THE FIRST WARRIOR-LIKE PRACTITIONER
He collapses merely at the “dust”
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu rajaggaññeva disvā saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti brahmacariyaṁ sandhāretuṁ. Sikkhādubbalyaṁ āvikatvā sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati.
“Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu, merely on seeing the cloud of dust, sinks down and becomes dejected. He does not remain firm and is incapable of sustaining the holy life. Having disclosed his weakness regarding the training, he renounces the training and returns to the lower life.”
Brahmacariya – The complete holy life or purified mode of conduct directed toward the ending of suffering. In this context, it includes celibacy but is not limited to celibacy.
Sandhāretuṁ – To maintain, sustain, uphold or continue. The variant santānetuṁ similarly conveys continuing or carrying on.
Sikkhādubbalya – sikkhā — training; dubbalya — weakness. A weakening in one’s ability or willingness to continue the training.
Āvikatvā – Having made it open, declared it or disclosed it.
Sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya – Having formally rejected or renounced the training.
Hīnāyāvattati – hīna — lower, inferior; āvattati — returns. In the monastic context, he returns to household life after disrobing. This person has not secretly committed a pārājika offence. He recognises that he cannot sustain celibacy, properly discloses his weakness and formally leaves the training. Although he has failed to continue as a bhikkhu, there remains a distinction between: honestly relinquishing the training before sexual activity; secretly violating the training while continuing to claim the status of a bhikkhu. This distinction becomes important in the fourth case.
What is the “dust” for him?
Kimassa rajaggasmiṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu suṇāti: ‘amukasmiṁ nāma gāme vā nigame vā itthī vā kumārī vā abhirūpā dassanīyā pāsādikā paramāya vaṇṇapokkharatāya samannāgatā’ti. So taṁ sutvā saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti brahmacariyaṁ sandhāretuṁ. Sikkhādubbalyaṁ āvikatvā sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. Idamassa rajaggasmiṁ.
“And what, for him, is the cloud of dust? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu hears: ‘In such-and-such a village or market town there is a woman or young woman who is beautiful, attractive to behold, pleasing and endowed with the supreme beauty of complexion.’ Having heard this, he sinks down and becomes dejected. He does not remain firm and is incapable of sustaining the holy life. Having disclosed his weakness regarding the training, he renounces the training and returns to the lower life. This, for him, is the cloud of dust.”
Depth of practice – The bhikkhu has never seen her. Yet mere information becomes sufficient to destabilise the holy life. The sequence may be:
◉ He hears a description
◉ Saññā forms a mental image
◉ The image becomes embellished.
◉ Attention returns repeatedly to the imagined person
◉ An internal relationship is constructed
◉ Celibacy begins to appear burden some
◉ Household life is idealised
◉ Training is abandoned
The collapse begins with ayoniso manasikāra—attention that nourishes the attractive theme without examining its origin, instability, danger or consequence.
Appropriate practice includes:
◉ not seeking further details
◉ not asking who she is or where she lives
◉ not constructing an image
◉ recognising the arising of kāmacchanda
◉ recollecting the purpose of brahmacariya
◉ contemplating impermanence and the unattractive aspects of the body
◉ returning attention to a wholesome domain
◉ consulting a competent teacher before the mental theme becomes dominant
Contemporary application – Today the “cloud of dust” may include:
◉ a verbal description
◉ a social-media profile mentioned by another person
◉ romantic gossip
◉ messages about someone’s beauty
◉ a remembered name
◉ online comments
◉ an imagined relationship with someone never met
The teaching is therefore extremely relevant even before direct contact occurs.
Completion of the first comparison
Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, yodhājīvo rajaggaññeva disvā saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti saṅgāmaṁ otarituṁ; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi. Evarūpopi, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo hoti. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, paṭhamo yodhājīvūpamo puggalo santo saṁvijjamāno bhikkhūsu.
“Just as that professional warrior, merely on seeing the cloud of dust, sinks down and becomes dejected, does not remain firm and is incapable of entering the battle, so, bhikkhus, do I declare this person to be comparable to him. Such a person is also found among the bhikkhus. This, bhikkhus, is the first person comparable to a professional warrior found existing among the bhikkhus.” The danger is not “woman” as an ontological category. The danger is the practitioner’s untrained response to an attractive perceptual theme. The corresponding discourse could be framed with genders reversed for a female practitioner.

THE SECOND WARRIOR-LIKE PRACTITIONER
He withstands the dust but collapses upon seeing the banner
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sahati rajaggaṁ; api ca kho dhajaggaññeva disvā saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti brahmacariyaṁ sandhāretuṁ. Sikkhādubbalyaṁ āvikatvā sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati.
“Again, bhikkhus, another bhikkhu withstands the cloud of dust. But merely on seeing the tip of the banner, he sinks down and becomes dejected. He does not remain firm and is incapable of sustaining the holy life.
Having disclosed his weakness regarding the training, he renounces the training and returns to the lower life.” This practitioner is not destabilised by hearsay. He can hear descriptions without abandoning the training. However, direct visual contact is more powerful than the conceptual image. When beauty is immediately present, restraint fails. This shows that different sense-door conditions possess different strength. One should not conclude: “Because descriptions do not affect me, my sensual craving has ended.” It may only mean that the trigger has not yet become sufficiently immediate.
What is the “banner” for him?
Kimassa dhajaggasmiṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu na heva kho suṇāti: ‘amukasmiṁ nāma gāme vā nigame vā itthī vā kumārī vā abhirūpā dassanīyā pāsādikā paramāya vaṇṇapokkharatāya samannāgatā’ti; api ca kho sāmaṁ passati itthiṁ vā kumāriṁ vā abhirūpaṁ dassanīyaṁ pāsādikaṁ paramāya vaṇṇapokkharatāya samannāgataṁ. So taṁ disvā saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti brahmacariyaṁ sandhāretuṁ. Sikkhādubbalyaṁ āvikatvā sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. Idamassa dhajaggasmiṁ.
“And what, for him, is the tip of the banner?
Here, bhikkhus, the bhikkhu does not merely hear: ‘In such-and-such a village or market town there is a woman or young woman who is beautiful, attractive to behold, pleasing and endowed with the supreme beauty of complexion.’ Rather, he himself sees a woman or young woman who is beautiful, attractive to behold, pleasing and endowed with the supreme beauty of complexion. Having seen her, he sinks down and becomes dejected. He does not remain firm and is incapable of sustaining the holy life. Having disclosed his weakness regarding the training, he renounces the training and returns to the lower life. This, for him, is the tip of the banner.”
Important distinction – Na heva kho suṇāti … api ca kho sāmaṁ passati “He does not merely hear … rather, he sees for himself.” The movement is from a mentally constructed image to immediate visual experience.
Practice at the eye faculty Guarding the eye faculty means that, when seeing a form:
◉ one knows seeing as seeing
◉ one does not seize the overall appearance as a basis for craving
◉ one does not pursue attractive details
◉ one recognises pleasant feeling
◉ one prevents the arising or expansion of covetousness and distress
This does not require hatred toward beauty. Aversion is not liberation from attraction. Both attraction and aversion are forms of bondage. The task is to see:
◉ form as form
◉ contact as contact
◉ feeling as feeling
◉ perception as perception
◉ mental colouring as colouring
◉ arising as arising
◉ cessation as cessation
Why direct vision is stronger – Visual contact provides detail to imagination:
◉ bodily features
◉ expression
◉ movement
◉ gesture
◉ clothing
◉ voice and personality anticipated from appearance
The mind then adds:
◉ She is special
◉ She would understand me.
◉ Life with her would be fulfilling
◉ My present training deprives me
◉ I am losing something valuable
These are not contained in the visible form. They are produced through maññanā—conceiving and appropriative construction.
Completion of the second comparison
Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, yodhājīvo sahati rajaggaṁ; api ca kho dhajaggaññeva disvā saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti saṅgāmaṁ otarituṁ; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi. Evarūpopi, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo hoti. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, dutiyo yodhājīvūpamo puggalo santo saṁvijjamāno bhikkhūsu.
“Just as that professional warrior withstands the cloud of dust, but merely on seeing the tip of the banner sinks down and becomes dejected, does not remain firm and is incapable of entering the battle, so, bhikkhus, do I declare this person to be comparable to him. Such a person is also found among the bhikkhus. This, bhikkhus, is the second person comparable to a professional warrior found existing among the bhikkhus.”
This practitioner has some strength but insufficiently developed sense-restraint. His stability depended upon distance from the object. True training is not measured only in protected conditions. It is measured by whether wisdom, sati and restraint remain operative when an attractive form actually appears.

THE THIRD WARRIOR-LIKE PRACTITIONER
He withstands hearing and seeing but collapses at personal engagement
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sahati rajaggaṁ, sahati dhajaggaṁ; api ca kho ussāraṇaññeva sutvā saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti brahmacariyaṁ sandhāretuṁ. Sikkhādubbalyaṁ āvikatvā sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati.
“Again, bhikkhus, another bhikkhu withstands the cloud of dust and withstands the tip of the banner. But merely on hearing the battle cry, he sinks down and becomes dejected. He does not remain firm and is incapable of sustaining the holy life.
Having disclosed his weakness regarding the training, he renounces the training and returns to the lower life.”
This practitioner can:
◉ hear about an attractive person;
◉ see an attractive person.
But he cannot withstand being personally approached and playfully engaged.
The crucial transition is from: “There is an attractive person to this person is giving attention to me.”
The sense of “me” and “for me” greatly intensifies craving.
What is the “battle cry” for him?
Kimassa ussāraṇāya? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhuṁ araññagataṁ vā rukkhamūlagataṁ vā suññāgāragataṁ vā mātugāmo upasaṅkamitvā ūhasati ullapati ujjagghati uppaṇḍeti. So mātugāmena ūhasiyamāno ullapiyamāno ujjagghiyamāno uppaṇḍiyamāno saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti brahmacariyaṁ sandhāretuṁ. Sikkhādubbalyaṁ āvikatvā sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. Idamassa ussāraṇāya.
“And what, for him, is the battle cry?
Here, bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu has gone to the wilderness, to the root of a tree or to an empty dwelling, a woman approaches him and jokes with him, speaks alluringly to him, laughs with him and teases him.
While being joked with, spoken to alluringly, laughed with and teased by the woman, he sinks down and becomes dejected. He does not remain firm and is incapable of sustaining the holy life. Having disclosed his weakness regarding the training, he renounces the training and returns to the lower life.
This, for him, is the battle cry.”
The secluded settings
Araññagataṁ – Gone to the wilderness or forest.
Rukkhamūlagataṁ – Gone to the root or foot of a tree.
Suññāgāragataṁ – Gone to an empty dwelling or secluded hut.
These settings are normally supportive of bhāvanā. However, physical seclusion by itself does not eliminate craving. A secluded location can become dangerous when:
◉ internal restraint is undeveloped
◉ another person approaches
◉ social accountability is absent
◉ the practitioner assumes that seclusion automatically guarantees purity
The four actions
The precise shades of the verbs overlap, but together they indicate playful, familiar, flirtatious or mocking engagement:
Ūhasati – To joke with, ridicule, provoke or make suggestive fun.
Ullapati – To chat up, address enticingly, flatter or speak in a familiar manner.
Ujjagghati – To laugh loudly, giggle, joke or engage in playful laughter.
Uppaṇḍeti – To tease, mock, flirt or make sport of someone.
The point is not that laughter itself is immoral. The context is a direct attempt to emotionally and sensually engage a celibate practitioner in seclusion.
Why this is stronger than seeing?
The bhikkhu no longer encounters only a visible form. He experiences:
◉ recognition
◉ reciprocal attention
◉ emotional warmth
◉ humour
◉ invitation
◉ personal validation
◉ perceived desirability
The mind may think:
◉ She notices me.
◉ She likes me
◉ This is harmless conversation
◉ I can manage it
◉ I should not appear rude
◉ We have a special understanding
Thus, attachment is often disguised as:
◉ kindness
◉ counselling
◉ friendship
◉ spiritual guidance
◉ compassion
◉ harmless humour.
The practitioner must distinguish genuine compassion from the pleasure of being emotionally wanted.

Practical safeguards
A practitioner should:
◉ avoid private and ambiguous meetings
◉ keep conversation purposeful
◉ avoid suggestive humour
◉ not cultivate secrecy
◉ recognise bodily and emotional activation immediately
◉ leave the unsuitable setting
◉ recollect the training and its purpose
◉ disclose recurring difficulty to a trustworthy elder
◉ avoid testing oneself unnecessarily
This is not fear. It is sappāya-sampajañña—understanding what is suitable and unsuitable for the training.

Completion of the third comparison
Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, yodhājīvo sahati rajaggaṁ, sahati dhajaggaṁ; api ca kho ussāraṇaññeva sutvā saṁsīdati visīdati, na santhambhati, na sakkoti saṅgāmaṁ otarituṁ; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi. Evarūpopi, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo hoti. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, tatiyo yodhājīvūpamo puggalo santo saṁvijjamāno bhikkhūsu.
“Just as that professional warrior withstands the cloud of dust and withstands the tip of the banner, but merely on hearing the battle cry sinks down and becomes dejected, does not remain firm and is incapable of entering the battle, so, bhikkhus, do I declare this person to be comparable to him. Such a person is also found among the bhikkhus. This, bhikkhus, is the third person comparable to a professional warrior found existing among the bhikkhus.”
The first three practitioners withdraw from the monastic training before sexual intercourse occurs.
Their degrees of endurance differ:
◉ the first falls through imagination
◉ the second through direct sight
◉ the third through personal engagement
But all three eventually recognise that they cannot maintain celibacy and relinquish the training.

THE FOURTH WARRIOR-LIKE PRACTITIONER
He withstands the preliminary stages but falls in close combat
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sahati rajaggaṁ, sahati dhajaggaṁ, sahati ussāraṇaṁ; api ca kho sampahāre haññati byāpajjati.
“Again, bhikkhus, another bhikkhu withstands the cloud of dust, withstands the tip of the banner and withstands the battle cry. But in the clash of battle he is struck down and comes to ruin.”
This person appears highly resilient. He is not overcome by:
◉ descriptions
◉ visual beauty
◉ joking and flirtation
Yet he has not removed sensual craving. When the situation becomes physically intimate, his restraint collapses.
His earlier endurance may have been supported by:
◉ lack of opportunity
◉ social inhibition
◉ fear of exposure
◉ bodily distance
◉ confidence without wisdom
The deeper defilement remained.

What is the “close combat” for him?
Kimassa sampahārasmiṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhuṁ araññagataṁ vā rukkhamūlagataṁ vā suññāgāragataṁ vā mātugāmo upasaṅkamitvā abhinisīdati abhinipajjati ajjhottharati. So mātugāmena abhinisīdiyamāno abhinipajjiyamāno ajjhotthariyamāno sikkhaṁ apaccakkhāya dubbalyaṁ anāvikatvā methunaṁ dhammaṁ paṭisevati. Idamassa sampahārasmiṁ.
“And what, for him, is the clash of battle?
Here, bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu has gone to the wilderness, to the root of a tree or to an empty dwelling, a woman approaches him, sits down pressed close against him, lies down pressed close against him and throws herself upon him. While the woman is sitting close against him, lying close against him and pressing herself upon him, without renouncing the training and without disclosing his weakness, he engages in sexual intercourse. This, for him, is the clash of battle.”

Important terms
Abhinisīdati – She sits very close, sits against him or presses near him.
Abhinipajjati – She lies down beside or against him.
Ajjhottharati – She overwhelms, covers, embraces forcefully or throws herself upon him.
Sikkhaṁ apaccakkhāya – Without formally renouncing the training.
Dubbalyaṁ anāvikatvā – Without revealing or declaring his weakness.
Methunaṁ dhammaṁ paṭisevati – He engages in sexual intercourse.
The decisive distinction: The fourth person differs from the first three.
The earlier practitioners:
◉ recognised their inability
◉ disclosed weakness
◉ relinquished the training
◉ then returned to household life
The fourth:
◉ does not relinquish the training
◉ does not disclose his weakness
◉ engages in sexual intercourse while still claiming bhikkhu status
For a bhikkhu, intentional sexual intercourse constitutes defeat in the monastic discipline. The person is no longer in communion as a bhikkhu from the moment the offence is completed.
The Dhamma point: Buddha describes him as one who is:
haññati — struck down
byāpajjati — ruined
The language is severe because this is not merely the arising of sensual thought. It is the collapse of the fundamental celibate training while retaining its appearance.
The deeper danger includes:
◉ deception
◉ concealment
◉ rationalisation
◉ misuse of religious authority
◉ continuation under a false identity
◉ possible harm to another person or community
Practical lesson – The training must not depend upon heroic resistance at the final moment.
Wise practice acts much earlier:
◉ at perception
◉ at attention
◉ at conversation
◉ at environmental suitability
◉ at emotional dependency
◉ at physical proximity
Waiting until “close combat” to establish mindfulness is unwise. By then, craving may have accumulated great momentum.

Completion of the fourth comparison
Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, yodhājīvo sahati rajaggaṁ, sahati dhajaggaṁ, sahati ussāraṇaṁ, api ca kho sampahāre haññati byāpajjati; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi. Evarūpopi, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo hoti. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, catuttho yodhājīvūpamo puggalo santo saṁvijjamāno bhikkhūsu.
“Just as that professional warrior withstands the cloud of dust, withstands the tip of the banner and withstands the battle cry, but in the clash of battle is struck down and comes to ruin, so, bhikkhus, do I declare this person to be comparable to him. Such a person is also found among the bhikkhus. This, bhikkhus, is the fourth person comparable to a professional warrior found existing among the bhikkhus.” The fourth person’s failure demonstrates that endurance is not identical with purification. A person may suppress outward reaction while inwardly retaining:
◉ delight
◉ fantasy
◉ identification
◉ expectation
◉ latent lust
When supporting conditions arise, the concealed tendency manifests.

THE FIFTH WARRIOR-LIKE PRACTITIONER
He withstands all stages and wins the battle
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sahati rajaggaṁ, sahati dhajaggaṁ, sahati ussāraṇaṁ, sahati sampahāraṁ, so taṁ saṅgāmaṁ abhivijinitvā vijitasaṅgāmo tameva saṅgāmasīsaṁ ajjhāvasati.
“Again, bhikkhus, another bhikkhu withstands the cloud of dust, withstands the tip of the banner, withstands the battle cry and withstands the clash of battle.
Having completely conquered that battle, victorious in battle, he remains occupying the very head of the battlefield.”
This practitioner does not collapse at:
◉ hearing
◉ seeing
◉ social seduction
◉ bodily approach
However, the Buddha does not describe his achievement merely as “he did not have intercourse.” That is only the immediate victory.
The practitioner uses the event to deepen the path until the entire battle against the āsavas is completed.
What is his victory in battle?
Kimassa saṅgāmavijayasmiṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhuṁ araññagataṁ vā rukkhamūlagataṁ vā suññāgāragataṁ vā mātugāmo upasaṅkamitvā abhinisīdati abhinipajjati ajjhottharati. So mātugāmena abhinisīdiyamāno abhinipajjiyamāno ajjhotthariyamāno viniveṭhetvā vinimocetvā yena kāmaṁ pakkamati.
“And what, for him, is victory in battle? Here, bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu has gone to the wilderness, to the root of a tree or to an empty dwelling, a woman approaches him, sits pressed close against him, lies pressed close against him and throws herself upon him. While the woman is sitting close against him, lying close against him and pressing herself upon him, he disentangles himself, frees himself and departs wherever he wishes.”

Important terms
Viniveṭhetvā – Having unwound, disentangled or extricated himself.
Vinimocetvā – Having freed or released himself completely.
Yena kāmaṁ pakkamati – He goes wherever he chooses; he leaves the situation freely.
Depth of practice – The practitioner does not remain there to prove his purity. He gets free and leaves and this is crucial.
Spiritual strength is not:
◉ remaining in danger unnecessarily;
◉ enjoying the attention while claiming detachment;
◉ repeatedly testing oneself;
◉ believing that physical proximity cannot affect an advanced practitioner.
He does what is practically required:
◉ disengages
◉ frees himself
◉ departs
This is both restraint and wisdom. The wording does not require anger toward the woman. He neither yields nor retaliates. He simply releases himself from the unsuitable situation.
Inner victory versus suppression
At this immediate stage, the text does not yet say that sensual desire has been permanently uprooted. It says he withstands the encounter and acts according to the training.
He must still proceed to:
◉ seclusion;
◉ abandonment of the hindrances;
◉ jhāna;
◉ insight;
◉ destruction of the āsavas.
Thus, behavioural victory is necessary but not the final liberation.

He seeks a secluded dwelling
So vivittaṁ senāsanaṁ bhajati araññaṁ rukkhamūlaṁ pabbataṁ kandaraṁ giriguhaṁ susānaṁ vanapatthaṁ abbhokāsaṁ palālapuñjaṁ.
“He resorts to a secluded lodging: a wilderness, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest grove, the open air or a heap of straw.”
Important terms
Vivittaṁ senāsanaṁ – A secluded dwelling or resting place separated from disturbance.
Bhajati – He frequents, resorts to, cultivates or makes use of it.
The listed places are:
araññaṁ — wilderness or forest
rukkhamūlaṁ — root of a tree
pabbataṁ — mountain
kandaraṁ — ravine, glen or mountain cleft
giriguhaṁ — mountain cave
susānaṁ — charnel ground
vanapatthaṁ — remote forest region
abbhokāsaṁ — open air
palālapuñjaṁ — heap or stack of straw
Why he goes into seclusion? He has just faced a powerful sensual challenge. He does not:
◉ celebrate his self-control
◉ tell stories about his victory
◉ remain near the object
◉ seek another opportunity
◉ assume the work is finished
He withdraws to examine and purify the mind
The physical encounter may have left:
◉ images
◉ pleasant bodily memory
◉ excitement
◉ pride
◉ agitation
◉ resentment
◉ fear
◉ renewed fantasy
Therefore, the external escape must be followed by internal purification.
Establishing the body and mindfulness
So araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā.
“Having gone to the wilderness, to the root of a tree or to an empty dwelling, he sits down, folds his legs crosswise, holds his body upright and establishes mindfulness before him.”
Nisīdati – He sits down.
Pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā – Having folded the legs crosswise. This indicates a stable seated posture, not a compulsory cultural performance. The function is bodily stability.
Ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya – Having placed or held the body upright.
The body is neither collapsed nor rigid. Uprightness supports:
◉ wakefulness
◉ balanced breathing
◉ clear comprehension
◉ reduced drowsiness
Parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā – Having established mindfulness in front, to the fore or as the primary governing presence.
The phrase does not itself restrict mindfulness to a tiny physical point. The important action is upaṭṭhapetvā—establishing sati so that it stands present and operative.
Dhamma sequence – The practitioner has now moved through:
◉ danger recognised
◉ bodily disentanglement
◉ departure
◉ suitable seclusion
◉ stable posture
◉ establishment of sati
Only then does the discourse describe removal of the hindrances.

THE FOUR JHĀNAS
First jhāna
Vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.
“Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome qualities, he enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by vitakka and vicāra and has rapture and happiness born of seclusion.”
Vivicceva kāmehi – Separated and disengaged from sensual pleasures.
This includes both:
◉ external sensual involvement;
◉ internal sensual preoccupation.
Vivicca akusalehi dhammehi – Separated from unwholesome states, especially the five hindrances just described.
Savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ – With the mind placing itself upon and remaining engaged with the wholesome domain. These terms should not be reduced merely to ordinary discursive thinking.
Vivekajaṁ – Born of separation or discrimination from the unwholesome and sensual field.=
Pīti – Uplift, gladness, enlivening joy.
Sukha – Ease, well-being or happiness.
Relation to the battle
The practitioner’s happiness is no longer dependent upon sensual acquisition. A non-sensual happiness has become available through seclusion. This is strategically decisive. Sensual craving remains powerful when the mind believes:
“Without sensual pleasure there is only deprivation.”
The first jhāna shows directly that relinquishment can produce a more stable and blameless well-being.

Second jhāna
Vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.
“With the calming of vitakka and vicāra, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without vitakka and vicāra, and has rapture and happiness born of samādhi.”
Vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā – The activity required to place and maintain the mind settles.
Ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ – Internal clarity, confidence and serene composure.
Cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ – The mind becomes unified, gathered into oneness rather than fragmented.
Samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ – Rapture and happiness born of samādhi itself.
The mind no longer requires active maintenance of the first-jhāna mode. Unification becomes internally established.

Third jhāna
Pītiyā ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharati, sato ca sampajāno, sukhañca kāyena paṭisaṁvedeti, yaṁ taṁ ariyā ācikkhanti: ‘upekkhako satimā sukhavihārī’ti, tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.
“With the fading of rapture, he dwells equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences happiness with the body. He enters and dwells in the third jhāna, concerning which the noble ones declare: ‘Equanimous and mindful, one dwells happily.’”
Pītiyā virāgā – Rapture fades or loses its compelling colouring.
Upekkhako – He remains equanimous, neither grasping at the pleasant state nor rejecting change.
Sato sampajāno – Mindful and clearly comprehending.
Sukhañca kāyena paṭisaṁvedeti – He directly experiences happiness through the embodied field.
The mind becomes subtler. Even refined rapture is not clung to.

Fourth jhāna
Sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā, pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā, adukkhamasukhaṁ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.
“With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of mental joy and sorrow, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, which is neither painful nor pleasant and has purity of mindfulness due to equanimity.”
Sukhassa pahānā, dukkhassa pahānā – Pleasure and pain no longer govern the experience.
Pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā – Mental gladness and sadness have already subsided.
Adukkhamasukhaṁ – Neither painful nor pleasant.
Upekkhāsatipārisuddhi – Purification of mindfulness through equanimity.
The mind is no longer conquered by:
◉ attractive feeling
◉ painful feeling
◉ emotional excitement
◉ emotional dejection
This represents profound mastery over precisely the affective forces that defeated the earlier warrior-like practitioners.