Aṅguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
14. Rāja Vaggo
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XIV: The Rajah
Sutta 139
Akkhama Suttaɱ
He Cannot Endure
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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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, possessed of five things a rajah's elephant is not worthy of a rajah,
is no rajah's asset,[1]
is not even reckoned a rajah's portion.[2]
What five?
Herein, monks, he cannot endure forms,
sounds,
smells,
tastes
or touches.
■
And in what manner can he not endure forms?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when he sees a force of elephants,
horses,
chariots
or foot soldiers,
he loses heart,
falters
and stiffens not
and cannot go down to battle[3] —
in this way an elephant, monks,
cannot endure forms.
-◦-
And how can he not endure sounds?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when he hears the sound of elephants,
horses,
chariots,
the noise and sound of tabor,
drum,
conch
and tom-tom[4],
he loses heart,
falters
and stiffens not
and cannot go down to battle —
in this way he cannot endure sounds.
-◦-
And how can he not endure smells?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when he smells the smell
of the dung and urine
of those finely bred rajah's elephants,
whose home is the battle-ground,
he loses heart,
falters
and stiffens not
and cannot go down to battle —
in this way he cannot endure smells.
-◦-
And how can he not endure tastes?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when he is disgusted
by a single dole of grass and water,
or by two,
three,
four
or five doles,
he loses heart,
falters
and stiffens not
and cannot go down to battle —
in this way he cannot endure tastes.
-◦-
And how, monks, can he not endure touches?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when, pierced by the piercing[5] of arrows,
he loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not
and cannot go down to battle —
in this way, monks, he cannot endure touches.
Monks, possessed of these five things
a rajah's elephant
is not worthy of a rajah,
is no rajah's asset,
is not even reckoned a rajah's portion.
§
[121] In just the same way, monks, possessed of five things[6]
a monk is not worthy of offerings,
worthy of gifts,
worthy of oblations,
is not meet to be reverently saluted,
is not the world's peerless field for merit.
What five?
Herein, monks, the monk cannot endure forms,
sounds,
smells,
tastes
or touches.
■
And how, monks, can he not endure forms?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
seeing forms with the eye,
is lured[7] by alluring forms
and cannot compose[8] his mind —
in this way he cannot endure forms.
-◦-
And how, monks, can he not endure sounds?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
hearing sounds with the ear,
is lured by alluring sounds
and cannot compose his mind —
in this way he cannot endure sounds.
-◦-
And how, monks, can he not endure smells?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
smelling smells with the nose, is lured by alluring smells
and cannot compose his mind —
in this way he cannot endure smells.
-◦-
And how, monks, can he not endure tastes?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
tasting tastes with the tongue, is lured by alluring tastes
and cannot compose his mind —
in this way he cannot endure tastes.
-◦-
And how, monks, can he not endure touches?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
touching touches with the body,
is lured by alluring touches
and cannot compose his mind —
in this way he cannot endure touches.
Verily, monks, possessed of these five things
a monk is not worthy of offerings,
worthy of gifts,
worthy of oblations,
is not meet to be reverently saluted,
is not the world's peerless field for merit.'
"Monks, possessed of five things a rajah's elephant is worthy of a rajah,
is a rajah's asset,
is reckoned a rajah's portion.
What five?
Herein, monks, a rajah's elephant endures forms,
sounds,
smells,
tastes
and touches.
■
And in what manner does he endure forms?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when he sees a force of elephants,
horses,
chariots
or foot soldiers,
he does not lose heart,
he does not falter
and stiffens
and goes down to battle —
in this way an elephant, monks,
endures forms.
-◦-
And how does he endure sounds?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when he hears the sound of elephants,
horses,
chariots,
the noise and sound of tabor,
drum,
conch
and tom-tom,
he does not lose heart,
he does not falter
and stiffens
and goes down to battle —
in this way an elephant, monks,
endures sounds.
-◦-
And how does he endure smells?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when he smells the smell
of the dung and urine
of those finely bred rajah's elephants,
whose home is the battle-ground,
he does not lose heart,
he does not falter
and stiffens
and goes down to battle —
in this way an elephant, monks,
endures smells.
-◦-
And how does he endure tastes?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when he is disgusted
by a single dole of grass and water,
or by two,
three,
four
or five doles,
he does not lose heart,
he does not falter
and stiffens
and goes down to battle —
in this way an elephant, monks,
endures tastes.
-◦-
And how, monks, does he endure touches?
Take the case, monks, of a rajah's elephant
going forth to fight,
when, pierced by the piercing of arrows,
he does not lose heart,
he does not falter
and stiffens
and goes down to battle —
in this way an elephant, monks,
endures touches.
Monks, possessed of these five things
a rajah's elephant
is worthy of a rajah,
is a rajah's asset,
is reckoned a rajah's portion.
■
In just the same way, monks,
possessed of five things
a monk is worthy of offerings,
worthy of gifts,
worthy of oblations,
is meet to be reverently saluted,
is the world's peerless field for merit.
What five?
Herein, monks, the monk endures forms,
sounds,
smells,
tastes
and touches.
-◦-
And how, monks, does he endure forms?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
seeing forms with the eye,
is not lured by alluring forms
and composees his mind —
in this way he endures forms.
-◦-
And how, monks, does he endure sounds?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
hearing sounds with the ear,
is not lured by alluring sounds
and composes his mind —
in this way he endures sounds.
-◦-
And how, monks, does he endure smells?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
smelling smells with the nose,
is not lured by alluring smells
and composes his mind —
in this way he endures smells.
-◦-
And how, monks, does he endure tastes?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
tasting tastes with the tongue,
is not lured by alluring tastes
and composes his mind —
in this way he endures tastes.
-◦-
And how, monks, does he endure touches?
Take the case, monks, of the monk who,
touching touches with the body,
is not lured by alluring touches
and composes his mind —
in this way he endures touches.
Verily, monks, possessed of these five things
a monk is worthy of offerings,
worthy of gifts,
worthy of oblations,
is meet to be reverently saluted,
is the world's peerless field for merit.'
[1] Cf. A. i, 244, 284; ii, 113, 170; iv, 188.
[2] Aṅga.
[3] Cf. above, § 75.
[4] Tiṇava; the set recurs at A. ii, 117.
[5] Our text reads -vegena, but S.e. with v.l. vedhena, which makes better tense.
[6] Here dhammā, but aṅgā of the elephant.
[7] Rajanīye rūpe sārajjati.
[8] Samādahituɱ. Comy. sammā ṭhapetuɱ, to rightly fix.
