eight factors, on the fourteenth and the fifteenth days,
§2and the eighth day of the fortnight, as well as on the fortnightly special displays. Today I eat just once a day, my head is shaven, I wear the outer robe. I don’t long for the host of gods, for stress has been removed from my heart.
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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 specific observance does the first verse describe in detail?
Correct: B. A precise calendar of committed lay practice.
Question 2 of 10
What did this devout observance originally aim at?
Correct: B. A legitimate and widely held aspiration in itself.
Question 3 of 10
How does the second verse describe the change to ordained life?
Correct: B. Description grounded in daily bodily practice.
Question 4 of 10
What does the verse's closing state about the earlier goal of rebirth among the gods?
Correct: B. Not achieving the earlier aspiration, but outgrowing it entirely.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'uposatha' mean?
Correct: A. Named directly in the first verse's opening.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'aṭṭhaṅgika' describe in this verse?
Correct: B. The fuller precept set kept by a devoted layperson before ordination.
Question 7 of 10
How is this Mittā distinguished from Thig 1.8's Mittā?
Correct: B. A common pattern of shared names across this collection.
Question 8 of 10
Does this poem have a closing attribution?
Correct: B. No formal attribution note closes this poem.
Question 9 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the Book of the Twos?
Correct: B. Following Mettikā's mountain-climbing verses.
Question 10 of 10
What overall trajectory does this poem trace?
Correct: B. A clear before-and-after within two short verses.
