Sāvatthī, Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery, at dawn
Speakers
The native spirit Piyaṅkara's Mother, addressing her child; Venerable Anuruddha recites nearby, unaware
Form
A tender lullaby-like verse, overheard rather than addressed to any monk
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 and tender, a small, complete scene
Why this discourse
This is the gentlest discourse in Yakkhasaṃyutta so far, and structurally the most unusual: Anuruddha never knows this exchange happened at all. Reciting passages of the teaching before dawn, he becomes the unwitting occasion for a mother spirit to hush her crying child, explaining, in simple and affectionate language, why the noise needs to stop — not out of duty or fear, but because understanding even a single passage might let them practice for their own good. The little resolution she then recites, aimed at herself and her child rather than at any listener, closes with a hope rarely voiced so plainly elsewhere in this collection: release from what the text calls the ‘goblin realm.’
Reading guide
A monk who never learns he was overheard
Unlike every other encounter in this saṃyutta, Anuruddha doesn't address the spirit, respond to her, or even know she's there; the entire discourse is something witnessed, not exchanged, a scene the text simply records as having happened nearby.
Tenderness as the discourse's actual register
‘Don't make a sound, Piyaṅkara!’ is a mother's ordinary, affectionate hush, not a doctrinal pronouncement — grounding this discourse's teaching content inside a completely recognizable parental moment.
A stated reason for wanting quiet, not just an instruction
The mother doesn't simply demand silence; she explains why it matters — understanding even a single passage of the teaching could let them practice for their own genuine benefit — treating her child as someone worth explaining reasons to, not just commanding.
Ethical resolutions recited for herself and her child together
The verse's middle lines aren't addressed outward as advice for someone else; they're a shared resolution — ‘let us restrain ourselves…we should train ourselves’ — a spirit including herself fully in the ethical aspiration she's voicing.
A closing hope naming a specific, lower rebirth
The discourse's final line doesn't end on vague piety; it names exactly what she hopes to escape — the ‘goblin realm’ (pisācayoni) — making explicit that even beings in less fortunate existences are understood in this canon as capable of hearing teaching and aspiring toward something better.
Key terms
dhammapadāni bhāsati — “recited passages of the teaching” — Anuruddha's dawn recitation, the scene's unwitting occasion.
mā saddaṁ kari piyaṅkara — “don't make a sound, Piyaṅkara!” — the mother's tender, ordinary hush opening the verse.
dhammapadaṁ vijāniya, paṭipajjema hitāya no siyā — “when we understand a passage, we can practice for our welfare” — her stated reason for wanting quiet, not merely an instruction.
pāṇesu ca saṁyamāmase, sampajānamusā na bhaṇāmase — “let us restrain ourselves from harming living creatures, and speak no lying words” — the shared ethical resolutions she recites for both of them.
muccema pisācayoniyā — “hopefully we'll be freed from the goblin realm” — the specific, named aspiration closing the verse.
The text
The discourse in full — a single overheard verse, complete in itself. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time Venerable Anuruddha rose at the crack of dawn and recited passages of the teaching. Then the native spirit Piyaṅkara’s Mother soothed her little child, saying:
§2“Don’t make a sound, Piyaṅkara! A mendicant recites passages of the teaching. When we understand a passage, we can practice for our welfare.
§3Let us restrain ourselves from harming living creatures, and speak no lying words. We should train ourselves well in ethics, and hopefully we’ll be freed from the goblin realm.”
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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
How does this discourse's structure differ from every other encounter in this saṃyutta?
Correct: A. A scene witnessed and recorded, not an actual exchange between speaker and monk.
Question 2 of 10
What is Anuruddha doing when this scene takes place?
Correct: A. The unwitting occasion for the entire scene.
Question 3 of 10
What does the mother spirit say to her child?
Correct: A. Grounding the discourse in a recognizable parental moment.
Question 4 of 10
Why does she want quiet, according to her own explanation?
Correct: A. Explaining her reasoning rather than merely issuing a command.
Question 5 of 10
Who does the mother's ethical resolution include?
Correct: A. "Let us restrain ourselves... we should train ourselves" — fully inclusive language.
Question 6 of 10
What specific ethical commitments does she name?
Correct: A. Concrete resolutions in restraint from harm and truthful speech.
Question 7 of 10
What does the verse's closing line hope for?
Correct: A. A specific, named lower rebirth she hopes to escape through ethical practice.
Question 8 of 10
What does this discourse suggest about beings in less fortunate existences?
Correct: A. Even a spirit mother in the goblin realm hopes for release through the Dhamma.
Question 9 of 10
How is the discourse's tone best described?
Correct: A. A small, complete, and gentle scene.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this discourse take place?
Correct: A. The same general setting as SN 10.5, immediately before it.
