1.6. Āsavakkhayasutta Destruction of the Influxes (SN 56:25; V 434)

Question 1

jānato… passato

“Jānato’haṃ, bhikkhave, passato āsavānaṃ khayaṃ vadāmi, no ajānato apassato.”

Answer 1

“for one knowing”; the masculine singular present participle of the verb jānāti. Passato: “for one seeing”; the present participle of the verb passati. I take the case in both instances to be dative, of the type Wijesekera §95 calls “datives of possession,” with the sense: “one who knows and sees thus has the destruction of the influxes.” Other grammarians, however, take the case in such constructions to be genitive. Parallel constructions are at 2.11, 2.15, 3.3, and 4.4.

Question 2

’haṃ

“Jānato’haṃ, bhikkhave, passato āsavānaṃ khayaṃ vadāmi, no ajānato apassato.”

Answer 2

the first-person singular pronoun ahaṃ, “I,” with elision of the initial vowel because of sandhi with the preceding vowel.

Question 3

āsavānaṃ

“Jānato’haṃ, bhikkhave, passato āsavānaṃ khayaṃ vadāmi, no ajānato apassato.”

Answer 3

genitive plural of āsava, “influx,” derived from the verb āsavati, “flows (in or out).” The word has also been translated as taint, canker, effluent, contaminant, and intoxicant. The term suggests the way that certain defilements “flow into” the mind or “flow out” through the sense faculties toward their objects. The Nikāyas mention three āsavas: kāmāsava, “the influx of sensuality”; bhavāsava, “the influx of [craving for] existence”; and avijjāsava, “the influx of ignorance.” The Abhidhamma adds a fourth, diṭṭhāsava, “the influx of views.” These have likely been designated āsavas because they are the most primordial defilements obscuring cognition and holding beings in bondage to the cycle of rebirths.

Question 4

khayaṃ

“Jānato’haṃ, bhikkhave, passato āsavānaṃ khayaṃ vadāmi, no ajānato apassato.”

Answer 4

“destruction,” here accusative singular, as object of the verb vadāmi, “(I) say.” Just below the nominative singular, khayo, is the grammatical subject of the verb hoti.

Question 5

no ajānato apassato

“Jānato’haṃ, bhikkhave, passato āsavānaṃ khayaṃ vadāmi, no ajānato apassato.”

Answer 5

“not for one not knowing, not seeing”; a negation (by no) of two negative present participles in the dative case.