Verified
Grammatical Analysis
Atthasālinī: [f.] The Expositor; The Endowed with Meaning. Formed by attha (meaning, substance) + sālinī (endowed with, rich in).
Orthodox Definition
The Atthasālinī is Venerable Buddhaghosa’s supreme commentary on the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, the first book of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.
If the Visuddhimagga is the manual of practice, the Atthasālinī is the absolute bedrock of Theravāda psychological theory. It begins with a grand historical introduction (Nidāna) forcefully defending the Abhidhamma as the authentic word of the Buddha.
It then proceeds to define every single ultimate reality (consciousness, mental factors, and matter) using a strict four-fold diagnostic tool: characteristic (lakkhaṇa), function (rasa), manifestation (paccupaṭṭhāna), and proximate cause (padaṭṭhāna). The brilliant, vivid similes found in this text (like the king’s ministers, the lotus leaf, or the blind man) have been used for 1,500 years to explain the microscopic workings of the mind.
Quote
Yaṃ devadevo devānaṃ, desetvā nayato puna;
I shall elucidate the meaning of that Abhidhamma,Therassa sāriputtassa, samācikkhi vināyako.
Which the Leader, the deva of devas, having expounded it to the devas, then declared again in outline to the Elder Sāriputta.Anotattadahe katvā, upaṭṭhānaṃ mahesino;
Having performed attendance to the Great Sage in the Anotatta Lake region,Yañca sutvāna so thero, āharitvā mahītalaṃ.
And having heard it, that Elder brought it down to the human world,Bhikkhūnaṃ payirudāhāsi, iti bhikkhūhi dhārito;
And taught it to the bhikkhus; thus, it was preserved by the bhikkhus,Saṅgītikāle saṅgīto, vedehamuninā puna.
And then recited again by the sage of Videha (Elder Ānanda) at the time of the Saṅgīti.Tassa gambhīrañāṇehi, ogāḷhassa abhiṇhaso;
I will explain the meaning of that Abhidhamma,Nānānayavicittassa, abhidhammassa ādito.
Which is profound, constantly delved into by those with deep wisdom, and varied with diverse methods,Yā mahākassapādīhi, vasīhiṭṭhakathā purā;
Along with the ancient commentary that was recited and re-recited by the masters such as Mahākassapa and others previously,Saṅgītā anusaṅgītā, pacchāpi ca isīhi yā.
And later by other sages.Ābhatā pana therena, mahindenetamuttamaṃ;
That supreme commentary was brought to this island by the Elder Mahinda,Yā dīpaṃ dīpavāsīnaṃ, bhāsāya abhisaṅkhatā.
And was composed in the language of the islanders for the benefit of the islanders.Apanetvā tato bhāsaṃ, tambapaṇṇinivāsinaṃ;
Having removed the language of the dwellers of Tambapaṇṇi from it,Āropayitvā niddosaṃ, bhāsaṃ tantinayānugaṃ.
And having established it in a faultless language that conforms to the method of the Pāḷi Canon,Nikāyantaraladdhīhi, asammissaṃ anākulaṃ;
Unmixed and undistorted by the doctrines of other schools,Mahāvihāravāsīnaṃ, dīpayanto vinicchayaṃ.
I shall make evident the decision of the Mahāvihāra dwellers.— Dhammasaṅgaṇī-aṭṭhakathā
Textual References
- Subject Matter: Commentary on the Dhammasaṅgaṇī.
- Key Features: The indispensable definitions of the 52 mental factors (cetasikas).