Re: Saddatthabhedacintaadiipanii, verse 1

saddatthabhedavaadiina.m pavara.m varavaadina.m
abhivaadiya saddatthabhedacintaa'bhidhiiyate.

Having saluted the Foremost of speakers of the analysis of sadda
and attha,
the Speaker of the Excellent, I shall speak the
Saddatthabhedacintaa.

Phra Mahaa Nimitr:

Before writing a treatise the aacaariyas of old would first pay
homage to the teacher or the deity whom they revered. For
example, the authors of Sanskrit texts would pay homage to
Brahmaa, `Siiva or Sarasvatii, while authors of Buddhist
treatises would pay homage either to the Three Jewels, or to the
Buddha as the head of these. Ven. Saddhammasiri thus wrote this
verse both to express his reverence for the Buddha and to make
known his intention to write this treatise.

Although in this verse there are no words paying homage to the
Dhamma and the Sa`ngha, nevertheless it should be understood that
the author has in fact paid them homage. For when a person pays
homage to the Buddha he is implicitly also paying homage to the
Dhamma and Sa`ngha. This is based upon avinaabhaava-naya, the
principle that when certain things are necessarily connected, if
one thing is mentioned then the others are included by
implication.

Dhammaanando:

"Avinaabhaava: necessary connection of one thing with another,
inherent and essential character." (Sanskrit-English Dictionary,
Monier Williams).
Not listed in PTS Dict.
Occurs often in Abhidhamma .tiikaas, sometimes indicating
inseparability (e.g. of head-hairs from the element of solidity),
and sometimes necessity (e.g. a phala needing to have a hetu).

Mahaa Nimitr's use of this term for the inseparability of the
Three Jewels perhaps derives from the nava.tiikaa to
Sa`ngharakkhita's Subodhaala`nkaara. Sa`ngharakkhita begins his
work with a verse that appears to praise only the Dhamma:

munindavadanambhoja gabbhasambhavasundarii,
sara.na.m paa.nina.m vaa.nii mayha.m pii.nayata.m mana.m.

The nava.tiikaa remarks:

tathaa hi
lokuttaradhammanissitapariyattisa`nkhaatasabba~n~nubhaaratiyaa
manosampii.nanaasiisanaapadesena attano nissesadhammaratane
pasaado pakaasito. so pana dhammappasaado tadavinaabhaavato
buddhasa`nghesupi siddhoti ratanattayavisaya.m pa.naama.m
va`nkavuttiyaa dasseti.

"For in this manner, his [Sa`ngharakkhita's] confidence in the
Dhamma Jewel in its entirety is demonstrated by expressing a wish
to find satisfaction of mind in the scriptures that constitute
the word of the Omniscient One, upon which the supramundane
dhammas depend. Moreover, that confidence in the Dhamma is
effective also with respect to the Buddha and the Sa`ngha owing
to their inseparability from it [tadavinaabhaavato], and so in an
oblique manner he shows reverence that has [all] Three Jewels as
its scope."

_______________________________

Title of the treatise.

Abhaya Thera:
saddo ca attho ca saddatthaa. saddehi gamyamaano attho saddattho.
saddatthaa ca saddattho ca saddatthaa. saddatthaana.m bhedo
saddatthabhedo. cinteti vijaanaati etena pakara.nena ettha vaati
cintaa. saddatthabhedassa cintaa saddatthabhedacintaa.
– from the Mahaa.tiikaa

Dhammaanando:
I will attempt an explanatory translation of the above.

saddatthabhedassa cintaa = saddatthabhedacintaa

The saddattha- part can be analysed in three ways.
1) saddo ca attho ca saddatthaa
A linguistic element and a meaning is saddatthaa.

2) saddehi gamyamaano attho saddattho
A meaning being gone to [= being known] by linguistic elements is
saddattho.

3) A combination of 1 and 2: saddatthaa ca saddattho ca
saddatthaa
Saddatthaa(a) and saddattho is saddatthaa(b)

Then:
saddatthaana.m bhedo saddatthabhedo
An analysis/classification of saddatthaa(b) is saddatthabhedo.

cinteti vijaanaati etena pakara.nena ettha vaati cintaa
Through that treatise one reasons or discerns herein [i.e. in
regard to this subject of saddatthbhedo], thus it is a cintaa.

saddatthabhedassa cintaa saddatthabhedacintaa.
The cintaa of saddatthabhedo is the Saddatthabhedacintaa.

(to be continued...)

Best wishes,

Dhammanando