Aguttaranikaya

The Anguttara nikAya is the fourth collection of discourses in PAli ßutta piTaaka. It is a collection of dhamma according to numerical significant order; therefore it is called gradual discourses. It is called gradual, because it goes up number by number (aGgena aGgam uttaram gacchanti`ti aGguttara).

     

       The åGguttara nikAya constitutes an important source book on Buddhist psychology and ethics, which provides enumerated summery of all the essential features concerning the theory and the practice of the dhamma. It is divided into sections ñipAtas, PaNNAsas and Vaggas. There are eleven ñipAtas, twenty-seven PaNNasas, hundred eighty-four Vaggas and the Commentator Ven. Buddhaghosa says that there are nine thousand five hundred fifty-six discourses (9558) in this nikAya. There is a vast gap between two numbers. We don’t know for sure whether commentator Ven. Buddhaghosa had a different copy of åGguttara nikAya at his time but, while later scholar found there are only six thousand five hundred ninety-four suttas (6594) could find he is the scholar Ven. åP. Buddhatta, Sri Lanka. When he calculated that he could not find number of nipAtas in EkanipAta, number of discourses in PaJcakanipAta, number of nipAta in ßattakanipAta and number of nipAta in last the EkadasanipAta others could not.  In below char is according to Ven. Buddhatta thera’s calculation.

      In those nipAtas the dhammas were explained and grouped in accordance to the factors of dhamma, whatever was preached in regarding one factors were put in EkanipAta. In this nipAta the important is that the eighty great disciples’ qualities record. And whatever in factors two in ∂ukanipAta, three are like three characteristics, three trainings TikanipAta, so on in this manner the all dhammas which are in numeral classified thus. 

ñipAta	PaNNAsa	Vagga	ßutta
EkanipAta	-	27	668
∂ukanipAta	3	17	468
TikanipAta	3	18	342
CatukanipAta	5	28	782
PaJcakanipAta	6	26	-
ChakanipAta	2	12	664
ßattakanipAta	-	11	1132
åTThakanipAta	2	10	626
ñavakanipAta	2	10	432
∂asakanipAta	4	22	782
EkadasakanipAta	-	3	689