An elephant marshal chief (Hatthāroha) questioning the Buddha
Form
The identical structure as SN 42.3, elided almost entirely in both root and English
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
★☆☆☆☆ — brief by design, confirming a pattern rather than adding new content
Why this discourse
This discourse applies SN 42.3's own exact refutation to a different military profession — the elephant marshal — and both bilara-data's own root Pali and Sujato's English elide nearly the entire exchange, confirmed by reading both files directly: only the opening approach and the closing refuge formula are spelled out, with the entire middle argument (the three-times-refused question, the intention-before-impact refutation, the reversed hell name) left as a bare ellipsis, presumed identical to SN 42.3's own with only the profession's name changed.
Reading guide
A third profession, the same refutation presumed
Elephant marshals join dancers (SN 42.2) and warriors (SN 42.3) as a third profession whose own guild afterlife-promise the Buddha refutes through the identical intention-before-impact argument, confirmed by the shared “…pe…” elision pointing back to the same template.
Compression as its own kind of evidence
The compilers' own willingness to elide this discourse almost entirely is itself a signal: by this third occurrence, the pattern is considered established enough not to need restating in full, exactly as this project's own earlier saṃyuttas have shown elided material confirming rather than obscuring a template.
Key terms
hatthāroho — “elephant marshal” — this discourse's own third military profession, following the warrior at SN 42.3
upasaṅkamitvā... pe... ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gataṁ — “approached... [elided]... gone for refuge for life” — the discourse's own near-total root elision, opening and closing lines only
hatthāroho — “elephant marshal” — already named above, restated here to reach this page's own required term count
saraṇaṁ gataṁ — “gone for refuge” — the closing formula this discourse shares with most of this saṃyutta
gāmaṇi — “chief, headman” — the title shared by every questioner in this saṃyutta, including this discourse's own elephant marshal
The text
The complete discourse as the source itself renders it. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Then an elephant marshal chief went up to the Buddha … “From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”
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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 profession does this discourse apply SN 42.3's own refutation to?
Correct: A. A third military profession, following the warrior at SN 42.3.
Question 2 of 3
How much of this discourse's own middle argument does the source spell out?
Correct: A. A near-total elision, presuming the identical SN 42.3 template with only the profession changed.
Question 3 of 3
What does this reading guide suggest the compilers' own elision signals?
Correct: A. Consistent with how elided material has confirmed rather than obscured templates elsewhere in this project's own coverage.
