Comments

Comm. NT: 11.
Dhātuvitthārakathāvaṇṇanā

‘Are elements since they cause [a state’s] own individual essence to be borne’: here, while the establishment of the word’s form should be understood as “dadhātī ti dhātu (it puts, sorts, thus it is an element),’ still taking the word dhā to share the meanings [of both dadhāti and dhāreti (see XI.104)],
there is also the meaning of the active voice different from the first, because the meanings of vidhāna (sorting out) and dhāraṇa (causing to bear) are unconnected.
The causing of the bearing of mere individual essences without any permanent living being, is a basic meaning of the word dhātu (element), and so it is stated separately.

пали	518.Apica yathā titthiyānaṃ attā nāma sabhāvato natthi, na evametā, etā pana attano sabhāvaṃ dhārentīti dhātuyo.
Nyanamoli thera	21. Furthermore, while the self of the sectarians does not exist with an individual essence, not so these. These, on the contrary, are elements (dhātu) since they cause [a state’s] own individual essence to be borne (dhārenti).11