The Buddha alone, addressing the assembled mendicants
Form
A fivefold list, each item named and labeled in turn
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
★★☆☆☆ — plain in content, worth reading as acknowledgment rather than complaint
Why this discourse
This discourse names five forms of suffering (dukkha) the text describes as “particularly” belonging to women, “undergone by ladies and not by men”: leaving one's own family while still young to live with a husband's family, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, childbirth, and providing service to a husband. Unlike SN 37.4–13's own catalogs of moral failings, this discourse doesn't attribute any of these five to a woman's own choices or character; each is presented as a condition she undergoes, not a fault she bears.
Reading guide
A different register from the moral catalogs around it
Where the discourses on either side of this one (SN 37.1–2, SN 37.4 onward) concern desirability or moral failing, this discourse names circumstances that happen to a woman regardless of her own conduct — a structurally distinct kind of claim, describing hardship rather than assigning blame.
Five specific, named conditions
Separation from one's own family at a young age, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, childbirth, and serving a husband (paccupaṭṭhānaṁ karoti, literally attending on or waiting upon) are each given their own line and their own explicit label as the discourse's own “first,” “second,” and so on kind of particular suffering.
Named as unshared, not necessarily as worse
“Āveṇika” means “particular, individual, not shared” — the discourse's own claim is that these five are undergone by women and not by men, a claim about distribution rather than a ranking of whose suffering is greater overall.
An acknowledgment that stands on its own
This discourse offers no further teaching, path, or practice in response to these five — unlike many discourses in this saṃyutta that pair a hardship with a spiritual instruction, this one simply names and closes, read most naturally as a plain acknowledgment rather than the opening move of a larger argument.
Key terms
āveṇikāni dukkhāni — “particular” or “unshared” sufferings — the discourse's own title, naming what is undergone by women and not by men
daharāva samānā sāmikakulaṁ gacchati ñātakehi vinā hoti — “while still young, [she] goes to live with her husband's family and is separated from her relatives” — the first named suffering
utunī hoti — “undergoes the menstrual cycle” — the second named suffering
gabbhaṁ gaṇhāti — “undergoes pregnancy” — the third named suffering
purisassa paccupaṭṭhānaṁ karoti — “provides services for a man” — the fifth and final named suffering, closing the list
The text
The complete discourse: the five particular sufferings, each named in turn. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Mendicants, there are these five kinds of suffering that particularly apply to ladies. They’re undergone by ladies and not by men. What five? Firstly, a lady, while still young, goes to live with her husband’s family and is separated from her relatives. This is the first kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies. Furthermore, a lady undergoes the menstrual cycle. This is the second kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies. Furthermore, a lady undergoes pregnancy. This is the third kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies. Furthermore, a lady gives birth. This is the fourth kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies. Furthermore, a lady provides services for a man. This is the fifth kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies. These are the five kinds of suffering that particularly apply to ladies. They’re undergone by ladies and not by men.”
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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 five conditions does this discourse name as "particular sufferings" of women?
Correct: A. Each given its own line and explicit ordinal label in the discourse's own structure.
Question 2 of 5
How does this discourse's register differ from SN 37.4-13's own moral catalogs?
Correct: A. A structurally distinct kind of claim: describing hardship, not assigning blame.
Question 3 of 5
What does "āveṇika," this discourse's own key term, mean?
Correct: A. A claim about distribution — undergone by women and not by men — rather than a ranking of severity.
Question 4 of 5
Does this discourse offer a teaching or practice in response to these five sufferings?
Correct: A. Read most naturally as a plain acknowledgment rather than the opening move of a larger argument.
Question 5 of 5
What is the fifth and final suffering named in this discourse?
Correct: A. Closing the list after separation, menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth.
