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SN 37.3PTS SN 4.2391 min read

Particular Suffering

Āveṇikadukkhasutta

Five kinds of suffering that only women are subject to, not men.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 37.3Linked Discourses 37.3
  • 0.21. Paṭhamapeyyālavagga1. Abbreviated Texts

0.3ĀveṇikadukkhasuttaParticular Suffering

1.1“Pañcimāni, bhikkhave, mātugāmassa āveṇikāni dukkhāni, yāni mātugāmo paccanubhoti, aññatreva purisehi.“Mendicants, there are these five kinds of suffering that particularly apply to ladies. They’re undergone by ladies and not by men.11.2Katamāni pañca?What five?

1.3Idha, bhikkhave, mātugāmo daharova samāno patikulaṁ gacchati, ñātakehi vinā hoti.Firstly, a lady, while still young, goes to live with her husband’s family and is separated from her relatives.21.4Idaṁ, bhikkhave, mātugāmassa paṭhamaṁ āveṇikaṁ dukkhaṁ, yaṁ mātugāmo paccanubhoti, aññatreva purisehi.This is the first kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies.

1.5Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, mātugāmo utunī hoti.Furthermore, a lady undergoes the menstrual cycle.31.6Idaṁ, bhikkhave, mātugāmassa dutiyaṁ āveṇikaṁ dukkhaṁ, yaṁ mātugāmo paccanubhoti, aññatreva purisehi.This is the second kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies.

1.7Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, mātugāmo gabbhinī hoti.Furthermore, a lady undergoes pregnancy.1.8Idaṁ, bhikkhave, mātugāmassa tatiyaṁ āveṇikaṁ dukkhaṁ, yaṁ mātugāmo paccanubhoti, aññatreva purisehi.This is the third kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies.

1.9Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, mātugāmo vijāyati.Furthermore, a lady gives birth.1.10Idaṁ, bhikkhave, mātugāmassa catutthaṁ āveṇikaṁ dukkhaṁ, yaṁ mātugāmo paccanubhoti, aññatreva purisehi.This is the fourth kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies.

1.11Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, mātugāmo purisassa pāricariyaṁ upeti.Furthermore, a lady provides services for a man.41.12Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, mātugāmassa pañcamaṁ āveṇikaṁ dukkhaṁ, yaṁ mātugāmo paccanubhoti, aññatreva purisehi.This is the fifth kind of suffering that particularly applies to ladies.

1.13Imāni kho, bhikkhave, pañca mātugāmassa āveṇikāni dukkhāni, yāni mātugāmo paccanubhoti, aññatreva purisehī”ti.These are the five kinds of suffering that particularly apply to ladies. They’re undergone by ladies and not by men.”

1.14Tatiyaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. Here the Buddha expresses empathy for the lot of women in the culture of his times.

    ↩ sn37.3:1.1

  2. An unmarried girl (kumāribhūta) under twenty was said to be not mature enough for full ordination (Bi Pc 71:1.11), which is the same age as for the monks. A gihigatā of just twelve, however, might be ordained. Gihigatā is explained as “gone to the place of a man” (purisantaragatā, Bi Pc 66:2.7); i.e. a girl who is married. This item precedes menstruation, which also suggests the age of twelve. The Hindu tradition says a girl should be given in marriage before puberty (Manu 9.89; Gautama 18.21; Vaśiṣṭha 17.70; Baudhāyana 4.1.11). If no suitable husband is found, three years after puberty she is free to choose her own (Manu 9.90; Gautama 18.20; Baudhāyana 4.10.14). Yama (Vīramitrodaya Saṁskāra, p. 773) says she may choose a husband after the age of twelve.

    ↩ sn37.3:1.3

  3. Utu is “season”; it includes the fortnight that begins with menstruation (see note on MN 38:26.2).

    ↩ sn37.3:1.5

  4. The mutual obligations of husbands and wives are mentioned from a Buddhist perspective at DN 31:30.1, where the wife is not said to “serve” the husband, but to be kind to him. A wife’s “service” (pāricariya) was domestic and also sexual (Bu Ss 4:1.2.7). No Buddhist text, however, justifies the use of violence in marriage (as at Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 6.4.7). Manu 9.3 says a woman must always be subject to a man, whether father, husband, or son. Manu 9.11 lists a wife’s duties such as managing household finances, cleaning, cooking, and housekeeping, as well as minor religious observances.

    ↩ sn37.3:1.11