On the road, while the Buddha was wandering in the land of the Kosalans with a large Saṅgha
Figures
Several unnamed young students and the Buddha
Occasion
Students pass by the Buddha and mendicants in a teasing or jeering manner
Length
~1 minute to read
Chapter
Soṇavagga (Ud 5.1–5.10), the fifth of the Udāna’s eight chapters — named for Ud 5.6, “With Soṇa”
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — a single glance and a four-line verse
Why this heartfelt saying
No-one speaks to the Buddha in this scene, and he speaks to no-one. Some students pass by jeering, he simply sees them, and the verse that follows names something the text never resolves: what makes people talk on and on with total confidence and no apparent cause.
Reading guide
Students out of bounds
While “wandering in the land of the Kosalans together with a large Saṅgha of mendicants,” the Buddha and his companions are passed by “several young students… in a teasing manner,” not far off. Sujato’s title, “Teasing,” renders the Pali sadhāyamāna, glossed as mocking or jeering conduct — likely aimed, at least in part, at the visibly distinctive procession of mendicants passing through. The Buddha’s only recorded action is to see them; there is no confrontation, no rebuke delivered on the spot.
The verse’s target: false cleverness
What the Buddha says afterward doesn’t address the students directly — it’s a general observation, prompted by what he just witnessed: “Dolts pretending to be astute, they talk, their words out of bounds.” The critique is precise: not simple foolishness, but foolishness dressed up as cleverness — people who imagine their glib, unrestrained talk demonstrates wit rather than its absence. This is a recurring concern in early Buddhist literature, echoed in the Dhammapada’s own extended chapter on fools.
“No-one knows what leads them on”
The verse’s final image is vivid and slightly unsettling: “They blab at will, their mouths agape, and no-one knows what leads them on.” Rather than explaining the cause of this behavior — ignorance, attention-seeking, habit — the verse simply names the phenomenon and leaves the puzzle open. That refusal to resolve or moralize further is itself characteristic: like Ud 5.4’s boys and Ud 5.7’s Revata, this udāna is an observation captured whole, not a lesson spelled out to its last implication.
Key terms
sadhāyamāna — “teasing” or “jeering” — the students’ conduct as they pass by, and the source of the sutta’s title and its Pali name, Sadhāyamānasutta.
bāla — “fool” or “dolt” — paired in the verse with paṇḍitamānino, “imagining themselves astute,” naming the specific error of mistaking glibness for wisdom.
“their words out of bounds” — the verse’s description of unrestrained talk, contrasted implicitly with the disciplined, bounded speech expected of the mendicants being teased.
“mouths agape” — vivaṭamukhā, the verse’s vivid physical image for unchecked, careless speech.
the observational form — this udāna, like several others in the chapter, contains no dialogue at all — only the Buddha seeing something and speaking a verse in response.
The text
The discourse in full: the Buddha, wandering with the Saṅgha, is passed by teasing students, and speaks a short verse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was wandering in the land of the Kosalans together with a large Saṅgha of mendicants. Now at that time several young students were passing by not far from the Buddha in a teasing manner. The Buddha saw them.
§2Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:
§3“Dolts pretending to be astute, they talk, their words out of bounds. They blab at will, their mouths agape, and no-one knows what leads them on.”
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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
Where is the Buddha when this scene takes place?
Correct: B. “At one time the Buddha was wandering in the land of the Kosalans together with a large Saṅgha of mendicants.”
Question 2 of 10
Who passes by the Buddha in this sutta?
Correct: B. “Several young students were passing by not far from the Buddha in a teasing manner.”
Question 3 of 10
What does the Buddha do in response to the teasing?
Correct: B. “The Buddha saw them” — his only recorded action before the verse.
Question 4 of 10
What does Sujato’s title, “Teasing,” render?
Correct: B. The reading guide glosses sadhāyamāna as mocking or jeering conduct, likely aimed at the passing mendicants.
Question 5 of 10
How does the verse open?
Correct: A. This is the verse’s opening line, describing people who mistake glib talk for wisdom.
Question 6 of 10
What specific error does the verse describe, according to the reading guide?
Correct: B. “Dolts pretending to be astute” names people who imagine their glibness demonstrates intelligence.
Question 7 of 10
What is the verse’s final image?
Correct: B. This image leaves the cause of the behavior unresolved rather than explaining it.
Question 8 of 10
Does the verse explain why these students behave this way?
Correct: B. The verse ends on an open puzzle rather than a resolved explanation.
Question 9 of 10
How much dialogue does this sutta contain?
Correct: B. Like several other short scenes in this chapter, there is no dialogue, only observation and verse.
Question 10 of 10
Which chapter of the Dhammapada, published on this site, is devoted at length to this same theme of folly?
Correct: B. The Bālavagga is the Dhammapada’s extended chapter on folly, directly resonant with this verse’s target.
