They Send Her Away

SN 37.30 · Nāsentisutta

A single tree in a spacious, misty woodland clearing.

“Mendicants, there are these five powers of a lady. What five?

Attractiveness, wealth, relatives, children, and ethical behavior.

If a lady has the power of attractiveness but not that of ethical behavior, the family will send her away, they won’t accommodate her.

If a lady has the powers of attractiveness and wealth but not that of ethical behavior, the family will send her away, they won’t accommodate her.

If a lady has the powers of attractiveness, wealth, and relatives, but not that of ethical behavior, the family will send her away, they won’t accommodate her.

If a lady has the powers of attractiveness, wealth, relatives, and children, but not that of ethical behavior, the family will send her away, they won’t accommodate her.

If a lady has the power of ethical behavior but not that of attractiveness, the family will accommodate her, they won’t send her away.

If a lady has the power of ethical behavior but not that of wealth, the family will accommodate her, they won’t send her away.

If a lady has the power of ethical behavior but not that of relatives, the family will accommodate her, they won’t send her away.

If a lady has the power of ethical behavior but not that of children, the family will accommodate her, they won’t send her away.

These are the five powers of a lady.”

Connections

Collection & context

Saṃyutta NikāyaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition

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.