Paṭhamaagāravasutta — Sekhabalavagga — the first 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
AN 5.8's formula verbatim, with 'disrespectful and irreverent' added to both the mendicant who falls away and the one who stands firm
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number for this variant
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — the chapter's first case of one discourse visibly building on the one before it
Why this discourse
AN 5.9 makes almost no independent claim. It takes AN 5.8’s formula — falls away and fails to establish, or stands firm and does establish, in the true teaching — and prefixes both halves with agāravo appatisso, disrespectful and irreverent, or its opposite. The interesting question this discourse raises is not what it says but why the collection bothers to say it twice with one word changed, rather than leaving readers to infer the addition.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A disrespectful and irreverent mendicant lacking the five powers falls away and fails to establish themselves in the true teaching; a respectful and reverent mendicant with all five does not fall away, and does establish themselves — the identical claim as AN 5.8, with one qualifier attached to each side.
Why state the obvious addition explicitly
A reader could reasonably ask why this discourse exists at all, given how little it adds. The likely answer is oral: a formula meant to be memorized and recited does not save effort by leaving additions implicit, since an implicit addition is exactly what a chanted transmission would lose first. Stating the qualified version in full, rather than as a note appended to AN 5.8, keeps the two formulas equally secure in memory and equally available to be cited on their own.
What ‘disrespect’ adds to the picture
Agāravo appatisso names an attitude, not a missing skill. It sits alongside the five powers rather than inside the list of five — a mendicant could in principle lack any combination of faith, conscience, prudence, energy, or wisdom and still be described, separately, as respectful or disrespectful. This discourse pairs the attitude with lacking the five specifically, but does not claim the two always travel together.
A visible seam in the chapter's construction
AN 5.8 and 5.9 sitting side by side let a reader watch the collection's building method directly: a base formula, then a modified restatement, placed as two separate discourses rather than one discourse with a footnote. The Fours offered similar cases of adjacent discourses sharing a frame; this chapter's version of the same technique is unusually easy to see because so little separates the two texts.
What follows
AN 5.10, closing the chapter, will take this same qualified formula one step further — keeping ‘disrespectful and irreverent’ but swapping falling and standing for a claim about growth, improvement, and maturity in the training. That swap is a real addition to track; this discourse's own addition was smaller.
Key terms
agārava — “disrespect” — the attitude this discourse adds to AN 5.8’s formula, named as sitting alongside the five powers rather than inside the list.
appatissa — “irreverent” — agārava’s standing partner, always paired with it in this formula rather than appearing alone.
sagārava — “respectful” — the positive counterpart, paired with the mendicant who has all five powers and stands firm.
sappatissa — “reverent” — sagārava’s partner in the positive half, completing the matched pair of qualifiers.
paṭhama — “first” — the ordinal in this discourse’s own title, marking it as the first of two discourses on disrespect, with AN 5.10 following as the second.
The text
The discourse in full: AN 5.8's formula, with 'disrespectful and irreverent' added throughout. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Disrespectful, falling away
§1“Mendicants, a disrespectful and irreverent mendicant with five qualities fails, and doesn’t establish themselves in the true teaching. What five? A disrespectful and irreverent mendicant who is faithless … shameless … imprudent … lazy … witless fails, and doesn’t establish themselves in the true teaching. A disrespectful and irreverent mendicant with these five qualities fails, and doesn’t establish themselves in the true teaching.
Respectful, standing firm
§2A respectful and reverent mendicant with five qualities doesn’t fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching. What five? A respectful and reverent mendicant who is faithful … conscientious … prudent … energetic … wise doesn’t fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching. A respectful and reverent mendicant with these five qualities doesn’t fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching.”
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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 AN 5.9 add to AN 5.8's formula?
Correct: B. The claim is otherwise identical to AN 5.8.
Question 2 of 10
Why does the guide suggest the collection states this small addition as a full separate discourse rather than a footnote to AN 5.8?
Correct: B. An implicit addition is exactly what a memorized recitation would lose first.
Question 3 of 10
According to the guide, is 'disrespect' presented as part of the five powers themselves?
Correct: B. A mendicant could in principle lack any of the five and still be respectful or disrespectful, separately.
Question 4 of 10
What visible feature do AN 5.8 and 5.9 let a reader observe directly?
Correct: B. An unusually visible seam because so little separates the two texts.
Question 5 of 10
What does AN 5.10, the next discourse, change from this formula?
Correct: B. A larger addition than AN 5.9's own modification of AN 5.8.
Question 6 of 10
What does the discourse's own title, 'Paṭhama', signal?
Correct: B. AN 5.10 is the paired second discourse.
Question 7 of 10
Are 'agārava' and 'appatissa' ever used separately in this formula?
Correct: B. A fixed pair, matching the fixed pair hiri/ottappa elsewhere in this chapter's material.
Question 8 of 10
What are the five powers named in AN 5.9's negative half?
Correct: B. Unchanged since AN 5.1.
Question 9 of 10
Does AN 5.9 offer a new image, distinct from AN 5.8's falling/standing picture?
Correct: B. The image is inherited; only the qualifier is new.
Question 10 of 10
Where is AN 5.9 set?
Correct: B. Consistent with every discourse in this chapter after the first.
