Dear Jim, Mahinda, Piya, Nina and all,

I was not aware of the other implications of the words paa.naka and jaata. In Sanskrit (according to Monier-William's Dictionary) praa.naka is "living being, animal" and also "a worm". If this is relevant in Pali too, it could explain the diversity of translations. Jaata (past participle of janati/janaayati = Pali jaayati) also can mean "living being, creature" and also "race, kind, sort, class, species" and "a multitude or collection of things forming a class" (Ibid.); and for Pali Buddhadhatta Mahaathera also gives "a collection or variety". This seems logical to me if we compare the etymology of the word "genus" (from Latin = ancient Greek genos) from the Latin verb genere (= ancient Greek gignesthai) "to beget, to become". In Indo-Aryan languages the word-formation could follow similar ways.
Still, in this case I don't feel competent to decide which interpretation is more adequate.

Metta,
Ardavarz

--- On Tue, 4/21/09, Jim Anderson <jimanderson.on@...> wrote:
From: Jim Anderson <jimanderson.on@...>
Subject: Re: [Pali] translation of paa.nikajaata in Satipatthana sutta
To: Pali@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 5:46 PM

















Dear Piya and Mahinda,



Thanks for your helpful comments. The use of -jaata as kind or group

makes good sense and fits the context well. Abh 1077a (jaato bhuute

caye jaata.m) gives two meanings. Caya refers to collection and one

also finds jaata.m listed among the 29 synonyms of samuuho at Abh

629-31.



In Ledi Sayadaw's Niruttidiipanii, pp. 44-5, he lists gata, jaata, and

anta as aagamas at the end of words (in reference to the Mahaavutti).

The two examples given for jaata are atthajaata.m & dhammajaata. m. Not

sure if this applies in our case though.



Best wishes,

Jim



> Jim,

>

> I guess the suffix -jaata (since the Comentaries are silent) could

> mean something like "-kind" and in "mankind" (*manussa,jaata) , thus

> referring to a group, kind, etc. It is a generic suffix.

>

> With metta,

>

> Piya



and from Mahinda:



> PTS Dictionary actually mentions that -jaata in some contexts can

mean

> "kinds of..." Thus gandhajaata: kinds of incense. See PTSD under

jaata.

> vividhehi paa.nakajaatehi khajjamaana must surely mean " being

devoured by

> various kinds of small creatures".

>

> Mahinda































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