The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Lakkha*a (nt.) [Vedic lak+man nt. sign; adj. lak+ma*a; later Sk. lak+ma*a nt. In the defn of grammarians
syn. with anka brand, e. g. Dhtp 536 "anka lakkha*e lakkha dassane," or Dhtm 748 "lakkha=dassanaanke";
cp. J i.451 lakkha*ena anketi to brand. The Sk. Np. Lak+ma*a appears also in Prk. as Lakkha*a:
Pischel, Prk. Gr. § 312] 1. sign, characteristic, mark; esp. a sign as implying something extraordinary or
pointing to the future, therefore a prognosticative mark (cp. talisman), a distinguishing mark or salient
feature, property, quality (as Rh. D. in Dial. i.19 somewhat lengthily, after Bdhgh, trsls lakkha*a by "signs
of good & bad qualities in the foll. things and of the marks in them denoting the health or luck of their
owners") D i.9 (a long list, as forbidden practice of fortune -- telling, like ma*i˚ from jewels, da*.a˚ from
sticks, asi˚ from marks on swords etc.); Sn 360 (pl. lakkhan!, here as fortune -- telling together with supina
telling fr. dreams, cp. SnA 362: da*.a˚, vattha˚ etc. referring to D i.9), 927 (with 4thabbana, supina &
nakkhatta, all kinds of secret sciences; expld at SnA 564 as "ma*i -- lakkha*âdi") 1018 (gotta' br(hi sa˚
"with its distinguishing marks"); J vi.364 (sign of beauty); Miln 171 (yath!va˚ just characterization); Mhvs
35, 109 (itthi˚ auspicious signs in women); PvA 161, 219; SnA 386. A long enumn of all sorts of (perfect)
marks (tatha -- lakkha*!ni) is found at DA i.62 sq. Cp. t!di -- lakkha*a marks of such (a being), with ref. to
good luck etc. J iii.98; SnA 200; VvA 95. -- 2. mark on the body, esp. when serving a def. purpose, e. g. as
the branding (of slaves), or the marks of a fortunate being, pointing towards his future greatness: (a) brand J
i.451, cp. cpd. ˚!hata. -- (b) the (32) marks of a mah! -- purisa or a great being, either destined to be a r!j!
cakkavatti, or a samm! -- sambuddha. These are given at Sn 1019 (pl. lakkhan!), 1021, 1022 as only 3 (viz.
mukha' jivh!ya ch!deti, u**' assa bhamuk' antare, kos' ohita' vattha -- guyha' with ref. to his tongue, the
hair between the eyebrows & the sexual organ); more completely as 32 at D ii.16 sq.; iii.142 sq. (the
Lakkha*a Suttanta); referred to at D i.88, 105; J i.56; Mhvs 5, 91; cp. paripu**a -- k!ya Sn 548 (with expln
lakkha*ehi pu**at!ya at SnA 452). -- 3. (in spec. sense:) pudendum J v.197 (subha˚, the male member),
366. -- 4. (adj.) ( -- ˚) having the marks (of), characterized by, of such & such character A i.102 (kamma˚;
b!la˚ & pa*.ita˚, together with b!la -- & pa*.itanimitta); Miln 111 (sata -- puñña˚, of the Buddha); VvA 71
(para -- sampatti -- usuyy! -- lakkha*! iss!); PvA 17, 120. -- 5. (as t. t. in philosophy) specific attribute,
characteristic (mark). In contrast to nimitta more a substantial attribute or primary characteristic (cp. VbhA
261). Compared with other terms of definition we get the foll.: rasa essential property, paccupa&&h!na
recurring phenomenon, padat&h!na immediate occasion DhsA 63 (trsln Expos. i.84), cp. Cpd. 13 (where
pada&&h!na is trsld as "proximate cause"). -- Ps i.54 sq. (khandh!na'); ii.108 (sacc!na'), VbhA 85, 136
(with ref. to the Pa&iccasamupp!da, cp. Vism 528), 261 (fourfold, of kes! etc.); Vism 278 (with ref. to
kamma&&h!na) 351 (4, of the dh!tus: thaddha˚, !bandhana˚, parip!cana˚, vitthambhana˚), 363 sq. (id.), 495
(ariya -- sacc!na'); VvA 38 (compd with !ramma*a with ref. to jh!na). -- The 3 properties (tilakkha*a') of
existing things or of the phenomenal world are anicca, dukkha, anatta, or impermanence, suffering,
unreality: thus at J i.48 (dhamma -- desan! ti -- l -- ˚mutt!), 275; iii.377 (through contemplating them arises
vipassan! & pacceka -- bodhi -- ñ!*a). -- abl. lakkha*ato "by or qua characteristic," "in its essential
qualification," often found in exegetical analysis in Commentary style combd with var. similar terms
(atthato, kamato, nimittato etc.), e. g. Vism 351, 363, 495, 528; VbhA 46, 76, 83, 131, 261 (where Vism
351 has parip!cana for u*hatta); SnA 343. -- Cp. upa˚, vi˚, sa˚.
-- 579 --
-- !hata affected with a mark (of punishment or disgrace), branded Vin i.76; VvA 66. -- kusala clever at
interpreting bodily marks or at fortune -- telling from signs (cp. nemittaka) M i.220; J i.272. -- kusalat!
cleverness at (telling people's fortune by) signs VvA 138. -- pa&igg!haka one who reads the signs, a
soothsayer, wise man J i.56. -- p!&haka an expert in (interpreting) signs, fortune -- teller J i.455; ii.194;
v.211. -- manta the secret science of (bodily) marks Sn 690 (but expld at SnA 488 as "lakkha*!ni ca ved!
ca," thus taking it as Dvandva); DhA iii.194. -- sampatti excellency of marks J i.54. -- sampanna endowed
with (auspicious) signs Sn 409; J i.455. the 3 lakkha*as at Sn 1022 refer to the brahmin B!vari.
Lakkhika & ˚ya
Lakkhika & ˚ya (adj.) [fr. lakkh"] belonging to auspices, favoured by good luck Sdhp 105 (˚ya); usually
neg. alakkhika unlucky, unfortunate, ill -- fated; either with appa -- puñña of no merit, e. g. S v.146=J ii.59;
Vv 508 (= nissir"ka, k!laka**i VvA 212); or p!pa wicked Vin ii.192 (of Devadatta).