The Buddha describes the four kinds of oxen—one hostile to its own herd, not others;, one hostile to other herds, not its own;, and one hostile to both its own herd and others; and.

AN 4.108 Oxen

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, balībaddā. Katame cattāro?

Sagavacaṇḍo no paragavacaṇḍo,

paragavacaṇḍo no sagavacaṇḍo,

sagavacaṇḍo ca paragavacaṇḍo ca,

neva sagavacaṇḍo no paragavacaṇḍo

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro balībaddā. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, cattāro balībaddūpamā puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame cattāro?

Sagavacaṇḍo no paragavacaṇḍo,

paragavacaṇḍo no sagavacaṇḍo,

sagavacaṇḍo ca paragavacaṇḍo ca,

neva sagavacaṇḍo no paragavacaṇḍo.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo sagavacaṇḍo hoti, no paragavacaṇḍo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo sakaparisaṁ ubbejetā hoti, no paraparisaṁ. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo sagavacaṇḍo hoti, no paragavacaṇḍo. Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, balībaddo sagavacaṇḍo, no paragavacaṇḍo; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo paragavacaṇḍo hoti, no sagavacaṇḍo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo paraparisaṁ ubbejetā hoti, no sakaparisaṁ. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo paragavacaṇḍo hoti, no sagavacaṇḍo. Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, balībaddo paragavacaṇḍo, no sagavacaṇḍo; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo sagavacaṇḍo ca hoti paragavacaṇḍo ca? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo sakaparisaṁ ubbejetā hoti paraparisañca. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo sagavacaṇḍo ca hoti paragavacaṇḍo ca. Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, balībaddo sagavacaṇḍo ca paragavacaṇḍo ca; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo neva sagavacaṇḍo hoti no paragavacaṇḍo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo neva sakaparisaṁ ubbejetā hoti, no paraparisañca. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo neva sagavacaṇḍo hoti, no paragavacaṇḍo. Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, balībaddo neva sagavacaṇḍo, no paragavacaṇḍo; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro balībaddūpamā puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin”ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, balībaddā.

“Mendicants, there are these four kinds of oxen.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Sagavacaṇḍo no paragavacaṇḍo,

One hostile to its own herd, not others;

paragavacaṇḍo no sagavacaṇḍo,

one hostile to other herds, not its own;

sagavacaṇḍo ca paragavacaṇḍo ca,

one hostile to both its own herd and others; and

neva sagavacaṇḍo no paragavacaṇḍo

one hostile to neither its own herd nor others.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro balībaddā.

These are the four kinds of oxen.

Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, cattāro balībaddūpamā puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ.

In the same way, these four individuals similar to oxen are found in the world.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Sagavacaṇḍo no paragavacaṇḍo,

One hostile to their own herd, not others;

paragavacaṇḍo no sagavacaṇḍo,

one hostile to other herds, not their own;

sagavacaṇḍo ca paragavacaṇḍo ca,

one hostile to both their own herd and others; and

neva sagavacaṇḍo no paragavacaṇḍo.

one hostile to neither their own herd nor others.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo sagavacaṇḍo hoti, no paragavacaṇḍo?

And how is an individual hostile to their own herd, not others?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo sakaparisaṁ ubbejetā hoti, no paraparisaṁ.

It’s when an individual intimidates their own followers, not the followers of others.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo sagavacaṇḍo hoti, no paragavacaṇḍo.

That’s how an individual is hostile to their own herd, not others.

Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, balībaddo sagavacaṇḍo, no paragavacaṇḍo;

That individual is like an ox that’s hostile to its own herd, not others.

tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo paragavacaṇḍo hoti, no sagavacaṇḍo?

And how is an individual hostile to other herds, not their own?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo paraparisaṁ ubbejetā hoti, no sakaparisaṁ.

It’s when an individual intimidates the followers of others, not their own. …

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo paragavacaṇḍo hoti, no sagavacaṇḍo.

Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, balībaddo paragavacaṇḍo, no sagavacaṇḍo;

tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo sagavacaṇḍo ca hoti paragavacaṇḍo ca?

And how is an individual hostile to both their own herd and others?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo sakaparisaṁ ubbejetā hoti paraparisañca.

It’s when an individual intimidates their own followers and the followers of others. …

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo sagavacaṇḍo ca hoti paragavacaṇḍo ca.

Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, balībaddo sagavacaṇḍo ca paragavacaṇḍo ca;

tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo neva sagavacaṇḍo hoti no paragavacaṇḍo?

And how is an individual hostile to neither their own herd nor others?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo neva sakaparisaṁ ubbejetā hoti, no paraparisañca.

It’s when an individual doesn’t intimidate their own followers or the followers of others.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo neva sagavacaṇḍo hoti, no paragavacaṇḍo.

Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, balībaddo neva sagavacaṇḍo, no paragavacaṇḍo;

tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro balībaddūpamā puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin”ti.

These four individuals similar to oxen are found in the world.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

Qualities:

Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026