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, introducing a set of four claims reused precisely in the discourse immediately following
Set up for an exact reordering
SN 1.68, immediately after, presents these same four claims with their two pairs swapped in position
Why this discourse
This discourse names four separate claims about the world's condition: craving ensnares it, old age surrounds it, mortality fastens it shut, and suffering is what it's grounded on. Together the four answers build a composite picture — not one governing force, as in SN 1.61 through SN 1.65, but four distinct relationships between the world and what afflicts it.
Reading guide
Four verbs, four distinct relationships
Each answer uses a different verb to describe a different kind of affliction: uḍḍita, ‘ensnared,’ suggests a trap; parivārita, ‘surrounded,’ suggests encirclement; pihita, ‘fastened shut,’ suggests confinement; and grounding (patiṭṭhita) suggests a foundation rather than an external threat at all.
Suffering as ground, not merely as a threat
The verse's final answer is structurally different from its first three: rather than naming another external force acting on the world, it names suffering as what the world is grounded on — treating suffering not as one threat among several but as the very foundation the other three afflictions operate within.
A set of four claims about to be precisely rearranged
This discourse's four question-and-answer pairs recur in the next discourse, SN 1.68, with their order changed in a specific way: rather than a simple reversal, the two halves of the sequence swap places as blocks — the third and fourth claims here become the first and second there, and vice versa. This is a new kind of textual play in this collection, distinct from single-word substitution or cumulative addition.
Key terms
uḍḍita — “ensnared” — this discourse's title, and the image applied to craving's hold on the world.
taṇhuḍḍito loko — “craving has ensnared the world” — the first answer, picturing a trap rather than a burden or wound.
jarāya parivārito — “surrounded by old age” — the second answer, shared exactly with SN 1.66's second claim.
maccunā pihito loko — “the world is fastened shut by mortality” — the third answer, picturing confinement rather than a trap.
dukkhe loko patiṭṭhito — “the world is grounded on suffering” — the fourth answer, naming a foundation rather than an external threat.
The text
The discourse in full: four distinct relationships between the world and what afflicts it. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“By what is the world ensnared? By what is it surrounded? By what is the world fastened shut? On what is the world grounded?”
§2“Craving has ensnared the world. It’s surrounded by old age. The world is fastened shut by mortality. The world is grounded on suffering.”
· · ·
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 claims does this discourse's reply make about the world?
Correct: A. Four distinct relationships between the world and what afflicts it.
Question 2 of 10
What image does 'uḍḍita' suggest, applied to craving?
Correct: A. This discourse's title and its central image for craving's hold.
Question 3 of 10
How does the fourth answer, about suffering, differ structurally from the first three?
Correct: A. A shift from external affliction to foundational condition.
Question 4 of 10
What happens to this discourse's four claims in SN 1.68, immediately following it?
Correct: A. A precise, structured reordering, not a simple reversal or repetition.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'pihito' mean, describing the world's relationship to mortality?
Correct: A. A third, distinct image among this discourse's four verbs.
Question 6 of 10
How many distinct verbs does this discourse use to describe the world's four afflictions?
Correct: A. Ensnared, surrounded, fastened shut, and grounded — four distinct images.
Question 7 of 10
What claim does this discourse share exactly with SN 1.66?
Correct: A. The same image of old age's encirclement appears in both discourses.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'dukkhe loko patiṭṭhito' mean?
Correct: A. The verse's fourth and final answer.
Question 9 of 10
What is the setting of this discourse?
Correct: A. Like every discourse in this vagga, no setting is given directly.
Question 10 of 10
Is the reordering in SN 1.68 a simple reversal of this discourse's four claims?
Correct: A. A specific, structured transformation distinct from simple reversal.
