TEXTUAL TRANSMISSION OF THE VAJIRABUDDHIṬĪKĀ: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NIDĀNAVAṆṆANĀ SINHALESE AND BURMESE EDITIONS

Abstract

The Vajirabuddhiṭīkā, the oldest known sub-commentary on the Vinaya Piṭaka, is traditionally attributed to the Most Venerable Vajirabuddhi and is thought to have been composed between the Anurādhapura and Polonnaruwa periods. In his Sāratthadīpanīṭīkā, the later sub-commentator, the Most Venerable Sāriputta, criticized certain interpretations in the Vajirabuddhiṭīkā, noting both its doctrinal conciseness and its incorporation of linguistic features from languages other than Pāli. These characteristics appear to have influenced subsequent generations of scholars, yet no critical edition in Sinhalese script has been published to date. Presently, two principal Burmese-script editions exist: an older word-by-word Burmese translation (Nissaya) and the version printed at the Sixth Buddhist Council (Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana). A comparative study of Sinhalese-script palm- leaf manuscripts reveals notable divergences from the Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana edition. Significantly, the older Nissaya translation aligns more closely with the Sinhalese manuscript tradition, suggesting it preserves an earlier recension of the text. This research undertool a comparative textual analysis of the Nidānavaṇṇanā section across six Sinhalese-script palm-leaf manuscripts, the Burmese Nissaya, and the Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana edition. The findings shed light on the textual transmission of the Vajirabuddhiṭīkā and lay groundwork for a future critical edition in Sinhalese script.