Grammatical Analysis
Sammohavinodanī: [f.] The Dispeller of Delusion. Formed by sammoha (delusion, bewilderment, ignorance) + vinodanī (dispelling, driving away).
Orthodox Definition
The Sammohavinodanī is Buddhaghosa’s commentary on the Vibhaṅga (The Book of Analysis), the second book of the Abhidhamma.
True to its name, it aims to dispel the profound delusion that causes beings to mistake the aggregates for a “self.” Because the canonical Vibhaṅga provides massive structural analyses of the aggregates, sense bases, elements, Truths, and Dependent Origination, this commentary serves as the essential navigational guide.
Its most famous section is the commentary on the Paccayākāravibhaṅga (Analysis of Conditions), where Buddhaghosa provides the most exhaustive, dizzyingly complex, and brilliant explanation of Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda) found anywhere in Theravāda literature, proving how past causes generate present results without a soul transmigrating.
Textual References
- Subject Matter: Commentary on the Vibhaṅga.