Re: se.t.tho -- derivation 5

Dear Nina,

> Thank you very much for this.
> I contemplated on the first sentences and compared them with
derivation 3
> and 4, very good. I wonder whether there is another possible
interpretation.

I think 'santaana.m sappurisaana.m' probably has the dative plural
endings, but the genitive might be possible too as I did use 'of'
before 'wise ones'.

[...]

> > Text: atha vaa santaana.m sappurisaana.m hitasukha.m icchatiiti
> > se.t.tho, buddho.
> > Translation: Or, he wishes for the happiness and welfare of wise
ones,
> > of good persons; thus 'se.t.tho', buddho.
> Nina:
> Those who are not wise do not even know the meaning of Buddha, even
if they
> were in his presence. Only wise people, those who have accumulated
> understanding will seek him, admire him, love him. They are people
that are
> capable of being taught. In accordance with their level of
understanding is
> their confidence, dedication and love. For them he is se.t.tho,
buddho.
> In derivation 5 se.t.tho is an action noun as you say. So, I have to
be

I think you must have meant 'agent noun' instead of 'action noun'.

> careful. The Buddha even though he wished, would not be able to be
se.t.tho
> for unwise and unwilling people, he would not be able to teach them.
Even a
> Buddha cannot change that. When people have accumulated such and
such kamma,
> such and such inclinations it cannot be otherwise. That is the fixed
law of
> Dhamma, Dhamma niyaama.
> What do you think?

I like your explanation very much. I searched the CSCD for occurrences
of the word 'hitasukha.m' so I could see the various contexts it is
found in. There were several occurrences with the verb 'icchati' or a
present participle form of it. Here's one from the commentary on the
Cariyaapi.taka: "...sattaana.m anuttara.m hitasukha.m icchanto attano
daanapaarami.m paripuuretukaamo..." --Cp-a 305 (the person desiring is
the mahaapuriso which I take to be the mahaabodhisatta). The
'sattaana.m' could refer to all beings though. Another one, from the
.tiikaa on Nett-a regarding the word 'naatho' is: "naathatiiti naatho,
veneyyaana.m hitasukha.m aasiisati patthetiiti attho,..." -- Nett-p.t
4. I think this last one supports derivation 5 and your comments
because 'naatho' (protector) is an epithet of the Buddha, the verbs
'aasiisati' and 'pattheti' have meanings similar to 'icchati', and
'veneyyaana.m' refers to those, as you so well put it, 'people that
are capable of being taught'. Note that 'naathatiiti naatho' is a
perfect example of a traditional nibbacana so often seen in the
commentaries. It tells you the verb (and verbal root) that 'naatha' is
derived from and that it is an agent noun. The meaning interpretation
that follows is just the first of several.

Thanks for your input.

Jim