Aṅguttara-Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
23. Dīgha-Cārika Vagga

The Book of the Fives

Chapter XXIII: Wandering Afield

Suttas 229-230

Kaṇha Sappa 1 & 2

The Snake

 

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[191]

Sutta 229

Paṭhama Kaṇha Sappa Suttaṃ

The Snake (a)

Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

'Yes, lord,' they replied; and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, there are these five disadvantages
in a black snake.¹

What five?

It is unclean,
evil-smelling,
timid,²
fearful
and betrays friends.

These, monks, are the five disadvantages
in a black snake.

 

§

 

Even so, monks, there are these five disadvantages
in a woman.

What five?

She is unclean,
evil-smelling,
timid,
fearful
and betrays friends.

Verily, monks, these are the five disadvantages in a woman.

 

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[192]

Sutta 230

Dutiya Kaṇha Sappa Suttaṃ

The Snake (b)

Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

'Yes, lord,' they replied;

and the Exalted One said:

'There are these five disadvantages in a black snake.

It is full of anger,
ill-will,
it is deadly poisonous,³
forked tongued
and betrays friends.⁴

These, monks, are the five disadvantages
in a black snake.

 

§

 

Even so, monks, there are these five disadvantages
in a woman.

What five?

She is full of anger,
ill-will,
she is deadly poisonous,
is forked tongued
and betrays friends.

 

§

 

Now the deadly poison of a woman is this:
she is almost always very passionate.

■

The forked tongue is this:
she is almost always slanderous in speech.

■

And the betrayal of friends is this:
she almost always commits adultery.

Verily, monks, these are the five disadvantages in a woman.'

 

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¹ Cf. Vism. trsl. 797, where a water snake simile is given and is called kaṅha-sappa at 812.

² Sabhīru Comy. 'saniddo mahāniddaṃ niddāyati.' It is not clear how such an explanation arose.

³ Ghora-visatā. P.E.D. omits this derivative of visa.

⁴ At J. v, 447 these five are given in Comy. in explanation of kaṅha-sappasirūpama and the sub-comment on the three last terms is the same as given here; for this simile Cf. above, § 76.