vidhā

  1. mode, manner, sort, kind; proportion, form, variety DN.iii.103 (ādesana˚); Thig.395 (cakkhu˚ “shape of an eye” translation); Vb-a.496 (in expln of kathaṃ-vidha: “ākāra-saṇṭhānaṃ vidhā nāma”) DN-a.i.222 (iddhi˚), DN-a.i.294 (in expln of tividha-yañña “ettha vidhā vuccati ṭhapanā” i.e. performance arrangement), DN-a.i.299 (similarly tisso vidhā = tīṇi ṭhapanāni of yañña)
    ■ Used as (abl.) adv. vidhā in meaning “variously” at Pv.ii.9#52 (C. expln = vidhātabba, not quite correctly; Pv-a.135). Perhaps the phrase vidhāsamatikkanta is to be explained in this way, viz “excelling in a variety of ways, higher than a variety (of things)” or perhaps better: “going beyond all distinctions” (i.e. of personality); free from prejudice [i.e. No. 2] SN.ii.253; SN.iii.80, SN.iii.136, SN.iii.170; AN.iv.53.
  2. (ethically) in special sense: a distinctive feature (of a person as diff. from others), a “mode” of pride or delusion, a “form” of conceit. As such specified as three kinds of conceit (tisso vidhā), viz. “seyyo ’ham asmi,” “sadiso ’ham asmi,” & “hīno ’ham asmi (i.e. I am better than somebody else, equal to, & worse than somebody else). See e.g. DN.iii.216; SN.i.12; SN.iii.48 SN.iii.80, SN.iii.127; SN.v.56, SN.v.98; Mnd.195; Vb.367; Snp.842; Vb-a.496 (māno va vidhā nāma)
    ■ The adj. form is vidha: see sep.

cp. Sk. vidhā