Re: Sutta-Nipata verse 800

Dear all,

>
> > Is there any explanation to call a devata yakkha?
>
> You might check the entry for yakkha in Malalasekera's
> Dictionary of Pali Proper Names. There are many sorts of
> beings who are on occasion called yakkhas, besides actual
> yakkhas.

The derivation and Vedic antecedents of 'yakkha' are discussed in a
brilliant article by Wijesekera (sorry, i don't have the exact title
with me now). I have previously recommended his article on the
gandhabba: both of these are very old conceptions, and the Vedic
background provides essential clues for understanding the sometimes
puzzling usage in the Pali.

In the Upaali Sutta even the Buddha is called a

> yakkha!
>

If i remember rightly, Thich Minh Chau points out that the Chinese
here has 'eye', seeming to refer back to an original '- y-akkha', with
the y perhaps orginally just a sandhi.

Venerable Sujato