Bahubbihi compound?

[jonnos]

I would like to ask a question about Pali compounds. As you probably know the word vipariṇāma-dhamma is found in the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta in the Samyutta Nikaya, with the meaning “subject to change” (or something similar), as in “Is it proper to regard what is impermanent, painful and subject to change as… ‘This is mine. This is my self. This is what I am’?”. It clearly must be seen as an adjective, so I wonder if it is a so-called bahubbihi compound (seemingly also known as adjectival compounds). I think there are some more compounds like samudaya-dhamma which should be of the same type.

But unfortunately, I find it difficult to locate examples of similar compounds in the grammars I have consulted. Can anyone help?

Best regards,
Jon

[Assaji]

Hi Jon,

You may find useful the reference sheet by Alan McClure:

https://dhamma.ru/paali/Pali_compounds.htm

[jonnos]

Hi Dmytro,

Thanks for the reference, this is a good study guide which explains the basics well. But the problem remains, as I can't find any examples of similar compounds which show how vipariṇāma-dhamma should be be understood grammatically. I still think it's a bahubbihi, as in a more literal translation such as "what is impermanent, painful and has a foundation/nature/constitution of change". But I would be grateful for any more help with this.

Best regards,
Jon

[Assaji]

Hi Jon,

There's also:

vayadhamma
maraṇadhamma
anuppādadhamma
khayadhamma
deyyadhamma
nirodhadhamma

Best regards

[jonnos]

Thanks Dmytro.

Have you found rules about any of these compounds in a grammar?

Best regards,
Jon

[Assaji]

No, I have not.

[Ṭhānuttamo]

Hi Dmytro,

Thanks for the reference, this is a good study guide which explains the basics well. But the problem remains, as I can't find any examples of similar compounds which show how vipariṇāma-dhamma should be be understood grammatically. I still think it's a bahubbihi, as in a more literal translation such as "what is impermanent, painful and has a foundation/nature/constitution of change". But I would be grateful for any more help with this.

Best regards,
Jon

Have you checked the commentary in regard to the mentioned? Often quite helpful, I found, in solving grammatical issues of the root text.

Mettā

[jonnos]

Hi Bhante,

Have you checked the commentary in regard to the mentioned? Often quite helpful, I found, in solving grammatical issues of the root text.

Thank you for the suggestion. No, I have not. Actually I am not sure which commentary you are referring to here. Could you be more specific? Are there guidelines on such grammatical points in the sutta commentaries?

Best regards,
Jon

[Ṭhānuttamo]

Thank you for the suggestion. No, I have not. Actually I am not sure which commentary you are referring to here. Could you be more specific? Are there guidelines on such grammatical points in the sutta commentaries?

To all the sutta material there are commentaries. You can find them here: http://tipitaka.org/romn/ Just open the heading Aṭṭhakathā -- Suttapiṭaka (aṭṭhakathā) -- Saṃyuttanikāya (aṭṭhakathā) and the respective vagga where the sutta is placed and then to the sutta commentary itself.

As to the guidelines: It happens that the commentary resolves compounds found in the root text upon which it comments or that it uses certain words in its exegesis in a way grammatically more straightforward (for example with an alternative suffix, which would narrow down the scope of possible interpretations or even specify precisely).

If the commentary does not help one may also benefit from looking for other occurrences of the compound in the canon and see if it gets clear out of another context or again with the respective commentaries. The Digital-Pāli-Reader has a nice search function. I actually run quickly a lookup and it was shown that the compound is found 91 times, alone in the suttapitaka. So there seems to be definitely some potential as to the resolution of your question.

Mettā

[jonnos]

A. Bhikkhu wrote:

To all the sutta material there are commentaries. You can find them here: http://tipitaka.org/romn/ Just open the heading Aṭṭhakathā -- Suttapiṭaka (aṭṭhakathā) -- Saṃyuttanikāya (aṭṭhakathā) and the respective vagga where the sutta is placed and then to the sutta commentary itself.

As to the guidelines: It happens that the commentary resolves compounds found in the root text upon which it comments or that it uses certain words in its exegesis in a way grammatically more straightforward (for example with an alternative suffix, which would narrow down the scope of possible interpretations or even specify precisely).

If the commentary does not help one may also benefit from looking for other occurrences of the compound in the canon and see if it gets clear out of another context or again with the respective commentaries. The Digital-Pāli-Reader has a nice search function. I actually run quickly a lookup and it was shown that the compound is found 91 times, alone in the suttapitaka. So there seems to be definitely some potential as to the resolution of your question.

Thank you for the advice, Bhante. But I just realized - since I can't read Pali I won't be able to read the commentaries. I'm only able to "read" a few words of Pali, I'm afraid. But there probably is a simple grammatical solution, since the compound is used that many times, plus the similar compounds that Dmytro mentioned. I think I'll check the grammars again.

Best regards,
Jon