SN 19.8's needle image reused and elaborated into this saṃyutta's most detailed torment so far
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 most elaborately described torment in the saṃyutta so far
Why this discourse
This discourse reuses SN 19.8's needle image under an explicitly marked title — Dutiyasūcilomasutta, “the second Needle Hairs” — but elaborates it considerably: the needles bore into his head and out his mouth, into his mouth and out his chest, into his chest and out his belly, into his belly and out his thighs, into his thighs and out his calves, and into his calves and out his feet. The cause named is sūcaka, “an informant,” someone who spreads damaging reports or slander — a term sharing its root with sūci, needle, the image itself.
Reading guide
A named sequel, not a coincidental repeat
The Pali title itself marks this discourse as explicitly second, Dutiyasūciloma, distinguishing it from a mere reuse of an existing name and confirming the source itself recognizes these two discourses as a deliberate pair.
An itinerary through the entire body, not a single wound
Rather than describing needles simply rising and falling as in SN 19.5-8, this discourse traces a specific path — head, mouth, chest, belly, thighs, calves, feet — giving the torment a traceable, itemized geography absent from any earlier discourse in this saṃyutta.
A wordplay linking image and cause directly
Sūcaka, an informant, and sūci, a needle, share an obvious root; this discourse's choice of cause for its needle-based torment isn't incidental but plays directly on the linguistic connection between piercing speech and piercing implements.
Piercing speech given a piercing consequence
An informant's characteristic wrongdoing is verbal — passing on damaging words — and this discourse's elaborate itinerary of needles piercing clean through the body gives that verbal harm an unusually direct and literal physical correspondence.
The most elaborate torment so far, marking a genuine escalation
Compared to every discourse before it in this saṃyutta, this discourse's step-by-step itinerary represents a clear escalation in descriptive detail, suggesting the saṃyutta reserves its most elaborate imagery for causes it wants to underline rather than distributing detail evenly across every discourse.
Key terms
dutiyasūcilomasutta — “the second Needle Hairs discourse” — this discourse's own title, explicitly marking it as a deliberate sequel to SN 19.8.
sīse pavisitvā mukhato nikkhamanti — “bored into his head and out his mouth” — the first leg of this discourse's itemized itinerary of piercing.
sūcako — “an informant” — sharing its root with sūci, needle, linking this discourse's cause directly to its central image.
…pe… — the peyyāla elision mark — used here only for the frame narrative, not for the detailed itinerary itself, which is given in full.
navamaṁ — “the ninth” — this discourse's closing numbering tag.
The text
The discourse as preserved in the source, with its detailed itinerary of piercing given in full even as the surrounding frame narrative remains elided. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Just now, reverend, as I was descending from Vulture’s Peak Mountain I saw a man whose body hairs were needles flying through the air. The needles bored into his head and out his mouth, into his mouth and out his chest, into his chest and out his belly, into his belly and out his thighs, into his thighs and out his calves, and into his calves and out his feet. And he screamed in pain. …” … “That being used to be an informant 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
How does this discourse's title relate to SN 19.8's?
Correct: A. Confirming the source itself recognizes these two discourses as a deliberate pair.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse elaborate on SN 19.5-8's simple rising-and-falling image?
Correct: A. An itemized, traceable geography of piercing absent from any earlier discourse in this saṃyutta.
Question 3 of 10
What cause does this discourse name, and what does it share with the central image?
Correct: A. A deliberate wordplay linking piercing speech to piercing implements.
Question 4 of 10
What characteristic wrongdoing does an informant's role typically involve?
Correct: A. Verbal harm given an unusually direct and literal physical correspondence in this discourse's image.
Question 5 of 10
How does this discourse's level of descriptive detail compare to the discourses before it in this saṃyutta?
Correct: A. Suggesting the saṃyutta reserves elaborate imagery for causes it wants to underline.
Question 6 of 10
What body part does the itinerary begin and end with?
Correct: A. A traceable path: head, mouth, chest, belly, thighs, calves, feet.
Question 7 of 10
Is the frame narrative elided in this discourse, as in SN 19.2-8?
Correct: A. The elaboration applies specifically to the central image, not the frame.
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.
Question 10 of 10
What numbering tag closes this discourse?
Correct: A. The ninth discourse of this series, one before Paṭhamavagga's close.
