Losing all measure of pleasure, never reaching satisfaction, consuming without hope, the wise one remains thirstless among pleasures.

Mattāsuññāya aggissa — when the measure of pleasure (sāta) has been emptied, lost. Sensual pleasure has an intrinsic limit: it cannot fill the existential void.

Sātassa ca alābhunā — by not attaining satisfaction. Alābha is “non-obtaining,” the opposite of lābha (gain). The pursuit of pleasure is a race toward a horizon that always recedes.

Nirāsaṃ paribhuñjatha — consume without hope (nirāsa), without expectation that this will fulfill you. Use sense objects without clinging to their promise.

Kāmesu asito iso — among pleasures, the wise one remains without thirst. Asita is literally “without thirst,” one who has drunk enough and no longer hungers for more.

This verse addresses the paradox of hedonism: the more one seeks pleasure, the more satisfaction flees. The middle way is neither asceticism nor hedonism, but use without possession.