Rājagaha's streets and squares, with the occasion set at the Bamboo Grove
Speakers
A native spirit devoted to the nun Cīrā, addressing the general public
Form
A near-identical repetition of SN 10.10's structure, with the specific gift and recipient changed
Length
~1.5 minutes to read
Northern parallel
A rough counterpart may exist in the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama (T99), though this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief, best read alongside SN 10.9 and 10.10 as a set
Why this discourse
This discourse completes a small triptych begun in SN 10.9 and SN 10.10: a devoted spirit publicly celebrating a liberated nun, now applied to a third figure, Cīrā, and a third occasion, a lay follower's gift of a robe. The structure is almost entirely identical to SN 10.10's — the same opening exclamation, the same praise of the donor's wisdom — differing chiefly in the specific gift and a single closing word, ‘yokes’ replacing ‘ties’ as the bondage Cīrā has been released from. Read together, these three discourses suggest a small, recognizable genre within this saṃyutta: public verses honoring liberated nuns and the lay people who support them.
Reading guide
The third of a recognizable small set
SN 10.9, SN 10.10, and this discourse together form a clear mini-sequence, each one a devoted spirit publicly celebrating a nun's teaching or attainment — a pattern this reading guide notes as a deliberate grouping rather than three unrelated coincidences.
A gift changed, the structure otherwise preserved
Where SN 10.10 celebrated a gift of food, this discourse celebrates a robe — a small but meaningful variation, since the robe is one of the small set of requisites explicitly permitted to monastics, giving this gift its own specific significance.
A single word substitution closing the verse
‘Sabbayogehi vippamuttiyā’ (released from all yokes) replaces SN 10.10's ‘sabbaganthehi vippamuttiyā’ (released from all ties) — two closely related Pali terms for bondage, substituted for each other much as this collection elsewhere varies a single word across otherwise identical verses.
The same wisdom attributed to the donor once more
As in SN 10.10, the verse doesn't praise generosity alone; it credits the lay follower with wisdom specifically, treating the discernment to give appropriately as itself a mark of spiritual maturity, not merely a kind impulse.
A recurring reminder that liberation, not status, grounds the merit
Across all three discourses in this small set, the actual justification for celebrating the gift is never the recipient's social position; it's specifically that she is liberated — the same underlying principle restated three times with different names and different gifts.
Key terms
cīraṁ adāsi — “gave a robe” — the specific gift occasioning this discourse, distinct from SN 10.10's food.
abhippasanno yakkho — “a native spirit so devoted” — the recurring framing device shared across this small set of discourses.
puññaṁ vata pasavi bahuṁ — “he has made so much merit!” — the verse's opening exclamation, identical to SN 10.10's.
sappañño vatāyaṁ upāsako — “that lay follower is so very wise” — attributing discernment to the donor, not merely generosity.
sabbayogehi vippamuttiyā — “released from all yokes” — the single word substituted for SN 10.10's ‘ties’, a closely related term for bondage.
The text
The discourse in full. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time a certain lay follower gave a robe to the nun Cīrā. Then a native spirit was so devoted to Cīrā that he went from street to street and from square to square, and on that occasion recited these verses:
§2“O! He has made so much merit! That lay-follower is so very wise. He gave a robe to Cīrā, who is released from all yokes.”
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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 gift occasions this discourse?
Correct: A. A robe, one of the small set of items explicitly permitted to monastics.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse relate to SN 10.9 and SN 10.10?
Correct: A. A deliberate grouping this reading guide notes as a recognizable small set.
Question 3 of 10
What single word differs between this discourse's closing line and SN 10.10's?
Correct: A. Two closely related Pali terms for bondage, substituted for each other.
Question 4 of 10
What quality does the verse attribute to the donor?
Correct: A. The same attribution of wisdom seen in SN 10.10.
Question 5 of 10
What underlying principle recurs across all three discourses in this set?
Correct: A. The same core justification restated three times with different names and gifts.
Question 6 of 10
How does the spirit express its devotion in this discourse?
Correct: A. The same public mode of expression as SN 10.9 and SN 10.10.
Question 7 of 10
How does this discourse's length compare to SN 10.9's?
Correct: A. A compact verse, matching SN 10.10's brief structure.
Question 8 of 10
What discourse comes immediately after this one, closing the entire saṃyutta?
Correct: A. The saṃyutta's dramatic, famous closing discourse.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this discourse's occasion take place?
Correct: A. The same setting as SN 10.9 and SN 10.10.
Question 10 of 10
What kind of act does this discourse treat as worthy of public celebration?
Correct: A. Routine generosity, made significant by who receives it.
