Blind is this world; few here see clearly. Like birds freed from a net, few go to heaven.

Andhabhūto ayaṃ loko — blind is this world: andha-bhūta is made blind, blinded. The blindness is not visual but ontological: the world does not see reality as it is. Ignorance (avijjā) functions as a blindfold over the eyes of understanding.

Tanukettha vipassati — few here see clearly: tanuka is few, scarce. Vipassati is to see with penetration, to see clearly — from which comes vipassanā (insight meditation). As in verse 85, the statistical honesty is stark: few truly see.

Sakuntova muttabandhanā — like birds freed from a net: bandha is the net, the snare. The few who achieve penetrating vision are like rare birds that manage to escape the hunter’s net.

Appo saggāya gacchati — few go to heaven: sagga is the heavenly realm, the good destiny. The rarity of liberation is not discouraging but realistic: it motivates the practitioner to take the opportunity with urgency, knowing it is not something achieved by inertia.