Vaṭṭa¹

adjective noun

1. round circular; (nt.) circle Pv-a.185 (āyata +); Kp-a.50 (˚nāli). See cpd. -aṅguli.
2. (fig.) “rolling on,” the “round” of existences, cycle of transmigrations, saṃsāra evolution (= involution) (as forward or ascending circle of existences, without implying a teleological idea in contrast to vivaṭṭa “rolling back” or devolution, i.e. a new (descending) cycle of existence in a new aeon with inverted [vi-] motion, so to speak) SN.iii.63; SN.iv.53 (pariyādiṇṇa˚), cp. MN.iii.118; Thag.417 (sabba˚: “all constant rolling on” translation); Snp-a.351 (= upādāna) Dhs-a.238
   ■ There are 3 vaṭṭas, (te-bhūmaka vaṭṭa see also tivaṭṭa) embracing existence in the stages of kamma- vaṭṭa, kilesa˚; and vipāka˚; or circle of deed sin & result (found only in Commentarial literature) Kp-a.189; Snp-a.510 (tebhūmaka˚); Dhp-a.i.289 (kilesa˚), Dhp-a.iv.69 (tebhūmaka˚). See also Māra; and ˚dukkha ˚vivaṭṭa below.
3. “what has been proffered, expenditure, alms (as t. t.) Ja.vi.333 (dāna˚ alms-gift) Dhp-a.ii.29 (pāka˚ cooked food as alms); Vv-a.222 (id.) Mhvs.32, Mhvs.61 (alms-pension); Mhvs.34, Mhvs.64 (salāka-vaṭṭabhatta)
   ■ Cp. vi˚.

• -aṅguli a rounded (i.e. well-formed) finger; adj. having round fingers Vv.64#13 (= anupubbato v., i.e. regularly formed, Vv-a.280); Ja.v.207, Ja.v.215.

• -aṅgulika same as last Ja.v.204.

• -ānugata accompanied by (or affected with) saṃsāra Ja.i.91 (dhana).

• -ūpaccheda destruction of the cycle of rebirths AN.ii.34 = Iti.88; AN.iii.35; Vism.293.

• -kathā discussion about saṃsāra Vism.525; DN-a.i.126; Vb-a.133.

• -kāra a worker in brass. The meaning of vaṭṭa in this connection is not clear; the same vaṭṭa occurs in

• -loha (“round” metal?). Kern

  Toevoegselen

  s. v. compares it with Sk. vardhra leather strap taking vaṭṭa as a corruption of vaḍḍha, but the connection brass → leather seems far-fetched. It is only found at Mil.331.

• -dukkha the “ill” of transmigration (a Commentary expression) Vism.315; Dhp-a.iv.149; Vv-a.116.

• -paṭighātaka (ṃ) (vivaṭṭaṃ) (a devolution destroying evolution, i.e. salvation from saṃsāra Snp-a.106.

• -bhaya fear of saṃsāra Vb-a.256.

• -mūla the root of saṃsāra Dhp-a.iii.278.

• -vivaṭṭa 1 evolving and devolving; going round and back again, i.e. all round (a formation after the manner of reduplicative cpds like cuṇṇa-vicuṇṇa in intensive-iterative meaning) ˚vasena in direct and inverse succession, all round completely Ja.i.75. Cp. also vatta-paṭivatta. 2 saṃsāra in ascending and descending lines, evolution (“involution”) and devolution, or one round of transmigration and the other. It is dogmatically defined at Ne.113 as “vaṭṭaṃ saṃsāro vivaṭṭaṃ nibbānaṃ (similarly, opposed to vaṭṭa at DN-a.i.126) which is however not the general meaning, the vivaṭṭa not necessarily meaning a nibbāna stage. See Snp-a.106 (quoted above); Vv-a.68. We have so far not found any passage where it might be interpreted in the comprehensive sense as meaning “the total round of existences” after the fashion of compounds like bhavâbhava

• -loha “round metal” (?), one of the 3 kittima-lohāni mentioned at Vb-a.63 (kaṃsa˚, vaṭṭa˚, ārakūṭa); also at Mil.267 (with kāḷa˚, tamba˚ & kaṃsa˚, where in the translation Rh. D. does not give a def. explⁿ of the word).

pp. of vṛt, Sk. vṛtta in meaning of “round” as well as “happened, become” etc. The two meanings have become differentiated in Pāli vaṭṭa is not found in meaning of “happened.” All three Pāli meanings are specialized, just as the pres vaṭṭati is specialized in meaning “behoves”

Vaṭṭa²

(“rained”): see abhivaṭṭa and vaṭṭha (vuṭṭha); otherwise only at Dhp-a.ii.265.