Dependent Origination

Source for Sanskrit text: Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon (Abhidharmakośabhāṣyam, Chapter 3)

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Rebirth and the Stream of Existence

Verse 18

Sanskrit Text

नात्मास्ति स्कन्धमात्रं तु क्लेशकर्माभिसंस्कृतम्।
अन्तराभवसंतत्या कुक्षिमेति प्रदीपवत्॥१८॥

Transliteration

nātmāsti skandhamātraṃ tu kleśakarmābhisaṃskṛtam |
antarābhavasaṃtatyā kukṣimeti pradīpavat || 18 ||

Translation

There is no soul (self); there is only a grouping of aggregates conditioned by defilements and actions. Through the continuity of the intermediate state (Antarābhava), it enters the womb like the flame of a lamp.

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Verse 19

Sanskrit Text

यथाक्षेपं क्रमाद्‍वृद्धः सन्तानः क्लेशकर्मभिः।
परलोकं पुनर्याति इत्यनादिभवचक्रकम्॥१९॥

Transliteration

yathākṣepaṃ kramād‍vṛddhaḥ santānaḥ kleśakarmabhiḥ |
paralokaṃ punaryāti ityanādibhavacakrakam || 19 ||

Translation

Gradually grown according to its projection by defilements and actions, the stream of existence (Santāna) goes again to the next world. Thus, the wheel of existence is without beginning.

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The 12 Links (Nidānas) across Three Lifetimes

Verse 20

Sanskrit Text

स प्रतीत्यसमुत्पादो द्वादशाङ्गस्त्रिकाण्डकः।
पूर्वापरान्तयोर्द्वे द्वे मध्येऽष्टौ परिपूरिणः॥२०॥

Transliteration

sa pratītyasamutpādo dvādaśāṅgastrikāṇḍakaḥ |
pūrvāparāntayordve dve madhye’ṣṭau paripūriṇaḥ || 20 ||

Translation

That Dependent Origination has twelve links and three stages. There are two links each in the past and future ends, and eight in the middle for completeness.

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Verse 21

Sanskrit Text

पूर्वक्लेशा दशाऽविद्या संस्काराः पूर्वकर्मणः।
संधिस्कन्धास्तु विज्ञानं नामरूपमतः परम्॥२१॥

Transliteration

pūrvakleśā daśā’vidyā saṃskārāḥ pūrvakarmaṇaḥ |
saṃdhiskandhāstu vijñānaṃ nāmarūpamataḥ param || 21 ||

Translation

The past defilements are Ignorance (Avidyā); the past actions are Formations (Saṃskāra). The aggregates at the moment of conception are Consciousness (Vijñāna). Thereafter is Name and Form (Nāmarūpa).

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Verse 22

Sanskrit Text

प्राक् षडायतनोत्पादात् तत्पूर्वं त्रिकसंगमात्।
स्पर्शः प्राक्‍सुखदुःखादिकारणज्ञानशक्तिततः॥२२॥

Transliteration

prāk ṣaḍāyatanotpādāt tatpūrvaṃ trikasaṃgamāt |
sparśaḥ prāk‍sukhaduḥkhādikāraṇajñānaśaktitaḥ || 22 ||

Translation

[Name and Form lasts] until the arising of the Six Sense Bases (Ṣadāyatana). Prior to the meeting of the three (sense, object, and consciousness) is Contact (Sparśa). It exists before the capacity to distinguish the causes of pleasure, pain, and so on.

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Verse 23

Sanskrit Text

वित्तिः प्राक् मैथुनात् तृष्णा भोगमैथुनरागिणः।
उपादानं तु भोगानां प्राप्तये परिधावतः॥२३॥

Transliteration

vittiḥ prāk maithunāt tṛṣṇā bhogamaithunarāgiṇaḥ |
upādānaṃ tu bhogānāṃ prāptaye paridhāvataḥ || 23 ||

Translation

Feeling (Vedanā) exists prior to sexual union. Craving (Tṛṣṇā) belongs to one attached to enjoyment and union. Clinging (Upādāna) is the running around to obtain those enjoyments.

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Verse 24

Sanskrit Text

स भविष्यत् भवफलं कुरुते कर्म तत् भवः।
प्रतिसंधिः पुनर्जातिः जरामरणमा विदः॥२४॥

Transliteration

sa bhaviṣyat bhavaphalaṃ kurute karma tat bhavaḥ |
pratisaṃdhiḥ punarjātiḥ jarāmaraṇamā vidaḥ || 24 ||

Translation

The action (Karma) that produces the fruit of future existence is Becoming (Bhava). Re-connection [in the next life] is Birth (Jāti). Up to the feeling [of decay] is Old Age and Death (Jarāmaraṇa).

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Classification of the Links

Verse 25

Sanskrit Text

आवस्थिकः किलेष्टोऽयं प्राधान्या त्त्वङ्गकीर्तनम्।
पूर्वापरान्तमध्येषु संमोहविनिवृत्तये॥२५॥

Transliteration

āvasthikaḥ kileṣṭo’yaṃ prādhānyā ttvvaṅgakīrtanam |
pūrvāparāntamadhyeṣu saṃmohavinivṛttaye || 25 ||

Translation

This division is intended to be situational. The links are named based on their dominance in those stages. This is taught to dispel delusion regarding the past, future, and middle periods.

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Verse 26

Sanskrit Text

क्लेशास्त्रीणि द्वयं कर्म सप्त वस्तु फलं तथा।
फलहेत्वभिसंक्षेपो द्वयोर्मध्यानुमानतः॥२६॥

Transliteration

kleśāstrīṇi dvayaṃ karma sapta vastu phalaṃ tathā |
phalahetvabhisaṃkṣepo dvayormadhyānumānataḥ || 26 ||

Translation

Three links are defilements (Kleśa), two are actions (Karma), and seven are the actual result (Vastu/Phala). Thus, the summary of cause and result is inferred for the two (past and future) from the middle eight.

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Verse 27

Sanskrit Text

क्लेशात् क्लेशः क्रिया चैव ततो वस्तु ततः पुनः।
वस्तु क्लेशाश्च जायन्ते भवाङ्गानामयं नयः॥२७॥

Transliteration

kleśāt kleśaḥ kriyā caiva tato vastu tataḥ punaḥ |
vastu kleśāśca jāyante bhavāṅgānāmayaṃ nayaḥ || 27 ||

Translation

From defilement arise defilement and action; from action arises the result; from that result, the result and defilement arise again. This is the method of the links of existence.

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Technical Definitions

Verse 28

Sanskrit Text

हेतुरत्र समुत्पादः समुत्पन्नः फलं मतम्।
विद्याविपक्षो धर्मोऽन्योऽविद्याऽमित्रानृतादिवत्॥२८॥

Transliteration

heturatra samutpādaḥ samutpannaḥ phalaṃ matam |
vidyāvipakṣo dharmo’nyo’vidyā’mitrānrṛtādivat || 28 ||

Translation

Here, “Origination” (Samutpāda) is the cause; “Originated” (Samutpanna) is considered the result. Ignorance is a distinct state opposed to knowledge, like an “enemy” (non-friend) or a “lie” (non-truth).

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Verse 29

Sanskrit Text

संयोजनादिवचनात् कुप्रज्ञा चेन्न दर्शनात्।
दृष्टेस्तत्संप्रयुक्तत्वात् प्रज्ञोपक्लेशदेशनात्॥२९॥

Transliteration

saṃyojanādivacanāt kuprajñā cenna darśanāt |
dṛṣṭestatsaṃprayuktatvāt prajñopakleśadeśanāt || 29 ||

Translation

Since it is called a “fetter,” Ignorance is not merely “bad wisdom,” nor is it a “view” (Dṛṣṭi), because views are associated with it, and it is taught as a secondary affliction of wisdom.

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Verse 30

Sanskrit Text

नाम त्वरूपिणः स्कन्धाः स्पर्शाः षट् संनिपातजाः।
पञ्चप्रतिघसंस्पर्शः षष्ठोऽधिवचनाव्हय॥३०॥

Transliteration

nāma tvarūpiṇaḥ skandhāḥ sparśāḥ ṣaṭ saṃnipātajāḥ |
pañcapratighasaṃsparśaḥ ṣaṣṭho’dhivacanāvhaya || 30 ||

Translation

“Name” refers to the non-material aggregates. “Contacts” are of six types, born from the meeting [of sense, object, and consciousness]. Five are contacts of physical resistance; the sixth is called “designation” (mental contact).

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Verse 31

Sanskrit Text

विद्याविद्येतरस्पर्शाः अमलक्लिष्टशेषिताः।
व्यापादानुनयस्पर्शौ सुखवेद्यादयस्त्रयः॥३१॥

Transliteration

vidyāvidyetarasparśāḥ amalakliṣṭaśeṣitāḥ |
vyāpādānunayasparśau sukhavedyādayastrayaḥ || 31 ||

Translation

There are contacts associated with knowledge, ignorance, or neither; as well as pure, defiled, and the rest. There are also contacts of aversion, attraction, and the three feelings (pleasure, etc.).

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Verse 32

Sanskrit Text

तज्जाः षड्‍वेदनाः पञ्च कायिकी चैतसी परा।
पुनश्चाष्टादशविधा सा मनोपविचारतः॥३२॥

Transliteration

tajjāḥ ṣad‍vedanāḥ pañca kāyikī caitasī parā |
punaścāṣṭādaśavidhā sā manopavicārataḥ || 32 ||

Translation

From those contacts arise six types of Feeling. Five are physical (bodily); the other is mental. Furthermore, it is of eighteen kinds based on the way the mind explores objects.

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Summary

( Kleśa ) $\to$ ( Karma ) $\to$ ( Vastu / Phala ) $\to$ ( Back to Kleśa )

Category (Path)	Sanskrit Term	The Specific Links (Nidānas)	Total
Defilements	Kleśa	1. Avidyā (Ignorance) 8. Tṛṣṇā (Craving) 9. Upādāna (Clinging)	3
Actions	Karma	2. Saṃskāra (Formations) 10. Bhava (Becoming)	2
Results / Objects	Vastu / Phala	3. Vijñāna (Consciousness) 4. Nāmarūpa (Name & Form) 5. Ṣaḍāyatana (Six Senses) 6. Sparśa (Contact) 7. Vedanā (Feeling) 11. Jāti (Birth) 12. Jarāmaraṇa (Old Age/Death)	7