Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 37.27

Mastered

Abhibhuyyasutta — Balavagga

Setting
Not restated in this discourse
Speakers
The Buddha addressing the mendicants
Form
The identical fivefold list a third time, closing this small triptych
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
★☆☆☆☆ — closes a now-familiar three-discourse pattern

Why this discourse

This discourse closes the triptych opened at SN 37.25: the identical fivefold list a third time, now closing on “abhibhuyya” — living having “mastered” her husband, the strongest of the three closing terms (visārada → pasayha → abhibhuyya). With this discourse, SN 37.25–27 stand confirmed as a genuine set: one condition, three increasingly assertive descriptions of what it yields.

Reading guide

Three discourses, one escalating pattern

Self-assured (37.25), husband under her thumb (37.26), husband mastered outright (37.27) — the identical five powers read as escalating in effect across three consecutive discourses, not as three unrelated claims.

What comes next

SN 37.28 will name the single power that, this saṃyutta states, overrides everything this triptych has just established — worth reading 37.25–27 as one unit before turning to it.

Key terms

sāmikaṁ abhibhuyya vattati — “lives having mastered her husband” — the strongest of this triptych's three closing clauses
bhikkhave — “mendicants” — the Buddha's own address term, opening this discourse and every other discourse in this vagga
mātugāmo — “a lady” — this saṃyutta's own recurring subject term, already glossed at SN 37.25
tatiyaṁ — “third” — 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 with these five powers lives having mastered her husband.”

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Self-check quiz

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

Question 1 of 3
What is the closing outcome of this discourse?
Correct: A. "Abhibhuyya" — the strongest of the triptych's three closing terms.
Question 2 of 3
How do the three closing terms across SN 37.25-27 relate to each other?
Correct: A. Visārada → pasayha → abhibhuyya, a deliberate escalation across three consecutive discourses.
Question 3 of 3
What does this reading guide anticipate for SN 37.28?
Correct: A. Worth reading 37.25–27 as one unit in preparation.
Answered 0 of 3 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousSN 37.26 · Under Her Thumb