Dear Nina and friends,

I'm proof-reading and revising my translation of the Miga,saalaa Sutta (A
6.44, 10.75), an interesting and challenging sutta. I'm using this sutta
in a forthcoming Sutta Discovery class here.

I need someone's help with the word "nibbahati" that could fit into two
possible translations of "dhamma,sota":

(1) Dharma ear
(2) Stream of the Dharma

PED defines "nibbahati" as "to stretch out; to pull put" which is not very
helpful.

I wonder if KR Norman is watching us...

Excerpts from my notes:

“Dharma stream,” dhamma,sota. Hare (S:WH 5:96 etc) renders it as “ear of
Dharma”; while Hare (S:WH 3:248 etc) & Bodhi (S:B 1:564 etc) render it as
“stream of Dharma”. Occurrences: ~ sampanna (S 2:42, 43, 45, 58 f, 80);
~sampanna [“entered the stream of Dharma”] (A 3:285-288, 5:356 f, 360); ~.m
upaanayi [“carried along by the stream of Dharma”] (Ap 1:101 Subhadda Thera
9); ~o nibbahati [“the stream of Dharma”] (A 3:350 f, 5:140, 143). Comy
here explains dhamma,soto nibbahati as “suura.m hutvaa (having become a
hero) pavattamaana,vipassan,ña.na.m (keeping up insight knowledge),
ariya,bhuumi sampaapeti (“attains to the Noble Ground”) (AA 3:375; cf
Masefield 1986:79). The Pali sota has two Skt forms: (a) 'srotas /'sru
su.naati, he hears), the ear; (b) srotas srotas /sru, savati (it flows),
stream (of water). Comparing the Pali occurrences of the sentences with
their BHS cognates or parallels in the AAgama should provide insight into
their usages. Dhammavuddho thinks that sot’apatti [sot’aapanna =
“stream-winner”] usually rendered as “stream-entry” could also be
translated as “ear-entry” (1999:6), suggesting.that one could gain the
first stage of Sainthood through skillful listening to the Dharma (the
thesis of his 1999 article). See Introd (3).
“Carries…along,” nibbahati. Hare thinks that “Nibbahati is either from
/barh, to increase, or /vah, to carry, with nis, ‘out,’ ‘to completion’.”
(A:WH 3:248 n1).

Thanks & Sukhi.

Piya


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