Grammatical Analysis
Itivuttaka: [nt.] The “Thus it was said” discourses. Formed by iti (thus) + vutta (said, spoken) + ka (suffix).
Orthodox Definition
The Itivuttaka is the fourth book of the Khuddaka Nikāya, consisting of 112 short discourses composed in a mix of prose and verse.
Every single discourse in this collection begins with the exact same formula: “Vuttaṃ hetaṃ bhagavatā…” (“This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard”).
Orthodox tradition attributes the preservation of this entire book to a single laywoman named Khujjuttarā. She was a hunchbacked servant to Queen Sāmāvatī of Kosambī. Unable to leave the palace, the Queen sent Khujjuttarā to listen to the Buddha’s sermons. Possessing immense intelligence and the attainment of Stream-entry, Khujjuttarā perfectly memorized the Buddha’s teachings and repeated them verbatim to the 500 women in the palace, beginning each repetition with “Thus it was said by the Blessed One.” Her collection was later incorporated into the Canon at the First Council.
Textual References
- Canonical: Iti 44 – The definitive text separating the two elements of Nibbāna (with residue and without residue).
- Canonical: Iti 106 – The Buddha declaring that those who support monastics with material gifts and monastics who support the laity with Dhamma both arrive at the deathless together.
- Commentary: Paramatthadīpanī – Dhammapāla’s commentary confirming Khujjuttarā’s role in its compilation.