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Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 11.23

The Sambari Sorcery

Sambarimāyāsutta

Setting
Sāvatthī — the Buddha narrating a story from the world of the gods
Speakers
The Buddha, addressing the mendicants; within the story, Sakka and Vepacitti
Form
A brief narrated episode ending on an unresolved note, closed with a warning verse
Length
~2 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
★★☆☆☆ — a compact episode whose ending this guide reads honestly as left open

Why this discourse

Learning that his enemy Vepacitti is gravely ill, Sakka goes to see him — not to gloat, but to ask after his health, echoing the same commitment to decency toward an enemy already seen in SN 11.7. Vepacitti asks Sakka to heal him; Sakka's condition is unusual — teach me the Sambari sorcery. The titans forbid it, and Vepacitti's closing verse reveals why: whoever practices sorcery like Sambara falls into a terrible hell for a full century. What looks like a simple refusal turns out to be, in effect, Vepacitti sparing his enemy from a catastrophic fate.

Reading guide

Compassion extended without being asked for anything back

Sakka's visit isn't framed as a strategic calculation; he simply goes to ask after a gravely ill enemy's health, the same instinct toward decency already shown toward Vepacitti in SN 11.7.

An unusual price attached to healing

Rather than offering to heal Vepacitti freely, Sakka names a specific condition — teach me the Sambari sorcery — making the exchange transactional in a way the rest of the scene doesn't fully resolve.

A refusal decided collectively, not by Vepacitti alone

Vepacitti doesn't simply decide on his own whether to share this knowledge; he consults the other titans first, and it's their collective judgment that blocks the request.

A warning that reframes the refusal entirely

Vepacitti's closing verse doesn't merely explain the titans' decision; it reveals that learning this sorcery carries a horrific karmic cost, turning what read as a simple denial into something closer to protection.

An ending this guide reads honestly as unresolved

The text as it survives doesn't say whether Vepacitti was ultimately healed, or by what means; rather than inventing a resolution, this reading guide leaves that question exactly where the source text leaves it.

Key terms

ābādhiko ahosi dukkhito bāḷhagilāno — “was sick, suffering, gravely ill” — Vepacitti's condition, prompting Sakka's visit.
gilānapucchako — “to ask after his illness” — Sakka's stated, compassionate motive for visiting his enemy.
vācehi maṁ, vepacitti, sambarimāyaṁ — “teach me, Vepacitti, the Sambari sorcery” — Sakka's unusual condition attached to healing.
mā kho tvaṁ, mārisa, vācesi sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ sambarimāyaṁ — “do not teach the Sambari sorcery to Sakka” — the titans' collective refusal, decided together rather than by Vepacitti alone.
sambarova sataṁ samaṁ (upeti nirayaṁ ghoraṁ) — “falls into the terrible hell for a full century, like Sambara” — the warning verse revealing the refusal as protective rather than merely obstructive.

The text

The discourse in full, exactly as the source preserves it — the text ends on Vepacitti's warning verse, with no further resolution given. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Once upon a time, mendicants, Vepacitti, lord of titans, was sick, suffering, gravely ill. So Sakka went to see him to ask after his illness. Vepacitti saw Sakka coming off in the distance, and said to him, ‘Heal me, lord of gods!’

§2‘Teach me, Vepacitti, the Sambari sorcery.’ ‘I can’t do that, good fellow, until I have consulted with the titans.’ Then Vepacitti, lord of titans, asked the titans, ‘Good fellows, may I teach the Sambari sorcery to Sakka, lord of gods?’ ‘Do not, good fellow, teach the Sambari sorcery to Sakka!’ So Vepacitti addressed Sakka in verse:

§3‘O Maghavā, O Sakka, king of gods, Sujā’s husband: a sorceror like Sambara falls into the terrible hell for a full century.’”

· · ·

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
Why does Sakka visit Vepacitti at the discourse's opening?
Correct: A. A gesture of decency toward an enemy, echoing SN 11.7.
Question 2 of 10
What does Vepacitti ask of Sakka?
Correct: A. Vepacitti's direct request, prompting Sakka's unusual condition.
Question 3 of 10
What condition does Sakka attach to healing Vepacitti?
Correct: A. An unusual, transactional condition that drives the rest of the story.
Question 4 of 10
How does Vepacitti decide whether to grant this request?
Correct: A. A collective decision, not Vepacitti's alone.
Question 5 of 10
What do the titans decide?
Correct: A. A collective refusal that shapes the discourse's ending.
Question 6 of 10
What does Vepacitti's closing verse reveal about the Sambari sorcery?
Correct: A. A warning reframing the refusal as protective rather than merely obstructive.
Question 7 of 10
How does this reading guide treat the discourse's ending?
Correct: A. Leaving the question exactly where the source text leaves it.
Question 8 of 10
Who is named as a reference point for the fate of sorcerers, in the closing verse?
Correct: A. A callback to the figure who cursed and was cursed in an earlier discourse.
Question 9 of 10
What earlier discourse does Sakka's compassionate visit toward an enemy echo?
Correct: A. A recurring theme of decency toward Vepacitti specifically.
Question 10 of 10
Where does the Buddha narrate this story to the monks?
Correct: A. The consistent setting across most of this saṃyutta's discourses.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

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