The Role of Contextual Clues in Interpreting Pali Texts: A Study with Special reference to the Saddasāratthajālinī

Most words have more than one meaning, which can be discerned through reference to dictionaries. However, when such words are used within a sentence, they do not simultaneously convey all the meanings listed in the dictionary. Instead, the specific meaning is determined by the context in which they appear. Consequently, contextual clues become essential for accurately understanding the intended meaning of ambiguous terms within a sentence. Without an understanding of these contextual indicators, it is impossible to fully grasp the author’s intended meanings. To address this challenge, several ancient Indian philosophical schools systematically identified and analyzed contextual clues to resolve ambiguities in interpretation. Similarly, certain Pali scholars, such as Venerable Nāgita, have explored various types of contextual clues in Pali literature. The clues they identified have proven highly valuable in the interpretation of Pali texts. This paper seeks to explore the nature of contextual clues in Pali literature and examine their role in textual interpretation, with special reference to the Saddasāratthajālinī. Through this exploration of these contextual clues, this paper aims to demonstrate their function and critical importance in the interpretative process.