Sub-commentaries (Theravāda)

The sub-commentaries (Pali: ṭīkā) are primarily commentaries on the commentaries (Pali: aṭṭhakathā) on the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, written in Sri Lanka. This literature continues the commentaries' development of the traditional interpretation of the scriptures. (Note that some commentaries are apparently also named with the term ṭīkā.) These sub-commentaries were begun during the reign of Parākramabāhu I (1123–1186) under prominent Sri Lankan scholars such as Sāriputta Thera, Mahākassapa Thera of Dimbulagala Vihāra and Moggallāna Thera.

Burmese Collection

The official Burmese collected edition contains the following texts:

Ṭīkās on the Visuddhimagga

• Paramatthamañjusā – A ṭīkā by Dhammapāla on Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga; the identity of this Dhammapāla is debated.

Ṭīkās on the Vinaya Texts

• Three ṭīkās on the Samantapāsādikā (commentary on the Vinaya Piṭaka):
  • Ṭīkā by Vajirabuddhi
  • Sāratthadīpanī by Sāriputta Thera (12th century)
  • Vimativinodanī by Mahākassapa Thera (13th century)
• Two ṭīkās on the Kankhavitarani (commentary on the Pāṭimokkha)

Ṭīkās on the Sutta Commentaries

• Ṭīkās by Dhammapāla on:
  • Sumangalavilasinī (on the Dīgha Nikāya)
  • Papancasudanī (on the Majjhima Nikāya)
  • Saratthapakasini (on the Saṃyutta Nikāya)

- These are generally considered to be by a different Dhammapāla than the author of earlier commentaries.

• Visuddhajanavilāsini – By Nanabhivamsa, head of the Burmese sangha (~1800), a new partial ṭīkā on the Sumangalavilasinī covering only the first volume of the Dīgha Nikāya.

• Saratthamanjusa – By Sāriputta Thera, a ṭīkā on Buddhaghosa’s Manorathapurani (commentary on the Aṅguttara Nikāya).

Ṭīkās and Commentaries on Nettipakaraṇa

• Nettitīkā – ṭīkā on Dhammapāla’s commentary on the Nettipakaraṇa.
• Nettivibhavini – By a 16th-century Burmese author (name varies: Saddhamma-, Samanta-, or Sambandha-pāla). Not a ṭīkā on the existing commentary, but a new commentary on the Netti itself.

Ṭīkās on the Abhidhamma Commentaries

• Mūlatīkā – By Ānanda, on the commentaries of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.
• Anutīkā – A sub-commentary on the Mūlatīkā.

Other Notes

There are other ṭīkās without official recognition—some printed, some preserved in manuscript, and others apparently lost. The term ṭīkā is also applied to commentaries on **non-canonical works**, such as the Mahāvaṃsa. Additionally, there exist various sub-commentaries in **vernacular Burmese and other local languages**.

Extracts from some of these works have been translated, usually alongside translations of the original commentaries.