The elided template closing the female-apparition run with this saṃyutta's first named royal figure
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
★★☆☆☆ — the first apparition in this saṃyutta traced to a specifically named royal rank
Why this discourse
This discourse closes the run of female apparitions with its most specific identification yet: a scorched, sooty, sweaty woman flying through the air. Rather than naming an occupation or trade, this discourse identifies its cause by royal rank: she was once the chief queen of the king of Kaliṅga, who, being of a jealous nature, poured a brazier of hot coals over her co-wife.
Reading guide
A cause named by rank and a specific royal court
Unlike every discourse before it, which name an occupation or trade, this discourse identifies its cause by royal position — chief queen of a named kingdom, Kaliṅga — showing this saṃyutta's causes aren't limited to ordinary livelihoods but extend to positions of the highest social rank.
A precise correspondence between deed and affliction
The queen poured hot coals over her co-wife; her resulting apparition is scorched and sooty — an unusually exact correspondence between the specific instrument of harm inflicted and the specific form the consequence takes.
Jealousy named explicitly as the motivating cause
Issāpakatā, “of a jealous nature,” is stated directly as the queen's characteristic disposition, naming an emotional state rather than only the physical act it produced — the wrongdoing traced to its psychological root, not only its external result.
A rival wife as the victim, widening the domestic scope
Sapatti, a co-wife or rival wife, names a specifically domestic conflict within a polygynous household, a social context distinct from the adultery, sorcery, and trade-based wrongs named in the discourses immediately before it.
Closing a three-discourse run with its most elaborate case
Compared to SN 19.13 and 19.14's brief, single-line identifications, this discourse's named kingdom, specific royal rank, and stated motivation give the run's closing case markedly more narrative texture than either of the two before it.
Key terms
itthiṁ uppakkaṁ okiliniṁ okiriniṁ — “a scorched woman, sooty and sweaty” — this discourse's title image, precisely corresponding to the queen's specific act of harm.
kaliṅgassa rañño aggamahesī — “the king of Kaliṅga's chief queen” — this saṃyutta's first cause identified by royal rank rather than occupation.
issāpakatā — “of a jealous nature” — naming the queen's characteristic disposition, the psychological root of her wrongdoing.
sapatti — “a co-wife, a rival wife” — the victim of the queen's act, situating the wrongdoing within a specifically domestic, polygynous context.
pañcamaṁ — “the fifth” — this discourse's closing numbering tag.
The text
The discourse as preserved in the source, with the queen's specific act given in full even as the surrounding frame remains elided. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Just now, reverend, as I was descending from Vulture’s Peak Mountain I saw a scorched woman, sooty and sweaty, flying through the air, as she screamed in pain. …” … “That woman used to be the king of Kaliṅga’s chief queen. She was of jealous nature, and poured a brazier of hot coals over her co-wife. …” …
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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 identify its cause, unlike every discourse before it?
Correct: A. Showing this saṃyutta's causes extend to positions of the highest social rank.
Question 2 of 10
What specific act did this queen commit?
Correct: A. A specific instrument of harm precisely mirrored in her resulting apparition.
Question 3 of 10
How does the queen's apparition correspond to her specific deed?
Correct: A. An unusually exact correspondence between the instrument of harm and its consequence.
Question 4 of 10
What psychological state does this discourse name as the queen's motivation?
Correct: A. Tracing the wrongdoing to its psychological root, not only its external result.
Question 5 of 10
Who was the victim of the queen's act?
Correct: A. A specifically domestic conflict, distinct from the wrongs named in the discourses before it.
Question 6 of 10
How does this discourse's level of detail compare to SN 19.13 and 19.14?
Correct: A. Closing the three-discourse run with its most narratively developed case.
Question 7 of 10
What position does this discourse hold in the run of female apparitions?
Correct: A. Closing SN 19.13-15's run before the saṃyutta moves to other subjects.
Question 8 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. The setting shared throughout this saṃyutta's telling, even as the cause concerns a distant kingdom.
Question 9 of 10
Who are the two speakers in this discourse?
Correct: A. The same pair continuing throughout this saṃyutta.
