Atthasālinī


Atthasālinī, also known as the Dhammasaṅgaṇī-aṭṭhakathā, is one of the Theravadin Buddhist commentaries on the Dhammasangani, the first book of the Abhidhamma Pitaka. It was composed by Buddhaghosa, based on a Sinhalese commentary known as the Mahāpaccarī. The title has been translated as "The Expositor" or "Providing the Meaning".
In addition to explaining technical terminology of Buddhist psychology—such as cetasika, rūpa, and nibbāna—the Atthasālinī also preserves information on history, geography, and doctrinal interpretation. It is widely studied among Abhidhamma students and is one of Buddhaghosa’s most well-known works.

Authorship

In the colophon of the text it is clearly stated that Buddhaghosa composed the work. According to his biography, while residing at the monastery of his teacher Revata, Buddhaghosa first composed the Ñānodaya and then intended to write the Atthasālinī on the Dhammasangani as well as commentaries on the Paritta. Revata, however, advised him to travel to Sri Lanka to consult the Sinhalese commentaries that had been composed by Mahinda and other elders based on the original recitations of the Councils.
Buddhaghosa then went to Sri Lanka and retranslated the old Sinhalese commentaries—originally rendered from Pali into Sinhalese—back into Pali. This suggests the Atthasālinī may have been begun in India but completed in Sri Lanka. Scholars indicate it was composed after the Samantapāsādikā, which was compiled c. 384–430 CE in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

Content

The content of the Atthasālinī is both doctrinal and encyclopedic. It expands on the Abhidhamma Pitaka with elaborate explanations and contextual discussions.

Mental factors

Within the Atthasālinī, Buddhaghosa systematically explains the fifty-two mental factors listed in the Dhammasangani.

Doctrinal significance

The commentary defines and classifies dhammas comprehensively. It presents discussions on resultant consciousness according to different elders, and cites descriptions of the mind’s nature from texts such as the Milindapañha attributed to Nāgasena.
For example, it defines citta as that which cognizes objects, comparing it to a city-guard who examines those who enter and recognizes whether they are local or foreign.
It also explains bodily, verbal, and mental actions. For instance, an intention to kill deer that is not carried out is not yet bodily action, but is still described as unwholesome mental misconduct.

Encyclopedic information

The text also records the history of Abhidhamma transmission, historical figures, and geographic details such as rivers and places.

Related works

The Atthasālinī was translated into various languages in Theravāda Buddhist countries. In the 17th century CE, Manirathana Thera translated it into Burmese.
Later sub-commentaries include:
  • Līnatthajotanā – a sub-commentary on the Dhammasangani by Ānanda of Sri Lanka.
  • Līnatthapakāsinī – an anuṭīkā by Ānanda of Sri Lanka.
  • Atthasālinī-aṭṭhayojanā – a yojana by Ñāṇakitti Thera in Chiang Mai, Lan Na, c. 1485–1500 CE.
  • Kuyhattadīpanī – a kaṇṭhī on the Dhammasangani by Sāradasī.

    Translations

  • Buddhaghosa; tr. Pe Maung Tin, The Expositor, Pali Text Society