the ”fixedness of law” regarding all things; cf. tathata^. - Pan~ca-niya^ma is a commentarial term, signifying the ”fivefold lawfulness” or ”natural order” that governs: (1) temperature, seasons and other physical events (utu-niya^ma); (2) the plant life (bi^ja-n.); (3) karma (kamma-n.); (4) the mind (citta-n.), e.g. the lawful sequence of the functions of consciousness (s. vin~n~a^na-kicca) in the process of cognition; (5) certain events connected with the Dhamma (dhamma-n.), e.g. the typical events occurring in the lives of the Buddhas. (App.).
The compound words utu-, bi^ja-, kamma-, citta-, and dhamma-niya^ma, probably occur for the first time in the Com. Niya^mata^, however, occurs often in the old sutta texts, e.g.”thita^ va sa^ dha^tu dhammatthitata^ dhammaniya^mata...” (A. III. 134. etc.)