Skip to reading
← Saṃyutta Nikāya

With Visākha, Pañcāli’s Son

SN 21.7 · Visākhasutta

Five slender seed heads catching soft light at a field’s edge.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof.

Now at that time Venerable Visākha, Pañcāli’s son, was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants in the assembly hall with a Dhamma talk. His words were polished, clear, articulate, expressing the meaning, comprehensive, and independent.

Then in the late afternoon, the Buddha came out of retreat and went to the assembly hall. He sat down on the seat spread out, and addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants, who was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants in the assembly hall with a Dhamma talk?”

“Sir, it was Venerable Visākha, Pañcāli’s son.”

Then the Buddha said to Visākha:

“Good, good, Visākha! It’s good that you educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire the mendicants in the assembly hall with a Dhamma talk, with words that are polished, clear, articulate, expressing the meaning, comprehensive, and independent.”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“Though an astute person is mixed up with fools, they don’t know unless he speaks. But when he speaks they know, he’s teaching the state free of death.

He should speak and illustrate the teaching, holding up the banner of the seers. Words well spoken are the seers’ banner, for the teaching is the banner of the seers.”

Connections

Collection & context

Books

About this edition

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.