Grammatical Analysis
Sāratthappakāsinī: [f.] The Revealer of the Essential Meaning. Formed by sāra (essence, core, pith) + attha (meaning) + pakāsinī (revealing, clarifying).
Orthodox Definition
The Sāratthappakāsinī is the commentary on the Saṃyutta Nikāya (Collection of Connected Discourses), written by Venerable Buddhaghosa.
Because the Saṃyutta Nikāya is strictly organized by profound doctrinal subjects (such as the aggregates, the sense bases, and dependent origination), the language used in the suttas is often terse, dense, and heavily philosophical. Buddhaghosa’s commentary is crucial here for “revealing the essential meaning”—breaking down the repetitive formulas, providing the contextual backstories of the devas who visit the Buddha at night, and ensuring the reader does not misunderstand the Buddha’s nuanced teachings on non-self and causality.
Textual References
- Subject Matter: Comments on the nearly 3,000 discourses of the Saṃyutta Nikāya.
- Key Features: Deep exposition on the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (The First Sermon).