The Buddha alone, addressing the assembled mendicants
Form
The same comparison structure as SN 13.1 and SN 13.2, now naming five specific rivers and closing with the formula elided for the first time in this saṃyutta
Length
~1 minute 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
★★☆☆☆ — opens a pairing structure this saṃyutta will repeat three more times
Why this discourse
This discourse names five actual rivers — the Ganges, Yamunā, Aciravatī, Sarabhū, and Mahī — a stock grouping of major waterways appearing elsewhere in the early texts, and pictures the place where they converge into one confluence. Two or three drops drawn from that confluence, compared to the confluence itself, restates the same tiny-against-vast comparison already given twice; what makes this discourse worth reading closely is that it opens the first of four matched pairs running through the rest of this saṃyutta, each pair applying the identical image once in a "drawn out" direction and once in a "dried up" direction. SN 13.4 immediately supplies this discourse's reverse half.
Reading guide
Five named rivers, not a generic body of water
Unlike SN 13.2's unnamed lotus pond, this discourse names five actual rivers — the Ganges among them — a specific, recognizable grouping used elsewhere in the canon for "the great rivers," giving this image a geographic concreteness the earlier two discourses didn't reach for.
A confluence, not a single body of water
Rather than one vast pond or ocean, the point of comparison here is specifically where multiple rivers converge and merge, a moment of joining rather than a static container, subtly different from SN 13.1 and SN 13.2's single fixed images.
The first half of a matched pair
This discourse asks which is more, the drops drawn out or the water in the confluence; its immediate successor, SN 13.4, asks the same question in reverse, comparing the confluence once it has dried up to the same two or three drops left behind — two angles on one image, not two separate teachings.
A closing formula given for the first time in shorthand
Where SN 13.1 and SN 13.2 spelled out the full application in every clause, this discourse elides it with a peyyāla ellipsis after "the suffering that's over and done with is more," trusting the reader's memory of the two preceding discourses to supply the rest.
A rhythm the rest of this saṃyutta will follow
From this discourse onward, most of what remains in this saṃyutta follows the same lighter touch — a quick comparison, a brief confirmation, and an elided closing formula — a noticeably faster pace than the two fully spelled-out discourses that opened it.
Key terms
gaṅgā yamunā aciravatī sarabhū mahī — “the Ganges, Yamunā, Aciravatī, Sarabhū, and Mahī” — the five named rivers, a stock grouping used elsewhere in the canon.
yatthimā mahānadiyo saṁsandanti samenti — “where the great rivers join together and converge” — a moment of joining, distinct from the fixed single images of SN 13.1 and SN 13.2.
dve vā tīṇi vā udakaphusitāni uddhareyya — “draw two or three drops of water” — the tiny quantity drawn out, matched by SN 13.4's tiny quantity left behind.
etadeva, bhante, bahutaraṁ yadidaṁ sambhejjaudakaṁ — “sir, the water in the confluence is certainly more” — the mendicants' confirmation, in the same brief form used through most of this saṃyutta.
evameva kho, bhikkhave…pe… dhammacakkhupaṭilābho — “in the same way, mendicants… the vision of the teaching” — the closing application, elided here for the first time in this saṃyutta.
The text
The discourse in full. The closing application is elided in the source exactly as bilara-data preserves it, trusting the reader's familiarity with SN 13.1–2. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, there are places where the great rivers—the Ganges, Yamunā, Aciravatī, Sarabhū, and Mahī—join together and converge. Suppose a person was to draw two or three drops of water from such a place. What do you think, mendicants? Which is more: the two or three drops drawn out or the water in the confluence?”
§2“Sir, the water in the confluence is certainly more. The two or three drops drawn out are tiny. Compared to the water in the confluence, it’s not nearly a hundredth, a thousandth, or a hundred thousandth part.” “In the same way, for a noble disciple, the suffering that’s over and done with is more …”
· · ·
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 five rivers does this discourse name?
Correct: A. A stock grouping of major waterways used elsewhere in the early texts.
Question 2 of 10
What specific moment does this discourse's image focus on?
Correct: A. A moment of joining, distinct from the fixed single bodies of water in SN 13.1 and SN 13.2.
Question 3 of 10
What does this discourse open, continued immediately in SN 13.4?
Correct: A. Two angles on the same image, not two separate teachings.
Question 4 of 10
How does this discourse's closing formula compare to SN 13.1 and SN 13.2's?
Correct: A. The first use of elision for this saṃyutta's closing application.
Question 5 of 10
What pace does most of the rest of this saṃyutta follow, starting with this discourse?
Correct: A. A noticeably quicker rhythm than the two discourses that opened this saṃyutta.
Question 6 of 10
What tiny quantity does this discourse compare to the confluence?
Correct: A. The same tiny quantity SN 13.4 will compare in reverse.
Question 7 of 10
What does the mendicants' response confirm?
Correct: A. The same brief confirmation pattern used through most of this saṃyutta.
Question 8 of 10
How does this discourse's geographic specificity compare to SN 13.1 and SN 13.2?
Correct: A. A concreteness the earlier two discourses didn't reach for.
Question 9 of 10
Who is the sole speaker in this discourse?
Correct: A. No interlocutor or visiting figure appears.
Question 10 of 10
Where does the Buddha deliver this teaching?
Correct: A. The consistent setting shared with every discourse in this saṃyutta.
