________________ Introduction Keeping in view this primary relation of the Dipa and its Vritti with the Kosa and its Bhashya respectively, we may proceed to give in brief the contents of the work. In doing this we will be taking notice only of the more important topics and particularly of those which are either controversial or are not treated in the Bhashya. Adhyaya 1 [Karika 1] The MS. opens with a salutation to the omniscient. The first karika declares that the author will compose a sastra known as the Abhidharma-dipa. The Vritti on this contains a brief survey of the Four Noble Truths, which constitute the central teachings of the Buddha. An etymological discussion of the term Buddha is given to show that he knows all (sarvam, i.e. the twelve ayatanas). Here the Text is very seriously interrupted as not less than 29 folios, containing a major portion of the first and the second pada are lost. These lost folios might have contained a very useful discussion on the meaning of the Abhidharma and a detailed scheme of the dharmas set out in their traditional divisions of asamsklita and samskrita and the latter in the five skandhas, furher divided into the seventy-two categories of the Vaibhashika. This is evident from a subsequent statement : vyakhyatah ashtau padarthah, samsklitah pancha, trayaschasanskritah. [Karikas 2-3] The only point to note here is that the Vritti contains a criticism, in this connection of the Vaiseshika padarthas and the Samkhya prakriti, topics which are not referred to in the Bhashya. [Karikas 4-16] The Vritti now deals with the dyatana and dhatu-vyavastha. The meanings of these two terms are given in almost the same words as in the Bhashya. More detailed information is given about the mano-dhatu and its relation to other vijnana-dhatus. Two Abhidharmika terms, viz., sangraha (collection) and samprayoga (association) are explained in order to extend the scope of such terms as skandha, ayatdna and dhatu
