Samyutta Nikaya is included in the Sutta Pitaka. The latter is divided into five Nikayas. This is part of the Pali canon or Tripitaka of Theravada Buddhism. A translation from an earlier Sanskrit version is also to be found in the Sanskrit canon, Samyuktagama. According to the Buddhist scholars the number of suttas vary from 2889 to 7762. These discrepancies have resulted from the translations that exist till date. Samyutta Nikaya is further divided into sections or vaggas. Each vagga is again divided into samyuttas or chapters. These chapters, in turn, deal with a particular topic.
There are 5 vaggas in Samyutta Nikaya:
•Sagatha vagga-Here the verses are in Pali that are also to be found in other Buddhist texts such as Jatakas, Therigatha, Dhammapada, Theragatha and Suttanipata.
•Nidana vagga-These verses relate to causation.
•Khandha vagga-Here the suttas deal with the five aggregates or khanda.
•Salayatana vagga-The most important sutta here is Buddha`s Fire Sermon. Besides this there are verses that pertain to the teachings on the six senses.
•Mahal vagga-This is the longest section of Samyutta Nikaya. Here one will come across almost all the important disciplines of Buddhism and teachings of the important Buddhists. Eightfold Paths, Four Right Striving, Seven Factors of Enlightenment, Jhanas, Four Bases for Spiritual Power, teachings of Anuruddha, the Truths and several other discourses are to be found in this section.
Hence Samyutta Nikaya is one of the texts through which one can easily learn the major tenets of Buddhism.
