sage, seer, wise man, usually appositionally nom. mantā “as a sage,” “like a thinker,” a form which looks like a fem. and is mostly explained as such by the Commentaries Mantā has also erroneously been taken as instr. of manta, or as a so-called ger. of manteti, in which latter two functions it has been explained at “jānitvā.” The form has evidently puzzled the old commentators as early as the Niddesa; through the Abhp (153 979) it has come down at mantā “wisdom” to Childers Kern,

Toevoegselen

s. v. hesitates and only comes half near the truth. The Index to Pj. marks the word with? SN.i.57 (+ dhīra; translation “firm in doctrine”); Snp.159 (“in truth,” opp. to musā; Snp-a.204 explains m. = paññā; tāya paricchinditvā bhāsati), Snp.916 (mantā asmī ti, explained at Snp-a.562 by “mantāya”), Snp.1040 = Snp.1042 (= Cnd.497 mantā vuccati paññā etc.); Vv.63#6 (explained as jānitvā paññāya paricchinditvā Vv-a.262)
■ Besides this form we have a shortened manta (nom.) at Snp.455 (akiñcano +), which is explained at Snp-a.402 as mantā jānitvā It is to be noted that for manta-bhāṇin at Snp.850 the Mnd.219 reads mantā and explains customarily by “mantāya pariggahetvā vācaṃ bhāsati.”

n. ag. of mant, cp. Sk. *mantṛ a thinker