Dear Rene Salm

How are you?

You wrote:

"I am trying to figure out the use of -assa vs. aaya (dative)."

The use of (-aaya) should be noted as your quote from WARDER (p.67) :

"In all declensions genitive forms are used for the dative also, but
a special dative inflection exists alongside [the genitive] for the
singular of masculines and neuters in -a: -aaya." He then becomes
more specific: "The inflection -aaya has the specialized meaning of
purpose." He gives the example: gaama.m pi.ndaaya paavisi (He entered
the village for alms.)

As for the use of (-assa) for dative, we could stick to the normal
uses where the sense of recipient is conveyed, usually (to) in
English.

Please view the following quote from Anguttara nikaaya where the
Buddha used both -assa form and -aaya form in the same sentence.

"Liinacittassa, bhikkhave, anuppannañceva thinamiddham
uppajjati uppannañca thinamiddham bhiyyobhaavaaya vepullaaya
samvattatii"ti."

"Monks, to the withdrawing mind, potential sloth and torpor duly
arise, and the arising sloth and torpor are also in for increase and
for expansion."

Section 13, Ekakanipaatapaali, Anguttara Nikaaya.

In the above sentence, we cannot say "Liinacittaaya". Nor can we
say "bhiyyobhaavassa" or "vepullassa" without changing the original
intended meanings.

With regards,

Suan Lu Zaw

http://www.bodhiology.org

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Rene Salm <rsalm@...> wrote:


Dear Abhidhammika,
I have often wondered at the proper pronunciation of -v- in Pali. My
Sri
Lankan monk-tutor pronounced it also somewhat as a -w- (I would say
midway between -v- and -w).

I listened to the cassette tape to Warder (spoken by Ven. H.
Saddhatissa). It is interesting, and he changes his pronunciation
along
the way! At the beginning, he says the -v- as what an American would
call -w-. Here he is pronouncing the individual letters. On Warder p.
15
all the v's are the same way. It sounds funny to my ear: puriso ewam
wadati... dewo amanusso hoti.... ewam wadaami... But later when he is
speaking faster (p. 307, DN 22), his v's are all as the English -v-.

---------

In today's Day by Day we have a sentence with -assa (dative):

21. The merchant brings a goat by cart for the teacher.
vaa.nijo / aaharati / aja.m / saka.tena / aacariyassa
Vaa.nijo saka.tena aacariyassa aja.m aaharati.

Yesterday we had a sentence with -aaya:

20. The doctor gives a garment to the hermit.
vejjo / dadaati / saa.taka.m / taapasaaya
Vejjo taapasaaya saa.taka.m dadaati.

I am trying to figure out the use of -assa vs. aaya (dative).
GEIGER (p.68) writes that -aaya is used "to express time, direction,
and
purpose..."

This is quite broad, and would allow -aaya for both the above
sentences.
It does not prohibit -assa, it would seem to me. He continues: "[-
aaya]
is also used quite frequently as the equivalent of the infinitive...
longing after something..."

WARDER (p.67) writes: "In all declensions genitive forms are used for
the dative also, but a special dative inflection exists alongside [the
genitive] for the singular of masculines and neuters in -a: -aaya."
He then becomes more specific: "The inflection -aaya has the
specialized
meaning of purpose." He gives the example: gaama.m pi.ndaaya paavisi
(He
entered the village for alms.)

There doesn't seem to be a firm rule here. Broadly (per Geiger) -aaya
can be used for both above sentences (but doesn't have to be?) More
narrowly (per Warder) -aaya is used only in the top sentence:
aacariyaaya. (But would -assa still be correct here?)

The good news seems to be that one can use either ending pretty much
at
will for all DATIVE meanings where the noun stem ends in -a. Further
clarifications appreciated...

Rene