The same fivefold template, compressed to a single line
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
★☆☆☆☆ — brief, mirroring SN 37.9 exactly
Why this discourse
This discourse reverses SN 37.9's own aticārī (unfaithfulness, adultery) into anaticārī (marital faithfulness), the specific ethical violation this project already noted would resurface at SN 37.14's own precept-based list — here it appears instead in its character-trait form, reversed rather than reframed.
Reading guide
A specific fidelity, not a general virtue
Like aticārī's own specificity at SN 37.9, anaticārī names a particular ethical commitment within marriage rather than a general character quality — the one discourse in this fixed-template series (on either side of the mirror) naming a specific relational commitment rather than a temperament or capacity.
The same relational territory as SN 37.14 and SN 37.24, differently framed
Sexual misconduct appears three times across this saṃyutta's own first two vaggas: as a character trait reversed here and at SN 37.9, and as a precept violation at SN 37.14 and its own upcoming mirror at SN 37.24 — the same ethical territory addressed through two different structural framings.
Compression matching the series' own settled form
This discourse's own single surviving line matches SN 37.18's own minimal length, continuing the bright-side series' own shorter compression floor.
The fifth of nine, past this series' own midpoint
With akkodhana, anupanāhī, anissukī, amaccharī, and now anaticārī confirmed, this vagga's own series has passed its midpoint, moving toward its own close.
Key terms
anaticārī — not unfaithful, maintaining marital fidelity — this discourse's own variable fifth quality, directly reversing SN 37.9's own aticārī
aticārī — unfaithful, adulterous — SN 37.9's own quality, reversed here
kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato — “refraining from sexual misconduct” — the precept-based framing of the same ethical territory, met at SN 37.14 and its own upcoming mirror at SN 37.24
navamaṁ — “ninth” — this discourse's own untranslated closing marker, matching SN 37.9's own position
saddhā... hirimā... ottāpī... paññavā — the four fixed qualities, unchanged throughout this mirror series
The text
The complete translated content of this discourse — a single line, the fivefold clause itself. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“… They’re faithful, conscientious, prudent, not adulterous, and wise. …”
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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
What does "anaticārī" name, and what does it reverse?
Correct: A. The specific relational commitment this discourse and SN 37.9 both address, on opposite sides of the mirror.
Question 2 of 5
How many times does sexual misconduct appear as ethical territory across this saṃyutta's first two vaggas?
Correct: A. The same ethical territory addressed through two different structural framings — character trait versus precept.
Question 3 of 5
How does this discourse's own compression compare to SN 37.18's?
Correct: A. Continuing the bright-side series' own shorter compression floor.
Question 4 of 5
What position does this discourse hold in its own mirror series?
Correct: A. Moving the series toward its own close after akkodhana, anupanāhī, anissukī, and amaccharī.
Question 5 of 5
Is anaticārī a general character trait or a specific commitment, like its dark-side counterpart?
Correct: A. The one discourse in this series naming a specific relational commitment rather than temperament or capacity.
