MABS 68 I Reading in Buddhist

Sanskrit Texts I: Grammatical

Foundation
Lesson 2: Exercise
25/09/2021
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1. tri-ratnāni | tadyathā buddhaḥ dharmaḥ saṅghaḥ ca iti |
(nom,n,pl) (indec) (nom,m,sg) (nom,m,sg) (nom,m,sg) (indec) (indec; §2.9: "...")
= The triple-gems/three jewels; namely : “the Buddha, the Dharma and the
Saṅgha”.

tri-ratnam (m) 三寶 the three jewels, triple-gem

tad-yathā (indec) for instance, as, just as, as follows, namely, viz (enumeration of items follows)
buddhaḥ (m) 佛,覺者 Enlightened One
dharmaḥ (m) 法 (numerous meanings) doctrine, factors of existence, truth, virtue, etc.
saṅghaḥ (/saṃghaḥ) (m) 僧伽,僧,(和合)眾 the saṅgha, assembly, multitude
ca (indec) and
iti (indec) thus, so, therefore, “……”
2. akuśala-mūlāni | tadyathā rāgaḥ dveṣaḥ mohaḥ ca iti |
( nom,n,pl ) ( indec ) ( nom,m,sg ) (indec)
= The roots of unskillfulness/unwholesomeness are namely: “greed, hatred and
delusion”.

akuśala (adj) 不善 unwholesome, unskillful

mūlam (n) 根 root, foundation
tad-yathā (indec) for instance, as, just as, as follows, namely, viz (enumeration of items follows)
rāgaḥ (m) 貪 greed, attachment
dveṣaḥ (m) 瞋 hatred
mohaḥ (m) 癡 delusion
ca (indec) and
iti (indec) thus, so, therefore, “……”
3. aham kulaputram pṛcchāmi | kutaḥ te tathāgatāḥ āgacchanti
(nom,sg) ( acc,m,sg ) (1,sg,√prach) (adv) ( nom,m,pl ) ( 3,pl,√gam )

kutra te tathāgatāḥ gacchanti iti |

(indec) ( nom,m,pl ) (3,pl,√gam)(indec)

= I ask the son of a good family; "from where do those Tathāgatas come, where do those
Tathāgatas go?”

aham (1,sg,nom; personal pronoun) I ā-gacchati (√gam I ‘go’) comes

kula-putraḥ (m) 善男子 son of a good family kutra (indec) where? in which case
pṛcchati (√prach VI ‘ask’) asks gacchati (√gam I ‘go’) goes
kutas (adv) from where? whence?
te (pl,3rd pron,nom of saḥ) they/those
tathāgataḥ (m) 如來 ‘Thus Gone/Come One.’ An epithet for the Buddha
4. tvam ... śīlam rakṣasi |
(nom,sg) (acc,n,sg)(2,sg,√rakṣ)

= You protect the precept.

tvam (2nd,sg,nom; personal pronoun) you

śīlam (n) 戒 discipline, ethics, precept, ethical alignment
rakṣati (√rakṣ I ‘protect’) protects, guards
5. vayam śīlam rakṣāmaḥ |
(nom,pl) (acc,n,sg) (1,pl,√rakṣ)

= You protect the precept.

vayam (1st,pl,nom; personal pronoun) we

śīlam (n) 戒 discipline, ethics, precept, ethical alignment
rakṣati (√rakṣ I ‘protect’) protects, guards
6. aham ... tathāgatam ... samyak-saṃbuddham śaraṇam gacchāmi |
(nom,sg) (acc,m,sg) ( acc,m,sg ) (acc,n,sg) (1,sg,√gam)
dharmam ca bhikṣu-saṅgham ca |
(acc,m,sg) (indec) ( acc,m,sg ) (indec)
= I go to the Tathāgata, the Perfectly Fully Enlightened One as the refuge (/for refuge),
and to the Dharma and the Bhikṣu-saṅgha (/assembly of monks).

aham (1,sg,nom; personal pronoun) I

tathāgataḥ (m) 如來 ‘Thus Gone/Come One.’ An epithet for the Buddha
samyak-saṃbuddhaḥ (m) 正等覺 正等正覺 正徧知 Perfectly Fully Enlightened One
śaraṇam (n) 依 refuge, protection, shelter
gacchati (√gam I ‘go’) goes
dharmaḥ (m) 法 (numerous meanings) doctrine, factors of existence, truth, virtue, etc
ca (indec) and
bhikṣu-saṅghaḥ (m) 比丘眾, 比丘僧, 苾蒭眾 gathering of monks, community of monks
7. sattvāḥ saṃsāre saṃsaranti |
(nom,m,pl) (loc,m,sg) (3,pl,√sṛ 'flow/move')

= Sentient beings wander in the Saṃsāra/cycle of births and deaths.

sattvaḥ (m) 有情,眾生 sentient being

saṃsāraḥ (m) 生死﹐輪迴 cycle of births and deaths
saṃ-sarati (√sṛ I ‘flow/move’) 流轉,馳流,往來 flows around, moves about, roams
8. dīrgha-rātram sattvāḥ ahaṃkāre mamakāre caranti |
( indec ) (nom,m,pl) (loc,m,sg) ( loc,m,sg ) (3,pl,√car)
= For a long time sentient beings course in ‘I-making’, ‘mine-making’.

dīrgha-rātram (indec) for a long night, for a long time (in saṃsāra)
sattvaḥ (m) 有情, 眾生 sentient being
ahaṃ-kāraḥ (m) 我心, 著我, 我執, 我持, 我計執 ‘I-making’, clinging to “I”
mamakāraḥ (m) 我所心, 我所執, 著我所, 於我執 ‘mine-making’, clinging to “mine”
carati (√car I ‘move’) moves, courses, moves about, walks, practises, does or acts in general
9. vayam buddhasya pādau vandāmaḥ | ekānte ca niṣīdāmaḥ |
(nom,pl) (gen,m,sg) (acc,m,du) (1,pl,√vand) (indec) (indec)(1,pl,√sad ‘sit’)
= We worship the feet of the Buddha, and sit at one side.

vayam (pronoun, nom, pl of aham) we

buddhaḥ (m) 佛, 覺者 Enlightened One
pādaḥ (m) foot
vandati (√vand I ‘worship’) salutes, worships
ekānte (indec; loc of ekāntaḥ) at one side
ca (indec) and
ni-ṣīdati (√sad I ‘sit’) sits down
10. kulaputraḥ ... yānatraye sattvān vinayati |
( nom,m,sg ) ( loc,n,sg ) (acc,m,pl) (3,sg,√nī ‘lead’)
= Son of a good family instructs/trains sentient beings in the threefold vehicle.

kula-putraḥ (m) 善男子 son of a good family

yānam (n) 乘 vehicle, a Buddhist school (e.g.: Mahāyāna: 'Great Vehicle,' the Mahāyāna school); yāna-
trayam 三乘 the threefold vehicle, the vehicle- triad (śrāvaka-, pratyeka-buddha- and bodhisattva-
yānam/ buddha-yāna. Mahāyāna is synonymous with bodhisattva-yāna and buddha-yāna)
traya (adj) threefold, consisting of three, triple; trayam (n) a triad
sattvaḥ (m) 有情, 眾生 sentient being
vi-nayati (√nī I ‘lead’) 調伏, 教化, 化導 disciplines, instructs, trains
11. bodhisattvaḥ ... na rūpe carati | ... na saṃskāreṣu na vijñāne carati |
( nom,m,sg ) (indec) (loc,n,sg) (3,sg,√car). (indec) (loc,m,pl) (indec) (loc,n,sg) (3,sg,√car)
= A bodhisattva does not course in form/matter; he does not course in
conditionings/conditioning forces [nor] in consciousness.

bodhisattvaḥ (m) 菩提薩埵, 菩薩 a being on his way to enlightenment. In Mahāyāna: one who aspires for
the Enlightenment of both oneself and all other beings.
na (indec) negative particle (‘not’)
rūpam (n) 色 form, physical matter
carati (√car I ‘move’) moves, courses, moves about, walks, practises, does or acts in general
saṃskārāḥ (pl, m) 行 the conditionings, conditioning forces
vi-jñānam (n) 識 consciousness
12. vayam agārāt anagārikam pravrajāmaḥ |
(nom,pl) (abl,m,sg) (acc,m,sg) (1,pl,√vraj ‘proceed’)
= We go forth from home to homelessness/homeless life.

vayam (pronoun, nom,pl of aham) we

agāraḥ (m/n; = āgāraḥ) 家 house, home
an-agārikaḥ (m) 非家 (also f: anagārikā, anāgārikā; n: anāgāram. Also: anagāriyam, n, which is truly
hybrid Sanskrit) homelessness, homeless life
pravrajati (√vraj I ‘proceed’) 出, 出家 goes forth, leaves home (to be a monk/novice), renounces the world
 Exercise 2b
1. tasmin pradeśe tathāgataḥ viharati | (tasmin ‘in that’, sg,m,loc; adj to pradeśe)
(loc,m,sg; adv) (loc,m,sg) (nom,m,sg) (3,sg,√hṛ)
= The Tathāgata stays/dwells in that region.

tasmin (adv) ‘in that’

pradeśaḥ (m) region, place, location, a part, a limited part/extent (分, 一分, 少分)
tathāgataḥ (m) 如來 ‘Thus Gone/Come One.’ An epithet for the Buddha
vi-harati (√hṛ I ‘carry away’, ‘take’) stays, dwells
2. ekasmin samaye buddhaḥ jetavane anāthapiṇḍadasya ārāme viharati |
( adv ) (nom,m,sg) (loc,n,sg) ( gen,m,sg ) (loc,m,sg) (3,sg,√hṛ)

prajñapte eva āsane niṣīdati sma |

(loc,n,sg) (indec)(loc,n,sg) (3,sg,√sad) (indec)
= At one time, the Buddha stays/dwells at the Jeta Grove in the monastery of Anātha-
piṇḍada; sat on that very seat which has been prepared (/sat on that very prepared seat).

ekasmin samaye (adv) 一時 at one time āsanam (n) seat

buddhaḥ (m) 佛,覺者 Enlightened One ni-ṣīdati (√sad I ‘sit’) sits down
Jeta-vanam (n) 祇樹, 祇林, 祇樹林 the Jeta Grove
anātha-piṇḍadaḥ (m) 給孤獨(長者) name of a wealthy merchant who became a close devotee of the Buddha
ārāmaḥ (m) 園,園林 pleasure park, monastery
vi-harati (√hṛ I ‘carry away’, ‘take’) stays, dwells
prajñapta (adj) arranged, prepared
eva (indec, enclitic) only, just, very, itself, indeed (emphatic)
sma (indec) a particle joined with a present tense to give it a past sense
3. bodhisattvaḥ āsanāt ut-tiṣṭhati | tathāgatam ca evam vadati |
(nom,m,sg) (abl,n,sg) (3,sg,√sthā) (acc,m,sg) (indec) (indec) (3,sg,√vad)
= The Bodhisattva rises from the seat, and says/speaks thus to the Tathāgata.

bodhisattvaḥ (m) 菩提薩埵, 菩薩 a being on his way to enlightenment. In Mahāyāna: one who aspires for
the Enlightenment of both oneself and all other beings.
āsanam (n) seat
ut-tiṣṭhati (√sthā I; orig. III ‘stand’) stands up, gets up, rises (from)
tathāgataḥ (m) 如來 ‘Thus Gone/Come One.’ An epithet for the Buddha
ca (indec) and
evam (indec) thus, in this way, in the same way
vadati (√vad I ‘speak’) says, speaks, asserts (a theory / doctrine)
4. atha khalu tathāgataḥ piṇḍa-pātāt prati-krāmati |
( indec ) (nom,m,sg) (able,m,sg) (3,sg,√kram ‘step’)
= Then indeed, the Tathāgata returns from the alms round.

atha (indec; introductory / connecting particle) then, now, next

khalu (indec; confirmatory/emphatic particle) indeed, etc.
tathāgataḥ (m) 如來 ‘Thus Gone/Come One.’ An epithet for the Buddha
piṇḍa-pātaḥ (m) 乞食 alms collecting, alms offering, food dropped into a monk’s alms-bowl, the alms
round
prati-krāmati (< √kram I ‘step’) goes back, returns
5. ārya-avalokiteśvaraḥ bodhisattvaḥ skandhān svabhāva-śūnyān paśyati |
( nom,m,sg ) ( nom,m,sg ) (acc,m,pl) ( acc,m,pl ) (3,sg,√paś)
= The Noble Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva, sees aggregates as intrinsically
empty.

ārya-avalokiteśvaraḥ (m) 聖觀自在(菩薩) the Noble Lord (bodhisattva) who looks down
bodhisattvaḥ (m) 菩提薩埵, 菩薩 a being on his way to enlightenment. In Mahāyāna: one who aspires
for the Enlightenment of both oneself and all other beings.
skandhaḥ (m) 蘊, 陰 aggregate, heap
svabhāva-śūnya (adj) intrinsically empty
paśyati (√paś I ‘see’) sees, observes, beholds