Dear Nina, Jim and Bryan,

thanks for your informed discussion. It is very interesting to note how the commentary uses bya~njana twice with different meanings, something I also noted to happen frequently in Sadd., a test of the intellect.

Also thanks to Bryan for highlighting "padabya~njana" as "letters and words", or we may still be lost in translation.

I will simply put everything together:

dunnikkhitta~nca padabya~njananti
"(and) incorrectly arranged letter(s) and/or word(s)"

uppa.tipaa.tiyaa gahitapaa.lipadameva
such a word of the text taken out of sequence/order

hi atthassa bya~njanattaa
for the significance and essence of the meaning

bya~njananti
"bya~njana.m"

vuccati
is called

* Paraphrasing ...

"dunnikkhitta.m padabya~njana.m" is such a word of the text taken out of sequence, for the significance and essence of the meaning is called "bya~njana.m".


metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Nina van Gorkom wrote:

I still have trouble with the translation, but I wait for Yong Peng.

> I don't think "letter" is the right translation for "bya~njana.m"
> here which is explained by "atthassa bya~njanattaa" (from the fact
> of explaining the meaning). Cf. "saattha.m sabya~njana.m". The
> comment: "padameva. . . bya~njananti" tells me that
> "padabya~njana.m" is a specific type of kammadhaaraya compound that
> resolves with the particle "eva" after the first member (both
> members are in the same case). I also think "uppa.tipaa.tiyaa
> gahita-" (incorrectly or erroneously taken) is an interpretation of
> "dunnikkhitta.m" (badly laid or put down).