with the kosalan
kosala samyutta
Saṃyutta Nikāya 3 of 56
Translated by: Bhikkhu Sujato
Read by: Roland Kitchen
Description
The “Linked Discourses with the Kosalan” contains 25 discourses featuring King Pasenadi of Kosala. Pasenadi shines through in the early texts as a complex human figure, one with foibles and foolishness, but with a great devotion and capacity to grow. He appears frequently elsewhere in the suttas; MN 87 tells the story of how Queen Mallikā led him to the Dhamma. Here Mallikā appears again, and in SN 3.8 she shows how she is not afraid to challenge her king. The suttas in this collection typically set the verses in substantive prose narratives, illustrating the struggles and problems that beset a king intent on Dhamma who must nonetheless rule in a world with spies, sacrifices, punishments, wars, and the many temptations of royal life.