Re: Question on Sumaṅgala-Vilāsinī, Sv 1, 9

Bryan,

How about "a place in the world that is delightful for birds and to the
eyes of gods and men" for /deva-manussa-nayana-vihaṃgānaṃ
loka-rāmaṇeyyakam /?

Lance Cousins
//
> Dear Pāli friends,
> I am looking at the intro to the Sv (DN-a) where Buddhaghosa describes
> the pavilion (/maṇḍapa/) King Ajātasattu sets up for the recitation of
> the discipline and /dhamma /by the 500.
> On page 9, lines 6-12 is the following:
> //
> /rājā ajātasattu vissakammunā nimmita-sadisaṃ
> suvibhatta-bhitti-tthambha-sopānaṃ
> nānā-vidha-mālākamma-latākamma-vicittaṃ abhibhavantamiva
> rāja-bhavana-vibhūtiṃ avahasantam iva deva-vimāna-siriṃ siriyā
> niketanam iva ekanipāta-tittham iva ca deva-manussa-nayana-vihaṃgānaṃ
> loka-rāmaṇeyyakam iva sampiṇḍitaṃ daṭṭhabba-sāra-maṇḍaṃ maṇḍapaṃ
> kārāpetvā…/
> I am wondering about the meaning of two compounds /ekanipāta-tittham
> iva/ ("like a fording place with one descent"?) and
> /deva-manussa-nayana-vihaṃgānaṃ loka-rāmaṇeyyakam iva/ ("like a lovely
> place in the world where birds (? /vihaṃgānaṃ/) bring gods and men"?).
> Neither translation quite makes sense to me as similes to describe the
> pavilion which Ajātasattu is having built. There is some confusion in
> the tradition of the word /vihamgānaṃ/ which has several variant
> readings: /vibhaṅgānaṃ /(< /vibhaṅga/, "division, distribution"), and
> /vibhagānaṃ /(= /vibhaṅgānaṃ /?), and /vihaṅgānaṃ /(birds).
> The piece is also found at Vin 3, 287, 19-25.
>
> Possible translation:
>
> Then King Ajātasattu, caused a pavilion to be erected as if it were
> fashioned byVissakamma, with a stair, pillars and well divided walls,
> with diverse coloured mural drawings of flowers and creepers more
> splendrous than a king’s palace, as if mocking the glory of a heavenly
> palace, like a residence of majesty, like a fording place with only
> one descent (/ekanipāta-tittham iva/?),like the lovely places in the
> world where birds attract gods and men
> (/deva-manussa-nayana-vihaṃgānaṃ //loka-rāmaṇeyyakam iva/), (a
> pavilion) whose essence is visible in one whole mass (/sampiṇḍitaṃ/).
>
> Any help with these compounds would be appreciated,
> Best wishes,
> Bryan