Mahā Aṭṭhakathā untranslated

Mahā Aṭṭhakathā. The oldest and most important of the Commentaries on the Tipiṭaka, brought, according to tradition, to Ceylon by Mahinda, who translated it into Sinhalese (Cv.xxxvii.228f). It thus came to be called the Sīhalaṭṭhakathā. Besides exegetical material on the Pāli Canon, it contained also historical materials on which were later based the Pāli Chronicles, the Mahā Vaṁsa and the Dīpavaṁsa. For a description see Geiger’s Dīpavaṁsa and Mahavaṁsa, pp. 44, 63, etc.

The Mahā Aṭṭhakathā was the chief source from which Buddhaghosa drew his materials for his Commentaries and is often referred to in his works, particularly in the Samantapāsādikā, e.g., Vin-a.i.2; ii.494; 265; iii.537, 616, 617, 627, 701, 716, 718, 726; iv. 744, 776, 783, 817, 863, 914, 923; Dhs-a.157; DN­a.i.180, etc.

The Mahā Aṭṭhakathā was in charge of the monks of the Mahā Vihāra at Anurādhapura. It was superseded by the Commentaries of Buddhaghosa, Dhammapāla and others, and is not now extant. It is often referred to merely as Aṭṭhakathā, e.g., Vibh­a.56, 155, 200, etc.