4.2: sampadāna (Dative)

Info

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

A noun that something is given to, done for or said to is the sampadāna (the recipient), and it takes the ④ ending {293}: samaṇassa cīvaraṁ dadāti, “[he] gives a robe to the ascetic”. Kaccāyana defines the recipient as the one someone wishes to give to, the one something is pleasing to and the one something is owed to {276}, then lists some twenty other words that go with it {277}, and adds namo (homage) and its like {294}. The question to ask of a word with this ending is “to whom, or for what?”.

What you see is most often -ssa, -āya or -no in the singular (samaṇassa, atthāya, bhikkhuno), -naṁ in the plural (bhikkhūnaṁ), and te, me, vo, no (“to you”, “to me”, “to you all”, “to us”) {147}–{148}. Only -āya on a masculine or neuter word (atthāya, hitāya, and ābādhāya, “to affliction”, which chapter 7 repeats for each of the five collections, 7: 2.3) is ④ alone {109}; the other forms also mean “of”, the ⑥ of section 4.7, so the sentence decides: is there a giving, a saying, a purpose, a wish? The texts sometimes use the ⑦ ending in its place {311}; Appendix G tables the endings.

The uses of the ④ ending

what the noun is doing	what you see	example	rule
the one given to	a verb of giving: dadāti, deti	samaṇassa cīvaraṁ dadāti	{276}, {293}
the one something is pleasing to	rocati	samaṇassa rocate saccaṁ	{276}
the one something is owed to	dhāreti	suvaṇṇaṁ te dhārayate	{276}, {277}
the one praised	silāghati	buddhassa silāghate	{277}
the one something is denied to	the root hanu	hanute tuyha'meva	{277}
the one attended on	upatiṭṭhati	upatiṭṭheyya sakyaputtānaṁ	{277}
the one an oath is sworn to	sapati	tuyhaṁ sapate	{277}
the one longed for or envied	pihayati	samiddhānaṁ pihayanti daliddā	{277}
the one someone is angry with, hostile to or jealous of	kujjhati, issati, usūyati	kodhayati devadattassa	{277}
the one whose favour is won or who is wronged (② too)	ārādho, aparajjhati	ārādho'haṁ rañño	{277}
the speaker assented to	paṭissuṇāti, anugiṇāti, patigiṇāti	āsuṇanti buddhassa bhikkhū (the bhikkhū listen assenting to the Buddha)	{277}
the one announced to	āroceti, āmanteti, paṭivedeti	ārocayāmi vo bhikkhave	{277}
the purpose, “for the sake of” (tadattha)	atthāya or a noun of purpose	buddhassa atthāya	{277}
the aim, “in order to” (tumattha)	a noun of action in -āya	bhikkhūnaṁ phāsuvihārāya	{277}
the one something is enough or fit for	alaṁ, arahati	alaṁ me buddho	{277}
a lifeless thing someone is likened to in contempt	maññati	kaṭṭhassa tuvaṁ maññe	{277}
the place gone to (② too)	a verb of going	appo saggāya gacchati	{277}
the one wished well	hotu with bhaddaṁ, sukhaṁ	āyasmato dīghāyuko hotu	{277}
the one a consent concerns	sammuti	sādhu sammuti me	{277}
the measure exceeded	bhiyyoso	bhiyyoso mattāya	{277}
the one something appears or is made plain to (a ⑦ meaning)	pātubhavati, āvi karoti	tassa me sakko pāturahosi	{277}
the one something is taught to, needed by, or done for (attha, and many more)	deseti, attho, hoti	dhammaṁ vo desessāmi, tassa phāsuvihārāya hoti	{277}
the one ruled over, and any other word with a recipient; ④ at times for ②–⑦	pabhū	desassa pabhū	{277}
the one homage, well-being or welcome is wished to	namo, sotthi, svāgataṁ	namo te buddha	{294}
the recipient with a ⑦ ending instead	-e, -esu meaning “to”	saṅghe dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ	{311}

Examples

The one given to {276}, {293}:

samaṇassa cīvaraṁ dadāti

🚹⨀④(samaṇassa) 🚻⨀②(cīvaraṁ) 🟢⨀🤟▶️(dadāti)
to the ascetic / a robe / [he] gives
[He] gives a robe to the ascetic.

The purpose, “for the sake of” {277}:

ūnassa pāripūriyā taṁ cīvaraṁ nikkhipitabbaṁ

🚻⨀⑥(ūnassa) 🚺⨀④(pāripūriyā) 🚻⨀①(*️⃣🤟(taṁ) cīvaraṁ 🔽(tabba)(nikkhipitabbaṁ))
of what is lacking / for the completion / that / robe / is to be laid aside
That robe is to be laid aside for the completion of what is lacking.

The one honoured, with namo {294}:

namo te buddha vīr’atthu

⏏️(namo) *️⃣🤘⚧⨀④(te) 🚹⨀⓪(buddha) 🚹⨀⓪(vīra) 🟢⨀🤟⏹(atthu)
homage / to you / O Buddha / O hero / let there be
Homage be to you, O Buddha, O hero.

Exercises

Translate the following from Pāḷi to English and say, for each word with the ④ ending, which use of the table it shows. Look up the words in a dictionary, do the necessary sandhi and compound word deconstruction, and let the endings guide the meaning. Sentences 1 and 2 are from the texts of the bonus chapter and chapter 3, linked to their place there; 3 and 4 are Kaccāyana’s own.

Hint

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

1. pahānāya chandaṁ janeti (Bonus: 35, 21.21)
2. Yadā have pātubhavanti dhammā, ātāpino jhāyato brāhmaṇassa (3: 6.1–6.2)
3. saṅghe gotami dehi
4. namo karohi nāgassa

Answers

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

1. pahānāya chandaṁ janeti

🚻⨀④(pahāna) 🚹⨀②(chanda) ▶️🤟⨀(janeti)
for giving up of / desire / generates
He generates a desire for the giving up …
pahānāya: the aim, “in order to” {277}.

2. Yadā have pātubhavanti dhammā, ātāpino jhāyato brāhmaṇassa

⏏️(yadā) ⏏️(have) 🟢⨂🤟▶️(pātubhavati) 🚹⨂①(dhamma) 🚹⨀④(ātāpī) 🚹⨀④🔽(anta)(jhāyanta) 🚹⨀④(brāhmaṇa)
when / indeed / appear / phenomena / to the ardent / meditating / brāhmaṇa
When indeed dhammā (phenomena) become manifest to the ardent, contemplating brāhmaṇa.
ātāpino jhāyato brāhmaṇassa: the one something appears to, with pātubhavati {277}.

3. saṅghe gotami dehi

🚹⨀⑦(saṅghe) 🚺⨀⓪(gotami) 🟢⨀🤘⏹(dehi)
to the Saṅgha / Gotamī / give
Give to the Saṅgha, Gotamī.
saṅghe: the recipient with a ⑦ ending instead {311}.

4. namo karohi nāgassa

⏏️(namo) 🟢⨀🤘⏹(karohi) 🚹⨀④(nāgassa)
homage / make / to the nāga
Pay homage to the nāga.
nāgassa: the one homage is wished to, with namo {294}.