Reading guide
Not worthy, this time, rather than merely useless
Where AN 5.138 said an elephant with this failing is still ‘reckoned’ royal despite uselessness, this discourse makes a stronger claim: an elephant with the akkhama pentad is explicitly not worthy of a king, not fit to serve, and not reckoned a factor of kingship at all.
Five battle scenes, in full
Faltering at the mere sight of enemy elephant, cavalry, chariot, or infantry divisions; faltering at the sound of those divisions or the thunder of war-drums and horns; faltering at the smell of other battle-hardened elephants' waste; faltering after missing several meals; faltering when struck by several swift arrows — each explained in its own right, not merely named.
The mendicant's parallel, sense by sense
For each of the five senses, a mendicant who is ‘aroused by a desirable [sight/sound/smell/taste/touch]’ and unable to still the mind is said to lack the corresponding endurance — making the mendicant not worthy of offerings, not the supreme field of merit.
A fourth treatment, most fully unpacked
Compare this discourse's elaboration directly with its three earlier, bare appearances: AN 5.85 named the five sense objects with no explanation at all; AN 5.113 did the same, with immersion as the stake; AN 5.138 named them briefly alongside the elephant's formal status. This discourse alone explains, in full narrative detail, what each failure actually looks like.
The mirrored positive, in equal detail
The discourse then repeats the entire structure in reverse: an elephant who endures each battle scenario is worthy of a king, and a mendicant who isn't aroused by desirable sense objects, able to still the mind each time, is worthy of offerings — both halves given the same full elaboration as the negative.
What comes next
AN 5.140 closes the chapter with a different elephant simile entirely, built from five active verbs — listening, destroying, protecting, enduring, and going — rather than this discourse's single passive capacity.
Key terms
The text
Not worthy of a king
§1“Mendicants, a royal bull elephant with five factors is not worthy of a king, not fit to serve a king, and is not reckoned a factor of kingship. What five? It’s when a royal bull elephant can’t endure sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches.
Cannot endure sights, sounds, smells
§2And how is it that a royal bull elephant can’t endure sights? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle falters and founders at the sight of a division of elephants, of cavalry, of chariots, or of infantry. It doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can’t endure sights. And how is it that a royal bull elephant can’t endure sounds? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle falters and founders at the sound of a division of elephants, of cavalry, of chariots, or of infantry, or the thunder of the drums, kettledrums, horns, and cymbals. It doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can’t endure sounds. And how is it that a royal bull elephant can’t endure smells? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle falters and founders when it smells the odor of the feces and urine of battle-hardened, pedigree royal bull elephants. It doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can’t endure smells.
Cannot endure tastes and touches
§3And how is it that a royal bull elephant can’t endure tastes? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle falters and founders when it misses a meal of grass and water, or it misses two, three, four, or five meals. It doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can’t endure tastes. And how is it that a royal bull elephant can’t endure touches? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle falters and founders when struck by a swift arrow, or by two, three, four, or five swift arrows. It doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can’t endure touches. A royal bull elephant with these five factors is not worthy of a king, not fit to serve a king, and is not reckoned a factor of kingship.
Not worthy of offerings
§4In the same way, a mendicant with five qualities is not worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, not worthy of hospitality, not worthy of a religious donation, not worthy of veneration with cupped palms, and is not the supreme field of merit for the world. What five? It’s when a mendicant can’t endure sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. And how is it that a mendicant can’t endure sights? It’s when a mendicant, seeing a sight with their eyes, is aroused by a desirable sight, so is not able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can’t endure sights. And how is it that a mendicant can’t endure sounds? It’s when a mendicant, hearing a sound with their ears, is aroused by a desirable sound, so is not able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can’t endure sounds. And how is it that a mendicant can’t endure smells? It’s when a mendicant, smelling an odor with their nose, is aroused by a desirable smell, so is not able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can’t endure smells. And how is it that a mendicant can’t endure tastes? It’s when a mendicant, tasting a flavor with their tongue, is aroused by desirable tastes, so is not able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can’t endure tastes. And how is it that a mendicant can’t endure touches? It’s when a mendicant, feeling a touch with their body, is aroused by a desirable touch, so is not able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can’t endure touches. A mendicant with these five qualities is not worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, not worthy of hospitality, not worthy of a religious donation, not worthy of veneration with cupped palms, and is not the supreme field of merit for the world.
Worthy of a king
§5A royal bull elephant with five factors is worthy of a king, fit to serve a king, and is reckoned a factor of kingship. What five? It’s when a royal bull elephant can endure sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. And how is it that a royal bull elephant can endure sights? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle does not falter or founder at the sight of a division of elephants, of cavalry, of chariots, or of infantry. It stays firm, and plunges into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can endure sights. And how is it that a royal bull elephant can endure sounds? It’s when a royal bull elephant does not falter or founder at the sound of a division of elephants, of cavalry, of chariots, or of infantry, or the thunder of the drums, kettledrums, horns, and cymbals. It stays firm, and plunges into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can endure sounds. And how is it that a royal bull elephant can endure smells? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle does not falter or founder when it smells the odor of the feces and urine of battle-hardened, pedigree royal bull elephants. It stays firm, and plunges into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can endure smells. And how is it that a royal bull elephant can endure tastes? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle does not falter or founder when it misses a meal of grass and water, or it misses two, three, four, or five meals. It stays firm, and plunges into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can endure tastes. And how is it that a royal bull elephant can endure touches? It’s when a royal bull elephant gone to battle does not falter or founder when struck by a swift arrow, or by two, three, four, or five swift arrows. It stays firm, and plunges into battle. That’s how a royal bull elephant can endure touches. A royal bull elephant with these five factors is worthy of a king, fit to serve a king, and is reckoned a factor of kingship.
Worthy of offerings
§6In the same way, a mendicant with five qualities is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of veneration with cupped palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world. What five? It’s when a mendicant can endure sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. And how is it that a mendicant can endure sights? It’s when a mendicant, seeing a sight with their eyes, is not aroused by a desirable sight, so is able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can endure sights. And how is it that a mendicant can endure sounds? It’s when a mendicant, hearing a sound with their ears, is not aroused by desirable sounds, so is able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can endure sounds. And how is it that a mendicant can endure smells? It’s when a mendicant, smelling an odor with their nose, is not aroused by a desirable smell, so is able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can endure smells. And how is it that a mendicant can endure tastes? It’s when a mendicant, tasting a flavor with their tongue, is not aroused by desirable tastes, so is able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can endure tastes. And how is it that a mendicant can endure touches? It’s when a mendicant, feeling a touch with their body, is not aroused by a desirable touch, so is able to still the mind. That’s how a mendicant can endure touches. A mendicant with these five qualities is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of veneration with cupped palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.”
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