1.4. Khandhasutta Aggregates (SN 56:13; V 425–26) Flashcards
cattār’imāni
“Cattār’imāni, bhikkhave, ariyasaccāni.”
cattāri, “four,” and imāni, the pronoun “these,” with an -i dropping off on account of sandhi. Both are neuter plural nominatives qualifying saccāni, truths. In the Nikāyas, opening statements about numerical sets usually place the number before the pronoun, as here, probably for emphasis. Note that both the nominative and accusative plural of neuter nouns ending in -a terminate in -āni, and thus the case of the noun must be determined from the context. In equational sentences like this Pāli does not require a verb, but in translation we should add “there are.”
katamañca
“Katamañca, bhikkhave, dukkhaṃ ariyasaccaṃ?”
a sandhi formation of katamaṃ, “what?” and ca, “and.” Katamaṃ is neuter singular nominative in agreement with saccaṃ. The copulative ca, it seems, links the expositions of each of the four truths.
pañc’upādānakkhandhā
”Pañc’upādānakkhandhā’ti ’ssa vacanīyaṃ, seyyathīdaṃ: rūpupādānakkhandho, vedanupādānakkhandho, saññupādānakkhandho, saṅkhārupādānakkhandho, viññāṇupādānakkhandho.”
“five clinging-aggregates”; a numerical compound of pañca, “five,” and upādānakkhandhā, a genitive tappurisa compound in the nominative masculine plural. The commentaries explain that the upādānakkhandhā are the aggregates that serve as “the objective domain of clinging.”76 For more on the relationship between upādāna and khandhā, see p. 190.
’ssa vacanīyaṃ = assa vacanīyaṃ
”Pañc’upādānakkhandhā’ti ’ssa vacanīyaṃ, seyyathīdaṃ: rūpupādānakkhandho, vedanupādānakkhandho, saññupādānakkhandho, saṅkhārupādānakkhandho, viññāṇupādānakkhandho.”
”should be said”
The initial vowel a- is elided on account of sandhi with the preceding ti. Assa is the third-person singular optative of atthi, hence “should be,” here used as an auxiliary verb in relation to vacanīyaṃ, a future passive participle of vuccati, “is said.” The optative auxiliary verb and the future passive participle in combination mean “should be said.” The suttas often use the construction ti ’ssa vacanīyaṃ when explaining how to reply to a question about the teaching.
idaṃ
”Idaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, ‘dukkhaṃ ariyasaccaṃ.’”
the neuter singular nominative pronoun, “this,” qualifying dukkhaṃ ariyasaccaṃ.
vuccati
”Idaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, ‘dukkhaṃ ariyasaccaṃ.’”
“is called”; a passive verb based on the root vac. The present active verb vatti (Skt vakti) is not found in the suttas, but the a-aorists avoca and avocuṃ are common.
yāyaṃ
”Yāyaṃ taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā tatratatrābhinandinī, seyyathīdaṃ: kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā.”
a sandhi of yā, “which,” a relative pronoun, and ayaṃ, “this.” Yā and ayaṃ are feminine as qualifying taṇhā, craving; they are correlated with the demonstrative pronoun idaṃ, which is neuter because it qualifies ariyasaccaṃ (see p. 64).
ponobhavikā
”Yāyaṃ taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā tatratatrābhinandinī, seyyathīdaṃ: kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā. Idaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, ‘dukkhasamudayaṃ ariyasaccaṃ.’”
“causing renewed existence”; a bahubbīhi compound derived from punabbhava, “renewed existence,” composed of the adverb puna(r), “again,” and the noun bhava, “existence.” In forming the compound, the first vowel of puna(r) is strengthened (u > o) and -ar becomes o.77 Because pono ends in the heavy syllable -no, the bh in bhava is not duplicated as it is in punabbhava. The suffix -ikā enables the compound to serve as an adjective qualifying taṇhā. The Saṃyutta commentary (Spk II 264,7) glosses ponobhavikā with punabbhavanibbattikā, “productive of renewed existence.”
nandirāgasahagatā
”Yāyaṃ taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā tatratatrābhinandinī, seyyathīdaṃ: kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā.”
“accompanied by delight and lust”; a complex instrumental tappurisa compound (Duroiselle §554) describing taṇhā. It includes a dvanda (see p. 36) made up of nandi, “delight,” and rāga, “lust,” with the suffix -sahagatā, “going along with, accompanying.” As modifying taṇhā, the compound is feminine singular.
tatratatrābhinandinī
”Yāyaṃ taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā tatratatrābhinandinī, seyyathīdaṃ: kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā.”
“delighting here and there”; a complex bahubbīhi, with tatratatra a dvanda meaning “in various objects” or “in various realms” (Perniola §127a). Abhinandinī, “delighting,” is based on the neuter noun abhinandana, with the feminine suffix -inī facilitating its adjectival function as modifying taṇhā.
kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā
”Yāyaṃ taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā tatratatrābhinandinī, seyyathīdaṃ: kāmataṇhā, bhavataṇhā, vibhavataṇhā.”
“craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for non-existence”; three locative tappurisa compounds enumerating the kinds of craving, which takes its objects in the locative case. The Dīgha commentary defines them thus: “Sensual craving is a name for lust for the five objects of sensual pleasure. Craving for existence is a designation for lust that has arisen as a yearning for existence — that is, lust for existence in the form and formless realms accompanied by the eternalist view — and attachment to jhāna. Craving for non-existence is a designation for lust accompanied by the annihilationist view.”
yo
”Yo tassāyeva taṇhāya asesavirāganirodho cāgo paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo.”
a relative pronoun qualifying -nirodho, hence nominative masculine singular; it is correlated with the neuter idaṃ, which qualifies ariyasaccaṃ.
tassāyeva
”Yo tassāyeva taṇhāya asesavirāganirodho cāgo paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo.”
tassā is a feminine demonstrative pronoun in the genitive case, qualifying taṇhāya, with eva an emphatic indicating that the cessation of dukkha depends on the cessation of “that same” craving spoken of in the second noble truth. The semivowel -y- is inserted for euphony.
asesavirāganirodho
”Yo tassāyeva taṇhāya asesavirāganirodho cāgo paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo.”
“the remainderless fading away and cessation”; a complex kammadhāraya compound with asesa, “remainderless” (negation of sesa, “remainder”), modifying both virāga, “fading away,” and nirodho, “cessation.” Virāga occurs in the suttas in two senses: fading away and dispassion. The former is more apt here. The Saṃyutta commentary explains: “All these terms are synonyms for nibbāna. Since it is in dependence on nibbāna that craving fades away and ceases without remainder, nibbāna is called the ‘remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving.’”
cāgo paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo
”Yo tassāyeva taṇhāya asesavirāganirodho cāgo paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo.”
“giving up, relinquishment, freedom [from it], non-attachment”; four additional terms signifying the elimination of craving, all nominative singulars.
