The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Puñjati is a variant of puñchati (q. v.).
Puñña
Puñña (nt.) [cp. (late) Vedic pu*ya favourable, good; etym. not clear, it may be dialectical. The word is
expld by Dhammap!la as "sant!na' pun!ti visodheti," i. e. cleaning the continuation (of life) VvA 19, thus
taken to pu. The expln is of course fanciful] 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., d!na, s"la & bh!van! or liberality, good conduct & contemplation.
These are the puñña -- kiriya -- vatth(ni (see below). Another set of ten consists of these 3 and apaciti,
veyy!vacca, patti -- anuppad!na, abbhanumodan!, desan!, savana, di&&h' ujjuka -- kamma. The opp. of
puñña is either apuñña (D iii.119; S i.114; ii.82; A i.154; iii.412; Sdhp 54, 75) or p!pa (Sn 520; Dh 39; Nett
96; PvA 5). The true Arahant is above both (Pv ii.615). See on term also Kvu trsl. 201. -- (a) Passages
(selected): D iii.58, 120; M i.404; ii.191, 199; S i.72; ii.82; iv.190; iv.190; v.53; A i.151, 155 sq.; iii.412; Sn
427 sq., 547, 569, 790; Dh 18, 116 sq., 196, 220, 267, 331, 412; Nd1 90; Pv 1.2; i.512; Pug 55; Vism 541
(puññ!na' paccayo duvidh!); DhA iv.34; PvA 6, 8 30, 69 sq.; Sdhp 4, 19 sq. -- (b) Var. phrases &
characterisations: Merit is represented as great (u)!ra DA i.110; PvA 5; anappaka Pv i.512) or little (paritta
DA i.110; appa S ii.229); as adj. ( -- ˚) mah!˚ S i.191, opp. appa˚ M ii.5. puñña is defined at Nd1 90 as
follows: "puñña' vuccati ya' kiñci tedh!tuka' kusal' âbhisankh!ra'; apuñña' vuccati sabba' akusala'. " It
is defined as "d!na -- s"l' -- !di -- pabheda" & "sucarita' kusala -- kamma'" at VvA 19; considered as
leading to future happiness: Vv 13; PvA 58; consisting mainly in d!na (d!namaya' p.) PvA 8, 51, 60, 66,
73, but also in vandana PvA 1. To do good= puñña' (puññ!ni) karoti D i.137; S iv.331; A v.177; Pv i.119;
or pasavati S i.182, 213; A i.89; ii.3 sq.; iii.244; v.249, 282; PvA 121, cp. puñña' pasuta' Pv i.512; VvA
289. Other phrases: ˚' !kankhati S i.18, 20; pava..hati S i.33; corehi duhara' S i.36; puññ!na' vip!ko A
iv.89; !gamo S iii.209 iv.349; opadhika' S i.233; It 78; pur!*a' & nava' S i.92; saya' kat!ni puññ!ni S
i.37; puññassa dh!r! S i.100; v.400. -- atthika desirous of merit Sn 487 sq. -- ânubh!va the majesty of merit
PvA 58. -- âbhisankh!ra accumulation of merit D iii.217; S ii.82; Nd1 90, 206, 442; Vism 557 sq., 571;
VbhA 142 sq., 166, 184. -- âbhisanda (+kusalâbhisanda) meritorious results A ii.54 sq.; iii.51, 337; iv.245.
-- assaya seat of merit DA i.67. -- iddhi the magic power of m. PvA 117. -- kata one who has done a deed
of m. A ii.32. -- kamma good works, righteousness, merit S i.97, 143; DA i.10; VvA 32; PvA 54, 87; Sdhp
32. -- k!ma (adj.) desirous of doing good works S v.462. -- kiriy! a good or meritorious action S i.87
(˚kriy!), 101; PvA 54; usually as ˚kiriyavatthu item of m. action (of which 3 are usually enumd: see above)
D iii.218; A iv.241; It 51; Nett 50, 128. -- kkhandha mass of merit (only as mah!˚) S v.400; A iii.337. --
kkhaya decay (or waning of the effect) of merit D i.18 (cp. !yukkhaya & DA i.110). -- kkhetta field of m.,
Ep. of the Sangha or any holy personalities, doing good (lit. planting seeds of merit) to whom is a source of
future compensation to the benefactor. Usually with adj. anuttara unsurpassed field of m. (see also sangha)
D iii.5, 227; M i.446; iii.80; S i.167, 220; v.343, 363, 382; A i.244; ii.34 sq., 56, 113; iii.158, 248, 279 sq.,
387; iv.10 sq., 292; It 88; Sn 486; Vv 5031 (cp. VvA 216); Pv iv.133 (of a bhikkhu); Vism 220; VvA 286;
PvA 1 (ariyasangha), 5 (Moggall!na), 6 (arahanto), 132, 140, 214 and passim. Cp. BSk. pu*yak+etra Divy
63, 395 (+ud!ra). -- pa&ipad! the meritorious path, path of m. A i.168; Nett 96. -- pasavana creation of m.
PvA 31. -- pekkha looking for merit (i. e. reward), intent upon m. S i.167; Sn 463 sq., 487 sq.; Dh 108 (cp.
DhA ii.234). -- phala the fruit (or result) of m. action S i.217; Pug 51; DhA ii.4; PvA 8, 50, 52. -- bala the
power of m. PvA 195. -- bh!ga taking part in meritorious action S i.154. -- bh!giya having share in m. M
iii.72 sq.; Nett 48. -- maya=puñña J iv.232 (˚iddhi); cp. BSk. puñyamaya Av- i.183.
Puññavant
Puññavant (adj.) [fr. puñña] possessing merit, meritorious, virtuous Ps ii.213; Vism 382; DhA i.340; PvA
75.
Pu&a