Grammatical Analysis
Pañcappakaraṇaṭṭhakathā: [f.] The Commentary on the Five Treatises. Formed by pañca (five) + pakaraṇa (treatise, book) + aṭṭhakathā (commentary).
Orthodox Definition
Because the final five books of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka (Dhātukathā, Puggalapaññatti, Kathāvatthu, Yamaka, and Paṭṭhāna) are heavily interconnected and mathematically structural, Venerable Buddhaghosa combined his commentary for all of them into a single, massive work known as the Pañcappakaraṇaṭṭhakathā.
This text is highly specialized and geared exclusively toward elite Abhidhamma scholars. Rather than defining new terms (which was accomplished in the Atthasālinī), this commentary focuses on explaining the complex, algorithmic logic of the books.
Crucially, in the section on the Kathāvatthu, Buddhaghosa explicitly identifies the names of the heretical sects (such as the Puggalavādins and Mahāsāṅghikas) that the canonical text is debating, providing modern historians with their primary source for early Buddhist sectarian history. It concludes by unpacking the 24 Conditions of the Paṭṭhāna.
Textual References
- Subject Matter: Commentary on the final five books of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.