by G. P. Malalasekera
D.Litt., PhD., M.A. (Lond.), O.B.E.
Revised by Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
June 2025
Note to the Revised Edition
This is not a verbatim transcript of DPPN, but has been modified in many ways. Because of that it should not be quoted without checking the printed text. If you want to understand the changes that have been made expand the section below.
The entries have their annotation integrated, rather than at the end of the entry.
Sometimes the text was out of order, this has been corrected here.
Addendum, which were published seperately, have been included at the proper place.
I have made some additions to the original text, mainly translations and explanations, these are marked in purple text and marked as Added.
I have made some vocabulary changes, such as Dhamma for Doctrine & Law, suffering for Ill, jhāna for trance, etc., these are marked in darkred text and marked as Modified.
Names ending in words like -vagga, -sutta, -kathā, etc. have been joined to the name, so, e,g, Indriyasutta (Not Indriya Sutta). However if the name is declined the ending is separated, e.g. Indriyāni Sutta.
I have sometimes added variants to the title that are recorded in the entry, or added common English forms, so, e.g. Akitti (v.l.Akatti); Pacceka Buddha, Pacceka Buddhas.
Titles have generally been expanded, rather than left to be inferred, e.g. “Uttiya or Uttika Sutta” becomes Uttiyasutta or Uttikasutta.
Emboldened are names found in the head word section of the entry (here coloured green).
Foreign words, abbreviations and phrases are italicised.
As there are a number of versions of this text, sometimes the numbering is out of sequence.
The General Note by C. A. F. Rhys Davids, and the Preface and the Note on the Use of the Dictionary by G. P. Malalasekera can be found in the PDFs.
Standardisation for Easier Lookup
Names have sometimes been standardized for easier lookup: for instance, when a Buddha is named it is always written as Name Buddha, e.g. Dīpaṅkara Buddha, rather than as “the Buddha Dīpaṅkara.”
Mahā and Cūḷa have been separated from the name in all cases except when in sandhi. So Mahā Vana, Mahā Moggallāna, Mahā Vaṁsa, etc. but Mahārāma.
Cūḷa is treated the same: Cūḷa Vagga; Cūḷa Niddesa, Cūḷa Anāthapiṇḍika, etc. but Cūḷābhaya.
Cūḷa was written in many different ways in the original publication: Culla, Cūla, Cūḷa, here it is always the latter: Cūḷa, with the original spelling given in blue text, with dotted underline, e.g. Cūḷa Summa, Cūla Summa.
If anyone sees any mistakes please do write to me at anandajoti@gmail.com and I will see to the corrections.
AN=Aṅguttara Nikāya, 5 vols. (PTS).
AN-a=Manorathapūraṇī, Aṅguttara Commentary, 2 vols. (SHB).
Abhidh-s=Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha (PTS Journal, 1884).
Anāg=Anāgatavaṁsa (PTS Journal, 1886).
Ap=Apadāna, 2 vols. (PTS).
Ap-a=Apadāna Commentary (SHB).
Avś=Avadāna Śataka, ed. Speyer (Bibl. Buddhica).
Barua, History of Pre-Buddhist Indian Philosophy (Calcutta).
Beal, Romantic Legend of the Buddha (Kegan Paul).
Beal-Xuan, Buddhist Records of the Western World (Kegan Paul).
Bode, The Pali Literature of Burma (RAS).
Brethren, Psalms of the Brethren, by Mrs. Rhys Davids (PTS).
Bv=Buddhavaṁsa (PTS).
Bv-a=Buddhavaṁsa Commentary (SHB).
CAGI=Cunningham’s Ancient Geography of India, ed. Majumdar (Calcutta). CNid=Culla-Niddesa (PTS).
Codrington, Short History of Sri Lanka.
Compendium, Compendium of Philosophy (PTS).
Cunningham, Ancient Geography of India.
Cv=Cūlavaṁsa, ed. Geiger, 2 vols. (PTS).
Cv.Trs.=Cūlavaṁsa, translated by Geiger, 2 vols. (PTS).
Cp=Cariyāpiṭaka (PTS).
Cp-a=Cariyāpiṭaka Commentary (SHB).
Dial=Dialogues of the Buddha, 3 vols. (Oxford).
DN=Dīgha Nikāya, 3 vols. (PTS).
DN-a=Sumaṅgala Vilāsinī, 3 vols. (PTS).
Dāth=Dāṭhāvaṁsa (PTS Journal, 1884).
Dhp-a=Dhammapadaṭṭhakathā, 5 vols. (PTS).
Ds=Dhammasaṅgani (PTS).
Ds-a=Atthasālinī (PTS).
Dpv=Dīpavaṁsa, ed. Oldenberg (Williams and Norgate).
Divy=Divyāvadāna, ed. Cowell and Neill (Cambridge).
Ep. Zey=Epigraphia Zeylanica (Oxford).
ERE=Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.
Geog=Geography of Early Buddhism.
Giles: Travels of Fa Hsien (Cambridge).
GS=Gradual Sayings, 5 vols. (PTS).
Gv=Gandhavaṁsa (PTS Journal, 1886).
IHQ=Indian Historical Quarterly (Calcutta).
Ind.An.=Indian Antiquary.
Iti=Itivuttaka (PTS).
Iti-a=Itivuttaka Commentary (PTS).
Ja=Jātaka, ed. Fausboll, 5 vols.
JA=Journal Asiatique.
Jm= Jātakamālā.
JPTS=Journal of the Pali Text Society.
JRAS=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.
Khp-a=Khuddakapāṭha Commentary (PTS).
KS=Kindred Sayings, 5 vols. (PTS).
Kvu=Kathāvatthu (PTS).
Lal=Lalita Vistara, ed. S. Lefmann.
Law, Kṣatriya Clans in Buddhist India.
Law, Geography of Early Buddhism.
Law, Pāli Literature.
Law, Ancient Geography of India.
Law, Life and Work of Buddhaghosa.
MN=Majjhima Nikāya, 3 vols. (PTS).
MN-a=Papañcasūdanī, Majjhima Commentary, 2 vols. (Aluvihāra Series, Colombo).
Mbv=Mahābodhivaṁsa (PTS).
Mhv=Mahāvaṁsa, ed. Geiger (PTS).
Mhv.Trs.=Mahāvaṁsa Translation, by Geiger (PTS).
Mil=Milindapañha, ed. Trenckner (Williams and Norgate).
MNid=Mahā Niddesa, 2 vols. (PTS).
MNid-a=Mahā Niddesa Commentary (SHB).
Mhv-ṭ=Mahāvaṁsa Ṭīkā (PTS).
Mvu=Mahāvastu, ed. Senart, 3 vols.
Netti=Nettippakaraṇa (PTS).
Nid-a. see MNid-a.
PTSPED=Pali Text Society, Pali-English Dictionary.
PHAI=Political History of Ancient India, by Chaudhuri, 2nd. ed. (Calcutta).
PLC=The Pāli Literature of Ceylon, by Malalasekera (R.A.S.).
Ps=Paṭisambhidāmagga, 2 vols. (PTS).
Ps-a=Paṭisambhidāmagga Commentary (SHB).
PTS means published by the Pāli Text Society.
Pug=Puggalapaññatti (PTS).
Pv=Petavatthu (PTS).
Pv-a=Petavatthu Commentary (PTS).
Ras= Rasavāhinī.
RAS means Royal Asiatic Society.
Rockhill, Life of the Buddha (Kegan Paul).
SBE=Sacred Books of the East.
SN=Saṁyutta Nikaya, 5 vols. (PTS).
SN-a=Sāratthappakāsinī, Saṁyutta Commentary.
Saddhamma-s=Saddhammasaṅgaha (PTS Journal, 1890).
Sās=Sāsanavaṁsa (PTS).
SHB means published in the Simon Hewavitarne Bequest Series (Colombo).
Sisters=Psalms of the Sisters, by Mrs. Rhys Davids (PTS).
Sp=Samantapāsādikā, 4 vols. (PTS).
Snp=Sutta Nipāta (PTS).
Snp-a=Sutta Nipāta Commentary, 2 vols. (PTS).
Svd=Sāsanavaṁsadīpa, by Vimalasāra Thera (Colombo, 1929).
Thag=Theragāthā (PTS).
Thag-a=Theragāthā Commentary, 2 vols. (SHB).
Thīg=Therīgāthā (PTS).
Thīg-a=Therīgāthā Commentary (PTS).
Thomas=The Life of Buddha (Kegan Paul).
Ud=Udāna (PTS).
Ud-a=Udāna Commentary (PTS).
Vibh-a=Sammoha-Vinodanī, Vibhaṅga Commentary (PTS).
Vin=Vinaya Piṭaka, 5 vols., ed. Oldenberg (Williams and Norgate).
Vsm=Visuddhimagga, 2 vols. (PTS).
VT=Vinaya Texts, trs. by Rhys Davids and Oldenberg, 3 vols. (SBE).
Vv=Vimānavatthu (PTS).
Vv-a=Vimānavatthu Commentary (PTS).
ZDMG=Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft.
Latin Abbreviations c.f. = conferre, refer to c.p. = compare loc. cit. = loco citato, in the place cited q.v. = quod videre, regarding which see sic. = sic erat scriptum = “thus was it written s.v. = sub verbo (under the word) v.l. = variant reading.
If you prefer the work in PDF, EPUB or MOBI format, there are three versions of the text: a Complete edition; an extraction of the material about the Jātakas, and another of the material from the Vaṁsa literature.
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