tipitaka network ... his life, his acts, his words                 sabbe satta bhavantu sukhi-tatta

An Elementary Paa.li Course

Lesson XX

Compounds (Samaasa)

A Samaasa is a compound which is composed of two or more simple words.

As a rule only the final member of the compound takes the case terminations. The preceding members, with a few exceptions, drop their case endings and assume their bases.

The component parts of the compound are combined, wherever necessary, according to the rules of Sandhi.

In Pali there are five classes of compounds, viz.:
1. Adjectival Compounds (Kammadhaaraya),
2. Case Compounds (Tappurissa),
3. Copulative Compounds (Dvanda),
4. Attributive Compounds(Bahubbiihi) and
5. Adverbial Compounds (Avyayiibhaava).

1. An Adjectival Compound (Kammadhaaraya) is that which is formed by combining a substantive with an adjective, or a noun in apposition, or an indeclinable used in an adjectival sense, as its prior member.

In some instances the qualifying adjective follows the noun.

Na followed by a consonant is changed into a, and into an when followed by a vowel.

Those Adjectival Compounds that have a numeral as their first member are in Paa.li known as Digu Samaasa (Numerical Compounds).

They generally take the neuter singular when they imply an aggregate.

They do not take the neuter singular when they do not imply an aggregate.

2. A Case Compound¹ (Tappurisa) is that which is formed by combining a substantive with another substantive belonging to any one of the oblique cases, by dropping its case endings.

In some exceptional cases the preceding members retain their case endings.

These compounds take the gender of the final member and are declined accordingly.

With the exception of the Nominative and Vocative cases all the other oblique cases go to form these compounds.

¹ According to Sa.mskrit grammarians this class of compounds is known as Determinative Compound.

² The case endings are retained in these instances.

3. A Copulative Compound (Dvanda) is that which is formed by combining two or more substantives which, if not compounded, would be connected by the particle ca.

(a) These compounds generally take the plural and the gender of the final member when the component members are viewed separately.
(b) If they collectively imply an aggregate, they take the neuter singular.

³ Words with fewer syllables are often placed first.

4. An Attributive Compound⁴ (Bahubbiihi) is that in which the component members collectively denote something else than what is originally expressed by them.

These compounds assume the gender of the implied object and are declined accordingly.

⁴ Words with fewer syllables are often placed first.

Examples:
Piita means yellow; ambara, garment; but piitambaro means he who has a yellow garment,
Aagata, come; sama.na, ascetic; aagatasama.no, the place to which ascetics have come, i.e., a monastery.
Di.t.tho, seen; dhammo, Truth; di.t.thadhammo, by whom the Truth has been seen, i.e., a Saint.
Ni, free from; ta.nhaa craving; nitta.nho, he who is free from craving, i.e., an Arahant.

5. An Adverbial Compound (Avyayiibhaava) is that which has as its first member a prefix (upasagga) or an indeclinable (nipaata), not used in an adjectival sense⁵, but used in determining the sense of the final member.

The Adverbial Compounds generally take the neuter gender and are indeclinable. They are treated like the nominative singular of neuter substantives.

If the final member of these compounds ends in a or aa, the neuter termination .m is affixed; otherwise the final vowel is retained except in cases of long vowels which are shortened.

⁵ See Adjectival Compounds.

Mixed Compounds

When a compound is further compounded with another single word or compound it is treated as a mixed compound.

Exercise 20-A

Translate into English.

Exercise 20-B

Translate into Paa.li.