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The King of Kosala · AN 5.49

Early Buddhist discourse · AN 5.49

Fallen white magnolia petals rest on rain-darkened stone.
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The Buddha speaks to King Pasenadi after news of a death, placing grief within the conditions of human life.

The King of Kosala · AN 5.49

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side.

Then a man went up to the king and whispered in his ear, “Your Majesty, Queen Mallikā has passed away.”

When this was said, King Pasenadi was miserable and sad. He sat with his shoulders drooping, downcast, depressed, with nothing to say.

Knowing this, the Buddha said to him, “Great king, there are five things that cannot be had by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Māra or divinity or by anyone in the world. What five? That someone liable to old age should not grow old. … Sorrowing and lamenting doesn’t do even a little bit of good … ‘The deed is powerful. What can I do now?’”

Translations & sourcesEditions & translators
Read at SuttaCentral ↗

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato

Source edition · Dhammatalks.org ↗

The Atlas reader presents Bhikkhu Sujato’s SuttaCentral translation. This source link preserves the edition previously cited by the Atlas; wording and numbering can differ.

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Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0 1.0

Read at SuttaCentral ↗

SuttaCentral · Bilara translations · Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0 1.0

Introductions, reflection questions and added section headings are editorial material, separate from the attributed translation.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork created for Buddhist Atlas. It is an evocative companion, not a depiction of the text’s historical setting.

Source link checked October 21, 2026. The linked publisher provides the text and its usage terms.

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  • In the Buddha’s Words

    Broader context: a thematic anthology of early Buddhist discourses; this link does not claim that the anthology contains this specific text.

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