King Pasenadi of Kosala visits the Buddha and hears teaching on judgment, exploring ethics, kingship, and the Dhamma through dialogue and simile.

SN 3.7 Judgment

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “idhāhaṁ, bhante, aḍḍakaraṇe nisinno passāmi khattiyamahāsālepi brāhmaṇamahāsālepi gahapatimahāsālepi aḍḍhe mahaddhane mahābhoge pahūtajātarūparajate pahūtavittūpakaraṇe pahūtadhanadhaññe kāmahetu kāmanidānaṁ kāmādhikaraṇaṁ sampajānamusā bhāsante. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, etadahosi: ‘alaṁ dāni me aḍḍakaraṇena, bhadramukho dāni aḍḍakaraṇena paññāyissatī’”ti.

“Evametaṁ, mahārāja, evametaṁ, mahārāja. Yepi te, mahārāja, khattiyamahāsālā brāhmaṇamahāsālā gahapatimahāsālā aḍḍhā mahaddhanā mahābhogā pahūtajātarūparajatā pahūtavittūpakaraṇā pahūtadhanadhaññā kāmahetu kāmanidānaṁ kāmādhikaraṇaṁ sampajānamusā bhāsanti; tesaṁ taṁ bhavissati dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāyā”ti.

Idamavoca …pe…

“Sārattā kāmabhogesu,
giddhā kāmesu mucchitā;
Atisāraṁ na bujjhanti,
macchā khippaṁva oḍḍitaṁ;
Pacchāsaṁ kaṭukaṁ hoti,
vipāko hissa pāpako”ti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthī.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Seated to one side, King Pasenadi said to the Buddha,

“idhāhaṁ, bhante, aḍḍakaraṇe nisinno passāmi khattiyamahāsālepi brāhmaṇamahāsālepi gahapatimahāsālepi aḍḍhe mahaddhane mahābhoge pahūtajātarūparajate pahūtavittūpakaraṇe pahūtadhanadhaññe kāmahetu kāmanidānaṁ kāmādhikaraṇaṁ sampajānamusā bhāsante.

“Sir, when I’m sitting in court I see well-to-do aristocrats, brahmins, and householders—rich, affluent, and wealthy, with lots of gold and silver, lots of property and assets, and lots of money and grain. But they tell deliberate lies for the sake of sensual pleasures.

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, etadahosi:

Then it occurred to me:

‘alaṁ dāni me aḍḍakaraṇena, bhadramukho dāni aḍḍakaraṇena paññāyissatī’”ti.

‘Enough with passing judgment today. Now my dearest will be known by the judgments he makes.’”

“Evametaṁ, mahārāja, evametaṁ, mahārāja.

“That’s so true, great king! That’s so true!

Yepi te, mahārāja, khattiyamahāsālā brāhmaṇamahāsālā gahapatimahāsālā aḍḍhā mahaddhanā mahābhogā pahūtajātarūparajatā pahūtavittūpakaraṇā pahūtadhanadhaññā kāmahetu kāmanidānaṁ kāmādhikaraṇaṁ sampajānamusā bhāsanti;

Those who are well-to-do aristocrats, brahmins, and householders tell deliberate lies for the sake of sensual pleasures.

tesaṁ taṁ bhavissati dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāyā”ti.

That is for their lasting harm and suffering.”

Idamavoca …pe…

That is what the Buddha said. …

“Sārattā kāmabhogesu,

“Full of desire for possessions and pleasures,

giddhā kāmesu mucchitā;

greedy, infatuated by sensual pleasures;

Atisāraṁ na bujjhanti,

they don’t notice that they’ve gone too far,

macchā khippaṁva oḍḍitaṁ;

like fish swiftly snared.

Pacchāsaṁ kaṭukaṁ hoti,

It’ll be bitter later on;

vipāko hissa pāpako”ti.

for the result will be bad for them.”

Topics & Qualities:

Craving

Craving

A driving ‘thirst’ that reaches out toward experiences, identities, or outcomes as the place to find satisfaction—“if only I had that.” It spins stories of lack, binds the mind to becoming, and invariably leads to suffering.

Also known as: wanting, yearning, longing, lit. thirst
Pāli: taṇha, abhijjhā
View all discourses →
Desire

Desire

A wholesome motivation, interest, or objective that acts as the starting point for effort and application of will.

Also known as: aspiration, interest, wish, having an objective, intention, impulse
Pāli: chanda
View all discourses →
Harm

Harm

Intention or action that causes injury or suffering to oneself or others. It arises from aversion and heedlessness and destroys trust and safety. The opposite of non-harm, it obscures compassion and leads to regret.

Also known as: injury causing behavior, destructiveness, bad, evil
Pāli: pāpaka
View all discourses →
Sensual desire

Sensual desire

A mental quality of desiring sensory gratification. It pulls the mind’s attention toward sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or touches in a search for satisfaction.

Also known as: craving for sensuality, passion for sensual pleasures, lust, pull toward enticing sense objects
Pāli: kāmacchanda
View all discourses →
Suffering

Suffering

Unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering that is inherent in conditioned existence.

Also known as: discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentedness, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, distress, affliction
Pāli: dukkha
View all discourses →

Last updated on July 27, 2026