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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

4: The Book of the Fours

I. At Bhaṇḍa Village — AN 4.3: Broken (1st)

1“When a foolish, incompetent bad person has four qualities they keep themselves broken and damaged. They deserve to be blamed and criticized by sensible people, and they make much bad karma. What four?

Without examining or scrutinizing, they praise those deserving of criticism, and they criticize those deserving of praise.

They arouse faith in things that are dubious, and they don’t arouse faith in things that are inspiring.

When a foolish, incompetent bad person has these four qualities they keep themselves broken and damaged. They deserve to be blamed and criticized by sensible people, and they make much bad karma.

2When an astute, competent good person has four qualities they keep themselves healthy and whole.

They don’t deserve to be blamed and criticized by sensible people, and they make much merit. What four?

After examining and scrutinizing, they criticize those deserving of criticism, and they praise those deserving of praise.

They don’t arouse faith in things that are dubious, and they do arouse faith in things that are inspiring.

When an astute, competent good person has these four qualities they keep themselves healthy and whole. They don’t deserve to be blamed and criticized by sensible people, and they make much merit.


3When you praise someone worthy of criticism,
or criticize someone worthy of praise,
you choose bad luck with your own mouth:
you’ll never find happiness that way.

4Bad luck at dice is a trivial thing,
if all you lose is your money
and all you own, even yourself.
What’s really terrible luck
is to hate the holy ones.

5For more than two quinquadecillion years,
and another five quattuordecillion years,
a slanderer of noble ones goes to hell,
having aimed bad words and thoughts at them.”

1"Catūhi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bālo abyatto asappuriso khataṁ upahataṁ attānaṁ pariharati, sāvajjo ca hoti sānuvajjo ca viññūnaṁ, bahuñca apuññaṁ pasavati. Katamehi catūhi?

Ananuvicca apariyogāhetvā avaṇṇārahassa vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati,

ananuvicca apariyogāhetvā vaṇṇārahassa avaṇṇaṁ bhāsati,

ananuvicca apariyogāhetvā appasādanīye ṭhāne pasādaṁ upadaṁseti,

ananuvicca apariyogāhetvā pasādanīye ṭhāne appasādaṁ upadaṁseti – 

imehi kho, bhikkhave, catūhi dhammehi samannāgato bālo abyatto asappuriso khataṁ upahataṁ attānaṁ pariharati, sāvajjo ca hoti sānuvajjo ca viññūnaṁ, bahuñca apuññaṁ pasavati.

2Catūhi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato paṇḍito viyatto sappuriso akkhataṁ anupahataṁ attānaṁ pariharati, anavajjo ca hoti ananuvajjo ca viññūnaṁ, bahuñca puññaṁ pasavati. Katamehi catūhi?

Anuvicca pariyogāhetvā avaṇṇārahassa avaṇṇaṁ bhāsati,

anuvicca pariyogāhetvā vaṇṇārahassa vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati,

anuvicca pariyogāhetvā appasādanīye ṭhāne appasādaṁ upadaṁseti,

anuvicca pariyogāhetvā pasādanīye ṭhāne pasādaṁ upadaṁseti – 

imehi kho, bhikkhave, catūhi dhammehi samannāgato paṇḍito viyatto sappuriso akkhataṁ anupahataṁ attānaṁ pariharati, anavajjo ca hoti ananuvajjo ca viññūnaṁ, bahuñca puññaṁ pasavatīti.


3Yo nindiyaṁ pasaṁsati,
Taṁ vā nindati yo pasaṁsiyo;
Vicināti mukhena so kaliṁ,
Kalinā tena sukhaṁ na vindati.

4Appamatto ayaṁ kali,
Yo akkhesu dhanaparājayo;
Sabbassāpi sahāpi attanā,
Ayameva mahantataro kali;
Yo sugatesu manaṁ padosaye.

5Sataṁ sahassānaṁ nirabbudānaṁ,
Chattiṁsatī pañca ca abbudāni;
Yamariyagarahī nirayaṁ upeti,
Vācaṁ manañca paṇidhāya pāpakan"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.