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Aṅguttara Nikāya · Discourse 5.132

Wielding Power (2nd)

Dutiyacakkānuvattanasutta — 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
the same royal simile, now applied to a successor and to a named disciple
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, with a notable concrete application

Why this discourse

AN 5.131's formula restated for succession: the same five qualities that let a monarch's eldest son continue his father's rule, mapped — unusually by name — onto Sāriputta continuing to roll the Wheel of Dhamma the Buddha himself set in motion.

Reading guide

From founder to successor

Where AN 5.131 concerned the monarch and the Buddha directly, this discourse concerns continuation: the eldest son who keeps his father's power turning, and the disciple who keeps the Buddha's own teaching turning.

The identical five qualities

Knowing what is right, principle, moderation, the right time, and the assembly — unchanged from AN 5.131, now describing what makes a successor legitimate rather than merely inherited.

Sāriputta, named directly

Unlike most figurative discourses in this nipāta, which stay general, this discourse names an actual disciple: Sāriputta, traditionally recognized as the Buddha's foremost disciple in wisdom, is said to ‘rightly keep rolling the supreme Wheel of Dhamma’ that the Buddha rolled forth.

A concrete, rather than abstract, application

Most of this chapter's royal similes describe a general type — ‘a mendicant with these qualities’. This discourse breaks that pattern, grounding the simile in a specific, named individual.

What comes next

AN 5.133 turns to a different question: who is the wheel-turning monarch's own king?

Key terms

jeṭṭho putto — “eldest son” — the monarch's legitimate successor.
Sāriputta — the disciple named directly in this discourse, traditionally the Buddha's foremost in wisdom.
anuppavatteti — “continues to roll forth” — what both the son and Sāriputta do with what was already set in motion.
sammadeva — “rightly” — qualifying how Sāriputta continues the Wheel of Dhamma.
dhammacakka — the Wheel of Dhamma, continued rather than newly rolled forth.

The text

The discourse in full: the monarch's heir, and Sāriputta continuing the Wheel of Dhamma. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

The wheel-turning monarch's eldest son

§1“Mendicants, possessing five factors a wheel-turning monarch’s eldest son continues to wield the power set in motion by his father only in a principled manner. And this power cannot be undermined by any human enemy. What five? A wheel-turning monarch’s oldest son knows what is right, knows principle, knows moderation, knows the right time, and knows the assembly. A wheel-turning monarch’s oldest son who possesses these five factors continues to wield the power set in motion by his father only in a principled manner. And this power cannot be undermined by any human enemy.

Sāriputta continues the Wheel of Dhamma

§2In the same way, possessing five qualities Sāriputta rightly keeps rolling the supreme Wheel of Dhamma that was rolled forth by the Realized One. And that wheel cannot be turned back by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Māra or divinity or by anyone in the world. What five? Sāriputta knows what is right, knows principle, knows moderation, knows the right time, and knows the assembly. Possessing these five qualities Sāriputta rightly keeps rolling the supreme Wheel of Dhamma that was rolled forth by the Realized One. And that wheel cannot be turned back by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Māra or divinity or by anyone in the world.”

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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 this discourse concern, compared to AN 5.131?
Correct: B. Succession, rather than founding.
Question 2 of 10
Who is named directly in this discourse, unlike most figurative discourses in this nipāta?
Correct: B. A concrete application, not left general.
Question 3 of 10
What is Sāriputta traditionally recognized as?
Correct: A. Named here continuing the Buddha's own Wheel of Dhamma.
Question 4 of 10
What are the five qualities, unchanged from AN 5.131?
Correct: A. Identical to the previous discourse's formula.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'anuppavatteti' mean?
Correct: A. What both the son and Sāriputta do with an already-moving wheel.
Question 6 of 10
What word qualifies how Sāriputta continues the Wheel of Dhamma?
Correct: A. A term of approval and correctness.
Question 7 of 10
Why is this discourse unusual, compared to most of this nipāta's figurative discourses?
Correct: B. Grounding the simile in a named disciple.
Question 8 of 10
Whose power is the monarch's eldest son said to continue?
Correct: B. Pitarā pavattitaṁ cakkaṁ — the wheel set in motion by his father.
Question 9 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: B. Continuing the chapter's royal imagery.
Question 10 of 10
What does AN 5.133 turn to next?
Correct: B. A striking claim about what governs even the ideal ruler.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousAN 5.131 · Wielding Power (1st)