Re: abhikkamosānaṃ

Dear Balaji and Others,

Thanks to all for your suggestion. Even though the Majjhima Commentary says, in regard to abhikkamosānaṃ, yasmiñhi samaye māraṇantikā vedanā uppajjati, I don't think the commentary actually intends this as a word gloss on abhikkamosānaṃ.

If, however, we assign to osāna the meaning "culmination" then the tappurisa would make sense. To apply this: In Sāriputta's query, he hopes that the culmination of the retreat of the pains is apparent. In Anāthapiṇḍika's reply, he says that the culmination of their advance is apparent—not death, I think, but just that the pains have reached their peak. The same passage occurs in other suttas where the illness does not end in death but recedes, and thus I don't think abhikkamosānaṃ literally means that death is apparent.

The question is whether osāna can sustain such a meaning as "culmination". There is some justification for this. In another stock passage we find brahmacariyapariyosānaṃ, where pariyosāna, meaning “goal” or “culmination,” is just a prefixed form of osāna. Elsewhere the Buddha says he is diṭṭhadhammābhiññāvosānapāramippattā, where vosāna is another prefixed form of osāna (Skt avasāna).

So this might be the solution to the problem: in one case, the culmination of the retreat, in the other the culmination of the advance.

It’s still interesting that, except for the commentary to the Vakkali Sutta, which treats sānaṃ as a sandhi form of esānaṃ (paṭikkamosānan ti paṭikkamo etāsaṃ), the commentaries avoid explaining paṭikkamosānaṃ and abhikkamosānaṃ.This suggests the meaning was not apparent even to the commentators. I can't find a Skt counterpart to the Anathapindikovada Sutta, or other suttas on illness, with which to compare the Pali version.

With best wishes and thanks to all for replying,

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

 

Dear Ven. Bodhi,

I have to agree with Ven. Pandita that both abhikkamosānam and patikkamosānam are tappurisa samāsa. I was wondering why this possibility was not being considered because it makes sense even in the context that you mentioned.

Thanks,

Balaji

On Mon, Dec 4, 2017 at 12:14 PM Soe Naung ashinpan@... [palistudy] <palistudy@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Dear Bhante,

I have to correct my opinion written down in haste. Please read the following instead.

Both abhikkamosānaṃ and paṭikkamosanaṃ are in my opinion tappurisa compounds.

It would be clearer if we start with paṭikkamosanaṃ. It is: "paṭikkama + osāna" to be rendered literally as "a retreat [of the sickness ] at the end."  So it clearly means the kind of sickness that one would eventually recover from.

abhikkamosānaṃ is: "abhikkama + osāna" to be rendered literally as "an increase [of the sickness] at the end," i.e., ``increasing up to the end." That is, the sickness would increase up to the end. According to the commentator, the "end" is death. So the great householder is describing here the kind of sickness that would get worse and worse until the time of death.

with much metta and respect,

Ven. Pandita (Burma)

On Mon, Dec 4, 2017 at 11:27 PM, Soe Naung <ashinpan@...> wrote:

Dear Bhante Bhikkhu Bodhi,

I agree with James that esānaṃ is a gender mismatch for vedanānaṃ. Therefore, I would attempt to give my own take on it.

Both abhikkamosānaṃ and paṭikkamosanaṃ are in my opinion relative (bahubbīhi) compounds.

It would be clearer if we start with paṭikkamosanaṃ. It is: "paṭikkama + osāna" to be rendered literally as "the one having a retreat at the end," i.e., "the one which would retreat at the end." So it clearly means the kind of sickness that one would eventually recover from.

abhikkamosānaṃ is: "abhikkama + osāna" to be rendered literally as "the one having an increase at the end," i.e., "the one which would only increase to the end."  According to the commentator, the "end" is death. So the kind of sickness that would get worse and worse until the time of death is called "abhikkamosanaṃ."

with much metta and respect,

Ven. Pandita (Burma)

On Mon, Dec 4, 2017 at 10:24 PM, 'James Anderson' jimanderson.on@... [palistudy] <palistudy@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

On following up, I see a problem with the abhikkamo esānaṃ interpretation in that esānaṃ is listed by Aggavaṃsa and Geiger as a masc. or neuter gen. or dat.  plural form of the pronominal base ima. But only imāsaṃ (also imāsānaṃ in Geiger) is given for the feminine. I’m assuming that the masc./neut. pronoun esānaṃ is being used here to qualify an implied vedanānaṃ which is feminine  and therefore a mismatch.

 

Jim

--

Ven. Pandita (Burma)

Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies,
University of Kelaniya,
Sri Lanka

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Ven. Pandita (Burma)

Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies,
University of Kelaniya,
Sri Lanka

--

Balaji

-- 
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Chuang Yen Monastery
2020 Route 301
Carmel NY 10512
U.S.A.

Sabbe sattā averā hontu, abyāpajjā hontu, anighā hontu, sukhī hontu!
願眾生無怨，願眾生無害，願眾生無惱，願眾生快樂！
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