Paṭhamasampadāsutta — Kakudhavagga — the tenth 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 single bare five-item list, with no elaboration
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the shortest possible form, and familiar content
Why this discourse
Kakudhavagga opens exactly as the Fives themselves did at AN 5.1: a bare list, no elaboration, closing immediately with the verdict. The five items are this nipāta's most recurring pentad — faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom — already named at AN 5.40, 5.46, 5.47, 5.63, and 5.64, now framed simply as five accomplishments in their own right.
Reading guide
A new chapter, a bare list to open
Kakudhavagga opens with the simplest possible form this collection uses: five items named, with no explanation of any of them, closing immediately with the verdict ‘these are the five accomplishments.’
The familiar pentad, again
Saddhā, sīla, suta, cāga, paññā — faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom — is the most recurring five-item list in this nipāta, already used at AN 5.40 (family growth), AN 5.46–47 (accomplishment and wealth), and AN 5.63–64 (growth for a man and for a woman). This discourse is its sixth appearance.
What 'accomplishment' adds
Each earlier appearance framed the same five items differently — as conditions for a family's growth, as a kind of wealth, as growth specific to a man or a woman. Here, no application context is given at all: the five items are simply named as accomplishments (sampadā) in their own right.
A return to AN 5.1's own opening style
This bare-list format directly echoes the Fives' very first discourse, AN 5.1, itself a list with no elaboration — a fitting way to open a new chapter, returning to the collection's simplest form.
What comes next
AN 5.92 restates the identical bare-list format with an entirely different five: the stages from ethical conduct through the knowledge and vision of freedom.
Key terms
sampadā — “accomplishment” — the framing word this discourse uses for its five items, distinct from the ‘growth’ or ‘family conditions’ framings used elsewhere.
saddhāsampadā — accomplishment in faith — the first of the five.
cāgasampadā — accomplishment in generosity — the fourth.
paññāsampadā — accomplishment in wisdom — the fifth, closing the list.
saddhā / sīla / suta / cāga / paññā — faith, ethics, learning, generosity, wisdom — this nipāta's most recurring pentad, previously named at AN 5.40, 5.46–47, and 5.63–64.
The text
The discourse in full: a bare list of five accomplishments, with no elaboration. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
The five accomplishments
§1“Mendicants, there are five accomplishments. What five? Accomplishment in faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. These are the five accomplishments.”
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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 format does this discourse use, matching AN 5.1's own opening style?
Correct: B. The simplest form this collection uses.
Question 2 of 10
What five accomplishments are named?
Correct: A. Saddhā, sīla, suta, cāga, paññā.
Question 3 of 10
Where has this exact five-item pentad appeared before in this nipāta?
Correct: B. This nipāta's most recurring pentad, now in its sixth appearance.
Question 4 of 10
What framing word does this discourse use for the pentad?
Correct: B. Distinct from the 'growth' or 'family conditions' framings used elsewhere.
Question 5 of 10
Is any elaboration given beyond simply naming the five?
Correct: B. The bare-list format, matching AN 5.1.
Question 6 of 10
What chapter does this discourse open?
Correct: B. The tenth chapter of the Fives.
Question 7 of 10
What is the Pali term for 'accomplishment'?
Correct: A. This discourse's title term.
Question 8 of 10
What is the third of the five accomplishments?
Correct: B. Saddhā, sīla, suta — faith, ethics, learning.
Question 9 of 10
Does this discourse explain what results from these five accomplishments?
Correct: B. No application or consequence is given, unlike this pentad's earlier appearances.
Question 10 of 10
What does AN 5.92 restate with a different five-item list?
Correct: A. Ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom.
