Muddā
Muddā，（f．） [cp．（late?） Sk．mudrā] 1．a seal，stamp，impression； --rāja° the royal seal DhA．I，21．Also with ref．to the State Seal at Miln．280，281 in cpds．muddakāma （amacca） & mudda-paṭilābha．-- 2．the art of calculation mentioned as a noble craft （ukkaṭṭhaṁ sippaṁ） at Vin．IV，7 （with gaṇanā & lekhā），as the first of the sippāni （with gaṇanā） at M．I，85=Nd2 199．Further at Miln．3，59，78 sq．，178．Cp．BSk．mudrā in same sense （e．g．at Divy 3，26，58 in set lipyā，saṅkhyā，gaṇanā，m．）．Bdhgh’s expln of muddā D．I，11 m．+gaṇanā （see DA．I，95） as “hattha-muddā-gaṇanā” is doubtful； since at Miln．78 sq．muddā & gaṇanā are two quite diff．things．See also Franke，Dīgha trsl．p．18，with note （he marks muddā “Finger-Rechnen” with?）； and cp．Kern，Toev．I．166 s．v．muddā．The Dial．I．21 trsl．“counting on the fingers” （see Dial．I．21，22 with literature & more refs．）．--hattha° is signlanguage，gesture （lit．hand-arithmetic），a means of communicating （question & answer） by signs，as clearly evident fr．J．VI，364 （hattha-muddāya naṁ pucchissāmi ．．．muṭṭhiṁ akāsi，sā “ayaṁ me ．．．pucchati” ti ñatvā hatthaṁ vikāsesi，so ñatvā ．．．； he then asks by word of mouth）．--hattha-muddaṁ karoti to make a sign，to beckon J．III，528； cp．Vin．V，163：na hatthavikāro kātabbo，na hattha-muddā dassetabbā．
--âdhikaraṇa the office of the keeper of the Privy Seal，Chancellorship Miln．281．（Page 538）