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

a similar passage is found in Cp-a 5:

dvādasayojanavitthate sabbaratanamaye caṅkame ṭhito yathāvuttaṃ devamanussanayanavihaṅgānaṃ ekanipātabhūtam acchariyaṃ anaññāsādhāraṇaṃ buddhānaṃ samādhiñāṇānubhāvadīpanaṃ pāṭihāriyaṃ dassetvā.

Compare also Ps I 119 ... yakkhaṭṭhānaṃ pupphadhūpamaṃsaruhiravasāmedapihakapapphāsasurāmerayādīhi okiṇṇakilinnadharaṇitalaṃ ekanipātaṃ viya yakkharakkhasapisācānaṃ,

The passage in Sas 154 probably is known to you, since the translation suggested by you for ekanipātatiṭṭha corresponds to the one by Law in his Sās trsl.

I think that eka belongs to the compound as a whole, i.e. that it refers to tittha, not to nipāta. This I base on several instances of nipāta-, nipātana-, sannipātatittha in Sp.

Sp II 426,13–22: atha kho rasmiñ ca patodañ ca gahetvā ujukam eva tesaṃ nipātatitthaṃ (v.l. sannipātatiṭṭhaṃ) gantvā nisīdati vā nipajjati vā. atha te goṇe divasabhāgaṃ caritvā nipātatitthaṃ (v.l. udapānatiṭṭhaṃ) otaritvā bhatvā ca pivitvā ca paccuttaritvā ṭhite disvā ... nipātatitthe

The whole passage is quoted from the Paṭis-a (II 499) and is also found in Vism where we have the v.l. nipātanatiṭṭhaṃ which is translated by Pe Maung Tin as "their meeting place at the ford" referring to the cattle of a farmer. The v.l. sannipātatitthaṃ in Sp also shows this meaning. Lit. nipātatittha probably ment "a ford to which [the animals etc.] descended" (if we follow the commentarial explanation).

In comparison to these passages the eka in your ekanipātatittha stresses that there is only a single one of such titthas.

nipāta lit. means "turned to/descended at" (pat +ni)" or "turned to/descended at." Following the commentaries to Sp nayana are the "eyes" of gods and men which are compared to birds, nipāta is used in the sense of "descend" for the birds, and in the sense of "turn to" in connection with the eyes of the gods (both meanings are attested for ni-pat already in Skt.).

Sp-ṭ I 57 explains: ekanipātatittham iva ca devamanussanayanavihaṅgānan ti ekasmiṃ pānīyatitthe sannipatantā pakkhino viya sabbesaṃ janānaṃ cakkhūni maṇḍape yeva nipatantī ti devamanussānaṃ nayanasaṅkhātavihaṅgānaṃ ekanipātatittham iva ca.

ekanipātatittham iva ca devamanussanayanavihaṅgānan means: as the birds come together at (or: turn to) the single ford [that contains] water, [so] the eyes of all people turn to the Maṇḍapa only, [insofar it is meant:] and like a single ford to which gods' and men's eyes – counted as birds – are turned.

The explanation in Vmv is similar.

In comparison to the nipātatittha the ekanipātatittha stresses that there is only a single such item which attracts all birds/eyes, namely Ajātasattu's maṇḍapa.

Am 18.12.2014 um 18:37 schrieb Bryan Levman bryan.levman@... [palistudy]:

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 by Vissakamma, 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