The same elided template, shifting from fragmentary remains to an intact but skinless body
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 fourth apparition, marking a shift in the kind of image used
Why this discourse
This discourse shifts from the fragmentary remains of the three discourses before it to a whole but skinless body: a flayed man flying through the air, still chased and pecked at by the same birds. The cause named is sheep butchery (orabbhika), continuing this saṃyutta's pattern of naming distinct occupations connected to the killing of animals.
Reading guide
A shift from fragment to whole body
Where the three discourses before this one described unattached scraps and pieces, this discourse returns to a complete human form — intact in shape but stripped of skin, a different register of vulnerability than dismemberment.
Flaying as a specific, targeted affliction
Nicchavi, “without skin, flayed,” names a condition that exposes the entire body's surface to harm at once, rather than the isolated tearing described for the fragmentary apparitions before it.
A third distinct occupation in four discourses
Cattle butcher, cattle butcher, bird hunter, and now sheep butcher: this discourse's cause maintains the pattern of naming animal-killing trades while ensuring no single occupation dominates the catalog being built.
The birds' role remaining constant despite the changed image
Even as the specific form of the apparition changes from fragment to flayed whole body, the same vultures, crows, and hawks continue their pursuit, confirming their role as a fixed element of this saṃyutta's visual vocabulary regardless of what specific body they attack.
A register shift that will itself vary again
This discourse's whole-but-flayed body doesn't become the new fixed pattern; the discourses following it introduce yet more varied forms, confirming this saṃyutta favors a genuinely diverse gallery of images over settling into any single visual type.
Key terms
nicchaviṁ purisaṁ vehāsaṁ gacchantaṁ — “a flayed man flying through the air” — this discourse's title image, an intact but skinless body.
orabbhiko — “a sheep butcher” — the third distinct occupation named in this series, continuing the animal-killing pattern.
…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 across this series.
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 flayed man flying through the air. Vultures, crows, and hawks kept chasing it, pecking and clawing as he screamed in pain. …” … “That being used to be a sheep butcher right here in Rājagaha. …”
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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
What does this discourse's apparition consist of?
Correct: A. A shift from fragmentary remains to a whole but afflicted body.
Question 2 of 10
What occupation does this discourse name as the cause?
Correct: A. The third distinct occupation named in this series so far.
Question 3 of 10
How does flaying differ from the fragmentary torment described in earlier discourses?
Correct: A. A different register of vulnerability than the dismemberment described earlier.
Question 4 of 10
What remains constant across this discourse and the three before it, despite the changed image?
Correct: A. Confirming the birds' fixed role in this saṃyutta's visual vocabulary.
Question 5 of 10
Does this discourse's whole-but-flayed image become the new fixed pattern for the rest of the saṃyutta?
Correct: A. Confirming this saṃyutta favors a genuinely diverse gallery of images.
Question 6 of 10
How many distinct occupations have now been named across SN 19.1 through this discourse?
Correct: A. Cattle butcher named twice, then bird hunter, then sheep butcher here.
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.
