Dighanikaya 1.1_5

1.1_5

Avadhāraṇatthena – ‘‘etadaggaṃ, bhikkhave, mama sāvakānaṃ bhikkhūnaṃ bahussutānaṃ yadidaṃ ānando, gatimantānaṃ, satimantānaṃ, dhitimantānaṃ, upaṭṭhākānaṃ yadidaṃ ānando’’ti (a. ni. 1.223). Evaṃ bhagavatā – ‘‘āyasmā ānando atthakusalo, dhammakusalo, byañjanakusalo, niruttikusalo, pubbāparakusalo’’ti (a. ni. 5.169). Evaṃ dhammasenāpatinā ca pasatthabhāvānurūpaṃ attano dhāraṇabalaṃ dassento sattānaṃ sotukāmataṃ janeti – ‘evaṃ me sutaṃ’, tañca kho atthato vā byañjanato vā anūnamanadhikaṃ, evameva na aññathā daṭṭhabba’’nti.

In the sense of ascertainment: ‘This is the foremost, monks, of my disciple monks who are learned, namely Ānanda; of those who have good retention, who are mindful, who are resolute, who are attendants, namely Ānanda’ (AN 1.223); and as praised by the General of the Dhamma: ‘Venerable Ānanda is skilled in meaning, skilled in the Dhamma, skilled in phrasing, skilled in linguistic analysis, and skilled in sequence’ (AN 5.169)—showing his power of retention in accordance with that praise, he generates in beings a desire to listen: ‘“Thus have I heard,” and that, moreover, neither deficient nor redundant in meaning or phrasing; just so, not otherwise, should it be regarded.’