Not narrated in this discourse's source text; no discourse in this vagga carries a narrative frame at all
Speakers
Not named explicitly; a three-part riddle answered point by point
Form
A four-line question, answered by a matching four-line reply
Length
~20 seconds to read
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — direct in form
A shared question, a different answer
This discourse's question is identical to SN 1.63's, immediately following it, though the two name different answers
Why this discourse
The question asks what leads the world on, what drags it around, and what single thing holds everything under its sway. This discourse's answer is the mind (citta) — named three times as the active agent behind the world's movement, not merely a passive faculty but the very thing that ‘drags’ the world wherever it goes.
Reading guide
The mind as an active, even coercive, force
The verb nibbahati, ‘drags around,’ is notably forceful — not simply guiding or influencing, but hauling the world along in a way it may not choose for itself. The mind here is pictured as an agent with real power over what happens, not a neutral instrument.
A question shared exactly with SN 1.63
The next discourse in this vagga asks the identical question, word for word, and answers it with craving (taṇhā) instead of mind. Read together, the two discourses don't contradict each other so much as name two facets of the same phenomenon: the mind as the agent that moves, and craving as the force that moves it.
A candidate answer within this vagga's larger investigation
Following SN 1.61's answer of ‘name,’ this discourse offers a second candidate for what ultimately governs the world. This vagga's structure builds through several such candidates — name, mind, craving, delight, desire — before its final discourse names a concrete doctrinal foundation underlying all of them.
Key terms
cittena nīyati loko — “the mind leads the world on” — the verse's opening claim, and this discourse's title.
nibbahati — “drags around” — a forceful verb, picturing the mind hauling the world rather than merely influencing it.
cittassa vasamanvagū — “has everything under its sway” — mirroring SN 1.61's identical closing claim about name.
taṇhā — “craving” — the answer given to this identical question at SN 1.63, immediately following this discourse.
eko dhammo — “the one thing” — the question's own phrase, seeking a single, unified answer rather than a list.
The text
The discourse in full: the mind named as the active force leading and dragging the world along. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“What leads the world on? What drags it around? What is the one thing that has everything under its sway?”
§2“The mind leads the world on. The mind drags it around. Mind is the one thing that has everything under its sway.”
· · ·
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 this discourse's question ask about?
Correct: A. A question shared word for word with SN 1.63, immediately following.
Question 2 of 10
What does this discourse's reply name as the answer?
Correct: A. Named three times across the verse's four lines.
Question 3 of 10
What does 'nibbahati' suggest about the mind's relationship to the world?
Correct: A. A notably strong verb, picturing real power rather than neutral guidance.
Question 4 of 10
How does this discourse relate to SN 1.63, immediately following it?
Correct: A. Two facets of the same phenomenon: the mind as agent, craving as force.
Question 5 of 10
What earlier discourse in this vagga offers a different candidate answer to a related question?
Correct: A. Part of this vagga's sustained investigation into several candidate answers.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'cittena nīyati loko' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's opening claim and title.
Question 7 of 10
Does this discourse claim the mind is a neutral, passive faculty?
Correct: A. The forceful verb 'drags around' rules out a passive reading.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'eko dhammo' mean, in the question both this discourse and SN 1.63 share?
Correct: A. The question's own framing, seeking one answer rather than a list.
Question 9 of 10
What is the setting of this discourse?
Correct: A. Like every discourse in this vagga, no setting is given directly.
Question 10 of 10
How many candidate answers does this vagga offer across its full ten discourses?
Correct: A. A sustained investigation building toward SN 1.70's concrete resolution.
