Dighanikaya 1.1_39

1.1_39

Antarā ca rājagahaṃ antarā ca nāḷandanti antarā-saddo kāraṇakhaṇacittavemajjhavivarādīsu dissati. ‘‘Tadantaraṃ ko jāneyya aññatra tathāgatā’’ti (a. ni. 6.44) ca, ‘‘janā saṅgamma mantenti mañca tañca kimantara’’nti (saṃ. ni. 1.228) ca ādīsu hi kāraṇe antarā-saddo. ‘‘Addasa maṃ, bhante, aññatarā itthī vijjantarikāya bhājanaṃ dhovantī’’tiādīsu (ma. ni. 2.149) khaṇe. ‘‘Yassantarato na santi kopā’’tiādīsu (udā. 20) citte. ‘‘Antarā vosānamāpādī’’tiādīsu (cūḷava. 350) vemajjhe. ‘‘Api cāyaṃ, bhikkhave, tapodā dvinnaṃ mahānirayānaṃ antarikāya āgacchatī’’tiādīsu (pārā. 231) vivare. Svāyamidha vivare vattati, tasmā rājagahassa ca nāḷandāya ca vivareti evametthattho veditabbo. Antarā-saddena pana yuttattā upayogavacanaṃ kataṃ. Īdisesu ca ṭhānesu akkharacintakā ‘‘antarā gāmañca nadiñca yātī’’ti evaṃ ekameva antarāsaddaṃ payujjanti, so dutiyapadenapi yojetabbo hoti, ayojiyamāne upayogavacanaṃ na pāpuṇāti. Idha pana yojetvāyeva vuttoti.

‘Between Rājagaha and Nāḷandā’ (antarā ca rājagahaṃ antarā ca nāḷandaṃ): the word ‘antarā’ is found in the senses of cause, moment, mind, middle, space between, and so on. For in such passages as ‘Who could know the reason for that except the Tathāgata?’ and ‘People assemble and deliberate, what is the reason between me and you?’, the word ‘antarā’ is in the sense of cause. In ‘Venerable sir, a certain woman saw me in the flash of lightning while washing a vessel,’ it is in the sense of a moment. In ‘Within whose mind there are no angers,’ it is in the sense of the mind. In ‘He fell into ruin midway,’ it is in the sense of the middle. In ‘Moreover, monks, this Tapodā river comes through the space between two great hells,’ it is in the sense of a space between. Here, it occurs in the sense of a space between; therefore, the meaning should be understood as: ‘in the space between Rājagaha and Nāḷandā’. Because of its connection with the word ‘antarā’, the accusative case is used. In such instances, grammarians employ only a single word ‘antarā’, as in ‘He goes between the village and the river’ (antarā gāmañca nadiñca yāti); it must be connected with the second word as well; if it is not connected, it does not take the accusative case. Here, however, it is stated having already connected it.