Grammatical Analysis
Manorathapūraṇī: [f.] The Fulfiller of Desires. Formed by manoratha (desire, wish of the mind) + pūraṇī (fulfilling, completing).
Orthodox Definition
The Manorathapūraṇī is the commentary on the Aṅguttara Nikāya (Collection of Numerical Discourses), compiled by Venerable Buddhaghosa.
Its most famous and historically vital section is its commentary on the Etadaggavagga (the chapter on the foremost disciples). While the canonical sutta merely lists a single sentence for each disciple (e.g., “Sāriputta is foremost in wisdom”), the Manorathapūraṇī provides massive, epic biographical accounts of these individuals. It details their initial vows made before previous Buddhas millions of aeons ago, their subsequent journey through saṃsāra, and the exact circumstances of their enlightenment under Gotama Buddha. It “fulfills the desire” of practitioners wanting to know the history of the Sāvaka-saṅgha.
Textual References
- Subject Matter: Comments on the thousands of numerical discourses in the Aṅguttara Nikāya.