Petavatthu & Vimanavatthu

Authenticity of Texts
1

Petavatthu and Vimanavatthu, who compiled these scriptures according to classical Theravada?

Venerable Ananda Thera? Or someone else?

I am quite interested to these two scriptures, despite it is more like story-like presentation and not much on core Buddhist doctrines…yet I find it very nourishing, amusing, and hair-raising too.

2

Hi ontheway.
These Commentaries were by Dhammapala.
Really useful and good translations by Peter Masefield( a pali teacher of mine back in the 90s).

1 Like
3

Petavatthu and Vimanavatthu are Atthakatha?

I look into Wikipedia:

I don’t think they were Atthakatha…

4

The verses in PTS translation come along with the Commentary to each verse. The stories that go with the brief verses are from the Commentary.

5

Dear Ontheway,

According to the Preface of the Vimanavatthu Sinhalese Buddha Jayanti Edition,

  • These verses belong to ‘Gatha’ part of Ninefold Teaching (NavangaSatthuSasana).
  • These verses are of two kinds as questions and answers.
  • Answer-verses were given by relevant devas.
  • Question-verses have been asked by the Blesses One, Desciples and Sakka …etc. And the majority was by venerable Maha Moggallana.
  • Venerable Maha Moggallana have had a habit of travelling to heaven and asking the devas what kind of merits they did in order to get their current luxuries. Then Venerable Maha Moggallana tells those stories in front of the Blessed One and the Blessed One preach those to the four clan.
  • Having heard those stories the faithful become encouraged in doing merits
  • Same kind of way was for Petavatthu.

Venerable Ananada was the arahant who was in charge for composing/rehearsing the parts of the Sutta Pitaka at the First Council.

Apart from that, according to the Atthakatha,
The Whole Tipitaka including Atthakatha were composed at the First Council.

dīghassa dīghasuttaṅkitassa, nipuṇassa āgamavarassa;
Buddhānubuddhasaṃvaṇṇitassa, saddhāvahaguṇassa.

Atthappakāsanatthaṃ, aṭṭhakathā ādito vasisatehi;
Pañcahi yā saṅgītā, anusaṅgītā ca pacchāpi.

(Dīghanikāye Sīlakkhandhavaggaṭṭhakathā Ganthārambhakathā)

The commentary intended to explain the meaning of the
noble Long Collection, that scripture distinguished for its
long discourses, subtle of meaning, praised by Buddha and
his apostles, possessed of the qualities that sustain faith,'—the
commentary, I. say, upon this Scripture was at the first
Council rehearsed by five hundred holy elders^ and in later
times rehearsed again and yet again.

(On the Origin of the Buddhist Arthakathas - L. C. VIJASINHA, R. C. CHILDERS)

May The Triple Gem Bless You All.

1 Like
6

Thank you for the information.