The Onward Roll of the Wheel (c)^[1]

Translated by E. M. Hare

[114]

[1] Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, the rajah who rolls the wheel (of state),
a Dhamma man,
a Dhamma rajah,
rolls on indeed
no^[2] unroyal wheel.'

[115] And when he had thus spoken,
a certain monk said to the Exalted One;

'But who, lord,
is the rajah of the rajah,
the roller of the wheel,
the Dhamma man,
the Dhamma rajah?

■

'It is Dhamma, monk!'
said the Exalted One.

'Herein, monk, the rajah,
the wheel roller,
the Dhamma man,
the Dhamma rajah,
relies just on Dhamma,
honours Dhamma,
reveres Dhamma,
esteems Dhamma;
with Dhamma as his standard,
with Dhamma as his banner,
with Dhamma as his mandate,
he sets a Dhamma watch
and bar
and ward
for folk within his realm.

■

Herein, monk, the rajah,
the wheel roller,
the Dhamma man,
the Dhamma rajah,
relies just on Dhamma,
honours Dhamma,
reveres Dhamma,
esteems Dhamma;
with Dhamma as his standard,
with Dhamma as his banner,
with Dhamma as his mandate,
he sets a Dhamma watch
and bar
and ward
for warrior and camp follower,
for brāhman and for householder,
for town and country folk,
for recluse and for godly man,
for beast and bird alike.

■

Thus indeed, monk, that rajah,
the wheel roller,
the Dhamma man,
the Dhamma rajah,
relies just on Dhamma,
honours Dhamma,
reveres Dhamma,
esteems Dhamma;
with Dhamma as his standard,
with Dhamma as his banner,
with Dhamma as his mandate,
setting a Dhamma watch
and bar
and ward
for warrior and camp follower,
for brāhman and for householder,
for town and country folk,
for recluse and for godly man,
for beast and bird alike,
rolls on the wheel by Dhamma;
and that wheel may not be rolled back
by the hand of any hostile creature.

Even so, monk, the Tathigata,
arahant,
fully enlightened,
a Dhamma man,
a Dhamma rajah,
relies just on Dhamma,
honours Dhamma,
reveres Dhamma,
esteems Dhamma;
with Dhamma as his standard,
with Dhamma as his banner,
with Dhamma as his mandate,
he sets a Dhamma watch
and bar
and ward
for monks, saying:

"Follow ye such a practice in deed,
not that other;
follow ye such a practice in word,
not that other;
follow ye such a practice in thought,
not that other;
follow ye such a livelihood,
not that other;
seek ye such a town or village,
not that other."

■

Thus indeed, monk, that Tathāgata,
arahant,
fully enlightened,
a Dhamma man,
a Dhamma rajah,
relies just on Dhamma,
honours Dhamma,
reveres Dhamma,
esteems Dhamma;
with Dhamma as his standard,
with Dhamma as his banner,
with Dhamma as his mandate,
setting a Dhamma watch
and bar
and ward
for monk and nun,
for lay-disciple, both man and woman,
rolls on by Dhamma
the unsurpassed wheel of Dhamma;
and that wheel may not be rolled back
by recluse,
godly man,
deva,
Māra,
Brahmā,
or by any in the world.'

^[1] This sutta for the Threes recurs at A. i, 109 (G.S. i, 94); it is fully commented on at AA. ii, 178, to which our comment refers.

^[2] A. i. reads so pi nāma arājakaɱ, but S.e. both there and here, with Comy. and our text, so pi na ..., which I follow.

Aṅguttara Nikāya Pañcaka Nipāta 14. Rāja Vaggo

The Book of the Gradual Sayings The Book of the Fives Chapter XIV: The Rajah

Sutta 133

Dhamma-Rāja Suttaɱ

The Onward Roll of the Wheel (c)[1]

Aṅguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
14. Rāja Vaggo

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XIV: The Rajah

The Onward Roll of the Wheel (c)^[1]