Cūṭaseṭṭhi — Book of the Ones · Chapter One (Apaṇṇakavagga) · Poem 4 of 10
Setting
No narrative scene in the canonical verse itself
Speaker
Unspecified in the canonical verse itself
Form
One four-line stanza
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
★☆☆☆☆ — one short simile verse
Why this text
This verse's plain simile — a tiny flame growing into a real fire when fanned — pairs with a commentarial story about a resourceful trader who built wealth from a single dead mouse. Sujato's own comment notes the story is sometimes read as an early precursor to the modern idea of microfinance, an unusual point of contact between this ancient collection and contemporary economic thinking.
Reading guide
A verse about starting small
The verse states plainly: ‘even with a little capital the intelligent and clear-seeing man uplifts himself, like a tiny flame when fanned.’ The point is general enough to apply well beyond material wealth — to any capacity, skillfully tended, that grows from a small beginning.
A commentarial story read as an early precursor to microfinance
Per Sujato's comment, the traditional prose story (not part of the canonical CC0 text) tells of an enterprising young man who started his business by trading a dead mouse for a penny as cat food, then built that single transaction into real wealth through successive small trades. Sujato's own comment notes this concept ‘can be taken as a precursor for the modern concept of microfinance’ — an unusually direct point of contact between this ancient collection and a contemporary economic idea.
Key terms
appakenapi — “even with a little” — the verse's opening concession, before turning to what can be built from that little.
medhāvī vicakkhaṇo — “the intelligent and clear-seeing man” — the verse's model of one who grows a small beginning into something more.
aggiṁ sandhamaṁ — “a flame when fanned” — the verse's closing image for how a small start can grow.
Cūḷaseṭṭhijātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘The Little Financier’.
microfinance — a modern economic concept — small loans or capital extended to those without access to conventional banking — that Sujato's own comment likens to the commentarial story behind this verse.
The text
The text in full: a single verse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Even with a little capital the intelligent and clear-seeing man uplifts himself, like a tiny flame when fanned.
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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 image does the verse use for growing wealth from a small beginning?
Correct: D. The verse's closing line: 'like a tiny flame when fanned'.
Question 2 of 10
What modern economic concept does Sujato's own comment liken the commentarial story to?
Correct: A. An unusually direct point of contact between this ancient collection and contemporary economic thinking.
Question 3 of 10
What does the (non-canonical) commentarial story say the young man's first trade was?
Correct: B. The starting point of a chain of successive small trades building real wealth.
Question 4 of 10
Who does the verse describe as able to 'uplift himself' from a little capital?
Correct: C. The verse's general model of right judgment applied to resourcefulness.
Question 5 of 10
Does the verse's point apply only to material wealth?
Correct: D. The guide notes this broader application beyond material wealth alone.
Question 6 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: A. The fourth poem in the Apaṇṇakavagga.
Question 7 of 10
What form does this poem take?
Correct: B. Consistent with this chapter's brief, self-contained form.
Question 8 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: C. Part of the same ten-poem opening chapter.
Question 9 of 10
Is the commentarial story about the mouse trade part of the canonical CC0 text?
Correct: D. Consistent with this whole collection's honest framing of verse versus commentary.
Question 10 of 10
What quality does the verse pair with 'intelligent' in describing the man who succeeds?
Correct: A. Together, 'the intelligent and clear-seeing man' is the verse's model.
