8.4: The past

Almost every verb of chapters 3 and 5 is in the past. Kaccāyana has three sets of past endings: the ajjatanī (from ajja, “today”) {419}, the hiyyattanī (from hiyyo, “yesterday”) {418} and the parokkhā (the “unseen”, unwitnessed past) {417}; the texts use the first for any past event.

Ask three things of a past form: its ending, which gives the person and number as in 8.1; whether an a is put before the root, a-gamī {519}; and whether an s stands before the ending, aho-s-i {491}.

The endings of the `ajjatanī`

Kaccāyana’s active endings are ī uṁ, o ttha, iṁ mhā, in the table’s order {428}; on the page the ī is nearly always short {517}. -si is also the present “you” ending (gacchasi {423}), -iṁ, -uṁ also noun endings (aggiṁ, bhikkhuṁ). Appendix I tables the rules.

what you see	person	number	in the texts	rule
`-i` (`-ī`), `-si`	third	⨀	`nisīdi`, `udapādi`, `saṅkampi`; `ahosi`	{428}, {517}
`-uṁ`, `-iṁsu`, `-aṁsu`	third	⨂	`abhinanduṁ`, `saddamanussāvesuṁ`, `vimucciṁsu`, `agamaṁsu`	{428}, {504}, {517}
`-i`, as the third	second	⨀	Kaccāyana’s `māsu tvaṁ akari pāpaṁ` (“do not do evil”)	{428}, {491}
`-ittha`	second	⨂	`agacchittha`, “you went” (chapter 1)	{428}, {516}
`-iṁ`	first	⨀	`paccaññāsiṁ`, `paṭilabhiṁ`	{428}
`-imha`, `-imhā`	first	⨂	`agacchimhā`, “we went” (chapter 1)	{428}, {516}

The `a` before the root

An a is “sometimes” put before the root in the three pasts, agamī {519}: avoca, ahosi, aññāsi have it, nisīdi, āmantesi, abhinanduṁ do not. After a prefix it sits between prefix and root: ud-a-pādi.

After mā (“do not”) a past form is a prohibition or a negative wish, not a past: evaṁ me rūpaṁ mā ahosi, “may my rūpa not be thus” (7: 2.2) {420}.

Shapes to know by sight

what you see	root	what happened	rule
`ahosi`, “was”	`hū`	`a` before, `ū` to `o`, `s`	{519}, {485}, {491}
`avoca`, “said”	`vaca`	`a` before, `a` to `o`, `-a` for the ending `ī`	{519}, {477}, {517}
`aññāsi`, “understood”	`ñā`	`a` before, `ñ` doubled, `nā` dropped, `s`	{519}, {28}, {509}, {491}
`akāsi`, “did”, in `manasākāsi`	`kara`	`a` before, `kāsa` for the root	{519}, {491}
`āmantesi`, `udānesi`, `desesi`	`manta`, `ana`, `disa`	the class’s or causative’s `e`, then `s`	{452}, {438}, {491}

The rarer pasts

The -ta words (pavattitaṁ, “set in motion”, abhisambuddhā) are the other past, adjectives tabled in 8.8.

set	symbol	endings (same order)	example	rule
`hiyyattanī`	↩️	`-ā`, `-ū`, `-o`, `-ttha`, `-aṁ`, `-mhā`	`agamā`, “[he] went”; `ajjhagamaṁ`, “I reached”	{418}, {427}, {519}
`parokkhā`	🔄	`-a`, `-u`, `-e`, `-ttha`, `-aṁ`, `-mha`	`āha`, “[he] said”; `āhu`, “they said”	{417}, {426}, {475}

Examples

Ayañca dasasahassilokadhātu saṅkampi sampakampi sampavedhi,

*️⃣🤟🚺⨀①(ima) ⏏️(ca) 🚺⨀①🆎(dasa+sahassi+lokadhātu) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(saṅkampati) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(sampakampati) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(sampavedhati)
this / and / ten-thousand-fold world system / trembled / shook / quaked
“And this dasasahassilokadhātu (ten-thousand-fold world system) trembled, shook, quaked;” (5: 13.2) saṅkampi, sampakampi, sampavedhi: -i third person singular {428}, the subject lokadhātu; no a before the root, no s.

Tatra kho bhagavā pañcavaggiye bhikkhū āmantesi—

⏏️(tatra) ⏏️(kho) 🚹⨀①(bhagavant) 🚹⨂②🆎(pañca+vaggiya) 🚹⨂②(bhikkhu) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(āmanteti)
there / indeed / the Bhagavā / of the group of five / bhikkhū / addressed
“There the Bhagavā addressed the group of five bhikkhū:” (5: 1.2) āmantesi: -i third person singular {428} after the s {491} and the e of the class {452}; the prefix ā, no a seen.

Attamanā te bhikkhū bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanduṁ.

🚹⨂①🆎(atta+mana) *️⃣🤟🚹⨂①(ta) 🚹⨂①(bhikkhu) 🚹⨀⑥(bhagavant) 🚻⨀②🔽(ta)(bhāsita) 🟢⨂🤟⏮(abhinandati)
delighted / those / bhikkhū / of the Bhagavā / what was spoken / rejoiced in
“Those bhikkhū, delighted, rejoiced in the Bhagavā’s words.” (9: 10.2) abhinanduṁ: -uṁ third person plural {428}, the subject bhikkhū; no a, no s.

Yato khayaṁ paccayānaṁ avedī”ti.

⏏️(yato) 🚹⨀②(khaya) 🚹⨂⑥(paccaya) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(vedeti) ⏏️(iti)
since / the destruction / of conditions / knew / (end quote)
“since he has understood the destruction of conditions.”” (3: 9.4) avedi: the a put before the root {519}, -i third person singular {428}; the ī is the join with ti (2.1).

Exercises

Find the past verb in each sentence, name its ending, person and number, say whether it has the a before the root or an s, and translate.

Atha kho bhagavā bodhirukkhamūle sattāhaṁ ekapallaṅkena nisīdi vimuttisukhapaṭisaṁvedī.
Atha kho bhagavā imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi—
Tassa me tathāgato vā tathāgatasāvako vā dhammaṁ desesi.
Tāhaṁ dhammaṁ sutvā tathāgate saddhaṁ paṭilabhiṁ.

Answers

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

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).” (3: 2.2) nisīdi: -i third person singular {428}, the subject bhagavā; the prefix ni, no a, no s.

Atha kho bhagavā imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi—

⏏️(atha) ⏏️(kho) 🚹⨀①(bhagavant) *️⃣🤟🚻⨀②(ima) 🚻⨀②(udāna) 🟢⨀🤟⏮(udāneti)
then / indeed / the Bhagavā / this / inspired utterance / uttered
“Then the Bhagavā uttered this inspired utterance:” (5: 14.1) udānesi: -i third person singular {428} after the s {491} and the e of udāneti; the prefix ud, no a.

Tassa me tathāgato vā tathāgatasāvako vā dhammaṁ desesi.

🚹⨀⑥(ta) *️⃣👆⚧⨀②(ahaṁ) 🚹⨀①(tathāgata) 🔼(vā) 🚹⨀①(tathāgatasāvaka) 🔼(vā) 🚹⨀②(dhamma) ⏮🤟⨀(desesi)
of that / me / Tathāgata / or / disciple of the Buddha / or / Dhamma / taught
“Because of that, the Tathāgata and his disciples taught the Dhamma to me.” (Bonus: 26, 12.3) desesi: -i third person singular {428} after the s {491} and the e of deseti; no a.

Tāhaṁ dhammaṁ sutvā tathāgate saddhaṁ paṭilabhiṁ.

🔼(tāhaṁ) 🚹⨀②(dhamma) 🔼(sutvā) 🚹⨀⑦(tathāgata) 🚻⨀①(saddha) ⏮👆⨀(paṭilabhi)
that I / Dhamma / having heard / in Tathāgata / faith / I acquired
“Having heard that Dhamma, I acquired faith in the Tathāgata.” (Bonus: 26, 12.4) paṭilabhiṁ: -iṁ first person singular {428}; the prefix pati, no a, no s.