The Buddha, by cross-reference to SN 35.17's own full argument
Form
A peyyāla stub, the most compressed discourse in this vagga so far, reduced to a single line
Length
under a 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
★☆☆☆☆ — understood only alongside SN 35.17
Why this discourse
This discourse completes this vagga's own third named pair, compressed to the single most minimal shape yet seen in Yamakavagga: only the opening conditional clause survives, "if there were no gratification in sights, sentient beings wouldn't be aroused by them …" — everything else, including the drawback and escape halves of SN 35.17's own argument, elided entirely.
Reading guide
The most minimal discourse in this vagga so far
Where SN 35.14, SN 35.16, and this discourse each compress, this one preserves only a single line — not even completing the full gratification clause's own "but since there is …" counterpart before eliding to cross-reference.
The identical counterfactual logic, redirected outward
"If there were no gratification in sights, sentient beings wouldn't be aroused by them …" — the same conditional structure as SN 35.17's own opening clause, now applied to sights instead of the eye.
Completing this vagga's own third named pair
With this discourse, "If There Were No Gratification" (SN 35.17–18) closes, the third of five interior-exterior pairs this vagga works through.
A genuine feature of transmission, not an omission
As with other short peyyāla stubs elsewhere in this project's coverage of the Saṃyutta Nikāya, this discourse's brevity is quoted here exactly as the source gives it rather than expanded into invented prose.
Key terms
assāda — gratification — the sole term explicitly named in this discourse's own single surviving line
rūpa — sights — the first exterior sense object named, standing in for all six
abhinandanti — "are aroused" — the observable consequence this discourse's own opening clause names
ādīnava — drawback — implied but not restated, carried over from SN 35.17
peyyāla — an elision mark — here compressing this vagga's own most minimal surviving discourse
The text
The discourse as the source itself preserves it, compressed to a single opening clause. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Mendicants, if there were no gratification in sights, sentient beings wouldn’t be aroused by them. …”
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Self-check quiz
5 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 5
How much of this discourse survives in the source's own English translation?
Correct: A. Not even completing the full clause's own counterpart before eliding to cross-reference.
Question 2 of 5
What does this discourse's single surviving line say?
Correct: A. The same conditional structure as SN 35.17's own opening clause, applied to sights.
Question 3 of 5
What does this discourse complete?
Correct: A. The third of five interior-exterior pairs this vagga works through.
Question 4 of 5
What does this reading guide do with this discourse's own brevity?
Correct: A. Consistent with this project's practice on other short peyyāla stubs.
Question 5 of 5
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. Consistent with this saṃyutta's other discourses, though given here only by cross-reference.
