Puññaṁ

neuter merit meritorious action, virtue. Always represented as foundation and condition of heavenly rebirth & a future blissful state, the enjoyment (& duration) of which depends on the amount of merit accumulated in a former existence. With ref. to this life there are esp. 3 qualities contributing to merit, viz., dāna, sīla & bhāvanā or liberality, good conduct & contemplation These are the puñña-kiriya-vatthūni (see below) Another set of; ten consists of these 3 and apaciti, veyyāvacca patti-anuppadāna, abbhanumodanā, desanā savana, diṭṭh’ ujjuka-kamma. The opp. of puñña is either apuñña (DN.iii.119; SN.i.114; SN.ii.82; AN.i.154; AN.iii.412 Sdhp.54, Sdhp.75) or pāpa (Snp.520; Dhp.39; Ne.96; Pv-a.5) The true Arahant is above both (Pv.ii.6#15). See on term also Kvu trsl. 201

1. Passages (selected): DN.iii.58, DN.iii.120; MN.i.404; MN.ii.191, MN.ii.199; SN.i.72; SN.ii.82 SN.iv.190; SN.iv.190; SN.v.53; AN.i.151, AN.i.155 sq.; AN.iii.412; Snp.427 sq., Snp.547, Snp.569, Snp.790; Dhp.18, Dhp.116 sq., Dhp.196, Dhp.220, Dhp.267, Dhp.331, Dhp.412; Mnd.90; Pv.1.²; Pv.i.5#12; Pp.55; Vism.541 (puññānaṃ paccayo duvidhā); Dhp-a.iv.34; Pv-a.6, Pv-a.8 Pv-a.30 Pv-a.69 sq.; Sdhp.4, Sdhp.19 sq
2. Var. phrases & characterisations: Merit is represented as great (uḷāra DN-a.i.110; Pv-a.5; anappaka Pv.i.5#12) or little (paritta DN-a.i.110; appa SN.ii.229); as adj. (-˚) mahā˚ SN.i.191 opp. appa˚ MN.ii.5. puñña is defined at Mnd.90 as follows: “puññaṃ vuccati yaṃ kiñci tedhātukaṃ kusal’ âbhisankhāraṃ; apuññaṃ vuccati sabbaṃ akusalaṃ” It is defined as “dāna-sīl’-ādi-pabheda” “sucaritaṃ kusala-kammaṃ” at Vv-a.19; considered as leading to future happiness: Vv.1#3; Pv-a.58; consisting mainly in dāna (dānamayaṃ p.) Pv-a.8, Pv-a.51, Pv-a.60 Pv-a.66, Pv-a.73, but also in vandana Pv-a.1. To do good puññaṃ (puññāni) karoti DN.i.137; SN.iv.331; AN.v.177; Pv.i.11#9; or pasavati SN.i.182, SN.i.213;

full seldom by itself (only passage so far pannarase puṇṇāya puṇṇamāya rattiyā DN.i.47 = Snp.p.139). nor-(only Snp.835 muttakarīsa˚), usually in compounds, and there mostly restricted to phrases relating to the full moon.

• -ghaṭa a full pitcher (for feeding the bhikkhus, as offering on festive days, cp. J.P.T.S. 1884) Dhp-a.i.147 Kp-a.118 (variant reading suvaṇṇaghaṭa); DN-a.i.140 (˚paṭimaṇḍita ghara).
• -canda the full moon Ja.i.149, Ja.i.267; Ja.v.215
• -patta a full bowl (as gift, ˚ṃ deti to give an ample gift Ja.iii.535.
• -baddha at Mil.191 should be read as ˚bhadda.
• -bala at DN-a.i.110 read puñña-bala.
• -bhadda worshipper of Puṇṇabhadda, perhaps a Yakkha (father of the Yakkha Harikesa) Mnd.92 (Vāsuvadeva, Baladeva P. and Maṇibhadda, cp. p. 89); Mil.191 (pisācā maṇibhaddā p.).
• -mā the full moon (night) DN.i.47 (komudiyā cātumāsiniyā puṇṇāya puṇṇamāya rattiyā cp. DN-a.i.140); Snp.p.139 (similar); MN.iii.21; Ja.v.215 (dve p-māyo); Vism.292 (puṇṇa-m-uposatha = puṇṇa-māuposatha), Vism.418 (Phagguṇa-puṇṇama-divase); Vv-a.66 (āsāḷhi p.); Pv-a.137 (id.); DN-a.i.140; Dhp-a.iii.461 (komudi).
• -māsa = ˚mā only in loc. puṇṇamāse Vv.81#1 (= puṇṇa-māsiyaṃ sukka-pakkhe pannarasiyaṃ Vv-a.314; the similar pass. at Vv-a.321 reads, prob. by mistake, sukka-pakkha-pāṭiyaṃ: see pāṭī); Ja.v.215 (= puṇṇa candāya rattiyā C.).
• -māsī (f.; fr. -māsa) mā Ja.i.86 (Phagguṇi p.); Vv-a.314; cp. BSk. pūrṇamāsī Avs.i.182.

pp. of pṛ; Vedic pṛṇāti, Pass. pūryate, *pelē to fill; cp. Sk. prāṇa & pūrṇa = Av. pərəna; Lith. pílnas Lat. plēnus; Goth fulls = E. full = Ger voll