Aṅguttara Nikāya
VIII. Aṭṭhaka Nipāta
II: Mahā Vagga

The Book of the Eights

II. The Great Chapter

Suttas 17-18

Purisa-Bandhana Suttaṃ and Itthi-Bandhana Suttaṃ

 

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[196] [135]

Sutta 17

Purisa-Bandhana Suttaṃ

A Woman's Toils

Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, a woman enslaves a man in eight ways.

What eight?

A woman enslaves a man by appearance,
by laughter,
by speech,
by song,
by tears,
by attire,
by garlands from the forest¹
and by touch.

Monks, in these eight ways a woman enslaves a man,
and beings caught by these
are verily caught as though in a snare.'

 

§

 

Sutta 18

Itthi-Bandhana suttaṃ

A Man's Hold

Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:

^ed1'Monks, a man enslaves a woman in eight ways.

What eight?

A man enslaves a woman by appearance,
by laughter,
by speech,
by song,
by tears,
by attire,
by garlands from the forest
and by touch.

Monks, in these eight ways a man enslaves a woman,
and beings caught by these
are verily caught as though in a snare.'

 

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¹ Vana-bhaṅgena. Comy. By presents of flowers and fruit, etc., from forests. See below, p. 291, n. 2, on bhaṅga.

 

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^ed1 Hare abbreviates with the note: (Repeat sutta 17, with changes for a man.) Here the sutta is reconstructed per his instructions. This however completely misses the double meanings of the words used for which see the Olds translation.