Song: the Strength Within Inspired by the Mātugāma Saṃyutta the Mātugāma Bala Vagga
[Verse 1]
Beauty is a power we can see,
Wealth can give security.
Family and children stand beside,
But deeper strength lives inside.
[Verse 2]
Beauty changes with the years,
Wealth may vanish, disappear.
Family cannot always stay,
But virtue walks with us each day.
[Pre-Chorus]
Outer power may rise and fall,
Inner strength can grow through all.
Virtue guards the heart from wrong,
Wisdom helps us journey on.
[Chorus]
The strength within, the light of truth,
Faith gives courage, virtue gives proof.
Learn and grow, give with a generous heart,
Wisdom shows the way to make a noble start.
The strength within needs no display,
It does not need to win the day.
With virtue, generosity, and wisdom bright,
We carry inner strength through every night.
[Verse 3]
Life is more than wealth and fame,
Power is more than holding a name.
A life of kindness, knowledge, and care
Can bring a better world everywhere.
[Bridge]
Faith is the light that guides the way,
Virtue protects us every day.
Learning makes the mind grow wide,
Generosity opens hearts inside.
Wisdom is the clearest light,
Helping us to see what’s right.
When these qualities become our guide,
True strength will always live inside.
[Final Chorus]
The strength within, the light of truth,
Faith gives courage, virtue gives proof.
Learn and grow, give with a generous heart,
Wisdom shows the way to make a noble start.
When beauty fades and wealth is gone,
The goodness we have built lives on.
Faith and virtue, wisdom and care,
Become the strength we always bear.
[Outro]
Outer power may fade away,
Inner wisdom lights the way.
Build your strength with truth and grace,
And let compassion fill the world with peace.
The Mātugāma Bala Vagga: Five Powers and the Strength of Virtue
BANGKOK — The teachings of the Mātugāma Bala Vagga, the “Chapter on Powers” within the Mātugāma Saṃyutta, Tipiṭaka Volume 18, Sutta Piṭaka Volume 10, Saṃyutta Nikāya, Saḷāyatana Vagga, explore the different forms of strength available to women. The teachings distinguish between worldly sources of power and inner qualities, emphasizing that genuine strength cannot be measured only by appearance, wealth, family connections, or social position.
The chapter contains ten discourses. It begins with the Visārada Sutta, concerning a confident woman, and continues with teachings concerning different forms and conditions of power, culminating in the teaching on noble growth.
A central teaching identifies five powers of a woman: the power of beauty, wealth, relatives, children, and virtue. These powers are presented as factors that can provide confidence and influence within household life.
Yet the teaching also provides a deeper perspective. Among these forms of strength, the power of virtue represents an inner quality developed through conduct. Unlike external possessions, virtue depends on how a person chooses to live and act.
The final teaching, the Growth Sutta, presents five forms of noble growth for a female noble disciple: faith, ethical conduct, learning, generosity, and wisdom. A person who develops these five qualities is described as growing nobly and taking hold of what is essential and excellent in life.
These teachings therefore broaden the meaning of “power” from worldly resources to spiritual and ethical strength. Faith provides direction; ethical conduct guides behavior; learning expands understanding; generosity loosens possessiveness; and wisdom enables a person to understand life with clarity.
In contemporary society, these principles can be applied to women’s roles in families, workplaces, and communities. Personal strength need not be measured only by wealth, appearance, or authority. It can also be measured by integrity, generosity, knowledge, self-discipline, and wisdom.
The Mātugāma Bala Vagga can therefore be understood as a reflection on outer power and inner strength. Beauty, wealth, relatives, and children represent worldly resources, while virtue, faith, generosity, learning, and wisdom represent qualities that strengthen the person from within.
The deeper message of the Mātugāma Bala Vagga is not simply to ask what powers a woman possesses, but to ask which forms of power endure—and which qualities should be cultivated as lasting strengths of the heart.
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