lakkhaṇa

  1. sign, characteristic mark; esp. a sign as implying something extraordinary or pointing to the future, therefore a prognosticative mark (cp. talisman), a distinguishing mark or salient feature, property, quality (as Rh. D. in Dial. i.19 somewhat lengthily, after Bdhgh, trsls lakkhaṇa by “signs of good & bad qualities in the foll. things and of the marks in them denoting the health or luck of their owners”) DN.i.9 (a long list, as forbidden practice of fortune-telling, like maṇi˚ from jewels, daṇḍa˚ from sticks, asi˚ from marks on swords etc.); Snp.360 (pl lakkhanā, here as fortune-telling together with supina telling fr. dreams, cp. Snp-a.362: daṇḍa˚, vattha˚ etc referring to DN.i.9), Snp.927 (with Āthabbana, supina nakkhatta, all kinds of secret sciences; explained at Snp-a.564 as “maṇi-lakkhaṇâdi”), Snp.1018 (gottaṃ brūhi sa “with its distinguishing marks”); Ja.vi.364 (sign of beauty); Mil.171 (yathāva˚ just characterization) Mhvs.35, Mhvs.109 (itthi˚ auspicious signs in women); Pv-a.161, Pv-a.219; Snp-a.386. A long enumn of all sorts of (perfect) marks (tatha-lakkhaṇāni) is found at DN-a.i.62 sq. Cp. tādi-lakkhaṇa marks of such (a being) with ref. to good luck etc. Ja.iii.98; Snp-a.200; Vv-a.95

  2. mark on the body, esp. when serving a def purpose, e.g. as the branding (of slaves), or the marks of a fortunate being, pointing towards his future greatness:

    1. brand Ja.i.451, cp. cpd. -āhata
    2. the (32 marks of a mahā-purisa or a great being, either destined to be a rājā cakkavatti, or a sammā-sambuddha. These are given at Snp.1019 (pl. lakkhanā), Snp.1021, Snp.1022 as only 3 (viz. mukhaṃ jivhāya chādeti, uṇṇ’ assa bhamuk antare, kos’ ohitaṃ vattha-guyhaṃ with ref. to his tongue, the hair between the eyebrows & the sexual organ); more completely as 32 at DN.ii.16 sq.; DN.iii.142 sq (the Lakkhaṇa Suttanta); referred to at DN.i.88, DN.i.105; Ja.i.56; Mhvs.5, Mhvs.91; cp. paripuṇṇa-kāya Snp.548 (with expln lakkhaṇehi puṇṇatāya at Snp-a.452).
  3. (in spec. sense:) pudendum Ja.v.197 (subha˚, the male member), Ja.v.366.

  4. (adj.) (-˚) having the marks (of) characterized by, of such & such character AN.i.102 (kamma˚; bāla˚ & paṇḍita˚, together with bāla-paṇḍitanimitta); Mil.111 (sata-puñña˚, of the Buddha); Vv-a.71 (para-sampatti-usuyyā-lakkhaṇā issā); Pv-a.17, Pv-a.120.

  5. (as t. t. in philosophy specific attribute, characteristic (mark). In contrast to nimitta more a substantial attribute or primary characteristic (cp. Vb-a.261). Compared with other terms of definition we get the foll.: rasa essential property, paccupaṭṭhāna recurring phenomenon, padatṭhāna immediate occasion Dhs-a.63 (translation Expos. i.84) cp. Cpd. 13 (where padaṭṭhāna is trsld as “proximate cause”)
    ■ Pts.i.54 sq. (khandhānaṃ); Pts.ii.108 (saccānaṃ) Vb-a.85, Vb-a.136 (with ref. to the Paṭiccasamuppāda, cp Vism.528), Vb-a.261 (fourfold, of kesā etc.); Vism.278 (with ref. to kammaṭṭhāna), Vism.351 (4, of the dhātus: thaddha˚ ābandhana˚, paripācana˚, vitthambhana˚), Vism.363 sq (id.), 495 (ariya-saccānaṃ); Vv-a.38 (compd with ārammaṇa with ref. to jhāna)
    ■ The 3 properties (tilakkhaṇaṃ) of existing things or of the phenomenal world are anicca, dukkha, anatta, or impermanence, suffering unreality: thus at Ja.i.48 (dhamma-desanā ti-l-˚muttā) Ja.i.275; Ja.iii.377 (through contemplating them arises vipassanā & pacceka-bodhi-ñāṇa)
    ■ abl.; lakkhaṇato “by or qua characteristic,” “in its essential qualification,” often found in exegetical analysis in Commentary style combined with var. similar terms (atthato, kamato, nimittato etc.), e.g. Vism.351, Vism.363, Vism.495, Vism.528; Vb-a.46 Vb-a.76, Vb-a.83, Vb-a.131, Vb-a.261 (where Vism.351 has paripācana for uṇhatta); Snp-a.343
    ■ Cp. upa˚, vi˚, sa˚.

  • -āhata affected with a mark (of punishment or disgrace), branded Vin.i.76; Vv-a.66.
  • -kusala clever at interpreting bodily marks or at fortune-telling from signs (cp. nemittaka) MN.i.220; Ja.i.272.
  • -kusalatā cleverness at (telling people’s fortune by) signs Vv-a.138.
  • -paṭiggāhaka one who reads the signs, a soothsayer wise man Ja.i.56.
  • -pāṭhaka an expert in (interpreting) signs, fortune-teller Ja.i.455; Ja.ii.194; Ja.v.211
  • -manta the secret science of (bodily) marks Snp.690 (but explained at Snp-a.488 as “lakkhaṇāni ca vedā ca,” thus taking it as Dvandva); Dhp-a.iii.194.
  • -sampatti excellency of marks Ja.i.54.
  • -sampanna endowed with (auspicious) signs Snp.409; Ja.i.455.

the 3 lakkhaṇas at Snp.1022 refer to the brahmin Bāvari. Lakkhika & ya;

Vedic lakṣman nt. sign; adj. lakṣmaṇa; later Sk. lakṣmaṇa nt. In the defn of grammarians syn with aṅka brand, e.g. Dhtp.536 “anka lakkhaṇe lakkha dassane,” or Dhtm.748 “lakkha = dassanaanke”; cp. Ja.i.451 lakkhaṇena anketi to brand. The Sk. Np. Lakṣmaṇa appears also in Prk. as Lakkhaṇa: Pischel, Prk. Gr. § 312