Near Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove — the same recurring circumstances as the discourses before it
Speakers
An unnamed deity and the Buddha, in a single exchange of verses
Form
A four-line verse on those who have not understood, answered by a four-line verse in the same structure for those who have
Length
~1 minute to read
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — simple in form, though sleep is again used figuratively, as at SN 1.6
Companion discourse
SN 1.8, the next discourse, restates this verse's exact skeleton with a single key term swapped
Why this discourse
The deity's verse describes a specific spiritual danger: those who have not ‘deciphered’ or penetrated the teachings (appaṭividitā) are liable to be led astray by the doctrines of others. Still figuratively asleep, they have not woken up, and it is time for them to. The Buddha's reply gives the mirror image: those who have well deciphered the teachings are not led astray; having woken and rightly understood, they ‘smoothly walk in the rough’ — moving without difficulty through terrain that would otherwise trip others up.
Reading guide
A verse in two mirrored halves
The deity's verse and the Buddha's answer share an identical grammatical shape, differing only by negation: ‘those whose teachings are not deciphered’ versus ‘those whose teachings are well deciphered,’ ‘may be led astray’ versus ‘won't be led astray,’ ‘have not woken up’ versus ‘have woken up.’ Every clause in the answer directly inverts a clause in the question.
Sleep as a figure, again
Like SN 1.6 immediately before it, this discourse uses waking and sleeping figuratively rather than literally: to be ‘asleep’ here is to lack understanding of the teachings, and to ‘wake up’ is to comprehend them. The image recurs across consecutive discourses in this vagga without being announced as a repeating device.
Walking smoothly in the rough
The Buddha's closing image — those who have rightly understood ‘smoothly walk in the rough’ (caranti visame samaṁ) — pictures uneven, difficult terrain that nonetheless poses no obstacle to someone who sees clearly. The difficulty of the terrain has not changed; only the walker's footing has.
A pair with SN 1.8
The very next discourse in this collection restates this verse almost word for word, changing only the key term for the failure being described: ‘not deciphered’ (appaṭividitā) here becomes ‘very confused’ (susammuṭṭhā) there. Reading the two together shows how close but not identical two nearby verses in this vagga can be.
Key terms
appaṭividitā — “not deciphered, not penetrated” — the failure this discourse's title names, describing teachings not properly understood.
paravādesu nīyare — “may be led astray by the doctrines of others” — the consequence the deity's verse attaches to not comprehending the teachings.
suttā nappabujjhanti — “asleep, they have not woken up” — the figurative sleep shared with SN 1.6, here applied specifically to not understanding the teachings.
sambuddhā sammadaññāya — “having woken up, rightly knowing” — the Buddha's mirrored description of those who have deciphered the teachings well.
caranti visame samaṁ — “they walk smoothly in the rough” — the closing image, picturing difficult terrain posing no obstacle to one who understands clearly.
The text
The discourse in full: a warning for those who have not understood the teachings, mirrored by an answer for those who have. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, that deity spoke this verse in the Buddha’s presence:
§2“Those have not deciphered the teachings may be led astray by the doctrines of others. Asleep, they have not woken up: it is time for them to wake!”
§3“Those who have well deciphered the teachings won’t be led astray by the doctrines of others. They have woken up, they rightly know, 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 does the deity's verse say about those who have not 'deciphered' the teachings?
Correct: A. Appaṭividitā — not penetrated, leaving them vulnerable to other doctrines.
Question 2 of 10
How does the Buddha's answering verse relate to the deity's question?
Correct: A. Every clause in the answer directly inverts a clause in the question.
Question 3 of 10
What figurative image does this discourse share with SN 1.6?
Correct: A. Sleep figures a lack of comprehension in both discourses.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'caranti visame samaṁ' mean?
Correct: A. The terrain's difficulty is unchanged; only the walker's footing differs.
Question 5 of 10
How does the next discourse, SN 1.8, relate to this one?
Correct: A. 'Not deciphered' (appaṭividitā) here becomes 'very confused' (susammuṭṭhā) there.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'sambuddhā sammadaññāya' describe?
Correct: A. The mirrored description of those who have deciphered the teachings well.
Question 7 of 10
What consequence does the deity's verse attach to not comprehending the teachings?
Correct: A. Paravādesu nīyare — led astray by others' doctrines.
Question 8 of 10
What is the setting of this discourse?
Correct: A. The Devatāsaṃyutta's recurring frame continues.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'appaṭividitā' mean?
Correct: A. The specific failure this discourse's title names.
Question 10 of 10
Is the terrain itself different for the one who understands well, according to the closing image?
Correct: A. Caranti visame samaṁ — smooth walking in what remains rough ground.
