Paṭhamabalasutta — Gahapativagga — the third chapter of the Eights
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A bare eight-item proverbial list, one power matched to one kind of being, with no further explanation
Length
under 1 minute to read
A title pair with unrelated content
AN 8.27 and 8.28 share only their Paṭhama/Dutiya title numbering and the word “power” — this discourse is a folk-wisdom catalog of social types, while AN 8.28 is Sāriputta's own technical account of an arahant's inner powers, with no shared content between them
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and proverbial, more social observation than meditative instruction
Why this discourse
AN 8.27 names eight different “powers” belonging to eight different kinds of being — crying is the power of babies, anger the power of ladies, weapons the power of bandits, authority the power of rulers, complaining the power of fools, reason the power of the astute, reflection the power of the learned, and patience the power of ascetics and brahmins — without further comment or moral evaluation.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
Eight different kinds of being each rely on a characteristic “power” distinct to their situation: babies on crying, ladies on anger, bandits on weapons, rulers on authority, fools on complaining, the astute on reason, the learned on reflection, and ascetics and brahmins on patience.
A proverb, not a teaching with commentary
Unlike most discourses in this book, AN 8.27 offers no explanation, no praise, and no criticism of any of the eight pairings. It simply states them, in the manner of a folk proverb observing how different kinds of people or beings get what they want.
A title pair that shares nothing but a number
AN 8.27 and AN 8.28, immediately following, are titled “Powers (1st)” and “Powers (2nd)” as though they were a matched pair like AN 8.17/8.18 or 8.23/8.24 — but their content shares nothing beyond the word “power” itself. This is worth noticing explicitly: not every Paṭhama/Dutiya title pair in this collection carries paired content.
Patience, closing the list at its highest register
The list moves through a rough social hierarchy — from an infant's helpless crying through a ruler's institutional authority to reasoning and reflection — and closes with patience as the characteristic power of ascetics and brahmins, placing spiritual endurance at the top of this particular proverbial ladder.
Key terms
balāni — “powers” — this discourse's own title term, used here in a loose, proverbial sense rather than the technical sense met at AN 8.28.
rodanaṁ bālassa balaṁ — “crying is the power of babies” — the first pairing, opening the list at its most helpless register.
āyudhaṁ corānaṁ balaṁ — “weapons are the power of bandits” — the third pairing, naming a power that is coercive rather than social or reflective.
upanijjhāyanā paṇḍitassa balaṁ — “reflection is the power of the learned” — the seventh pairing, distinguished from the sixth item's bare reason by its more deliberate, considered quality.
khantībalaṁ samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ — “patience is the power of ascetics and brahmins” — the eighth and closing pairing, placing spiritual endurance at the top of the list's rough hierarchy.
The text
The discourse in full: eight powers, matched to eight kinds of being. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Eight powers, eight kinds of being
§1“Mendicants, there are these eight powers. What eight? Crying is the power of babies. Anger is the power of ladies. Weapons are the power of bandits. Authority is the power of rulers. Complaining is the power of fools. Reason is the power of the astute. Reflection is the power of the learned. Patience is the power of ascetics and brahmins. These are the eight powers.”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What are the eight 'powers' this discourse names?
Correct: B. A proverbial catalog matching one power to one kind of being.
Question 2 of 6
How does this discourse present its eight pairings?
Correct: B. A bare observational list, not a teaching with commentary.
Question 3 of 6
According to the guide, how does this discourse relate to AN 8.28, despite sharing its title numbering?
Correct: B. A rare title pair without paired content, worth noticing explicitly.
Question 4 of 6
What is named as the power of ascetics and brahmins, closing the list?
Correct: B. The eighth and final pairing, placing spiritual endurance at the top of the list's rough hierarchy.
Question 5 of 6
What is named as the power of bandits?
Correct: B. A coercive power, distinct from the social or reflective powers named elsewhere in the list.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare formula, matching several other discourses in this chapter.
