Treasury of the Abhidharma with Commentary (Abhidharmakosa with Bhashya)

The word He who refers to the Buddha, the Blessed One. The darkness of this one is destroyed, or by this one [the darkness is destroyed], thus He is the Destroyer of Darkness. He is the Destroyer of Darkness in every way and regarding everything, meaning He is The One who has Altogether and in Every Way Destroyed Darkness. For ignorance is—

The phrase He who refers to the Buddha, the Blessed One means that although the word "who" original: "yat" is a general pronoun, it functions here with a specific meaning because it is linked to specific qualifiers. For example: "The one among these priests who is fair-skinned and wears white is Devadatta." Similarly, in this context: "He who has altogether and in every way destroyed darkness, who has lifted the world from the mire of cyclic existence; having bowed to Him..." the word "He who" refers specifically to the Buddha, the Blessed One. Because no one other than a Buddha can possess such specific qualities, the author explains: "He who" refers to the Buddha, the Blessed One.

Regarding the word Buddha The Awakened One, the grammatical suffix ktaA Sanskrit suffix used to form past passive participles, but here analyzed for its agency. is applied in the active sense. He is called Buddha because of the "blossoming" of his intellect; it means He is "fully expanded" or Wide-awake. It is like saying, "The lotus has blossomed." Alternatively, He is called Buddha because He has moved away from the sleep of Ignorance avidyāThe fundamental misunderstanding of reality that keeps beings trapped in suffering.; it means He is Awakened. It is like saying, "The man has woken up."

Others say the suffix is used in the sense of "one who does the action for himself." In this view, Buddha means "one who awakens by himself."

We also see no fault in applying the suffix in the passive sense. In that case, Buddha means "One who is known [as the Awakened One]" by other Buddhas, because He is perfect in all virtues and free from all faults.

The inclusion of the second title, The Blessed One BhagavanA title of high respect, often translated as 'Lord' or 'Blessed One,' implying one who possesses majesty and fortune., is intended to prevent any possibility of disrespect. In worldly language, names used without titles—like "Devadatta" or "Datta"—are seen as showing a lack of proper honor. However, the teachers of the Vinaya-VibhashaA major analytical commentary on monastic discipline. propose a four-fold classification:
1. One may be a Buddha but not a Bhagavan: A PratyekabuddhaA 'Solitary Realizer' who attains enlightenment on their own but does not teach others. can be called a "Buddha" because they are self-awakened, but they are not called "Bhagavan" because they lack the full accumulation of merit and generosity. Only one who possesses great majesty is called "Bhagavan."
2. One may be a Bhagavan but not a Buddha: A BodhisattvaA being dedicated to attaining Buddhahood for the sake of all others. in their final birth has perfected the ParamitasTranscendental virtues such as generosity and patience. like generosity, but has not yet reached full awakening.
3. One who is Both a Buddha and a Bhagavan.
4. One who is Neither.
By setting aside these other categories, the author uses both descriptors: The Buddha, the Blessed One.

The darkness of this one is destroyed or by this one [darkness is destroyed], thus He is the Destroyer of Darkness. In the first grammatical interpretation original: "ṣaṣṭhī-bahuvrīhi", we must supply the word "Path" as the agent that did the destroying. In the second interpretation original: "tṛtīyā-bahuvrīhi", the "Path" is the instrument by which He destroyed it.

Another teacher says: Two different grammatical analyses are shown because the root han meaning 'to strike' or 'to go' has two meanings. When we say "the darkness of this one is destroyed," the root han is used in the sense of "going"; it means "His darkness has gone away." When the second interpretation is used, the root han is used in the sense of "killing/striking"; it means "darkness was struck down by Him." Having combined the final two words into a single term, he then forms a compound: Destroyer of Darkness regarding everything, which becomes Universal Destroyer of Darkness. In this specific compound structure, the word "destroyed" does not come first.

One might wonder which grammatical rule allows this specific compound. It is formed by the rule "Saptami-shaundaih" original: Pāṇini 2.1.40; a rule allowing compounds with words like 'skilled' or 'accustomed to'.. The term "Destroyer of Darkness" is included in the list of words that follow this rule.