8.2: The present

Info

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

Most suttas open with a present verb: bhagavā … viharati, “the Bhagavā dwells”. The present (vattamānā, “going on”) is the set of endings for what happens now {414}. Of a present form ask who acts, how many, and what stands between root and ending: the dictionary lists the root.

Kaccāyana names twelve endings {423}: ti, anti, si, tha, mi, ma, the parassapada (🟢), carry nearly every verb of the texts; te, ante, se, vhe, e, mhe, the attanopada (🔵), serve the passive and the impersonal {453}. 8.1 has the whole key; this section takes the first six.

The six endings of the present

what you see	person	number	ending	from the texts	rule
-ti	third 🤟	⨀	ti	viharati, hoti, labhati	{423}
-nti	third 🤟	⨂	anti, one a dropped {510}	sambhavanti, pātubhavanti	{423}
-si	second 🤘	⨀	si	viharasi (Bonus: 44, 2.5)	{423}
-tha	second 🤘	⨂	tha	maññatha (7: 6.1)	{423}
-āmi	first 👆	⨀	mi after a lengthened a {478}	gacchāmi, viharāmi, vadāmi (9: 2.6)	{423}
-āma	first 👆	⨂	ma, likewise {478}	none; Kaccāyana’s gacchāma	{423}

The root asa (to be) reshapes them: atthi (“there is”, -tthi for -ti {494}; natthi is na + atthi), santi (“there are” {506}); hoti (root hū) is the other “is”, both in 8.7.

-si now, -si then

viharasi ends in -si; so do āmantesi (“he addressed”) and ahosi (“it was”) in chapter 5, the past (8.4), third person: their -si follows -e-, -o- or -ā-, while the present -si follows the class piece (-asi) and has tvaṁ (“you”) as subject.

The eight classes and their pieces

A piece (vikaraṇa) fixed by the root’s class (gaṇa) stands between root and ending: Kaccāyana sorts the roots into eight classes and gives each its piece {445}–{452}; the dictionary prints the class beside the root (√ñā (5, nā)). Take off the ending, the piece and any upasagga (🔼), and the root is left (Appendix D); the ṇ of ṇe, ṇaya is a signal, dropped {523}.

class	piece	what you see before the ending	example	rule
bhū	a	-ati	viharati, labhati	{445}
rudha	a, with ṁ put into the root	a nasal before the last consonant, -nd-, -ñj-	nibbindati, payuñjati	{446}
divu	ya	a double consonant, -jj-, -bb-	uppajjati, jāyati	{447}
su	ṇu, ṇā, uṇā	-ṇo-, -ṇā-	none; Kaccāyana’s suṇāti	{448}
kī	nā	-nā-	pajānāti, sañjānāti	{449}
gaha	ppa, ṇhā	-ṇhā-	paggaṇhāti	{450}
tanu	o, yira	-oti	sacchikaroti; Kaccāyana’s karoti	{451}
cura	ṇe, ṇaya	-eti, -ayati	paleti, vedayati	{452}

Two shapes have a second owner, settled by the dictionary: a double from ya is also the passive (vuccati, “is called”), -e- also the causative (bhāveti, “develops”), both in 8.6; Appendix I tables the verb chapter.

Examples

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā bārāṇasiyaṁ viharati isipatane migadāye.

*️⃣🤟🚹⨀②(eka) 🚹⨀②(samaya) 🚹⨀①(bhagavant) 🚺⨀⑦(bārāṇasī) 🟢⨀🤟▶️(viharati) 🚻⨀⑦(isipatana) 🚹⨀⑦(migadāya)
one / time / the Bhagavā / at Bārāṇasī / dwells / at Isipatana / in the Deer Park
“At one time the Bhagavā was dwelling at Bārāṇasī, at Isipatana in the Deer Park.” (5: 1.1) viharati: -ti, third person singular {423}; the piece a, bhū class {445}; vi + har, the root hara.

“Yadā have pātubhavanti dhammā,

⏏️(yadā) ⏏️(have) 🟢⨂🤟▶️(pātubhavati) 🚹⨂①(dhamma)
when / indeed / appear / phenomena
“When indeed dhammā (phenomena) become manifest.” (3: 6.1) pātubhavanti: -nti, third person plural {423}, one a dropped {510}; pātu + bhav, the root bhū {445}.

Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?

*️⃣🤟🚻⨀②(ta) *️⃣🤟🚻⨀②(kiṁ) 🟢⨂🤘▶️(maññati) 🚹⨂⓪(bhikkhu) 🚻⨀①(rūpa) 🚻⨀①(nicca) ⏏️(vā) 🚻⨀①🆎(na+nicca) ⏏️(vā) ⏏️(iti)
that / what / do you think / bhikkhave / form / permanent / or / impermanent / or / (end quote)
“Bhikkhave, what do you consider: is rūpa (form) nicca (permanent) or anicca (impermanent)?” (7: 6.1) maññatha: -tha, second person plural {423}, the subject tumhe unsaid {411}; -ññ- is ya of the divu class fused with the root mana (to think) {447}.

bhikkhu gacchanto vā ‘gacchāmī’ti pajānāti

🚹⨀①(bhikkhu) 🚹⨀①(gacchanta) 🔼(vā) ▶️👆⨀(gacchati) 🔼(ti) ▶️🤟⨀(pajānāti)
bhikkhu / walking / or / I walk / quote / knows clearly
“A bhikkhu when walking knows clearly ‘I am walking’.” (Bonus: 36, 3.1) gacchāmi: -mi, first person singular, after a lengthened a {478}, on gaccha, the shape of gamu {476}. pajānāti: -ti after nā, kī class {449}; pa + jā, the root ñā {470}.

Exercises

Name each bold verb’s ending, person and number, then the piece and the root.

Hint

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

1. tasmā rūpaṁ ābādhāya saṁvattati,
2. natthi dāni punabbhavo
3. Cakkhuñca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjati cakkhuviññāṇaṁ.
4. Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmimpi nibbindati,
5. sabyābajjhaṁ vedanaṁ vedayati ekantadukkhaṁ,
6. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ nibbinno viratto vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ sacchikaroti.

Answers

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

1. tasmā rūpaṁ ābādhāya saṁvattati,

⏏️(tasmā) 🚻⨀①(rūpa) 🚹⨀④(ābādha) 🟢⨀🤟▶️(saṁvattati)
therefore / form / to affliction / leads
“therefore rūpa leads to affliction,” (7: 2.3) saṁvattati: -ati, third person singular {423}, bhū class {445}; saṁ + vatt, the root vatta (to proceed).

2. natthi dāni punabbhavo

⏏️(na) 🟢⨀🤟▶️(atthi) ⏏️(dāni) 🚹⨀①🆎(puna+bhava)
not / there is / now / renewed becoming
“There is now no more future existence.” (5: 10.2) natthi is na + atthi: the root asa (to be) with -tthi for -ti {494}, third person singular, no piece.

3. Cakkhuñca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjati cakkhuviññāṇaṁ.

🚻⨀①(cakkhu) 🔼(ca) 🔼(paṭicca) 🚻⨀⑦(rūpa) 🔼(ca) ▶️🤟⨀(uppajjati) 🚻⨀①(cakkhuviññāṇa)
faculty of seeing / and / dependent on / on form / and / arises / visual-consciousness
“Visual consciousness (cakkhuviññāṇa) arises dependent on rūpa (form) and the faculty of seeing.” (Bonus: 19, 2.2) uppajjati: -jj- before -ati, ya of the divu class fused with the root pada (to go) {447}.

4. Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmimpi nibbindati,

⏏️(evaṁ) 🚹⨀①🔽(anta)(passanta) 🚹⨂⓪(bhikkhu) 🚹⨀①(sutavant) 🚹⨀①🆎(ariya+sāvaka) 🚻⨀⑦(cakkhu) ⏏️(api) 🟢⨀🤟▶️(nibbindati)
thus / seeing / bhikkhave / learned / awakened disciple / the eye / too / gives up
“Thus seeing, bhikkhave, the sutavā (learned) ariyasāvaka (awakened disciple) nibbindati (gives up) the eye” (9: 8.1) nibbindati: -nd- before -ati, the rudha class’s ṁ put into the root vida (to feel) {446}; the prefix ni.

5. sabyābajjhaṁ vedanaṁ vedayati ekantadukkhaṁ,

🚺⨀②(sabyābajjha) 🚺⨀②(vedanā) ▶️🤟⨀(vedayati) 🚺⨀②(ekantadukkha)
harmful / feelings / experiences / totally painful
“experiences totally painful harmful feelings” (Bonus: 23, 1.6) vedayati: -ayati, ṇaya of the cura class, its ṇ dropped {452}, {523}; the root vida (to feel).

6. Dhammatā esā, bhikkhave, yaṁ nibbinno viratto vimuttiñāṇadassanaṁ sacchikaroti.

🚺⨀①(dhammatā) 🚺⨀①(eta) 🚹⨂⓪(bhikkhu) 🚻⨀①(ya) 🚹⨀①(nibbinna) 🚹⨀①(viratta) 🚻⨀②(vimuttiñāṇadassana) ▶️🤟⨀(sacchikaroti)
characteristic / this / bhikkhave / whoever / one who is dispassionate / one who is detached / understanding and insight into liberation / personally realises
“This characteristic, Bhikkhave, one personally realises understanding and insight into liberation for whoever is dispassionate and detached.” (Bonus: 18, 1.27) sacchikaroti: -oti, o of the tanu class {451}; sacchi + kar, the root kara (to do).