4.1: apādāna (Ablative)

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Part of “A Beginner (Non-Linguist) Guide to Learning Pali”

When the sages leave a village, the village is gāmā, “from the village”: the noun takes the ⑤ ending, and Kaccāyana calls what it names the apādāna (the point of departure). The ⑤ ending is the ending of “from”: the place one leaves, the thief one fears, the teacher one learns from {271}, and the cause something arises from {296}. The Bodhikathā of chapter 3 shows it at each step of its chain of cessation: bhavanirodhā jātinirodho, “with the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth” (3: 4.10).

You know the ⑤ ending by its shape, ⨀ -smā (buddhasmā), or -ā {108} or -mhā {99} in its place (gāmā, anavatattamhā), 🚺⨀ -āya (sālāya), ⨂ -ehi (āsavehi, “from the defilements”, 7: 12.3), and by the affix -to, which carries the same sense (ito, yato, tato) {248}; Appendix G tables the endings. Then ask: what is moving away from this word, coming out of it, or being kept apart from it? The verb answers, or a word beside it such as vinā (“without”) or pubbe (“before”).

The uses of the ⑤ ending

the ⑤ noun is	example	rule
the place one leaves	gāmā apenti munayo, the sages depart from the village	{271}, {295}
the source of fear	corā bhayaṁ jāyate, fear arises from the thief	{271}
the one learnt or taken from	ācariyu’pajjhāyehi sikkhaṁ gaṇhāti sisso, the pupil takes the lesson from the teacher and preceptor	{271}
the one who defeats (parā + ji)	buddhasmā parājenti aññatitthiyā, those of other sects are defeated by the Buddha	{272}
the source a river springs from (pa + bhū)	himavatā pabhavanti pañca mahānadiyo, five great rivers spring from the Himalayas	{272}
what one is born from, with jāto (“born”), no verb	urasmā jāto putto, the son born from the breast	{272}
the point a word in -to names	ubhato sujāto putto, the son well born on both sides	{272}, {248}
the point a lone prefix measures from: apa (“away from”), ā (“as far as”), pari (“all round”), pati (“in exchange for”)	ā brahmalokā saddo abbhuggacchati, the sound rises as far as the Brahmā world	{272}
the start of a span, with ito (“from now”)	ito pakkhasmā vijjhati migaṁ luddako, a fortnight from now the hunter shoots the deer	{272}
what is left out: vinā, rite, rahitā (“without”), nānā (“apart from”); also ② or ③	vinā saddhammā natthañño koci nātho loke vijjati, without the true Dhamma there is no other protector	{272}
the time or reason “since which”, yato	yato sarāmi attānaṁ, since I remember myself	{272}
what something is kept away from, with a verb of guarding	kāke rakkhanti taṇḍulā, they keep the crows from the rice	{273}
the one hidden from; also ⑦	upajjhāyā antaradhāyati sisso, the pupil vanishes from the preceptor	{274}
the cause of what follows	avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā, with ignorance as condition, mental constructions [arise] (3: 3.1); bhavanirodhā jātinirodho, with the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth (3: 4.10)	{296}

Kaccāyana defines the apādāna in four rules {271}–{274} and gives it the ⑤ ending in two {295}–{296}; a fifth rule {275} adds twenty rarer senses, mostly the same idea of a starting point or a separation. The examples below are its own, each translated at the rule; abstaining, seclusion and release are common in the texts of the bonus chapter, release in those of chapters 7 and 9 as well:

The further senses of the ⑤ ending

the ⑤ noun is	example	rule
what one is far from or near to: dūra, antika, samīpa, āsanna; also ② or ③	kīva dūro ito naḷakāragāmo	{275}
the point a distance or a time is measured from, with ito	ito tiṇṇaṁ māsānaṁ accayena	{275}
the place one moves on from, “having climbed it” left unsaid	pāsādā saṅkameyya	{275}
a direction or an end point: uddhaṁ (“up”), adho (“down”), the directions in -to	uddhaṁ pādatalā adho kesamatthakā	{275}
the thing compared with, -taro (“more”); also ⑥	yato paṇītataro natthi	{275}
what one abstains from: veramaṇī, virati, virato	pāṇātipātā veramaṇī	{275}
what one is pure of: suddho, asaṁsaṭṭho	lobhaniyehi dhammehi suddho	{275}
what one is freed from: mutto, muccati	mutto’smi mārabandhanā	{275}
the reason, “why”: kasmā; also ③ or ⑥	kasmā hetunā	{275}, {296}
what one is secluded from: vivitto, vivicca	vivicca akusalehi dhammehi	{275}
a unit of measure, a sum one is bound for, the little by which one gets free; also ③	sugatavidatthiyā, satasmā bandho naro, thokā muccanti	{275}
the event one is before, with pubbe	pubbe’va sambodhā	{275}
the quality a result is owed to	puññāya sugatiṁ yanti	{275}
the text asked or told about, with pucchati, kathayati; also ② or ③	abhidhammā pucchanti	{275}
the fact that causes, not a doer: a noun in -ttā	kammassa katattā	{275}

Examples

gāmā apenti munayo

🚹⨀⑤(gāmā) ⨂(🟢🤟▶️(apenti) 🚹①(munayo))
from village / depart / sages
The sages depart from the village.

corā bhayaṁ jāyate

🚹⨀⑤(corā) ⨀(🚻①(bhayaṁ) 🔵🤟▶️(jāyate))
from thief / fear / arises
Fear arises from the thief.

ācariyu’pajjhāyehi sikkhaṁ gaṇhāti sisso

🚹⨀⑤🆎(ācariya+upajjhāya) 🚺⨀②(sikkhaṁ) ⨀(🟢🤟▶️(gaṇhāti) 🚹①(sisso))
teacher and preceptor / lesson / takes / pupil
The pupil takes lesson from the teacher/preceptor.

Exercises

Each sentence or phrase is from the texts of chapters 3 and 7 and the bonus chapter, linked to its place there, and has a word with the ⑤ ending. Find it, match it to a row of the tables, and translate the sentence. Look the words up in a dictionary, do the necessary sandhi and compound word deconstruction, and take note of the vibhatti endings.

Hint

You may find the Digital Pali Dictionary useful for looking up words, as well as doing the sandhi and compound word deconstruction.

1. upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho (Bonus: 19, 2.6, also 3: 4.9)
2. virāgā vimuccati (7: 11.2)
3. Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī adinnādānā veramaṇī kāmesumicchācārā veramaṇī (Bonus: 31, 21.14)
4. agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajeyyan”ti (Bonus: 26, 12.8)

Answers

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

1. upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho

🚹⨀⑤(upādānanirodha) 🚹⨀①(bhavanirodha)
from cessation of fuel / cessation of becoming
From cessation of fuel, cessation of becoming.
upādānanirodhā: the cause of what follows {296}.

2. virāgā vimuccati

🚹⨀⑤(virāga) 🔵⨀🤟▶️(vimuccati)
from detachment / is liberated
…from detachment he vimuccati (becomes liberated).
virāgā: what one is freed from, with muccati {275}.

3. Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī adinnādānā veramaṇī kāmesumicchācārā veramaṇī

🚹⨀⑤(pāṇātipāta) 🚺⨀①(veramaṇī) 🚻⨀⑤(adinnādāna) 🚺⨀①(veramaṇī) 🚹⨀⑤(kāmesumicchācāra) 🚺⨀①(veramaṇī)
from killing living beings / abstinence from / from theft / abstinence from / from sexual misconduct / abstinence from
Abstinence from killing living beings, abstinence from theft, abstinence from sexual misconduct.
pāṇātipātā, adinnādānā, kāmesumicchācārā: what one abstains from, with veramaṇī {275}.

4. agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajeyyan”ti

🚻⨀⑤(agāra) 🚻⨀②(anagāriya) 🔵⏯👆⨀(pabbajati) 🔼(ti)
from household life / to homeless state / renounce / quote
What if I were to renounce from household life to homeless state, …
agārasmā: the place one leaves {271}, {295}.