Not given — continuing directly from SN 56.69's own setting
Speaker
The Buddha, addressing the mendicants directly
Form
A single elided line, then this vagga's own closing colophon and uddāna
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Significance
★★★★ — confirmed by direct reading of the root colophon as the close of Vagga 7, ten discourses, widening the respect sequence to family elders generally
Why this discourse
Confirmed by direct reading of its own root colophon, this discourse closes Vagga 7 (“Paṭhamaāmakadhaññapeyyālavaggo sattamo”) by comparing sentient beings who honor the elders in their own family to the rare pinch of dirt, and those who don't to the vast earth — widening this vagga's own four-part respect sequence (mother, father, ascetics, brahmins) from named categories to family elders generally.
Reading guide
A generalizing close
This project's own reading: where SN 56.66-69 each named a specific category owed respect, this closing discourse widens the claim to “jeṭṭhāpacāyino” (“those who honor elders”) generally within the family — a fitting close to the sequence, moving from specific instances to the underlying principle.
A ten-title uddāna, confirmed against this project's own SN 56.61-70
Confirmed by direct reading, this vagga's own closing uddāna (“Not human, borderlands, wisdom; beer, wine, water; respect for mother and father too; ascetics and honoring brahmins”) lists exactly ten titles, matching this project's own SN 56.61 through SN 56.70 precisely.
A name still not explained by its own content
This project's own honest observation, carried forward from SN 56.61: even at this vagga's own close, no discourse in SN 56.61-70 has mentioned raw grain (āmakadhañña) — the vagga's own name remains unexplained by its own content, supporting this project's own hypothesis that the name labels a larger block (Vaggas 7-10) rather than this vagga specifically.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye kule jeṭṭhāpacāyino — “the sentient beings who honor the elders in the family are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
jeṭṭhāpacāyī — “one who honors elders” — the generalizing term giving this discourse its own title, widening SN 56.66-69's own four named categories
ajeṭṭhāpacāyino — “those who don't [honor elders]” — the vast majority category, matching the whole earth
dasamaṁ. paṭhamaāmakadhaññapeyyālavaggo sattamo — “tenth. the seventh vagga [ends]” — the root colophon's own vagga-closing marker
aññatra paccantaṁ paññā, surāmerayaodakā; matteyya petteyyā cāpi, sāmaññaṁ brahmapacāyikanti — the closing uddāna's own ten titles, confirmed by direct reading to match SN 56.61 through SN 56.70 exactly
The text
Every genuinely translated fragment given in the consulted English source, which itself preserves the elision. The vagga-closing colophon and uddāna verse are left untranslated in the consulted English source, as at several earlier vagga closes throughout this project's own work. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“… the sentient beings who honor the elders in the family are few, while those who don’t are many. …”
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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 does this discourse's own root colophon confirm, according to this project's own direct reading?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of the root Pali colophon, not assumed in advance.
Question 2 of 3
How does this discourse widen SN 56.66-69's own respect sequence, per this project's own reading?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — a generalizing close to the specific instances given before it.
Question 3 of 3
What does this project's own honest observation confirm at this vagga's own close?
Correct: A. This project's own honest, carried-forward observation about an apparent naming mismatch.
