2025-05-28
Pāli language review
Further Pāli lessons: https://pali-sutta-readings.github.io/pali-lessons/
Word order in the simplest case is Subject-Object-Verb, but since the case indicates the role of a noun,
word order is often altered for emphasis.
| Sūdo (nom.sg.) bhattaṁ (acc.) pacati (3rd.sg.). | Dārakā (nom.pl.) bhojanīyaṁ (acc.) bhuñjanti (3rd.pl.). |
| The chef cooks the rice. | The boys eat the food. |
The subject and verb must agree in number: Sakuṇā ākāse uḍḍayanti (Birds fly in the sky).
An adjective agrees with the noun it qualifies in gender, number and case.
Generally, the order is adjective + noun. E.g. seto asso: a white horse, setā assā: white horses.
The nominatives may form pairs, read them as equational phrases: A is the B, and C is the D, etc.
Such a sequence forms a "nominal clause". E.g.: Dārako samaṇo.
nt.nom. and f.nom. form: Kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho.
Translate: The man who is faithful goes to the village with an all-white chariot.
All white is the chariot, all-white are the yoked horses.
Absolutive: -tvā
Datvā, disvā, vatvā, upasaṅkamitvā, bhavetvā etc.
Ādīnavaṁ kāmaguṇesu disvā, Tasmā ahaṁ pabbajitomhi rāja. (MN 82)
... upekkhaṁ bhāvetvā labhati ajjhattaṁ vūpasamaṁ. (MN 40)
Katamañca, bhikkhave, samādhindriyaṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako vossaggārammaṇaṁ karitvā
labhati samādhiṁ, labhati cittassa ekaggataṁ -- idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, samādhindriyaṁ. (SN 48.11)
Translate: From my kuṭi I go the the vihāra. Having gone, I sit on the chair.
Having sat, I learn the Buddha's words. Having learnt, having reflected, I practise for liberation.
| vadati (+acc) | says (to); speaks (to); tells (to) [√vad + a + ti] |
| So evaṁ vadeyya: 'na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ... | |
| vacati | speaks [√vac] |
| vuccati | passive, is said to be, is called [√vac + ya + ti] |
| ruppatī'ti kho, bhikkhave, tasmā rūpan'ti vuccati | |
| avoca (+acc & +acc) | aor of vacati, said (something to somebody) [a + √vac + a + a] |
| Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno āyasmantaṁ mahākassapaṁ etadavoca ... | |
| bhavati (+nom) | is being; becomes [√bhū + a + ti] |
| ānando tuṇhī bhavati | |
| bhāveti (+acc) | cultivates, develops; causes to become [√bhū + *e + ti] |
| iddhipādaṁ bhāveti | |
| bhāva (m.) | state; condition; characteristic [√bhū + *a] |
| abstr | |
| tuṇhībhāvena kho pan'āyasmante parisuddhā'ti vedissāmi | |
| bhāvanā (f.) | the cultivating; the developing; [√bhū + *e + anā] |
| abstr, from bhāveti |
Imperative: pl.2nd: Nisīdatha, vadetha, bhāvetha. sg.2nd: bhāvehi.
Samādhiṁ, bhikkhave, bhāvetha. Samāhito, bhikkhave, bhikkhu yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti. (SN 56.1)
Bhagavā etadavoca: ... "Bhāvetha no tumhe, bhikkhave, maraṇassatin"ti. (AN 8.73)
[Sāriputta] Disvāna āyasmantaṁ rāhulaṁ āmantesi: "ānāpānassatiṁ, rāhula, bhāvanaṁ bhāvehi.
Ānāpānassati, rāhula, bhāvanā bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā"ti. (MN 62)
Optative: -eyya
| na'y'idaṁ saṅkhārā ābādhāya saṁvatteyyuṁ (SN 22.59) |
| Yadā tumhe, bhaddiya, attanāva [attanā + eva] jāneyyātha... (AN 4.193) |
Optative of √as (to be) has two forms:
| atthi | pr.3rd.sg/pl. | there is |
| assa, siyā | opt.2nd/3rd.sg. | you/he could be |
Yassa siyā āpatti, so āvikareyya. Asantiyā [na + santi + yā] āpattiyā tuṇhī bhāvitabbaṁ.
Tuṇhī-bhāvena kho pan'āyasmante pārisuddhā'ti vedissāmi. (Nidānuddeso)
Aho vata mayaṁ na maraṇadhammā assāma! (DN 22)
Future Passive Participle: -tabba
| √dā | dātabba, deyya | should be given |
| √su | sotabba | should be listened to |
| √kar | kātabba, karaṇīya | should be done |
| √ñā | ñātabba, ñeyya | should be known |
Dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ pariññeyyaṁ ... pariññātaṁ
Dukkhasamudayaṁ a.s. pahātabbaṁ ... pahīnaṁ
Dukkhanirodhaṁ a.s. sacchikātabbaṁ ... sacchikataṁ
D.n.gāminī paṭipadā a.s. bhāvetabbaṁ ... bhāvitaṁ (SN 56.11)
Karaṇīyamatthakusalena ...
Na ca khuddamācare kiñci,
Yena viññū pare upavadeyyuṁ; (Snp 1.8)Yo pana bhikkhu otiṇṇo vipariṇatena cittena mātugāmena saddhiṁ kāyasaṁsaggaṁ samāpajjeyya ... (Sg 2)
Pronouns:
| sg. | pl. | |
| 1st | ahaṁ | amhe, mayaṁ, no |
| 2nd | tuvaṁ, tvaṁ | tumhe, vo |
| 3rd.masc. | so, sa | te |
| 3rd.nt. | taṁ, tad | tāni |
| 3rd.fem. | sā | tā, tāyo |
| yo so puriso ... | that man who... | tatra [ta + tra] | there, in that place |
| whatever man who... | tattha [ta + ttha] | there, in that place | |
| yassa ... tassa [ta + ssa] | of/for whom ... of/for him ... | tato [ta + to] | from there, from him |
| assa [ima + ssa] | to him, for him, of him, etc | tasmā [ta + smā] | from that (therefore, that is why) |
Past Participle (-ta, -ita, -na)
| bhāvita | pp. of bhāveti, √bhū + *e + ita | pamatta | pp. of pamajjati, pa + √mad + ta |
| vutta | pp. of vacati, √vac + ta | pahīna | pp. of pajahati, pa + √hā + na |
Locative Absolute: noun loc. + participle loc.
The noun is an agent to the participle. Past participle: "when/after this had happened". Present participle: "when/after this happens".
pakkamati → pakkanta → pakkante: Pakkante Sāriputte, brāhmaṇo kālaṁ akāsi.
uggacchati → uggachanta → uggacchante: Tiṇagge ussāvabindu sūriye uggacchante khippaṁyeva paṭivigacchati. (AN 7.74)
labhati → laddha → laddhe: Tāya okāse laddhe anumodanaṁ karissāmī'ti (Dhp 174 Comm.)
vacati → vutta → vutte: Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca ...
f.loc.sg.: Mettāya, bhikkhave, cetovimuttiyā āsevitāya bhāvitāya bahulīkatāya yānīkatāya (AN 11.15)
MN 92: Selasutta (excerpt)
(SC, SSP) The Buddha is addressing the brahmin Sela:
Abhiññeyyaṁ abhiññātaṁ, / bhāvetabbañca bhāvitaṁ;
Pahātabbaṁ pahīnaṁ me, / tasmā buddhosmi brāhmaṇa.
| abhijānāti | directly knows; understands experientially; lit. completely knows [abhi + √ñā + nā + ti] |
| pajahati | gives up; abandons; lets go (of) [pa + √hā + a + ti] |