Grammatical Analysis
Paramatthadīpanī: [f.] The Elucidator of the Ultimate Meaning. Formed by paramattha (ultimate meaning) + dīpanī (elucidating, illustrating).
Orthodox Definition
The Paramatthadīpanī is not a single book, but a massive collection of commentaries authored by Venerable Dhammapāla, who resided at the Badaratittha Vihāra in South India shortly after Buddhaghosa’s era.
When Buddhaghosa completed his work on the major Nikāyas, several books in the Khuddaka Nikāya remained without Pali translations of their ancient Sinhalese commentaries. Dhammapāla stepped in to complete the project. His Paramatthadīpanī covers seven vital texts: the Udāna, Itivuttaka, Vimānavatthu, Petavatthu, Theragāthā, Therīgāthā, and Cariyāpiṭaka.
Dhammapāla’s style is heavily indebted to Buddhaghosa, but he relies even more explicitly on Abhidhamma terminology. His work is invaluable for preserving the life stories of the elder monks and nuns, and for systematically defining the parameters of the Bodhisatta’s Perfections (pāramī).
Textual References
- Subject Matter: Seven books of the Khuddaka Nikāya.