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Aṅguttara Nikāya · Discourse 5.131

Wielding Power (1st)

Paṭhamacakkānuvattanasutta — Rājavagga — the fourteenth chapter of the Fives

Setting
None stated; the discourse continues from AN 5.1, whose setting at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove is understood to hold
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
a royal simile, mapped directly onto the Buddha's own teaching authority
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — introduces this chapter's recurring royal imagery

Why this discourse

This chapter opens with its recurring image: the wheel-turning monarch (cakkavattī), an ideal universal ruler whose power is unopposable specifically because it is principled. The same five-fold knowledge that makes his rule unassailable is mapped directly onto the Buddha's own rolling-forth of the Wheel of Dhamma.

Reading guide

The wheel-turning monarch

Cakkavattī names a legendary ideal universal monarch, whose rule is described as unopposable by any human enemy — but only when wielded ‘in a principled manner’ (dhammeneva).

Five kinds of knowledge

Knowing what is right, knowing principle, knowing moderation, knowing the right time, and knowing the assembly — five practical, situational competencies, not military strength or wealth.

The same five, mapped onto the Buddha

The discourse states directly that the Realized One, in the same way, ‘rolls forth the supreme Wheel of Dhamma’ only in a principled manner, possessing the identical five qualities — and that this wheel cannot be rolled back by any ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, or divinity.

A direct, structural parallel

This isn't a loose metaphor; the discourse names the identical five terms for both the monarch and the Buddha, letting the parallel between temporal and spiritual authority stand as exact as the text can make it.

What comes next

AN 5.132 restates this same formula for the monarch's eldest son continuing his father's rule — and, in a striking move, names Sāriputta directly as the one who continues the Buddha's own Wheel of Dhamma.

Key terms

cakkavattī — “wheel-turning monarch” — the legendary ideal universal ruler this chapter's imagery centers on.
dhammacakka — “the Wheel of Dhamma” — the Buddha's own teaching authority, mapped directly onto the monarch's wheel.
atthaññū — “knowing what is right” — the first of the five qualities.
kālaññū — “knowing the right time” — the fourth quality.
parisaññū — “knowing the assembly” — the fifth quality, closing the list.

The text

The discourse in full: the monarch's five qualities, then their identical mapping onto the Buddha. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

The wheel-turning monarch's five factors

§1“Mendicants, possessing five factors a wheel-turning monarch wields power only in a principled manner. And this power cannot be undermined by any human enemy. What five? A wheel-turning monarch knows what is right, knows principle, knows moderation, knows the right time, and knows the assembly. A wheel-turning monarch who possesses these five factors wields power only in a principled manner. And this power cannot be undermined by any human enemy.

The Buddha's Wheel of Dhamma

§2In the same way, possessing five qualities a Realized One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha rolls forth the supreme Wheel of Dhamma only in a principled manner. And that wheel cannot be rolled back by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Māra or divinity or by anyone in the world. What five? A Realized One knows what is right, knows principle, knows moderation, knows the right time, and knows the assembly. Possessing these five qualities a Realized One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha rolls forth the supreme Wheel of Dhamma only in a principled manner. And that wheel cannot be rolled back by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Māra or divinity or by anyone in the world.”

· · ·

Self-check quiz

Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 10
What does 'cakkavattī' name?
Correct: A. This chapter's recurring central image.
Question 2 of 10
Under what condition is the monarch's power unopposable?
Correct: B. Dhammeneva — 'only in a principled manner'.
Question 3 of 10
What are the five qualities named?
Correct: A. Atthaññū, dhammaññū, mattaññū, kālaññū, parisaññū.
Question 4 of 10
What is this discourse's image for the Buddha's teaching authority?
Correct: B. Dhammacakka, mapped directly onto the monarch's wheel.
Question 5 of 10
Is the parallel between monarch and Buddha loose, or structurally exact?
Correct: B. The same five-term list, applied word for word to both figures.
Question 6 of 10
According to whom can the monarch's wheel not be undermined?
Correct: B. Kenaci manussabhūtena paccatthikena — any human enemy.
Question 7 of 10
According to whom can the Buddha's Wheel of Dhamma not be rolled back?
Correct: B. A broader, cosmic scope than the monarch's purely human rivals.
Question 8 of 10
What chapter does this discourse open?
Correct: B. The fourteenth chapter, 'Kings'.
Question 9 of 10
What is the fourth of the five qualities?
Correct: B. Kālaññū.
Question 10 of 10
What does AN 5.132 restate this same formula for?
Correct: B. A named disciple, applied concretely rather than left general.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

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