Aṇguttara-Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
23. Dīgha-Cārika Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XXIII: Wandering Afield
Suttas 229-230
Kaṇha Sappa 1 & 2
The Snake
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Sutta 229
Paṭhama Kaṇha Sappa Suttaṃ
The Snake (a)
[229.1][olds] 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.
Sutta 230
Dutiya Kaṇha Sappa Suttaṃ
The Snake (b)
[230.1][olds] 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.'
[1] Cf. Vism. trsl. 797, where a water snake simile is given and is called kaṇha-sappa at 812.
[2] Sabhīru Comy. 'saniddo mahāniddaṃ niddāyati.' It is not clear how soch 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 kaṇha-sappasirūpama and the sub-comment on the three last terms is the same as given here; for this simile Cf. above, § 76.
