Not narrated in this discourse's source text; no discourse in this vagga carries a narrative frame at all
Speakers
Not named explicitly; a four-part riddle answered point by point
Form
A four-line question, answered by a matching four-line reply
Length
~30 seconds to read
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — direct in form, naming several technical terms in quick succession
First of a three-part sequence
SN 1.55 through SN 1.57 share three of four lines exactly, varying only their final question and answer
Why this discourse
The question probes the mechanics of rebirth directly: what gives birth to a person, what is it they have that runs about restlessly, what is it that enters transmigration, and what is their greatest fear? The answer is precise: craving (taṇhā) gives birth to a person, their mind is what runs about, a sentient being is what enters transmigration, and suffering is what they fear most of all.
Reading guide
Craving named as origin, not merely as a flaw
Naming craving as what ‘gives birth’ to a person (janeti) treats it as more than an unfortunate tendency to be corrected — it is named as the generative cause of continued existence itself, the specific mechanism by which rebirth keeps happening.
The restless mind, and the reborn being
The verse distinguishes two things that might otherwise be conflated: the mind (citta) is what ‘runs about’ (vidhāvati), restless and unsettled, while it is the ‘sentient being’ (satta) as a whole that is said to enter transmigration — two related but distinct claims about what moves and what is reborn.
Suffering named as the deepest fear
The verse's closing line names suffering itself, rather than death or any specific misfortune, as what a person fears most. This treats fear's ultimate object as the general condition of suffering underlying particular fears, rather than any one feared event.
The first of three closely related discourses
This discourse's first three lines — on craving, the mind, and transmigration — recur word for word in SN 1.56 and SN 1.57 immediately following it. Only the fourth line changes across all three, making this the first triple, rather than pair, of closely matched discourses in this collection.
Key terms
taṇhā janeti purisaṁ — “craving gives birth to a person” — the verse's first answer, naming craving as the generative cause of rebirth.
cittamassa vidhāvati — “their mind is what runs about” — the second answer, describing the mind's characteristic restlessness.
satto saṁsāramāpādi — “a sentient being enters transmigration” — the third answer, distinguishing the being as a whole from the mind's restlessness named just before it.
dukkhamassa mahabbhayaṁ — “suffering is their greatest fear” — this discourse's own, unique fourth answer, distinct from SN 1.56 and SN 1.57's variations.
saṁsāra — “transmigration, the wandering-on” — the cycle of repeated rebirth this discourse's whole question concerns.
The text
The discourse in full: a precise four-part account of what drives and characterizes rebirth. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“What gives birth to a person? What do they have that runs about? What enters transmigration? What’s their greatest fear?”
§2“Craving gives birth to a person. Their mind is what runs about. A sentient being enters transmigration. Suffering is their greatest fear.”
· · ·
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 four things does the opening question ask about?
Correct: A. A direct probe into the mechanics of rebirth.
Question 2 of 10
What does the reply name as what gives birth to a person?
Correct: A. Named as the generative cause of continued existence, not merely a flaw.
Question 3 of 10
What does the reply name as what 'runs about'?
Correct: A. Restless and unsettled, distinguished from the being as a whole.
Question 4 of 10
What does the reply name as what enters transmigration?
Correct: A. The being as a whole, distinct from the mind's restlessness.
Question 5 of 10
What does this discourse name as a person's greatest fear?
Correct: A. The general condition underlying particular fears, not one feared event.
Question 6 of 10
How does this discourse relate to SN 1.56 and SN 1.57, immediately following it?
Correct: A. The first triple, rather than pair, of closely matched discourses in this collection.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'taṇhā janeti purisaṁ' mean?
Correct: A. The verse's first and central claim.
Question 8 of 10
What distinction does the verse draw between the mind and the sentient being?
Correct: A. Two related but distinct claims within the same verse.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'saṁsāra' mean?
Correct: A. The cycle this discourse's whole question concerns.
Question 10 of 10
What is the setting of this discourse?
Correct: A. Like every discourse in this vagga, no setting is given directly.
