Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A man can have seven kinds of wife, distinguished by how she treats him and his household, three of them destructive enough to lead their bearer to a bad rebirth and four of them, in different registers of care and loyalty, leading to a good one — and the Buddha asks the disruptive Sujātā, directly, which kind she is.
A racket, and its stated cause
The discourse opens on an ordinary household visit disrupted by noise loud enough that the Buddha compares it to fishermen hauling in a catch. Anāthapiṇḍika's explanation is specific: his daughter-in-law Sujātā, brought from a wealthy family, does not obey her mother-in-law, father-in-law, or husband, and does not show the Buddha respect either — a household conflict the Buddha then addresses by speaking to her directly rather than through her father-in-law.
Seven portraits, three destructive and four not
A wife like a killer, lusting for others and wishing her husband dead; a wife like a thief, taking what her husband earns; and a wife like a lord, idle and harsh while he works — these three are named together and said to set course for hell. A wife like a mother, caring and protective of what he has earned; a wife like a sister, respectful and conscientious; a wife like a comrade, delighted to see him and of good character; and a wife like a bondservant, enduring without anger and doing as he says — these four are named together and said to set course for a good place.
Read in context, not softened
This typology comes from an ancient household structure in which a wife's worth is measured against her husband's authority and property, and grouping “mother,” “sister,” “comrade,” and “bondservant” together as equally praiseworthy reflects assumptions a contemporary reader may not share. This reading guide presents the text as it stands rather than softening or explaining it away; the underlying moral targets — cruelty, theft, and contempt on one side, care, respect, and loyalty on the other — are more durable than the specific household roles used to illustrate them.
Sujātā's own answer, unprompted toward any particular choice
When the Buddha repeats his question at the end, Sujātā answers for herself: she asks to be remembered from that day forward as a wife like a bondservant. The discourse does not have the Buddha correct, praise, or comment on her specific choice among the four positively framed types; her own answer closes the discourse without further remark.
Key terms
The text
A racket in Anāthapiṇḍika's home
§1Then the Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, went to the home of the householder Anāthapiṇḍika, where he sat on the seat spread out. Now at that time people in Anāthapiṇḍika’s home were making a colossal racket. Then the householder Anāthapiṇḍika went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him, “Householder, what’s with the people making that colossal racket in your home? You’d think it was fishermen hauling in a catch!” “Sir, that’s my daughter-in-law Sujātā. She’s been brought here from a wealthy family. She doesn’t obey her mother-in-law or father-in-law or her husband. And she does not honor, respect, esteem, and venerate the Buddha.”
The Buddha questions Sujātā directly
§2Then the Buddha addressed Sujātā, saying, “Come, Sujātā.” “Yes, sir,” she replied. She went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to her: “Sujātā, a man can have seven kinds of wife. What seven? A wife like a killer, a wife like a thief, a wife like a lord, a wife like a mother, a wife like a sister, a wife like a comrade, and a wife like a bondservant. These are the kinds of wife that a man can have. Which one of these are you?” “Sir, I don’t understand the detailed meaning of what the Buddha has said in brief. Please teach me this matter so I can understand the detailed meaning.” “Well then, Sujātā, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” she replied. The Buddha said this:
Seven kinds of wife, in verse
§3“With a mind full of hate and no kindness, lusting for others, looking down on her husband, she longs to murder him who paid the price for her. A man’s wife of this sort is called a wife and a killer. A woman’s husband earns his wealth by focusing on a profession, trade, or farming. And even if it’s only a little, she wants to take it. A man’s wife of this sort is called a wife and a thief. She’s an idle glutton who doesn’t want to work. Her words are harsh, fierce, and rude. He works hard, but she lives as his master. A man’s wife of this sort is called a wife and a lord. She’s always caring and kind, looking after her husband like a mother her child. She keeps the wealth that he has earned secure. A man’s wife of this sort is called a wife and a mother. She respects her husband as a younger sister respects her elder. Conscientious, she does what her husband says. A man’s wife of this sort is called a wife and a sister. She’s delighted to see him, like one reunited with a long-lost comrade. She’s of good pedigree, virtuous, and devoted. A man’s wife of this sort is called a wife and a comrade. She has no anger when threatened with violence by the rod. Without hate or anger, she endures her husband and does what he says. A man’s wife of this sort is called a wife and a bondservant.
Which kind leads where
§4The kinds of wives here called killer, thief, and lord; immoral, harsh, and lacking regard for others, when their body breaks up they set course for hell. But the kinds of wives here called mother, sister, friend, and bondservant; steadfast in their own morality, restrained for a long time, when their body breaks up they set course for a good place.
Sujātā's own answer
§5Sujātā, these are the seven kinds of wife that a man can have. Which one of these are you?” “Sir, from this day forth may the Buddha remember me as a wife like a bondservant.”
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