The identical structure as SN 42.3-4, this time spelled out in full in the root itself
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
★☆☆☆☆ — confirms the pattern in full after SN 42.4's own near-total elision
Why this discourse
Where SN 42.4 elided nearly everything, this discourse spells the identical argument out in full for a fourth profession, the cavalryman: the same guild promise of rebirth “among the gods of the fallen,” the same location of the karmic problem in intention formed before any killing blow, and the same reversal into “the hell called the Fallen.” Confirmed by direct comparison, the return to full spelling-out after SN 42.4's own compression shows bilara-data's own elision choices are not strictly progressive (shorter each time) but vary discourse by discourse.
Reading guide
A fourth profession, the argument confirmed in full
Cavalrymen receive the identical refutation already given to dancers, warriors, and (by presumption) elephant marshals — this time spelled out fully enough to confirm, rather than merely presume, that the argument transfers unchanged across professions.
Elision is not simply progressive
SN 42.4's own near-total elision might suggest each subsequent profession-discourse compresses further, but this discourse's own full spelling-out disproves that assumption — bilara-data's own compression choices vary by discourse, not by a simple diminishing pattern.
Key terms
assāroho — “cavalryman” — this discourse's own fourth profession given the identical refutation
cittaṁ pubbe gahitaṁ dukkaṭaṁ duppaṇihitaṁ — “the mind is already low, degraded, and misdirected” — the identical phrase from SN 42.3, confirming the argument transfers unchanged
parajito nāma nirayo — “the hell called 'the Fallen'” — the identical reversal repeated a third time in full
gāmaṇi — “chief, headman” — the title shared by every questioner in this saṃyutta, including this discourse's own cavalryman
pañcamaṁ — “fifth” — this discourse's own untranslated closing ordinal, its position within this saṃyutta
The text
The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Then a cavalry chief went up to the Buddha …
§2“From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”
· · ·
Self-check quiz
2 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 2
How does this discourse's own level of detail compare to SN 42.4's own?
Correct: A. A return to full detail, disproving any assumption of steadily increasing compression.
Question 2 of 2
What does the return to full detail here demonstrate about bilara-data's own compression choices?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct comparison between SN 42.4 and this discourse.
