Piṭaka [cp. Epic Sk. piṭaka, etym. not clear. See also P. peḷā & peḷikā] 1. basket Vin i 225 (ghaṭa p. ucchanga), 240 (catudoṇika p.); Pv iv.333; Vism 28 (piṭake nikkhitta -- loṇa -- maccha -- phāla -- sadisaŋ phaṇaŋ); dhañña˚ a grain -- basket DhA iii.370; vīhi˚ a rice basket DhA iii.374. Usually in combn kuddāḷa -- piṭaka "hoe and basket," wherever the act of digging is referred to, e. g. Vin iii.47; D i.101; M i.127; S ii.88; v.53; A i.204; ii.199; J i.225, 336; DA i.269. -- 2. (fig.) t.t. for the 3 main divisions of the Pāli Canon "the three baskets (basket as container of tradition Winternitz, Ind. Lit. ii.8; cp. peḷā 2) of oral tradition," viz.Vinaya˚, Suttanta˚, Abhidhamma˚; thus mentioned by name at PvA 2; referred to as "tayo piṭakā" at J i.118; Vism 96 (pañca -- nikāya -- maṇḍale tīṇi piṭakāni parivatteti), 384 (tiṇṇaŋ Vedānaŋ uggahaṇaŋ, tiṇṇaŋ Piṭakānaŋ uggahaṇaŋ); SnA 110, 403; DhA iii.262; iv.38; cp. Divy 18, 253, 488. With ref. to the Vinaya mentioned at Vin v.3. -- Piṭaka is a later collective appellation of the Scriptures; the first division of the Canon (based on oral tradition entirely) being into Sutta andVinaya (i. e. the stock paragraphs learnt by heart, and the rules of the Order). Thus described at D ii.124; cp. the expression bhikkhu suttantika vinayadhara Vinii.75 (earlier than tepiṭaka or piṭakadhara). Independently of this division we find the designation "Dhamma" applied to the doctrinal portions; and out of thisdeveloped the 3rd Piṭaka, the Abhidhammap. See also Dhamma C. 1. -- The Canon as we have it comes very near in language and contents to the canon as established at the 3rd Council in the time of King Asoka. The latter was in Māgadhī. -- The knowledge of the 3 Piṭakas as an accomplishment of the bhikkhu is stated in the term tepīṭaka "one who is familiar with the 3 P." (thus at Miln 18; Dāvs v.22; KhA 41 with v. l. ti˚; SnA 306 id.; DhA iii.385). tipetakī (Vin v.3 Khemanāma t.), tipeṭaka (Miln 90), and tipiṭaka -- dhara KhA 91. See also below ˚ttaya. In BSk. we find the term trepiṭaka in early inscriptions (1st centurya.d., see e. g. Vogel, Epigraphical discoveries at Sārnāth, Epigraphia Indica viii. p. 173, 196; Bloch, J. As. Soc. Bengal 1898, 274, 280); the term tripiṭaka in literary documents (e. g. Divy 54), as also tripiṭa (e. g. AvŚ i.334; Divy 261, 505). -- On the Piṭakas in general & the origin of the P. Canon see Oldenberg, in ed. of Vin 1; and Winternitz, Gesch. d. Ind. Litt. 1913, ii.1 sq.; iii.606, 635. -- Cp. peṭaka.

 -- ttaya the triad of the Piṭakas or holy Scriptures SnA 328. -- dhara one who knows (either one or two or all three) the Piṭaka by heart, as eka˚, dvi˚, ti˚ at Vism 62, 99. -- sampadāya according to the P. tradition or on the ground of the authority of the P. M i.520 (itihītiha etc.); ii.169 (id.); and in exegesis of itikirā(hearsay -- tradition) at A i.189=ii.191=Nd2 151.