Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Saṃyutta Nikāya · Discourse 4.4

Māra's Snares (1st)

Paṭhamapāsasutta

Setting
Near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana
Speakers
The Buddha, addressing the mendicants, then Māra the Wicked
Form
A teaching addressed to the assembly, interrupted by Māra's claim and the Buddha's direct denial
Length
~1.5 minutes 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
★★★☆☆ — the first discourse in this vagga where Māra interrupts a teaching in progress

Why this discourse

This discourse marks a shift in setting and situation: no longer alone in the immediate aftermath of awakening, the Buddha is now at Isipatana addressing an assembled community of mendicants, telling them he has attained supreme freedom through rational application of mind and effort, and that they too can attain it. Māra interrupts this teaching directly, claiming the Buddha remains bound by his snares, both human and heavenly, and will never escape — met by a flat, structurally identical denial.

Reading guide

A public teaching, not a private confrontation

Unlike SN 4.1 through SN 4.3's solitary encounters, this discourse interrupts an active teaching to an assembly of mendicants — Māra's challenge here has an audience, even if that audience plays no active role in the exchange itself.

A claim that others, too, can attain freedom

The specific content of the Buddha's teaching matters: he does not merely announce his own attainment but extends it — ‘you too should attain and realize supreme freedom’ — a claim about the teaching's universal accessibility that Māra's interruption directly contests.

Snares named as both human and heavenly

Māra's claim specifies two domains of binding — human and heavenly — suggesting his reach extends beyond ordinary earthly temptation into the celestial realms as well, a scope this discourse's title, ‘snares’, names directly.

A denial with matching structure, not new content

The Buddha's reply mirrors Māra's claim line by line — freed from Māra's snares, both human and heavenly; freed from Māra's bonds — a rebuttal built entirely through structural inversion rather than introducing new argument.

A first of a pair

This discourse's title marks it explicitly as the first of two ‘snares’ discourses, with SN 4.5 immediately following as a second, escalated version of the same confrontation set at the same location.

Key terms

pāsa — “snare” — Māra's own image for what binds beings to him, giving this discourse and its sequel their shared title.
yoniso manasikāra — “rational application of mind” — part of how the Buddha says he attained freedom, extended as a possibility to the mendicants as well.
mānusaka dibba — “human and heavenly” — the two domains Māra claims his snares extend across.
bandhana — “bond” — the second term Māra and the Buddha both use, alongside snare, for the same claimed binding.
Isipatana — “Isipatana” — the deer park near Varanasi where this discourse and its sequel are both set.

The text

The discourse in full: the Buddha's teaching to the mendicants, Māra's interruption, and the matching denial. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

§2“Mendicants, I have attained and realized supreme freedom through rational application of mind and rational right effort. You too should attain and realize supreme freedom through rational application of mind and rational right effort.” Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

§3“You’re bound by Māra’s snares, both human and heavenly. You’re bound by Māra’s bonds: you won’t escape me, ascetic!”

§4“I’m freed from Māra’s snares, both human and heavenly. I’m freed from Māra’s bonds. You’re beaten, terminator!”

§5Then Māra … vanished right there.

· · ·

Self-check quiz

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

Question 1 of 10
How does this discourse's setting differ from SN 4.1 through SN 4.3?
Correct: A. A public teaching interrupted, rather than a solitary confrontation.
Question 2 of 10
What does the Buddha tell the mendicants he has attained?
Correct: A. A claim he extends to the mendicants as equally attainable.
Question 3 of 10
What does Māra claim about the Buddha?
Correct: A. A direct interruption of the Buddha's teaching in progress.
Question 4 of 10
How does the Buddha's reply relate structurally to Māra's claim?
Correct: A. A rebuttal built through structural inversion rather than new content.
Question 5 of 10
What two domains does Māra claim his snares extend across?
Correct: A. Suggesting Māra's reach extends into celestial realms as well as earthly ones.
Question 6 of 10
What does this discourse's title indicate about its relationship to SN 4.5?
Correct: A. Both discourses are set at the same location and follow the same confrontation pattern.
Question 7 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. A different location from the Uruvelā setting of SN 4.1 through SN 4.3.
Question 8 of 10
What claim about the teaching's accessibility does the Buddha make?
Correct: A. A claim about universal accessibility that Māra's interruption directly contests.
Question 9 of 10
What two terms does this exchange use interchangeably for Māra's claimed binding?
Correct: A. Both appearing in Māra's claim and the Buddha's matching denial.
Question 10 of 10
How does Māra react after the Buddha's denial?
Correct: A. The same stock departure established across this vagga's earlier discourses.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

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