An encyclopedia of the Buddha's teaching, written by Buddhaghosa at the request of Sanghapála Thera. It is said (Cv.xxxvii.236) that when Buddhaghosa arrived at the Mahávihára and asked permission to translate the Singhalese Commentaries into Páli, the monks, to test him, gave him two stanzas (quoted at the beginning of the book) on which they asked him to write a thesis. As soon as he had finished this, the devas hid the copy, and the same thing happened after it was rewritten. He then rewrote it a third time, and when it was being read in the assembly of monks, the two previous copies suddenly reappeared and were found to agree in every detail with the new one.
For a description of the book, see Law, Hist. of Páli Lit., ii.399f. A Commentary on the work exists, called the Paramatthamańjúsa by Dhammápála (P.L.C. 113; Svd.1231), and a Visuddhimaggaganthipadattha was written by Sáradassí, a monk of Ava. (Sás.116; Bode, op. cit., 56).