It is the aim of this research to study literary history of didactic aphorisms that have the same contents as recorded in in Pāli and Sanskrit namely Sanskrit Udānavarga and Pāli Dhammapada as well as to study the principles in the arrangement of these aphorisms into sections. The research is divided into 2 parts: (1) Comparative studies of principles in the arrangement of the aphorisms into sections among three versions in Indian languages: Pāli Dhammapada, Patna Dhammapada and Gāndhārī Dharmapada. (2) Comparative studies of principles in the arrangement of the aphorisms into sections between Sanskrit Udānavarga and Pāli Dhammapada. The result of the research shows that Pāli Dhammapada and Sanskrit Udānavarga have 330 Gāthā in common. Some of these Gāthā are also found in other sections of Tipiṭaka, such as, Vinaya-piṭaka, the four Nikāyas and in works in Khuddaka-nikāya as well as non¬-canonical texts, for example, Nettipakaraṇa or Milindapañhā etc. Some of these verses are found in other works of the indian literature. Moreover, the arrangement of the sections of both works is quite similar. Words and lines of the same verses are sometimes found in different order. It indicates that both works were probably evolved from one source in Buddha’s time or even pre-Buddhist. Verses were added and the attempt to arrange them in to sections was later introduced. The names of sections vary depending on schools.
