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buddhavacana

10.4: The abstract state, and comparison

Two more things an affix can do to a noun. The first makes a noun for a state, the quality of being what the base word names: from dhamma (“nature”) comes dhammatā (“the natural state”, a characteristic), from anodarika (“not greedy for food”) comes anodarikattaṁ (“moderation in eating”). Kaccāyana calls this sense bhāva (the state) and reads every such word as “the state of that” (tassa bhāvo): dhammassa bhāvo, “the state of nature”, is dhammatā. English does the same with “-ness” and “-ship”: sahabyatā is “companionship”.

The second says “more” or “most”. From pāpa (“bad”) come pāpataro (“worse”) and pāpatamo (“worst”); Kaccāyana calls this sense visesa (distinction), one thing singled out among several.

So when a word ends in -tā or -ttaṁ, ask what it is the state of: the rest of the word names it; when it ends in -taro or -tamo, ask what it is more, or most, than.

How to recognise a state

Section titled “How to recognise a state”
affix what you see example the state of rule
tā -tā on the whole word; feminine niddārāmatā (“delight in sleep”), dhammatā (“nature”) niddārāma (enjoying sleep), dhamma {360}
tta -ttaṁ on the whole word; neuter paṁsukūlikattaṁ (“the state of a rag-robe wearer”) paṁsukūlika {360}
ṇya -yaṁ in place of the final vowel, the first vowel lengthened; neuter ālasyaṁ (“laziness”), ārogyaṁ (“health”) alasa (lazy), aroga (healthy) {360}
ttana -ttanaṁ; neuter, and rare puthujjanattanaṁ (“the state of an ordinary person”) puthujjana {360}
ṇa only the first vowel lengthened; neuter; after visama and a few more vesamaṁ (“unevenness”), socaṁ (“purity”) visama (uneven), suci (pure) {361}
kaṇ -kaṁ, the first vowel lengthened; neuter; after ramaṇīya and a few more rāmaṇīyakaṁ (“delightfulness”) ramaṇīya (delightful) {362}

tā and tta are the pair you will meet. A word in tā is feminine and stands complete in the ① ending, dhammatā; a word in tta is neuter, -ttaṁ. The ṇ of ṇya, ṇa and kaṇ is the signal you met in 10.1: it is dropped and the first vowel is lengthened, a to ā, i to e, u to o {396}, {400}; and a final ā is shortened before ttana, vedanattanaṁ from vedanā (“feeling”) {403}. Appendix H tables them all.

How to recognise a comparison

Section titled “How to recognise a comparison”
affix what you see it means example rule
tara -tara- on the whole word more; one singled out of several pāpataro (“worse”), aññataro (“a certain one”), uttaro (“higher”, from ud, up) {363}
tama -tama- on the whole word most; one singled out of many pāpatamo (“worst”), katamo (“which of the many?”), uttamo (“highest”) {363}
iya -iya- in place of the final vowel more pāpiyo (“worse”) {363}
iṭṭha -iṭṭha- in place of the final vowel most pāpiṭṭho (“worst”) {363}
isika -isika- in place of the final vowel; rare more pāpisiko (“worse”) {363}
iya, iṭṭha on a changed base seyy-, jeṭṭh-, kaniṭṭh- and the like better, best; elder, eldest; younger, youngest seyyo, seṭṭho for pasattha (“praised”); jeyyo, jeṭṭho for vuḍḍha (“old”); kaniyo, kaniṭṭho for yuva (“young”) {262}–{267}

The thing compared with stands in the ③ or the ⑤ ending: pāpena pāpataro (“worse than the bad”), jīvitā seyyo (“better than life”). tara and tama are the pair you will meet, often with no comparison left in them: aññataro, añña (“other”) with tara, is simply “a certain”; katamo, the question word ka with tama, is “which of the many?”; uttamo is “supreme”.

Examples

Section titled “Examples”

paṁsukūlikassa bhāvo → paṁsukūlikattaṁ

🚹⨀⑥(paṁsukūlikassa) 🚹⨀①(bhāvo) → 🚻⨀①🔽(tta)(paṁsukūlikattaṁ)
of a rag-robe wearer / the state → the state of a rag-robe wearer
tta {360}: -ttaṁ on the whole word; a neuter noun.

niddārāmassa bhāvo → niddārāmatā

🚹⨀⑥(niddārāmassa) 🚹⨀①(bhāvo) → 🚺⨀①🔽(tā)(niddārāmatā)
of one who enjoys sleep / the state → enjoyment of sleep
tā {360}: -tā on the whole word; a feminine noun, complete as it stands in the ① ending.

ayaṁ imesaṁ visesena pāpo → pāpataro

*️⃣🤟🚹⨀①(ayaṁ) *️⃣🤟🚹⨂⑥(imesaṁ) 🚹⨀③(visesena) 🚹⨀①(pāpo) → 🚹⨀①🔽(tara)(pāpataro)
this one / among these / by distinction / bad → worse
tara {363}: -tara on the whole word; of several, the one that is more so.

ayaṁ imesaṁ visesena pāpo → pāpatamo

*️⃣🤟🚹⨀①(ayaṁ) *️⃣🤟🚹⨂⑥(imesaṁ) 🚹⨀③(visesena) 🚹⨀①(pāpo) → 🚹⨀①🔽(tama)(pāpatamo)
this one / among these / by distinction / bad → worst
tama {363}: -tama on the whole word; of all, the one that is most so.

Exercises

Section titled “Exercises”

Each of the following carries one of this section’s affixes; you met them in the texts of the bonus chapter, some in another ending. Say which affix it carries, what word it is built on, and whether it names a state or singles one out. Check its make-up in a dictionary against the tables above.

  1. dhammatā
  2. sahabyatā
  3. aññataraṁ
  4. katame
  5. anuttaraṁ

Answers

Section titled “Answers”

Note: please do the exercises first before checking the answers.

  1. dhammassa bhāvo → dhammatā

🚹⨀⑥(dhammassa) 🚹⨀①(bhāvo) → 🚺⨀①🔽(tā)(dhammatā)
of nature / the state → the natural state, a characteristic
tā {360}: -tā on dhamma (nature); “Dhammatā esā”, “this characteristic”, Bonus: 18, 1.3.

  1. sahabyassa bhāvo → sahabyatā

🚻⨀⑥(sahabyassa) 🚹⨀①(bhāvo) → 🚺⨀①🔽(tā)(sahabyatā)
of fellowship / the state → companionship
tā {360}: -tā on sahabya (fellowship); you met it in the ② ending, sahabyataṁ, Bonus: 24, 3.3.

  1. Yathā aññataraṁ bījaṁ

🔼(yathā) 🚻⨀①(aññatara) 🚻⨀①(bīja)
like / a certain / seed
tara {363}: -tara on añña (other) singles one out of several, “a certain one”; Bonus: 20, 5.1.

  1. Katame ca, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā?

🚹⨂①(katama) 🔼(ca) 🚹⨂⓪(bhikkhu) 🚹⨂①(saṅkhāra)
what / and / bhikkhave / mental constructions
tama {363}: -tama on the question word ka (who? what?) asks “which of the many?”; Bonus: 13, 10.1.

  1. anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ nibbānaṁ

🚻⨀①(anuttara) 🚹⨀②(yogakkhema) 🚻⨀①(nibbāna)
unsurpassed / sanctuary / extinguishment
tara {363}: ud (up) with -tara is uttaro (“higher”); an- (not) in front, “with none higher”; Bonus: 46, 18.1.