Reading guide
A new sequence, built on life stages rather than powers
Family origin, marriage, freedom from a co-wife, children, and mastery of one's husband — five life stages in fixed order, replacing this vagga's own rūpa/bhoga/ñāti/putta/sīla pentad entirely for this one discourse.
Hard to get, easy to get: one variable, not two lists
Both halves of the discourse use identical wording for all five aspirations; the only difference is whether the lady has made merit — a structure emphasizing that merit, not the aspirations themselves, is what the discourse treats as variable.
Mastery reappears, in a new context
The fifth aspiration — living having mastered one's husband (sāmikaṁ abhibhuyya vatteyya) — echoes SN 37.27's own closing term almost word for word, now framed as the final rung of a merit-dependent life sequence rather than the outcome of holding five specific powers.
Key terms
The text
Five things hard to get without merit
§1“Mendicants, there are five things that are hard to get for ladies who have not made merit. What five? ‘May I be born into a suitable family!’ This is the first thing. ‘Having been born in a suitable family, may I marry into a suitable family!’ This is the second thing. ‘Having been born in a suitable family and married into a suitable family, may I live at home without a co-wife!’ This is the third thing. ‘Having been born in a suitable family, and married into a suitable family, and living at home without a co-wife, may I have children!’ This is the fourth thing. ‘Having been born in a suitable family, and married into a suitable family, and living at home without a co-wife, and having had children, may I live having mastered my husband!’ This is the fifth thing. These are the five things that are hard to get for ladies who have not made merit.
Five things easy to get with merit
§2There are five things that are easy to get for ladies who have made merit. What five? ‘May I be born into a suitable family!’ This is the first thing. ‘Having been born into a suitable family, may I marry into a suitable family!’ This is the second thing. ‘Having been born into a suitable family and married into a suitable family, may I live at home without a co-wife!’ This is the third thing. ‘Having been born into a suitable family, and married into a suitable family, and living at home without a co-wife, may I have children!’ This is the fourth thing. ‘Having been born into a suitable family, and married into a suitable family, and living at home without a co-wife, and having had children, may I live having mastered my husband!’ This is the fifth thing. These are the five things that are easy to get for ladies who have made merit.”
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