A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s3.t2.328

v2.c19.s3.t2.328

**11. Niddesa**,^2) "Explanation," is the title of a commentary, which has already been mentioned, on sections of the Suttanipāta. It consists of the Mahā-Niddesa, the "Great Explanation," containing the commentary on the Aṭṭhakavagga, and the Culla-Niddesa, the "Short Explanation," which explains the Khaggavisāṇa-Sutta (Suttanipāta I, 3) as well as the Pārāyana. The inclusion of this commentary in the canon can certainly be due merely to its great antiquity in comparison to other Pāli commentaries. Indeed, we learn from the Niddesa how the sacred texts were explained at the lessons, in ancient times.³ Grammatical and lexical explanations go hand in hand with instruction in the dogma. Important technical expressions are explained with reference to the doctrine, and passages from canonical texts are frequently quoted for this purpose. In order to explain a word, a long list of synonyms is given, and this is repeated every time the same word occurs. It is easy to understand how, in this way, these lists of words were impressed on the memory. Probably they formed the foundation for later dictionaries.