8.8: The verb-like forms

Info

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

Chapter 5 has pavattite ca pana bhagavatā dhammacakke bhummā devā saddamanussāvesuṁ (5: 12.1), “when the wheel of the Dhamma had been set in motion by the Bhagavā, the earth-dwelling devas raised a cry”. Its one finite verb is saddamanussāvesuṁ; the setting in motion is pavattite, a root with an affix (paccaya) and a noun’s ending. Pāḷi prose keeps one finite verb to a sentence and carries the rest of the action in verb-like words.

Kaccāyana names the affixes kicca {545} and kita {546}; the words made with them count as nouns {601}, so a participle takes the gender, number and ending of its noun, as an adjective does, while an absolutive or an infinitive has no ending {221}. The texts mark them 🔽(affix)(word). Ask of each: which affix is on the end, and does it say the action is done, going on, to be done, done before the main verb, or its purpose?

Done: the past participle -ta, -na

what you see	example	rule
-ita: the i put between the root and ta	pavattitaṁ (set in motion), pabbajitena (by one gone forth)	{605}, {555}
-ta on the root, whose last letter changes with it	abhisambuddhā (fully awakened) {576}, vuttaṁ (said) {579}, gato (gone) {586}, ādittaṁ (burning, 9: 2.1)	{555}
-na for -ta after some roots	nisinno (seated), pahīnaṁ (given up)	{582}

“Has been X-ed”, the doer in the ③ (4.6): tathāgatena abhisambuddhā {556}; after roots meaning go, know or awaken, the one who did it: gato, buddho {557}. It agrees with its noun, paṭipadā … abhisambuddhā 🚺⨀①, or stands alone as one, pabbajitena 🚹⨀③.

Going on: the present participle -nta, -māna

what you see	example	rule
-nto, -aṁ ①, -to ④ ⑥: the endings of bhagavā (2.3)	gacchanto (walking), icchaṁ (wanting), passaṁ (seeing, 9: 8.1), jānato (for one knowing)	{565}, {186}, {187}, {127}
-māno, -māne; on a passive (8.6), “being X-ed”	bhaññamāne (being spoken), pariyesamāno (searching for)	{565}

At the same time as the main verb: gacchanto … pajānāti, “while walking, he knows clearly”.

To be done: -tabba, -anīya, -eyya

what you see	example	rule
-itabba, -etabba: the i of {605}, or a causative’s e	sevitabbā (should be cultivated), bhāvetabbaṁ (to be developed)	{540}
-anīya, -aṇīya after r	karaṇīyaṁ (to be done, 7: 11.4)	{540}, {549}
-eyya: ṇya after a root in ā	pariññeyyaṁ (to be fully understood)	{541}, {544}

“Should be”, “is to be X-ed”: the doer in the ③, pabbajitena na sevitabbā, the word agreeing with the thing to be done, antā … sevitabbā 🚹⨂①; alone in 🚻⨀① it says “there is something to be done”: na cetanāya karaṇīyaṁ.

Done before: the absolutive -tvā, -ya

what you see	example	rule
-tvā, -itvā; -tvāna in verse; -svā from √disa {599}	sutvā (having heard), gahetvāna (having taken), disvā (having seen)	{564}, {605}
-ya; after a root’s final m it is -mma, after d -jja	anupagamma (not approaching), anupādāya (not grasping, 7: 12.3), upasampajja (entering), pahāya (giving up)	{597}, {600}

The earlier of two actions by one doer {564}: saddaṁ sutvā … saddamanussāvesuṁ, “having heard the cry, they raised a cry”; a chain of them tells a story in order. It never changes shape, has no ending {221}, and takes its object in the ②.

In order to: the infinitive -tuṁ

what you see	example	rule
-tuṁ, -ituṁ, with a verb of wishing or as the purpose of an action	sotuṁ icchati (wishes to hear), gantuṁ (to go)	{561}, {596}
-tuṁ with sakkā (possible), sukaraṁ (easy), arahati (is fit), alaṁ (enough)	carituṁ (to live), kātuṁ (to do)	{562}, {563}, {595}

No ending {221}; the object in the ②: brahmacariyaṁ carituṁ, “to live the spiritual path”.

When X had happened: the ⑦ and the ⑥ absolute

what you see	example	rule
a noun and a participle, both ⑦, outside the main sentence: “when”, “while” (4.3)	pavattite … dhammacakke (5: 12.1), veyyākaraṇasmiṁ bhaññamāne (5: 11.1, 7: 12.3, 9: 10.3)	{313}
both ⑥, for a person whose doing is disregarded: “though” (4.7)	rudato dārakassa pabbaji (though the boy wept, he went forth)	{305}

sutvā or sutaṁ?

Both say the hearing is over. sutvā keeps one shape, has no ending and belongs to the doer of the main verb; sutaṁ, sutena wear a noun’s ending and agree with a noun. A -ta or -māna word in -e, -smiṁ or -esu beside a noun with the same ending, and no verb of its own, is the ⑦ absolute.

Examples

pavattite ca pana bhagavatā dhammacakke

🚻⨀⑦🔽(ta)(pavattita) ⏏️(ca) ⏏️(pana) 🚹⨀③(bhagavant) 🚻⨀⑦🆎(dhamma+cakka)
set in motion / and / now / by the Bhagavā / the wheel of the Dhamma
pavattite: ta with the i put in {605}, {556}; in the ⑦ beside dhammacakke, the ⑦ absolute {313}; the doer bhagavatā in the ③; 5: 12.1.

Dveme, bhikkhave, antā pabbajitena na sevitabbā

⚧⨂①(dvi) *️⃣🤟🚹⨂①(ima) 🚹⨂⓪(bhikkhu) 🚹⨂①(anta) 🚹⨀③🔽(ta)(pabbajita) ⏏️(na) 🚹⨂①🔽(tabba)(sevitabba)
two / these / bhikkhave / extremes / by one gone forth / not / should be cultivated
sevitabbā, “should be cultivated”: tabba {540}, agreeing with antā 🚹⨂①, the doer pabbajitena in the ③; 5: 2.1.

saddaṁ sutvā cātumahārājikā devā saddamanussāvesuṁ

🚹⨀②(sadda) 🔽(tvā)(suṇāti) 🚹⨂①(cātumahārājika) 🚹⨂①(deva) 🟢⨂🤟⏮(saddamanussāveti)
the cry / having heard / the Cātumahārājikā / devas / raised a cry
sutvā: tvā {564}, the hearing before the crying, both by the same devas; no ending {221}, the object saddaṁ in the ②; 5: 12.2.

ubho ante anupagamma

*️⃣🤟🚹⨂②(ubha) 🚹⨂②(anta) 🔽(ya)(anupagacchati)
both / extremes / not approaching
anupagamma, “not approaching”: ya, as mma after the m of √gamu {600}, its object ante in the ②; 5: 2.4.

bhikkhu gacchanto vā ‘gacchāmī’ti pajānāti

🚹⨀①(bhikkhu) 🚹⨀①(gacchanta) 🔼(vā) ▶️👆⨀(gacchati) 🔼(ti) ▶️🤟⨀(pajānāti)
bhikkhu / walking / or / I walk / quote / knows clearly
gacchanto, “while walking”: anta {565}, at the same time as pajānāti, agreeing with bhikkhu 🚹⨀①; Bonus: 36, 3.1.

alameva dānāni dātuṁ

⏏️(alaṁ) ⏏️(eva) 🚻⨂②(dāna) 🔽(tuṁ)(dadāti)
it is worthwhile / indeed / gifts / to give
dātuṁ, “to give”: tuṁ {563} on the root dā, after alaṁ, its object dānāni in the ②; Kaccāyana’s own, {563}.

Exercises

Each is a phrase from chapters 3, 5 and 9 with a verb-like form in bold. Name its affix and what the affix tells you: done, going on, to be done, done before, or purpose; for a participle, name the noun it agrees with.

Hint

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

1. etamatthaṁ viditvā
2. ariyasaccaṁ pahātabban’ti
3. ariyasaccaṁ pahīnan’ti
4. Imasmiñca pana veyyākaraṇasmiṁ bhaññamāne
5. Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako

Answers

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

1. etamatthaṁ viditvā

*️⃣🤟🚹⨀②(eta) 🚹⨀②(attha) 🔽(tvā)(vidati)
this / matter / having understood
viditvā, “having understood”: the absolutive, tvā with the i put in {564}, {605}, done before the main verb; its object etamatthaṁ in the ②; 3: 5.1.

2. ariyasaccaṁ pahātabban’ti

🚻⨀①🆎(ariya+sacca) 🚻⨀①🔽(tabba)(pahātabba) ⏏️(iti)
realisation / to be given up / thus
pahātabbaṁ: tabba {540} on pa + √hā, “is to be given up”, agreeing with ariyasaccaṁ 🚻⨀①; pahātabban’ti is pahātabbaṁ iti joined; 5: 6.2.

3. ariyasaccaṁ pahīnan’ti

🚻⨀①🆎(ariya+sacca) 🚻⨀①🔽(ta)(pahīna) ⏏️(iti)
realisation / given up / thus
pahīnaṁ: the past participle of the same root, na for ta {582}, “has been given up”; from “to be done” to “done”; 5: 6.3.

4. Imasmiñca pana veyyākaraṇasmiṁ bhaññamāne

*️⃣🤟🚻⨀⑦(ima) ⏏️(ca) ⏏️(pana) 🚻⨀⑦(veyyākaraṇa) 🚻⨀⑦🔽(māna)(bhaññamāna)
in this / and / moreover / detailed exposition / being spoken
bhaññamāne, “being spoken”: māna {565} on the passive bhañña- of 8.6, in the ⑦ beside veyyākaraṇasmiṁ, the ⑦ absolute {313}; 5: 11.1.

5. Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako

⏏️(evaṁ) 🚹⨀①🔽(anta)(passanta) 🚹⨂⓪(bhikkhu) 🚹⨀①(sutavant) 🚹⨀①🆎(ariya+sāvaka)
thus / seeing / bhikkhave / learned / awakened disciple
passaṁ, “seeing”: anta {565}, its -nta become -aṁ before the ① ending {186}, agreeing with ariyasāvako 🚹⨀①; 9: 8.1.