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Contribution of Śramaņas to the Indian ..... : 83 employed in the wording of the rule. The rule is sometimes further illustrated by reference to cases, which come within it, and to others, which form exceptions to it. The collection is also called Suttavibhanga and is divided into two parts, the Bhikkhuvibhanga and Bhikkhuņi-vibhanga.”
The second book of the Abhidhammapițaka is known as Vibhangappakarana. As regards it Malalasekera again opines. “It deals in a general way with the different categories and formulas given in the Dhammasanaha, though different methods of treatment are used. The book is divided into eighteen chapters, each of which is called a Vibhanga. Each chapter has three portions: Suttatabhajanīya, Abhidhammabhajanīya and Paņhapucchā or list of questions. The commentary on the Vibhanga is called Sammohavinodini”. 24
Niddesa
The term Niddesa is the name of a commentarial work ascribed to Sāriputta. It is included in the canon as the eleventh book of the Khuddakanikāya. Rhys Davids, without suggesting any etymology of the term gives two meaning as follows -
(a) Description and (b) Descriptive exposition by way of question and answer. The Niddesa, which explains certain suttas of the Suttanipāta, consists of two parts - Cullaniddesa and Mahāniddesa. The former contains exposition of the Khaggaviņāna sutta of the Uragavagga and the sixteen Suttas of the Parayanavagga, while the latter comprises comments on the sixteen Suttas of the Atthakavagga. It may be noted that the Cullaniddesa deals, on the one hand, with the third Sutta of the first Vagga (Uragavagga) and also comments on the sixteen Suttas of the last Vagga, i.e. the Parayanavagga, on the other. But it is really surprising as it does make no mention of the fifty six introductory verses (Vatthugāthā) prefixed to the Parayanavagga. These aspects of the Niddesa prompted
