Re: attha.m gacchati

Dear Tadao,

>Hi, Jim and Ong Teng Kee:
>In a few places in the Dhammapada, I see the use of
>"attha.m gacchati", which is, for instance, used as follows:
>attha.m gacchanti aasavaa, which is translated something like
>"defilements have gone". My question is: Is the expression,
>"attha.m gacchati", idiomatic? What does "attha" here mean?
>Is the verb, "gacchati", fucntioning as a 'transtive' verb
>(taking two 'arguments' (<- this is a linguistic technical term,
>meaning the required/licensed phrases by a verb), that is,
>"attha" and "aasavaa"?
>tadao

I'm hesitant to say that 'attha.m gacchanti' is a Pali idiom since its
counterpart also occurs in Sanskrit as 'asta.mgacchanti'. 'attha' means
'destruction, a state of non-existence, disappearance'. I'm not sure how the
Pali grammarians treat this word but Aggava.msa seems to take it as a neuter
noun and there is also a masc. 'attho' (Skt. asta.h). Panini classifies
'astam' as an indeclinable word (also a gati word) which explains the
combined forms like 'attha"ngata' in Pali (or asta.mgata in Skt). If we
consider it as a neuter noun in the accusative I think it is functioning as
the goal of motion: the asavas go to destruction. If we take it as an
indeclinable I think the meaning with the verb would be '(the asavas)
disappear or go invisible'. It's also used with the 'sun' as agent. I take
the verb 'gacchati' as intransitive (doesn't take an object).

Which Pali-English and/or Sanskrit-English dictionaries do you have at hand?
I think you mentioned you have Geiger's grammar. Do you have any other such
reference materials?

I will try to respond to some of your earlier questions when I get the
chance.

Jim


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