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Studies in Ven. Buddhadatta's Prosody

3: Abhidhammàvatàra

1: The Text

Abhidhammàvatàra is a summary In the Ganthàrambhakathà, it describes itself as a hatthasàram, or handbook.⁰¹ of the Abhidhamma in 24 Chapters, most of which is written in verse. Chapters 1 - 3, 10 - 13, 19, 23 & 24 contain prose sections also, which is sometimes quite extensive. There are 1416 verses (5664 lines) in the work altogether, mainly written in the Siloka metre (98%), which means that only 29 verses (2%) of the verses are written in other metres. They are used mainly at the close of the various sections, which is the way these metres are normally employed in Classical works, which are not of the Kavyà-type. Neither of the previous works examined, though, are restricted in this way, and the Classical metres occur frequently in the body of the text also.⁰²

2: Sarabhatti & Resolution

As with the other studies we can note that sarabhatti and resolution are again abundant in this work. The sarabhatti vowels are mainly of the ÝrⁱyÝ type, as in the other works, There are 4 exceptions, 2 at 112d & 1279c, where there is sarabhatti in antar^ahite; and 2 at 246a & 247a, reading ar^ahato.⁰³ they are found in the following 29 places: parⁱyàÝ 19d, 719b; nàparàparⁱyavedanaü 46b; parⁱyesita 80a; vãriyaÝ, which we should read as virⁱyaÝ 112d, 1279c; Even after counting the sarabhatti vowel this Siloka line is 9 syllables, and therefore hypermetric.⁰⁴ råpãrⁱyàpatha 143a; arⁱyadehinaü 278b; ar^ahato 246a, 274a; tiõõamarⁱyànamàdito 281b; aparⁱyà 345a, 352a, 360a; irⁱyàpatho 885c; antar^ahite 1018b, 1093a; parⁱyodàte 1050b; ÝparⁱyàÝ 1126d, 1381c; parⁱyaü 1159c; arⁱyamaggo 1188b; parⁱyattiÝ 1191a; upapajjàparàparⁱyà 1243c; parⁱyo 1316bd; anàgàmirⁱyasàvako 1364d; arⁱyàya 1374b; sacchikirⁱyà 1378d.

Example:

Resolution occurs 48 times, in the following words: manaÝ 113b, 1060b; ÝcaraÝ 134a, 205c, 344a, 351c, 523a; viciÝ 140c; kusaÝ 161c; javaÝ 165d; sakaÝ 239d, 240a, 336d, 337a; samaÝ 510d, 1383ac; pañiÝ 520a, 602a, 1185a; puriÝ 598b, 904a; upaÝ 629a, 1089c; catuÝ 647c; hadaÝ 742c; niraÝ 744b; paraÝ 778a,d; tatiÝ 778b; ÝbhavaÝ 835c; ubhaÝ

927c; pañhaÝ 932a, 987d, 1311b; ÝsahaÝ 974c, 975a; kasiÝ 1049a; abhiÝ 1051c, 1087a; apaÝ 1244a; anuÝ 1265a; ÝsamuÝ 1270ab; navaÝ 1298c, 1301d; udaÝ 1300a; ÝgataÝ 1309b;

Resolution occurs at the 1st syllable 34 times; 6 times at the 4th; & 8 times at the 5th.

Example:

3: Analysis of the metres

a: Siloka

The idiosyncracies seen in the other studies of Ven. Buddhadatta's usage of the Siloka prevail here also. There are 2709 Siloka pàdayuga-s in total, of which 2576 (95%) are pathyà. As the example we can quote the Ganthàrambhakathà (vss. 1 - 7):

Of the variations they occur in 5% of the pàdayuga-s, the distribution being as follows:

The normal mavipulà (ÅÅÛÅÐÜ,ÜÜé) lines occur 43 times: 3a; 13a; 278a; 308a; 335c; 339c; 397c; 422c; 445a; 456c; 494a; 520a; 586c; 597a; 602c; 653c; 658a; 706a; 714c; 721a; 787a; 802c; 826c; 835c; 845c; 862c; 908a; 912c; 1013a; 1025a; 1140c; 1154c; 1222a; 1223a; 1259c; 1272c; 1307a; 1308a; 1318a; 1340a; 1345a; 1346a; 1396a.

The mavipulà-type (ÅÅÅÅÐÜÜÜé) lines occur 30 times in all:

17 have the correct break, but an incorrect opening: 134a; 157a, 205c; 344a; 351c; 505c; 523a; 531c; 602c; 722c; 758a; 847a; 1122c; 1203ac; 1313a; & 1397c.

3 have the correct opening, but an incorrect word-break: 10c, 1069a; & 1133c.

10 are abnormal in both ways: 364a; 410a; 724a; 736c; 722a; 839c; 1127a; 1209a; &1383ac.

The distribution of the other variations is as follows:

• navipulà (ÅÅÅÜÐÛÛÛé) = 10 lines: 10a; 293c; 366a; 486c; 600a; 640a; 778c; 976c; 990a; & 1123a.
• bhavipulà (ÅÅÅÅÐÜÛÛé) = 9 lines: 131a; 311c; 397a; 587c; 889a; 894a; 998a; 1038c; 1366a.
• ravipulà (ÅÅÅÅ,ÐÜÛÜé) = 3 lines: 457c; 801a; 1142a.
• savipulà (ÅÅÅÅÐÛÛÜé) = 27 lines: 404c; 590c; 629a; 705a; 720c; 809a; 813c; 818a; 823c; 852c; 901a; 902a; 905c; 927a; 988a; 1031c; 1050c; 1107a; 1126c; 1132c; 1164a; 1238c; 1299c; 1313c; 1343c; 1345a; & 1391c.
• tavipulà (ÅÅÅÅÐÜÜÛé) = 2 lines: 165c & 292a.

Besides these there are also 4 Anuññhubha pàdayuga-s (ÅÅÅÅÐÛÜÛé): 428c, 552a, 556a, 716c.

There are also 21 lines which have 9 syllables in them, with no easy way to correct the metre: 197c; 320c; 324a; 528c; 530a; 574c; 575b; 742d; 993b; 1005c; 1061d; 1157b; 1165c; 1180a; 1209c; 1234c; 1263a; 1305a; 1350c; 1358c; & 1384d.

There are light syllables in 2nd and 3rd positions in the following 22 lines: 13c; 27a; 78c; 102a; 278c; 297c; 564b; 582c; 593a; 705b; 712a; 749c; 750a; 756a; 836b; 889a; 1127a; 1205a; 1246a; 1247c; 1271a; & 1408c.

Some examples:

b: Other Metres

There are only 29 verses which are not in Siloka metre in this work (2% of the total). They are mainly written in Classical metres of one sort or another.

There is a very rare Upagãti verse in this work, which is a Gaõàcchandas metre:

There is also a verse at 1169 in an unidentified metre which appears to scan as a gaõacchandas metre of some sort or other, but as it is it doesn't fit into any scheme that I am aware of:

Next come the Mattàcchanda-s verses. In this work there is one verse in Vetàlãya metre, though we need to make a number of corrections to the text for it to scan properly: Following Smith (Saddanãti, p. 1156) I correct anunaü to aõuü in line a; then in line c we need to read d›ràsade; & -ñhÏne in line d.⁰⁵

Next there are 2 metres in Addhasamavutta metres:

Aparavatta = 2 (788 & 1401):

Pupphitaggà = 1

The rest are Samavutta metres:

11 syllables:

Upajàti = 5 (126, 376, 767, 1262, This verse has a very irregular break in line c.⁰⁶ 1374).

Indavajirà = 2 (474, 1376)

Dodhaka = 4 (181, 375, 1103, 1226)

Rathoddhatà = 1

Vàtummã = 1

Saïgatà See Smith Saddanãti, p. 1167. In line b the 1st syllable is unexpectedly heavy.⁰⁷ = 1

12 syllables:

Vaüsaññhà = 2 (62, 1394)

Toñaka = 2 (29, 87)

Bhujaïgappayàta = 1

13 syllables:

Mattamayåra = 1

Unidentified = 1 This metre is listed by Smith on p. 1166 of Saddanãti, but he doesn't have a name for it, and I also have been unable to identify it so far.¹⁰

14 syllables:

Vasantatilakà = 1

19 syllables:

Saddålavikkãëita = 1