Pāḷi Roots - Part 1

Pāḷi Roots- Part 1

The Flower Garland  of Roots’ Meanings

Editor’s note

This information found in this booklet is largely extracted from Introduction part of Pāḷi Dictionary “Dhatvattha Pangon” written by Ashin Kumāra in Burmese. The purpose is to give readers more knowledge on nature of Pāḷi roots, types of Pāḷi roots, suffixes etc.

  When flowers with fragrant smell, beautiful color and beautiful forms are systematically tied as garlands, they will make people’s mind happy and cheerful. In the same way, Pāḷi roots are like the flowers, the group of letters are like the strings that tied the flowers, the meaning of roots are like the flower fragrant, and examples are like the colors. The dhātupaccayavibhāgaviggaha are like the flowers are divided into types, and then further explained with translation. 

I hope that this work may cause the heart of people who research on the Pāḷi to be cheerful like seeing a garland of flowers. 

  Dhātu (Root)

The essence of the Pāḷi language is ‘dhātu’ – root. The Pāḷi words are based upon the roots and also are born from the roots. Only when roots and suffixes are joined, Pāḷi words are born. Here, roots are similar to mother and suffixes are similar to a father. Pāḷi words are compared to their children.  Therefore, Pāḷi words are born from the “mother” roots.  

           What it is called ‘root’?  Words such as Bhū, gamu, titikkha, pabbatāya etc.. are called ‘dhātu’ -root because they can bring about actions like becoming, going, patience and behaving like a mountain.  (kriyaṃdhārentīti dhātavo, bhūvādayo khādidhātupaccayantā ca { Rūpasidhi})

The “kriyadhārenti- bringing out the action” means speaking on actions and has the meaning of actions. (kriyāvācīhi dhātūhi). The “kriya-action” has the meaning of the root like going, cooking and so on. (kriyātigamanapacanādiko dhātvattho)

Without mentioning the material things (dabba) like ‘purisa’ (man) etc, the group of letters like bhū, gamu, titikkha, pabbatāya etc. that will speak out the actions like becoming, going, be patient, behaving like mountain etc are called ‘dhātu’–root. However, there are still few roots that mention material things. 

 

Different types of root

There are three types of roots.

1. Pakati Dhātu     2. Vikati Dhātu    3. Nāma Dhātu

           Among these, the words bhū, hū, gamu, paca and so on are called ‘pakatidhātu’ – original root because they can stand naturally by themselves. (bhū + ti = hoti) 

The word titikkha, tikiccha, bubhukkha, jighaccha are called because ‘vikatidhātu’ – created root because only when they are combined with suffixes they can stand as root.

(√tija + kha > titij + kha > titikkha)

The word putta and pabbata are the nouns that speak on substance.  When they are linked with suffixes such as īya, āya that can express the meaning of a verb (kiriya), they become like verb. Thus putta and pabbatta are called ‘nāmadhātu’ – noun-root.

 (putta + īya     > puttīyati,      pabbata + āya> pabbatāyati)

            Instead of ‘nāmadhātu’ the term ‘dhāturūpa’ is used in some grammar books. The explanation of the term ‘dhāturūpa’ is described in Saddatthabhedacintā, in verses 322 – 3, as follows;

Dhātvatthacācakeneva paccayena payogato.

  Nāmattaṃ pajahitvāna, dhāturūpeva tiṭṭṭhate.

Attanā vacanīyassa, kattukammehi pākaṭo.

Sakattuko sakammoti dhāturūpoti vuccati.

           Because associating with suffixes ‘āya’ etc. that could speak the root’s meaning, the words ‘pabbatāya’ etc give up the function of noun and take the nature of root. It is said that they have the nature of root because having own subject and object (sakattuka, sakammaka).

Akammaka Dhātu and Sakammaka dhātu

According to the meaning of root, there is two kinds of dhātu:

1. Akammaka dhātu – intransitive root   

2  Sakammaka dhātu – transitive root

     The roots like √bhū, √hū, √ṭḥā, √si, which have no needed object (kamma) are called akammaka dhātu.  For example, bhavati/hoti (to become, to be, exists),  tiṭṭhāti (stand), seti (sleep).

     The roots like √gamu, √paca which are concerned with object (kamma) are called sakammaka dhātu. The sakammaka dhātu also has 2 types: a.) ekakammaka dhātu, b.) dvikammaka dhātu.

     The roots like √gamu, √paca that have one object  are called ekakammaka dhātu. For example, gāmaṃ gacchati (he goes to village), odanaṃ pacati (he cooks rice). Village and rice is single object for the action goes and cooks.

     The root which has two objects i.e. padhāna (direct), apadhāna (indirect) is called dvikammakadhātu. The Dvikammaka dhātu can be divided two types: i. Nyādi gaṇa  ii. Duhādi gāṇa. 

     The root that has the meaning of leading is called nyādigaṇadhātu. For example, 

ajaṃ gāmaṃ neti                (He leads the goat to the village)

bhāraṃ gāmaṃ vahati,       (He carries the load to the village.)

sākhaṃ gāmaṃ ākaḍḍhati. (He drags a branch to the village.)

Root are   √nī,   √vah,     √kaḍḍh

The √dhā root and √dhar root do not have the meaning of carrying, sending, so they are not the dvikammaka dhātu. Remaining dvikammaka roots are called duhādigaṇadhātu. For example:

Gāvaṃ khīraṃ duhati                (He milks the milk of the cow.)

Brāhmaṇaṃ kambalaṃ yācati    (He begs the woollen stuff of the brahmin.)

Dāyakaṃ bhikkhaṃ bhikkhati (He asks for alms-food from the devotee.)

Goṇaṃ vajaṃ rundhati            (He prevents the cow from the cow-pen.)

Bhagavantaṃ pañhaṃ pucchati (He ask a question to the Blessed One.)

Sissaṃ dhammaṃ anusāsati (He advises student about the Dhamma.)

Bhagavā bhikkhū etadavoca (The Blessed One says this to the monks.)

Rājā amaccaṃ vacanaṃ bravīti. (The King says the word to the minister.)

     Among the roots that have object and if verb (ākhyāta kriya) and primary derivative (kita kriyā) speaks on object, then the verbal termination (ākhyāta vibhatti) and suffix of primary derivative (kita paccayo) speaks on padhāna kamma (active + object) for roots of nyādi group. For example,

Ajapālena ajo gāmaṃ nīyato        (Goat is led by goat-keeper to the village.)

Ajapālena ajo gāmaṃ nīyamāno. (Goat is being led by goat-keeper to the village.)

The duhādi group mentions the apadhāna kamma (passive + object)

Gopena go khiraṃ duyate.   (Milk is milked by cowherd)

Gopena go khīraṃ duhitā.   (Milk is milked by cowherd)

     The association with suffix of causative suffixes with roots speaks on kāraka kamma. (causative + object)

Bhikkhunā samādhi bhāvīyate (The concentration is developed by the monk)

Tena so odanaṃ pācīyate         (He causes the rice to be cooked by him)

 √Bhū + īya + te > bhāvīyate,         √pac + īya + te > pācīyate

     These examples could be said only through the original meaning of the roots of bhū etc.

      [Part 2>]