The same elided template, continuing the run of female apparitions with a sensory rather than physical affliction
Length
under 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
★☆☆☆☆ — the second of three consecutive female apparitions
Why this discourse
This discourse continues the run of female apparitions with an affliction unlike the physical wounds described so far: a woman stinking and dingy as a catfish, still chased and pecked at by the same birds. The cause named is ikkhaṇikā, a sorceress or fortune-teller, someone who practiced divination or occult prediction.
Reading guide
A sensory affliction rather than a visible wound
Where SN 19.13's flaying is a visible injury, this discourse's affliction is primarily olfactory and textural — stinking and dingy — describing a condition experienced through smell as much as sight, widening the range of senses this saṃyutta's images engage.
A specific and evocative comparison
Maṅguli, compared here to a catfish's dinginess, gives this discourse a uniquely vivid point of comparison not used elsewhere in this saṃyutta — a homely, specific image rather than an abstract description of unpleasantness.
Sorcery as a distinct category of wrongdoing
Ikkhaṇikā names a practice of divination or fortune-telling, a form of wrongdoing distinct from killing, punishment, adultery, or mockery of the Saṅgha — suggesting this saṃyutta treats deceptive claims to occult knowledge as its own serious category of harm.
The second of three, continuing an established run
Positioned between SN 19.13's flayed adulteress and SN 19.15's scorched queen, this discourse confirms Dutiyavagga's opening run is specifically organized around female apparitions before shifting to other subjects.
A cause without an obvious male counterpart named elsewhere
Unlike SN 19.11 and 19.13's paired adulterer and adulteress, this discourse's sorceress has no directly corresponding male cause named elsewhere in this saṃyutta, suggesting the pairing pattern noted in SN 19.13 isn't applied uniformly across every discourse in this run.
Key terms
itthiṁ duggandhaṁ maṅguliṁ vehāsaṁ gacchantiṁ — “a woman stinking and dingy as a catfish, flying through the air” — this discourse's title image, a sensory rather than purely visible affliction.
ikkhaṇikā — “a sorceress, a fortune-teller” — the cause named, someone who practiced divination or occult prediction.
…pe… — the peyyāla elision mark — the same compression convention continuing from the discourses before this one.
aṭṭassaraṁ karoti — “screamed in pain” — the recurring description, unchanged from the discourses before this one.
catutthaṁ — “the fourth” — this discourse's closing numbering tag.
The text
The discourse as preserved in the source, elided around SN 19.1's fuller frame narrative. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Just now, reverend, as I was descending from Vulture’s Peak Mountain I saw a woman stinking and dingy as a catfish flying through the air. Vultures, crows, and hawks kept chasing her, pecking and clawing as she screamed in pain. …” … “That woman used to be a sorceress right here in Rājagaha. …”
· · ·
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 this discourse's apparition consist of?
Correct: A. A sensory affliction, primarily olfactory and textural, distinct from the visible wounds described elsewhere.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse's affliction differ from SN 19.13's flaying?
Correct: A. Widening the range of senses this saṃyutta's images engage.
Question 3 of 10
What cause does this discourse name?
Correct: A. Divination or occult prediction, a distinct category of wrongdoing in this saṃyutta.
Question 4 of 10
What position does this discourse hold in the run of female apparitions?
Correct: A. Confirming Dutiyavagga's opening run is specifically organized around female apparitions.
Question 5 of 10
Does this discourse's cause have an obvious male counterpart named elsewhere in this saṃyutta?
Correct: A. Suggesting the pairing pattern isn't applied uniformly across every discourse in this run.
Question 6 of 10
What specific comparison does this discourse use for the woman's condition?
Correct: A. A homely, vivid point of comparison distinct from anything else used in this saṃyutta.
Question 7 of 10
What birds chase and tear at the apparition in this discourse?
Correct: A. The same three birds named throughout this saṃyutta.
Question 8 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. The setting shared throughout this saṃyutta.
Question 9 of 10
Who are the two speakers in this discourse?
Correct: A. The same pair continuing throughout this saṃyutta.
