4.3: okāsa (Locative)

Info

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

Most suttas open by saying where the Buddha was staying: sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane, “[he] dwells at Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove”. The two words that name the place carry the ⑦ ending, and a word with that ending is the okāsa (the location): the place, the thing or the time an action is set in, its support (ādhāra) {278}. Ask of it “in, on or at what does this happen?”; the ending’s other senses, listed below, the sentence itself makes plain.

On the page the ending is -e, -smiṁ, -mhi, -āyaṁ, -iyaṁ or -su after a long vowel (jetavane, pāpasmiṁ, ajaramhi, velāyaṁ, sāvatthiyaṁ, bhikkhūsu), smiṁ and su in Kaccāyana’s list {55}; Appendix G tables the endings of every kind of word.

The uses of the ⑦ ending

what the noun is doing	what you see	example	rule
the place of the action: in, on, at	⑦ beside a verb of staying, lying or moving	sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane — [he] dwells at Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove	{278}, {302}
what the action rests on, not a place	⑦ with a verb of delighting or trusting	pāpasmiṁ ramati mano — the mind delights in evil	{302}
the time of the action	⑦ on samaya, velā or a time of day	pubbaṇhasamaye gato — [he] went in the forenoon	{313}
an event that sets the time: “while”, “when” (the ⑦ absolute)	a noun and a participle (-māna, -anta, -ta), both ⑦, with no verb of their own	bhikkhūsu bhojīyamānesu gato — [he] went while the monks were being fed	{313}
the object (kamma)	⑦ where ② is expected	bhikkhūsu abhivādenti — [they] salute the monks	{310}
the instrument (karaṇa)	⑦ where ③ is expected	hatthesu piṇḍāya caranti — [they] go for alms with their hands	{310}
the motive (nimitta)	⑦ on what the action is done for	dīpi cammesu haññate — the leopard is killed for its hide	{310}
the recipient (sampadāna)	⑦ with dinna (given) where ④ is expected	saṅghe dinnaṁ — given to the Saṅgha	{311}
the thing kept away from: “from”	⑦ with rakkhati (keeps off) where ⑤ is expected	kadalīsu gaje rakkhanti — [they] keep the elephants off the plantains	{312}
“more than” after upa, “lord over” after adhi	upa or adhi, then ⑦	upa khāriyaṁ doṇo — a doṇa over a khārī; adhi brahmadatte pañcālā — the Pañcālas are under Brahmadatta	{314}
gladdened by, zealous in	⑦, or ③, with pasīdita, ussukka	ñāṇasmiṁ pasīdito — gladdened in knowledge	{315}

The first four rows are the uses on every page; the rest are rare. A time is often in the ③ ending instead, tena samayena (“at that time”), the words the Bodhikathā opens with (3: 2.1) {290}; two uses ⑦ shares with ⑥, “among” {304} and “despite” {305}, are in 4.7.

Kaccāyana names four kinds of support {278}: pervading (byāpika), jalesu khīraṁ tiṭṭhati, milk stands in water; by contact (opasilesika), pariyaṅke rājā seti, the king lies on the couch; by domain (vesayika), bhūmīsu manussā caranti, men walk on the earth; and by proximity (sāmīpika), gaṅgāyaṁ ghoso tiṭṭhati, the cowherds’ village stands on, that is near, the Ganges.

Examples

The place {278}, {302}; Jeta’s Grove lies near Sāvatthī, not in it, a support by proximity:

sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane

🚺⨀⑦(sāvatthiyaṁ) 🟢⨀🤟▶️(viharati) 🚻⨀⑦(jetavane)
at Sāvatthī / [he] dwells / in Jeta’s Grove
[He] dwells at Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove.

The time {313}, with no “in” or “at” to help it:

pubbaṇhasamaye gato

🚹⨀⑦🆎(pubbaṇha+samaya) ⨀🚹①(🔽(ta)(gato))
in the forenoon / gone (past participle)
[He] went in the forenoon.

An event that sets the time {313}, the ⑦ absolute: a noun and a participle, both ⑦, agreeing with each other and belonging to no verb of the sentence. With a -ta word it is “when X had happened”: pavattite … dhammacakke, “when the Dhammacakka had been set in motion” (5: 12.1):

bhikkhūsu bhojīyamānesu gato

🚹⨂⑦(bhikkhūsu 🔽(māna)(bhojīyamānesu)) ⨀🚹①(🔽(ta)(gato))
while the monks / [were] being fed / gone
[He] went while the monks were being fed.

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 ⑦ word. Find it, say what it is doing there — the place, what the action rests on, the time or an event that sets the time — and translate the sentence.

Hint

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

1. Atha kho bhagavā bodhirukkhamūle sattāhaṁ ekapallaṅkena nisīdi vimuttisukhapaṭisaṁvedī. (3: 2.2)
2. Yathā aññataraṁ bījaṁ, khette vuttaṁ virūhati. (Bonus: 20, 5.1–5.2)
3. ariyasāvako rūpasmimpi nibbindati (7: 11.1)
4. Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi. (3: 5.1)
5. Imasmiñca pana veyyākaraṇasmiṁ bhaññamāne (7: 12.3)

Answers

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

1. Atha kho bhagavā bodhirukkhamūle sattāhaṁ ekapallaṅkena nisīdi vimuttisukhapaṭisaṁvedī.

⏏️(atha) ⏏️(kho) 🚹⨀①(bhagavant) 🚻⨀⑦🆎(bodhirukkha+mūla) 🚻⨀②🆎(satta+aha) 🚹⨀③🆎(eka+pallaṅka) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(nisīdati) 🚹⨀①🆎(vimuttisukha+paṭisaṁvedī)
then / indeed / the Bhagavā / at the root of the bodhi tree / for seven days / in one cross-legged posture / sat down / experiencing the bliss of liberation
Then the Bhagavā sat at the root of the Bodhi tree for seven days in one cross-legged posture, experiencing the bliss of liberation (vimuttisukhapaṭisaṁvedī).
bodhirukkhamūle: the place {278}, {302}.

2. Yathā aññataraṁ bījaṁ, khette vuttaṁ virūhati.

🔼(yathā) 🚻⨀①(aññatara) 🚻⨀①(bīja) 🚻⨀⑦(khetta) 🚻⨀①(vutta) ▶️🤟⨀(virūhati)
like / a certain / seed / in field / sown / grows
Like a certain seed, sown in field, grows.
khette: the place {302}.

3. ariyasāvako rūpasmimpi nibbindati

🚹⨀①🆎(ariya+sāvaka) 🚻⨀⑦(rūpa) ⏏️(api) 🟢⨀🤟▶️(nibbindati)
awakened disciple / form / too / gives up
…the ariyasāvaka (awakened disciple) nibbindati (gives up) rūpa…
rūpasmiṁ, with pi (“too”) joined to it: what the giving up rests on {302}.

4. Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi.

⏏️(atha) ⏏️(kho) 🚹⨀①(bhagavant) *️⃣🤟🚹⨀②(eta) 🚹⨀②(attha) 🔽(tvā)(vidati) *️⃣🤟🚺⨀⑦(ta) 🚺⨀⑦(velā) *️⃣🤟🚹⨀②(ima) 🚹⨀②(udāna) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(udāneti)
then / indeed / the Bhagavā / this / matter / having understood / at that / time / this / inspired utterance / uttered
Then the Bhagavā, having understood this matter, on that occasion uttered this inspired utterance (udāna).
tāyaṁ velāyaṁ: the time {313}.

5. Imasmiñca pana veyyākaraṇasmiṁ bhaññamāne

*️⃣🤟🚻⨀⑦(ima) ⏏️(ca) ⏏️(pana) 🚻⨀⑦(veyyākaraṇa) 🚻⨀⑦🔽(māna)(bhaññamāna)
in this / and / moreover / detailed exposition / being spoken
And while this detailed exposition was being spoken, …
veyyākaraṇasmiṁ bhaññamāne: the ⑦ absolute {313}; bhaññamāne agrees with its noun.