Pañhapucchāsutta — Āghātavagga — the seventeenth 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
Venerable Sāriputta, addressing the mendicants
Form
single five-item list, plus a personal declaration
Length
~1.5 minutes to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, but sharply self-aware
Why this discourse
A brief but pointed piece of self-examination: Sāriputta names five reasons anyone might ever ask a question of another — ranging from genuine confusion to outright hostility — and then declares, without elaboration, which one motivates his own questions.
Reading guide
Five motives behind any question
Stupidity and folly (simply not understanding); corrupt, showy wishes (pāpiccha, wanting to be seen asking); a wish to disparage the person answering; a genuine wish to understand; or a specific, more generous fifth motive.
The fifth motive, spelled out
‘If they correctly answer the question I ask, it's good. If not, I'll correctly answer it for them’ — a stance that treats the question itself as secondary to making sure the correct answer gets said, by whoever ends up saying it.
A rare first-person admission
Sāriputta doesn't merely list the five motives abstractly; he states plainly that this fifth motive is his own, in every question he asks — a notably direct piece of self-disclosure for this collection, where teachers usually instruct rather than confess their own motives.
Why this matters for listeners, not just askers
Read alongside AN 5.157's discourse on inappropriate talk, this discourse completes a picture: just as a topic can be raised well or badly depending on who's listening, a question can be asked well or badly depending on why it's being asked — and both matter for a healthy exchange.
What follows
AN 5.166 turns from this brief reflection on motive to a full narrative: a doctrinal dispute where Sāriputta's own claim is challenged three times over.
Key terms
mandattā momūhattā — “from stupidity and folly” — the first, least self-aware motive for asking a question.
pāpiccho icchāpakato — “from corrupt wishes, of wishful temperament” — asking to be seen or to show off, rather than to learn.
paribhavaṁ — “to disparage” — asking a question in order to belittle the person answering it.
aññātukāmo — “wanting to understand” — the fourth, straightforwardly genuine motive.
pañhapucchā — “asking a question” — this discourse's title concept.
The text
The discourse in full: five reasons for asking a question, and Sāriputta's own declared reason. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Five reasons for asking a question
§1There Venerable Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: … “Whoever asks a question of another, does so for one or other of these five reasons. What five? Someone asks a question of another from stupidity and folly. Or they ask from corrupt wishes, being of wishful temperament. Or they ask in order to disparage. Or they ask wanting to understand. Or they ask with the thought, ‘If they correctly answer the question I ask it’s good. If not, I’ll correctly answer it for them.’ Whoever asks a question of another, does so for one or other of these five reasons. As for myself, I ask with the thought, ‘If they correctly answer the question I ask it’s good. If not, I’ll correctly answer it for them.’”
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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
Who delivers this discourse?
Correct: A. Continuing this chapter's pattern of Sāriputta-voiced teaching.
Question 2 of 10
What is the first of the five reasons named for asking a question?
Correct: A. Simply not understanding, the least self-aware motive.
Question 3 of 10
What does 'pāpiccho icchāpakato' describe?
Correct: A. Wanting to be seen or to show off, rather than to learn.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'paribhavaṁ' describe as a motive for asking?
Correct: A. A hostile motive for questioning.
Question 5 of 10
What is the fifth motive, which Sāriputta declares as his own?
Correct: A. Treating the question as secondary to the correct answer getting said.
Question 6 of 10
What is notable about how Sāriputta presents this fifth motive?
Correct: A. A direct, first-person piece of self-disclosure, unusual in this collection.
Question 7 of 10
What earlier discourse does this one complete a picture with, on well-conducted exchange?
Correct: A. Both a topic and a question can be raised well or badly, depending on why.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'aññātukāmo' mean?
Correct: A. The fourth, straightforwardly genuine motive.
Question 9 of 10
What discourse follows, turning to a full narrative dispute?
Correct: A. A doctrinal dispute where Sāriputta's own claim is challenged three times.
Question 10 of 10
How many total motives for asking a question does this discourse name?
Correct: A. From stupidity through disparagement to genuine understanding and beyond.
