Not narrated in this discourse's source text; presumably the same recurring frame as the rest of this vagga
Speakers
Not named explicitly; by the pattern of the surrounding discourses, a question answered directly
Form
A four-line question, answered by a four-line verse
Length
~30 seconds to read
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — direct in form, though its closing line rewards recognizing where else it appears
A recurring formula
This discourse's closing line, ‘they walk smoothly in the rough,’ is identical to the closing lines of SN 1.7 and SN 1.8, in the previous vagga
Why this discourse
The question is direct: can a person constrained by conscience (hirīnisedho) be found in the world — someone cognizant of blame the way a fine horse responds to the whip? The reply does not answer with a simple yes or no. It says such people are few, but they exist: those constrained by conscience who live always mindful, having reached the end of suffering, ‘walk smoothly in the rough’ — the exact closing image already used twice in the Naḷavagga, at SN 1.7 and SN 1.8.
Reading guide
A question, not a claim
Unlike most discourses in this vagga, this one opens with an actual question — whether anyone so responsive to blame that they resemble a whip-trained horse can be found at all — rather than a declarative verse to be agreed with or reversed.
A qualified answer: few, but not none
The reply neither confirms the question's premise fully nor denies it. ‘Few’ (appakā) are those constrained by conscience who live always mindful — an answer that takes the difficulty seriously without claiming such people cannot exist.
A closing line shared with two other discourses
‘They walk smoothly in the rough’ (caranti visame samaṁ) closes this discourse exactly as it closed both SN 1.7 and SN 1.8, in the Naḷavagga, this collection's first vagga. This is the third time this exact line has appeared, and the first time it has crossed from one vagga into another — evidence that it functions as a stock closing formula across the whole Devatāsaṃyutta, not only within a single chapter.
A horse trained by the whip
The opening question's image — a fine horse (asso bhadro) that responds to the whip without needing to be struck — treats conscience as something like trainability: the capacity to be corrected by the mere threat or awareness of blame, rather than only by its actual infliction.
Key terms
hirī — “conscience, moral shame” — this discourse's title, and the quality its opening question asks whether anyone truly possesses.
hirīnisedho — “constrained, restrained by conscience” — the specific quality described in both the question and the reply.
asso bhadro kasāmiva — “like a fine horse of the whip” — the opening question's image, comparing responsiveness to blame with a well-trained horse's responsiveness to the whip.
appakā — “few” — the reply's qualified answer, acknowledging rarity without denying existence.
caranti visame samaṁ — “they walk smoothly in the rough” — this discourse's closing line, identical to the closing lines of SN 1.7 and SN 1.8 in the previous vagga.
The text
The discourse in full: a question about conscience, answered by a verse closing on a formula already met twice before. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Can a person constrained by conscience be found in the world, who is cognizant of blame, like a fine horse of the whip?”
§2“Few are those constrained by conscience, who live always mindful. Having reached the end of suffering, smoothly they walk in the rough.”
· · ·
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 question does the opening verse ask?
Correct: A. A direct question, not a declarative claim to be reversed or echoed.
Question 2 of 10
How does the reply answer this question?
Correct: A. Appakā — a qualified answer, acknowledging rarity.
Question 3 of 10
What closing line does this discourse share with SN 1.7 and SN 1.8?
Correct: A. Identical wording, appearing for a third time in this collection.
Question 4 of 10
What is significant about this repetition, compared to its two earlier appearances?
Correct: A. Evidence the line functions as a stock formula across the whole Devatāsaṃyutta.
Question 5 of 10
What image does the opening question use for responsiveness to blame?
Correct: A. Asso bhadro kasāmiva — trainability through mere awareness, not only actual force.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'hirī' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's title and central subject.
Question 7 of 10
According to the reply, what do those constrained by conscience live as?
Correct: A. Ye caranti sadā satā — a description of sustained mindfulness.
Question 8 of 10
What have those described in the reply reached, according to the verse?
Correct: A. Antaṁ dukkhassa pappuyya — before the closing image of walking smoothly in the rough.
Question 9 of 10
In which two discourses did 'caranti visame samaṁ' previously appear?
Correct: A. This collection's first vagga, now echoed in its second.
Question 10 of 10
Does the opening question's image involve the horse being struck?
Correct: A. Trainability through awareness of the whip, paralleling conscience's function.
