about api

Dear Bhante and Jim

I would like to reply here to the comments of you both. And I would like
also tell Dakagyi U Suan that this is what I understand of the
Sambhaavanaa and Garahaa concepts in Pali and to correct me if I am wrong.

Jim wrote:

>>I'm still unfamiliar with all the ways in which 'api' or 'pi' can be used. It is really a difficult word for me and to complicate matters further are its combinations with
>>other particles. I see that the usages of 'api' is divided into seven: sambhaavana, garahaa, apekkhaa, samuccaya, pa~nha, sa.mvara.na, and aasiisaa according to Abh 1183 and 'even though' seems to belong to 'sambhaavana' (supposition,possibility) and according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, the 2nd meaning of 'though' is given as: (even) on the supposition that...
>>
My intended sense for "pi / api" is "even" only. The word "though" is
included because the clause "jinavarassa niravasesadevamanussaana.m
pavarabhaave satipi" is an Absolute clause (See RG - 20).

Then Bhante wrote:

>Sambhaavane in the Abh. passage is from sambhaavanaa rather than sambhaavana. The meaning then is praising or honouring, rather than supposition. The Padaruupasiddhi gives the example "api dibbesu kaamesu" in the passage, "api dibbesu kaamesu, merumpi vinivijjhitvaa gaccheyya."
>
I have to agree with Bhante here. We should take Sambhaaavanaa of the
sense "praising, honouring", and I have taken "api" here as having that
very sense.

>But this is not entirely clear to me. Where exactly did the grammarians perceive the praise that api is meant to convey? Are dibbaa kaamaa being praised (i.e. for their superiority to maanusaa kaamaa)? Or is api merely highlighting dibbaa kaamaa as a means of praising the pa.n.dita who is indifferent to them? Obviously the latter is the point of
>the line as a whole, but I am curious about the function of api in particular.
>
The English word "even" is the best available equivalent of "api" having
the senses of "Sambhaavanaa", and its opposite, "garahaa (disapproval)".
Let's see some English examples through the eyes of ancient Pali
grammarians.

"(1) Even Buddhas cannot escape death. (2) It is out of the question for
ordinary mortals like us."
In (1) above, "even" has the sense of Sambhaavanaa, which suggests
implicit praise for, i.e., a favourable  opinion of, Buddhas, and
automatically implies the existence of the opposite, which is made
explicit by (2). You would notice that (1) is not complete without (2).

"(3) Even the devil himself would not commit such an act. (4) It is out
of the question for a good man like me"
In (3) above, "even" has the sense of Garahaa, which suggests implicit
dislike for the devil, and automatically implies the existence of the
opposite, which is made explicit by (4). (3) is not complete without (4).

"Even though the Buddha himself visited the town, the foolish people
failed to achieve enlightenment"

Here "even" indicates implicit praise for the Buddha in the subordinate
clause, and the opposite is expressed in the main clause.
To sum up, the senses of Sambhaavanaa and Garahaa complement each other
either in consecutive sentences or in different clauses.

Some Pali examples:

(1) yadipi so buddha.m passati. (2) tathaapi dhamma.m sotu.m na icchati.
Trs.:   (1) Even though he meets the Buddha . . . (2) (He) has no wish
to listen to the dhamma.

Here "api" in (1) indicates Sambhaavanaa while "tathaapi" in (2)
suggests Garahaa.

That sentence can be paraphrased as  a single sentence:

So buddha.m passantopi dhamma.m sotu.m na icchati. (Translation is the same)

with metta

Ven. Pandita


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