Dear Dr. Pind,

Thank you for reply.

> The syntactical words that compose this phrase are: ta.m + kuto + ettha +
> labbhaa.

Yes.

> It is not recorded very often in the canon and the question is how
> to construe the phrase. It is evidently an idiomatic expression meaning
> something like "therefore (ta.m), how (kuto) would it be possible (labbhaa)
> in this case (ettha) i.e. the one that has just been defined
> (that it does not happen).

Thanks a lot, now I understand what the Atthakatha says about it.

Atthakatha to Sangiti sutta, DA 3.1046:

Ta.m kutettha labbhaati ta.m anatthacara.na.m maa ahosiiti etasmi.m
puggale kuto labbhaa, kena kaara.nena sakkaa laddhu.m? Paro naama
parassa attano cittaruciyaa anattha.m karotiiti eva.m cintetvaa
aaghaata.m pa.tivinodeti. Atha vaa sacaaha.m pa.tikopa.m kareyya.m,
ta.m kopakara.na.m ettha puggale kuto labbhaa, kena
kaara.nena laddhabbanti attho.

Sagathavagga-Atthakatha, SA 1.268:

Ta.m kutettha labbhaati etasmi.m raage uppanne ta.m kaara.na.m kuto
labbhaa.

Atthakanipatadi-Atthakatha 4.193:

Ta.m kutettha labbhaati “ta.m anatthacara.na.m maa ahosii”ti
etasmi.m puggale kuto labbhaa, kena kaara.nena sakkaa laddhu.m, “paro
naama parassa attano cittaruciyaa anattha.m karotii”ti eva.m cintetvaa
aaghaata.m pa.tivineti. Atha vaa sacaaha.m kopa.m kareyya.m, ta.m
kopakara.na.m ettha puggale kuto labbhaa, kena kaara.nena laddhabbanti
attho.

Petavatthu-Atthakatha 96:

kuto labbhaa, kena kaara.nena laddhu.m sakkaa.


Regards,

Dmytro