Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 37.26

Under Her Thumb

Pasayhasutta — Balavagga

Setting
Not restated in this discourse
Speakers
The Buddha addressing the mendicants
Form
The identical fivefold list of SN 37.25, closing on a second, different outcome
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
★☆☆☆☆ — a one-word change from SN 37.25's own closing line

Why this discourse

This discourse repeats SN 37.25's own fivefold list word for word — attractiveness, wealth, relatives, children, and ethical behavior — and changes only the closing outcome: a lady equipped with all five, this discourse states, has her husband under her thumb (sāmikaṁ pasayha). Confirms the triptych predicted at SN 37.25: the same condition, restated, now paired with a second, more assertive outcome.

Reading guide

The same five, a different close

Every word of the fivefold list is unchanged from SN 37.25; only the final clause differs, replacing self-assured domestic life with dominance over the husband specifically.

Pasayha: forceful control, named outright

“Pasayha” carries a stronger sense than “visārada” — not mere confidence but active mastery, foreshadowing SN 37.27's own even more explicit “abhibhuyya.”

Key terms

sāmikaṁ pasayha agāraṁ ajjhāvasati — “lives at home having overpowered her husband” — this discourse's own closing clause, replacing SN 37.25's visārado
rūpabalaṁ, bhogabalaṁ, ñātibalaṁ, puttabalaṁ, sīlabalaṁ — the identical fivefold list, unchanged from SN 37.25
bhikkhave — “mendicants” — the Buddha's own address term, opening this discourse and every other discourse in this vagga
dutiyaṁ — “second” — this discourse's own untranslated closing ordinal
sāmikaṁ — “husband” — the party this discourse's own outcome clause turns on

The text

The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Mendicants, there are these five powers of a lady. What five? Attractiveness, wealth, relatives, children, and ethical behavior. These are the five powers of a lady. A lady living at home with these five powers has her husband under her thumb.”

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Self-check quiz

4 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 4
What changes between SN 37.25 and this discourse?
Correct: A. Word-for-word repetition of the list, with a new closing clause.
Question 2 of 4
What outcome does this discourse state for a lady with all five powers?
Correct: A. "Sāmikaṁ pasayha" — having overpowered her husband.
Question 3 of 4
How does "pasayha" compare in force to SN 37.25's "visārada"?
Correct: A. A step up in assertiveness, anticipating SN 37.27's own even stronger term.
Question 4 of 4
What structural pattern is this discourse confirming?
Correct: A. The pattern SN 37.25's reading guide anticipated, now confirmed by a second matching discourse.
Answered 0 of 4 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousSN 37.25 · Assured