Re: rajja.m

Thanks again, everyone. I think I get it now - the happiness associated with being a king is vain, meaningless, etc. because the sickness makes him incapable of being happy. It's a great Buddhist lesson, really - the happiness of kingship is meaningless, because even kings are susceptible to sickness, old age and death.

I was just trying to figure out how the word could be given as a name to someone dear (who happens to be among the 80 great disciples of the Buddha), especially since I've just bestowed it upon our soon to be ordained novice monk, much to the chagrin of the local Sri Lankan community most of whom have never heard of the historical Mogharaja and think it is a terrible insult :)

On Sun, Oct 13, 2013 at 11:44 AM, Jim Anderson <jimanderson.on@...> wrote:

Here's a bit on the meaning and derivation of the word "mogha" according to
the oldest extant dictionary of Pali, the Abhidhānappadīpikā and its later
ṭīkā:

Abh 715d: atha moghaṃ niratthakaṃ.

"niratthakaṃ" (useless, vain, futile, etc.; I would add pointless,
meaningless),

The ṭīkā has this derivation on "mogha": muha vecitte, a, hassa gho.

"muha vecitte" gives the verbal root "muh" and its meaning "vecitte" (in
confusion, in a disturbed state of mind); "a" is probably a kita affix which
also causes the "u" to become "o"; "gha" is the substitute of "ha". "Moha"
also has the same verbal root.

The word 'moghapurisa' (foolish man) was routinely used by the Buddha before
enacting a new Vinaya rule. A possible translation of 'mogharājā' is 'idiot
king' which has some currency in English usage and I believe Shakespeare
wrote a play on such a king,

Best,
Jim