Discrepancies in metta sutta pali text

[Pasanna]

Yesterday I was reading the bilinear ebook of the SuttaNipata, specifically the Karaniyamettasutta and noticed that there were two differences in the Pali from how i had memorised it. Figuring I had learned it incorrectly I pulled out my copy of Bhavana Vandana and our house chanting to compare. The Suttacentral version was the odd one out. I am wondering why?

2.4 Appagabbho kulesvananugiddho.
vs Appagabbho kulesu ananugiddho.

9.2 Sayāno yāvatāssa vitamiddho;
vs Sayāno vā yāvat’assa vigatamiddho

Thanks

[stephen]

Dear Venerable,

Looking at the 6th Council edition, Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana Tipiṭaka, I see:

appagabbho kulesvananugiddho
and
sayāno yāvatāssa vitamiddho [vigatamiddho (bahūsu)].

The first variant seems like a type of sandhi of ‘kulesu ananugiddho’.

In the second, I don’t understand the reason, but it seems it should be read
‘nisinno vā sayāno vā yāvat’assa vigatamiddho’.

Looking at the Buddha Jayanthi Tipiṭaka via accesstoinsight, I find:

appagabbho kulesu ananugiddho

and

nisinno vā sayāno vā yāvatassa vigatamiddho

I see in my PTS paper edition a footnote (12) stating a Burmese manuscript omits vā between sayāno and yāvat’assa

[Pasanna]

I can partially answer my own question, after pulling down the print edition of the PTS.

@stephen is on the mark with kulesu ananugiddho with the PTS marking it as a variation which appears in the Burmese MS from the Phayre Collection (Bi).

There are no notes for the second question regarding vigatamiddho.

I even took my investigations as far as trying to find the right sinhala print volume. My Sinhala reading is pretty amateur and after lots of scanning it turns out we don’t have that volume on our shelf!

[mikenz66]

Here Bhante @Sujato discusses a different error in the same sutta…

Mother and child simile, "mātā yathā niyaṃputta, māyusā ekaputtamanurakkhe"

Ahh Theravadins; they’re so triggered by emotions. Well, first thing is that the Pali text on SC has this rather embarrassing mistake in these lines. It should be: Mātā yathā niyaṃputtam āyusā ekaputtamanurakkhe; It is caused by the way the MS editors created the line breaks. In the source VRI edition it is correct, they have niyaṁ puttamāyusā. Worse, the MS editors added punctuation, which does not belong here at all, and they did so inconsistently, using comma in kp9 and dash in snp1.8. …

[stephen]

For this line CST has,

Mātā yathā niyaṃ puttamāyusā ekaputtamanurakkhe

and the BJT via access to insight has

Mātā yathā niyaṃ puttaṃ āyusā ekaputtamanurakkhe

My PTS paper copy has

Matā yathā niyaṃ puttaṃ
āyusā ekaputtam anurakkhe,

They seem essentially the same and correct.

[JDavid]

Hello Ven. @Pasanna and @stephen,

My Pali isn’t good enough to understand the semantic implications of this, but the variants shown by suttacentral are incomplete for line 2.4 but, perhaps, not for 9.2, since the latter shows the insertion of ga as a variant, whereas the former only shows a variant va->vā.

David

[stephen]

@JDavid Hi David,

“since the latter shows the insertion of ga as a variant”

I’m not sure what is meant by this.

The line should read: sayāno vā yāvatassa vigatamiddho, as found in BJT and PTS.
where the last word is vigata + middho. (devoid of sleepiness)

The CST version, ‘vitamiddho’ doesn’t seem to make sense- what is ‘vita’?

[JDavid]

Hello @stephen,

In yor post (quoted below), you ask what I meant by,
“since the latter shows the insertion of ga as a variant”. If you set “show as sidenotes” under “views” you will see, “Variant: vitamiddho → vigatamiddho (bahūsu).”

I would guess that “vita” is “vīta” with shortening presumably for metrical reasons. But I don’t understand Pali poetry well enough to be sure.

David.

@stephen

@JDavid Hi David,

“since the latter shows the insertion of ga as a variant”

I’m not sure what is meant by this.

The line should read: sayāno vā yāvatassa vigatamiddho, as found in BJT and PTS.
where the last word is vigata + middho. (devoid of sleepiness)

The CST version, ‘vitamiddho’ doesn’t seem to make sense- what is ‘vita’?

[stephen]

@JDavid

I would guess that “vita” is “vīta” with shortening presumably for metrical reasons. But I don’t understand Pali poetry well enough to be sure.

I see- I hadn’t thought of that but I think you are right.
In fact PED gives under vīta:
“In meaning and use cp. vigata”

Thanks!

[sujato]

@Pasanna

The Suttacentral version was the odd one ou

Most of the points have been covered, but worth bearing in mind that the PTS editions typically use the Sinhala readings as the mainline, and refer to others, whereas the MS text on SC uses the Burmese readings.