The study of Variants in the Pali Canon with researching the commentary: A Case Study of Aṅguttara Nikaya Chakkanipāta arahattavagga

Abstract

There are multiple versions of the Pāli Canon currently in circulation. While the overall content remains consistent, variations in specific words can lead to divergent meanings. Comparing and studying these variants across different versions of the Pāli Canon enables the identification of the most probable readings. This article focuses on the comparative analysis and study of the variants “atinipātaṃ” in Arahattasutta and “uttarimanussadhammā” in Uttarimanussadhammasutta from Aṅguttaranikaya Chakkanipāta Arahattavagga. The investigation explores possible variants across four traditions of the Pāli Canon: Sinhalese, Burmese, Khom, and Tham, with additional scrutiny of commentaries.
The study examines sixteen editions of palm-leaf manuscripts and four current editions of the Pāli Canon. It reveals that nine palm-leaf manuscript editions inscribe “atithambhaṃ” instead of “atinipātaṃ,” and five editions inscribe “uttarimanussadhammaṃ” instead of “uttarimanussadhammā,” along with one current edition of the Pāli Canon displaying the same variation. However, all three editions of commentaries analyzed in this article consistently present the words “atinipātaṃ” and “uttarimanussadhammā” in the lemmas. This suggests that “atinipātaṃ” and “uttarimanussadhammā” were present in the Pāli Canon during the era of Pāli Commentary writing. Hence, emphasizing the significance of studying the Pāli Canon alongside research on the Pāli Commentary for achieving the utmost accuracy in understanding the Pāli Canon.