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buddhavacana

2.7: `nipāta` (Particles)

A nipāta (particle) is a small word that never changes: no gender, no number, no ending to read. Kaccāyana’s rule {221} drops every ending after a particle, as after an upasagga (2.6) and after āvuso (“friend”). The texts mark a particle ⏏️.

Ask what it does to the words around it: joins (ca), offers a choice (vā), adds (pi), stresses (eva), denies (na), closes a quotation (ti), asks (nu), or sets time, place and manner (dāni, idha, evaṁ). kho, pana and hi sit second in the sentence (atha kho, idaṁ kho pana), often untranslated. A particle often merges with the next word, yo cāyaṁ (5: 2.3) is yo ca ayaṁ (2.1).

Joining and negating

Section titled “Joining and negating”
particle meaning in the texts
ca and; but yo cāyaṁ (5: 2.3)
vā or samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā (5: 12.1)
pi, api too; even jātipi dukkhā, maraṇampi {31} (5: 4.1), rūpasmimpi (7: 11.1)
atha then atha kho bhagavā … nisīdi (3: 2.2)
pana moreover; but idaṁ kho pana, bhikkhave (5: 4.1)
tu however; but avijjāya tveva (tu eva) (3: 4.1)
saddhiṁ together with (the ③) saddhiṁ bhikkhusahassena (9: 1.1)
na not na sevitabbā (5: 2.1), natthi (na atthi, {12}) (5: 10.2)
no not; no no hetaṁ, bhante (7: 6.6)
mā do not; may … not evaṁ me rūpaṁ mā ahosī’ti (7: 2.2)

na and mā precede their word, the others follow theirs; mā stands before a past form, mā ahosi, “may it not be”.

Stressing

Section titled “Stressing”
particle meaning in the texts
eva only; just; the very ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo (5: 3.2)
kho indeed atha kho bhagavā (3: 2.2)
hi for; indeed sahetū hi, poṭṭhapāda (Bonus: 17, 7.4)
vata indeed; oh! aññāsi vata bho, koṇḍañño (5: 14.1)
have truly yadā have pātubhavanti dhammā (3: 6.1)
kira it is said; truly kira tvaṁ, sāriputta (Bonus: 44, 2.5)

Quoting and asking

Section titled “Quoting and asking”
particle meaning in the texts
iti, ti thus; end of a quotation ‘idaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccan’ti (5: 5.1)
nu, api nu makes a question kiṁ nu sattoti paccesi (Bonus: 8, 4.1), kallaṁ nu taṁ samanupassituṁ (7: 6.5)

Read back from ti to the opening quotation mark; the ending before it changes:

what you see what it was example rules
-an”ti -aṁ + iti ariyasaccan’ti (5: 5.1) {40}, {31}
-amiti -aṁ + iti, the ṁ turned into m vimuttamiti (7: 11.3) {34}
-o’ti -o + iti abhisambuddho’ti (5: 9.1) {13}
-ā”ti, -ī”ti -a, -i + iti vademā”ti (Bonus: 1, 24.5), hotī”ti (3: 4.12) {13}, {16}

The -ti of a verb (hoti) is not this ti: hotī”ti has both. kathaṁ (“how?”, {399}) is not in the texts.

Time, place and manner

Section titled “Time, place and manner”
particle meaning in the texts
dāni, idāni now {259} natthi dāni punabbhavo (5: 10.2)
yadā when {257} yadā have pātubhavanti dhammā (3: 6.1)
yato since; when {248} yato pajānāti (3: 6.4)
yasmā … tasmā because … therefore: the ⑤ of ya, ta {110} yasmā ca kho … tasmā (7: 2.3)
puna again puna caparaṁ (Bonus: 39, 11.1)
yāva … tāva as long as … so long yāvakīvañca … neva tāvāhaṁ (5: 9.1)
idha, iha here {254} idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu (Bonus: 24, 3.1)
tattha, tatra there {249} tatra kho bhagavā (5: 1.2)
ito from here {248} ito sutvā (Bonus: 30, 15.1)
dūre, santike far, near dūre santike vā (7: 7.1)
evaṁ thus evametassa … samudayo hoti (3: 3.12)
yathā … tathā as … so {398} yathā yathā … tathā tathā (Bonus: 36, 3.2)
seyyathidaṁ that is to say seyyathidaṁ— sammādiṭṭhi … (5: 3.2)
iva, viya like sūriyova (sūriyo iva {13}, 3: 12.4)

Address and assent

Section titled “Address and assent”
particle meaning in the texts
āvuso friend tisso kho imā, āvuso visākha (Bonus: 10, 22.2)
sādhu good!; excellent! sādhu sādhu, sāriputta (Bonus: 44, 2.4)

bhikkhave, bho and bhante are ⓪ forms of bhikkhu (2.2) and bhavanta (2.3), not particles. āma (“yes”), handa (“come now!”) and alaṁ (“enough”) are not in the texts.

Examples

Section titled “Examples”

Tatra kho bhagavā

⏏️(tatra) ⏏️(kho) 🚹⨀①(bhagavant)
there / indeed / the Bhagavā
tatra (“there”, {249}) sets the place; kho, second, stresses, untranslated (5: 1.2).

jātipi dukkhā, jarāpi dukkhā

🚺⨀①(jāti) ⏏️(api) 🚺⨀①(dukkha) 🚺⨀①(jarā) ⏏️(api) 🚺⨀①(dukkha)
birth / too / suffering / aging / too / suffering
pi (“too”) after each item adds it to the list (5: 4.1).

‘Idaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccan’ti

*️⃣🤟🚻⨀①(ima) 🚻⨀①(dukkha) 🚻⨀①🆎(ariya+sacca) ⏏️(iti)
this / suffering / realisation / thus
ti closes the thought: the i of iti dropped after -aṁ {40}, ṁ now n {31} (5: 5.1).

Kiñca, bhikkhave, sabbaṁ ādittaṁ?

*️⃣🤟🚻⨀①(kiṁ) ⏏️(ca) 🚹⨂⓪(bhikkhu) *️⃣🤟🚻⨀①(sabba) 🚻⨀①🔽(ta)(āditta)
what / and / bhikkhave / all / burning
kiñca is kiṁ + ca, the ṁ turned into ñ before c {31}: ca carries the question on, “and what …?” (9: 2.2).

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

⏏️(no) ⏏️(hi) *️⃣🤟🚻⨀①(eta) 🚹⨀⓪(bhavant)
not / indeed / this / bhante
no denies; hetaṁ is hi + etaṁ {12} (7: 6.6).

Exercises

Section titled “Exercises”

Name the particles of each (the link beside it leads to the sentence), say what job each does, and split any merged with the word beside it.

  1. Athassa kaṅkhā vapayanti sabbā (3: 6.3)
  2. Idaṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, (5: 4.1)
  3. Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo, seyyathidaṁ (5: 3.2)
  4. samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā (5: 12.1)
  5. evaṁ me rūpaṁ mā ahosī’ti (7: 2.2)
  6. Yato pajānāti sahetudhamman”ti (3: 6.4)
  7. Kiṁ nu sattoti paccesi (Bonus: 8, 4.1)

Answers

Section titled “Answers”

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

  1. Athassa kaṅkhā vapayanti sabbā,

⏏️(atha) *️⃣🤟🚹⨀⑥(ima) 🚺⨂①(kaṅkhā) 🟢⨂🤟▶️(vapayāti) *️⃣🤟🚺⨂①(sabba)
then / his / doubts / vanish / all
athassa is atha + assa {12}: atha (“then”), time, answers yadā.

  1. Idaṁ kho pana, bhikkhave,

*️⃣🤟🚻⨀①(ima) ⏏️(kho) ⏏️(pana) 🚹⨂⓪(bhikkhu)
this / indeed / now / bhikkhave
kho pana, second in the sentence: kho stresses idaṁ, pana (“now”) joins on.

  1. Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo, seyyathidaṁ—

*️⃣🤟🚹⨀①(ima) ⏏️(eva) 🚹⨀①(ariya) 🚹⨀①🆎(aṭṭha+aṅgika) 🚹⨀①(magga) ⏏️(seyyathidaṁ)
this / very / noble / eightfold / path / that is to say
ayameva is ayaṁ + eva {34}, stressing; seyyathidaṁ opens the list, manner.

  1. samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā

🚹⨀③(samaṇa) ⏏️(vā) 🚹⨀③(brāhmaṇa) ⏏️(vā)
by an ascetic / or / by a brahmin / or
vā after each word joins the alternatives, “or … or”.

  1. evaṁ me rūpaṁ mā ahosī’ti

⏏️(evaṁ) *️⃣👆⚧⨀⑥(ahaṁ) 🚻⨀①(rūpa) ⏏️(mā) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(hoti) ⏏️(iti)
thus / my / form / not / be / (end quote)
evaṁ (“thus”) sets the manner; mā before the past form ahosi forbids, “may it not be”; ahosī’ti is ahosi + iti {13}, {16}, closing the wish.

  1. Yato pajānāti sahetudhamman”ti.

⏏️(yato) 🟢⨀🤟▶️(pajānāti) 🚹⨀②🆎(sahetu+dhamma) ⏏️(iti)
since / knows / phenomena with their causes / (end quote)
yato (“since”, {248}) gives the reason; sahetudhamman”ti is -aṁ + iti {40}, {31}.

  1. Kiṁ nu sattoti paccesi,

🚻⨀①(ka) 🔼(nu) 🚹⨀①(satta) 🔼(iti) ▶️🤘⨀(pacceti)
what / ? / being / like this / you believes to be
nu asks; sattoti is satto + iti {13}, quoting; the bonus chapter marks particles 🔼.