Reading guide
A turn to smaller livestock
This project's own reading: this vagga's own closing run moves from smaller to larger animals — goats and sheep here, then chickens and pigs at SN 56.89, then elephants, cattle, and horses closing the vagga at SN 56.90 — a rough ascending order this project notes without claiming the text itself states such an ordering principle explicitly.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye ajeḷakapaṭiggahaṇā paṭiviratā — “the sentient beings who refrain from receiving goats and sheep are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
aja — “goat” — the first half of the compound giving this discourse its own title
eḷaka — “sheep, ram” — 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 goats and sheep 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 goats and sheep?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — matching this vagga's own recurring formula.
Question 2 of 3
What ordering does this project's own reading note across this vagga's own final three items?
Correct: A. This project's own observed pattern, offered without claiming the text itself states it explicitly.
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 56.87.