Saṃyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
37. Mātugāma Saṃyutta
3. Tatiya Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
4. The Book Called the Saḷāyatana-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the 'Six-Fold Sphere' of Sense and Other Subjects
37. Kindred Sayings about Womankind
3. Third Chapter
Sutta 30
Nāsenti Suttaṃ
They Overthrow
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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The Exalted One once addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren."
"Lord," responded those brethren to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One thus spake:
"There are these five powers in a woman, brethren.
What five?
The power of beauty,
the power of wealth,
the power of kin,
the power of sons,
the power of virtue.
§
Suppose, Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of beauty,
but not of the power of virtue.
They cause her overthrow.
They do not let her stay[1] in the family.
■
Suppose, Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of beauty,
and of the power of wealth
but not of the power of virtue.
They cause her overthrow.
They do not let her stay in the family.
■
Suppose, Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of beauty,
and of the power of wealth
and of the power of kin,
but not of the power of virtue.
They cause her overthrow.
They do not let her stay in the family.
■
Suppose, Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of beauty,
and of the power of wealth
and of the power of kin,
and of the power of sons
but not of the power of virtue.
They cause her overthrow.
They do not let her stay in the family.
But suppose,[ed1] Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of beauty,
and of the power of wealth
and of the power of kin,
and of the power of sons,
and of the power of virtue.
They let her stay in the family
They do not cause her overthrow.
■
But suppose, Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of virtue,
but not of the power of beauty.
They let her stay in the family
They do not cause her overthrow.
■
Suppose, Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of virtue,
but not of the power of wealth.
They let her stay in the family
They do not cause her overthrow.
■
Suppose, Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of virtue,
but not of the power of kin.
They let her stay in the family
They do not cause her overthrow.
■
Suppose, Brethren, a woman is possessed
of the power of virtue,
but not of the power of sons.
They let her stay in the family
They do not cause her overthrow.
Such, Brethren, are the five powers of womanfolk."
[1] Vāsenti. Pali Dict. takes the word as simply 'preserve'; but Comy. says: 'Saying "she hath trespassed beyond bounds," they take her by the neck and throw her out. They do not "let her stay" in the family.'
[ed1] PTS text and Woodward omit this variation which is included in the BJT. Further, I believe the subsequent versions should follow in diminishing number of powers rather than singly so that the sutta ends with the woman possessing only virtue and no other powers but is still retained by the family, but no text supports this.
