‘‘So panesa visuddhimaggo kena kato, kadā kato, kattha kato, kasmā kato, kimatthaṃ kato, kiṃ nissāya kato, kena pakārena kato, kissa sakalaloke patthaṭo’’ti.

Tattha kena katoti ācariyabuddhaghosattheravarena tepiṭakasaṅgahaṭṭhakathākārena kato.

Kadā katoti amhākaṃ bhagavato sammāsambuddhassa sakalalokanāthassa parinibbutikālato pacchā dasame vassasatake (973 -buddhavasse) kato.

Kattha katoti sīhaḷadīpe anurādhapure mahāvihāre kato.

Kasmā katoti visuddhikāmānaṃ sādhujanānaṃ tadadhigamupāyaṃ sammāpaṭipattinayaṃ ñāpetukāmatāsaṅkhātena attano ajjhāsayena sañcoditattā, saṅghapālattherena ca ajjhesitattā kato.

Ettha pana ṭhatvā ācariyabuddhaghosattherassa uppatti kathetabbā, sā ca mahāvaṃse (cūḷavaṃsotipi voharite dutiyabhāge) sattatiṃsamaparicchede pannarasādhikadvisatagāthāto (37, 215) paṭṭhāya bāttiṃsāya gāthāhi pakāsitāyeva. Kathaṃ? –

Mahāvaṃsa-buddhaghosakathā

Vijjā-sippa-kalā-vedī, tīsu vedesu pāragū.

Sammā viññātasamayo, sabbavādavisārado;

Vādatthī jambudīpamhi, āhiṇḍanto pavādiko.

Vihārameka’māgamma, rattiṃ pātañjalīmataṃ;

Parivatteti sampuṇṇa-padaṃ suparimaṇḍalaṃ.

Tattheko revato nāma, mahāthero vijāniya;

‘‘Mahāpañño ayaṃ satto, dametuṃ vaṭṭatī’’ti, so.

‘‘Ko nu gadrabharāvena, viravanto’’ti abravi;

‘‘Gadrabhānaṃ rave atthaṃ, kiṃ jānāsī’’ti āha taṃ.

‘‘Ahaṃ jāne’’ti vutto so, otāresi sakaṃ mataṃ;

Puṭṭhaṃ puṭṭhaṃ viyākāsi, viraddhampi ca dassayi.

‘‘Tena hi tvaṃ sakaṃ vāda-motārehī’’ti codito;

Pāḷi’māhā’bhidhammassa, attha’massa na so’dhigā.

Āha‘‘kasse’sa manto’’ti,‘‘buddhamanto’’ti so’bravi;

‘‘Dehi metaṃ’’ti vutte hi, ‘‘gaṇha pabbajja taṃ’’iti.

Mantatthī pabbajitvā so, uggaṇhi piṭakattayaṃ;

Ekāyano ayaṃ maggo, iti pacchā ta’maggahi.

Buddhassa viya gambhīra-ghosattā naṃ viyākaruṃ;

Buddhaghosoti ghoso hi, buddho viya mahītale.

Tattha ñāṇodayaṃ[ñāṇodayaṃ nāmapakaraṇaṃ idāni kuhiñcipi na dissati;] nāma, katvā pakaraṇaṃ tadā;

Dhammasaṅgaṇiyākāsi, kacchaṃ so aṭṭhasāliniṃ[idāni dissamānā pana aṭṭhasālinī sīhaḷadīpikāyeva; na jambudīpikā; parato (54-55 piṭṭhesu) esa āvibhavissati].

Taṃ disvā revato thero, idaṃ vacanamabravi.

‘‘Pāḷimattaṃ idhānītaṃ, natthi aṭṭhakathā idha [ettha sagībhittayārūḷhā moggaliputtatissattherassa santikā uggahitā sissānusissaparamparātatā mūlaṭṭhakathā kasmā jambudīpe sabbaso antarahitāti vimaṃsitabbaṃ];

Tathācariyavādā ca, bhinnarūpā na vijjare.

Sīhaḷaṭṭhakathā suddhā, mahindena matīmatā;

Saṅgītittayamārūḷhaṃ, sammāsambuddhadesitaṃ.

Sāriputtādigītañca, kathāmaggaṃ samekkhiya;

Katā sīhaḷabhāsāya, sīhaḷesu pavattati.

Taṃ tattha gantvā sutvā tvaṃ, māgadhānaṃ niruttiyā;

Parivattehi, sā hoti, sabbalokahitāvahā’’.

Evaṃ vutte pasanno so, nikkhamitvā tato imaṃ;

Dīpaṃ āgā imasseva [idassevāti imasseva mahānāmarañño kāle 953-975 buddhavasse; ayañca vassaparicchedo sīhaḷarājavaṃsaṃ nissāya dassito; yuropiyavicakkhaṇānaṃ pana matena 941-964 buddhavasse iti veditabbo; evamuparipi;], rañño kāle mahāmati.

Mahāvihāraṃ sampatto, vihāraṃ sabbasādhunaṃ;

Mahāpadhānagharaṃ gantvā, saṅghapālassa santikā.

Sīhaḷaṭṭhakathaṃ sutvā, theravādañca sabbaso;

‘‘Dhammassāmissa esova, adhippāyo’’ti nicchiya.

Tattha saṅghaṃ samānetvā, ‘‘kātuṃ aṭṭhakathaṃ mama;

Potthake detha sabbe’’ti, āha, vīmaṃsituṃ sa taṃ.

Ettha dassehi, taṃ disvā, sabbe demāti potthake’’ [234-5 gāthāsu ayamatthayojanā– ‘‘tattha mahāvihāre saṃghaṃ mahānetvā saṃgha sannipātaṃ kāretvā ācariyapubbaddhaghoso evamāha ‘aṭṭhakathaṃ kātuṃ sabbe pāḷi-aṭṭhakathā-potthake mama dethā’ti; so saṃgho taṃ vīmaṃsituṃ saṃyuttanikāyato ‘antojaṭā’tiādikaṃ ca ‘sīle patiṭṭhāyā’tiādikaṃ cāti gāthādvayaṃ tassa adāsi ‘ettha tava sāmatthiyaṃ ñāṇappabhāvaṃ dasseti; taṃ disvā sabbe potthake demā’tivatvā’’ti; iminā pana ayamatthā dassito hoti ‘‘ācariya buddhaghoso visuddhimaggaṃ karonto tadeva gāthādvayaṃ oloketvā, kiñcipi aññaṃ potthakaṃ anoloketvā akāsī’’ti; tassa panatthassa yuttāyuttavicāraṇā parato (39-49-piṭṭhesu) āgamissati].

Piṭakattaya’mettheva, saddhiṃ aṭṭhakathāya so;

Visuddhimaggaṃ nāmā’kā, saṅgahetvā samāsato.

Tato saṅghaṃ samūhetvā, sambuddhamatakovidaṃ;

Mahābodhisamīpamhi, so taṃ vācetu mārabhi.

Devatā tassa nepuññaṃ, pakāsetuṃ mahājane;

Chādesuṃ potthakaṃ sopi, dvattikkhattumpi taṃ akā [238 gāthāya ayamattho– ‘‘devatā tassa buddhaghosassa nepuññaṃ nipuṇaññāppasāvaṃ mahājanassa pakāsetuṃ tena likhitaṃ visuddhimaggapotthakaṃ chādesuṃ paṭicchādetvā apassiyabhāvaṃ pāpetvā ṭhapesuṃ; sopi buddhaghoso dutiyampi taṃ likhi, tampi devatā chadesuṃ; tatiyampi likhī’’ti; tena vuttaṃ ‘‘dvattikkhattumpi taṃ akā’’ti; idameva mahāvaṃsavacanaṃ nissāya vittāretvā kathitāya buddhaghosuppattiyā nāma kathāla ekaratteneva visuddhimaggassa tikkhattumpi likhitvā niṭṭhāpitabhāvo pakāsito; īdisī pana kathā bahūnaṃ vimhayajananīpi parikkhakānaṃ saṃsayajananī hoti; tasmā imissāpi vicāraṇā parato (47-8-piṭṭhesu) dassiyissati].

Vācetuṃ tatiye vāre, potthake samudāhaṭe;

Potthakadvaya’maññampi, saṇṭhapesuṃ tahiṃ marū.

Vācayiṃsu tadā bhikkhū, potthakattaya’mekato;

Ganthato atthato vāpi, pubbāparavasena vā.

Theravādehi pāḷīhi, padehi byañjanehi vā;

Aññathattamahū neva, potthakesupi tīsupi.

Nissaṃsayaṃ’sa metteyyo, iti vatvā punappunaṃ.

Saddhiṃ aṭṭhakathāyā’dā, potthake piṭakattaye;

Ganthākare vasanto so, vihāre dūrasaṅkare.

Parivattesi sabbāpi, sīhaḷaṭṭhakathā tadā;

Sabbesaṃ mūlabhāsāya, māgadhāya niruttiyā.

Sattānaṃ sabbabhāsānaṃ, sā ahosi hitāvahā;

Theriyācariyā sabbe, pāḷiṃ viya ta’maggahuṃ.

Atha kattabbakiccesu, gatesu pariniṭṭhitiṃ;

Vandituṃ so mahābodhiṃ, jambudīpaṃ upāgamī’’ti [so mahābodhi vandituṃ jambudīpaṃ upāgamīti idaṃ vacanaṃ purimavacanehi asaṃsaṭṭhaṃ viya hoti; pubbe hi ‘‘ācariyabuddhaghoso bodhimaṇḍasamīpe jāto’’ti ca, ‘‘sīhaḷadīpaṃ gantvā sīhaḷaṭṭhakathāyo māgadhabhāsāya parivattehīti tassācariyena revatattherena vutto’’ti ca vuttaṃ; tasmā idhāpi ācariyabuddhaghosassa pavatti tadanurūpā ‘‘tā bhāsāparivattitaṭṭhakathāyo ādāya sāsanujjotanatthaṃ jambudīpaṃ upāgamī’’ti evamādinā sāsanujjotanamūlikā eva bhavituṃ arahati, na pana mahābodhivandanamūlikāti].

Ayañca pana mahāvaṃsakathā 1950 - kharistavasse hābadamahāvijjālayamuddaṇayante romakkharena mudditassa visuddhimaggapotthakassa purecārikakathāyaṃ ‘‘anekānettha atthi vicāretabbānī’’ti vatvā dhammānandakosambīnāmakena vicakkhaṇena vicāritā. Tamettha yuttāyuttavicinanāya dassetvā anuvicāraṇampissa karissāma.