Reading guide
Continuing an honestly reported restraint
This project's own note, carried forward from SN 56.86: this item likewise presupposes bonded servitude as a social institution the text addresses rather than endorses in the abstract, and this project continues to report the discourse's own historical content faithfully rather than softening or omitting it.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye dāsidāsapaṭiggahaṇā paṭiviratā — “the sentient beings who refrain from receiving male and female bondservants are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
dāsī — “female bondservant” — the first half of the compound giving this discourse its own title
dāsa — “male bondservant” — the second half of the compound
appaṭiviratā — “those who don't refrain” — the vast majority category, matching the whole earth
… — the elision marking, standing in for the fingernail demonstration already given in full at SN 56.61-62
The text
Every genuinely translated fragment given in the consulted English source, which itself preserves the elision back to SN 56.61's own full statement. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“… the sentient beings who refrain from receiving male and female bondservants are few, while those who don’t refrain 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 claim about those who refrain from receiving male and female bondservants?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — matching this vagga's own recurring formula.
Question 2 of 3
How does this project's own approach to this discourse relate to its own approach at SN 56.86?
Correct: A. This project's own consistent, carried-forward approach to reporting historical content honestly.
Question 3 of 3
What position does this discourse occupy in this vagga's own ten-discourse sequence?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of the sequence's own order, following SN 56.86.