Ven. Naarada Thera
To my venerable teacher Pelene Siri Vajira~naana Mahaa Naayaka Thera
The word Paa.li means "the Text", though it has now come to be the name of a language.
Maagadhi was the original name for Paa.li. It was the language current in the land of Magadha during the time of the Buddha (6th century B.C.).
Suddha Maagadhii, the pure form of the provincial dialect, was what the Buddha used as His medium of instruction.
The elements of Paa.li can be mastered in a few months, Paa.li opens one's ears to the Dhamma and the music of the Buddha's speech. It is also a lingua franca in Buddhist countries, and therefore worth acquiring.
This slender volume is intended to serve as an elementary guide for beginners. With its aid one may be able to get an introduction to the Paa.li language within a short period.
I have to express my deep indebtedness to my Venerable Teacher, Pelene Siri Vajira~naana Mahaa Naayaka Therapaada, who introduced me to this sacred language. Words cannot indicate how much I owe to his unfailing care and sympathy.
My thanks are due to the Venerable Nyaanatiloka Thera, for his valued assistance.
Naarada
October, 1952.
| adj. | - | Adjective |
| ind., indec. | - | Indeclinables |
| ind. p.p. | - | Indeclinable Past Participles |
| f. | - | Feminine |
| m. | - | Masculine |
| n. | - | Neuter |
| p.p. | - | Past Participles |
| pre. | - | Prefix |
| pres. | - | Present tense |
| pres. p. | - | Present Participles |
| pro. | - | Pronoun |
| Preface Abbreviations Introduction Alphabet Pronunciation of Letters |
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| Lesson I | A. | Declension of nouns ending in a - Nominative and Accusative cases |
| B. | Conjugation of verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice, 3rd Person | |
| Lesson II | A. | Declension of nouns ending in a - Instrumental and Dative cases |
| B. | Conjugation of verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice, 2nd person | |
| Lesson III | A. | Declension of nouns ending in a - Ablative and Genitive cases |
| B. | Conjugation of verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice, 1st person | |
| Lesson IV | A. | Declension of nouns ending in a - Locative and Vocative cases |
| B. | Conjugation of verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice (Summary) | |
| Lesson V | A. | Full declension of nouns ending in a |
| B. | The cases in Paa.li | |
| Lesson VI | A. | Nouns ending in aa |
| B. | Infinitive | |
| Lesson VII | A. | Aorist (Ajjatanii) Active Voice |
| B. | Possessive Pronouns | |
| Lesson VIII | A. | Nouns ending in i |
| B. | Indeclinable Past Participles | |
| Lesson IX | A. | Feminine nouns ending in i |
| B. | Future Tense (Bhavissanti) - Active Voice | |
| Lesson X | A. | Declension of nouns ending in ii |
| B. | The formation of Feminines | |
| Lesson XI | A. | Declension of nouns ending in u and uu |
| B. | Verbs: Imperative and Benedictive Mood (Pa~ncamii) | |
| Lesson XII | A. | Personal Pronouns |
| B. | Verbs: Conditional Mood (Sattamii) | |
| Lesson XIII | A. | Relative Pronouns |
| B. | The Interrogative Pronoun | |
| Lesson XIV | A. | Participles |
| Lesson XV | A. | Demonstrative Pronouns |
| B. | Adjectives | |
| Lesson XVI | A. | Numerals |
| B. | Ordinals | |
| Lesson XVII | A. | Some irregular nouns ending in a |
| B. | Conjugations | |
| Lesson XVIII | A. | Declension of satthu and pitu |
| B. | Causal forms (Kaarita) | |
| Lesson XIX | A. | Declension of go |
| B. | Perfect Tense (Hiiyattanii) | |
| Lesson XX | A. | Compounds (Samaasa) |
| Lesson XXI | A. | Indeclinables (Avyaya) |
| Lesson XXII | A. | Taddhita - Nominal Derivatives |
| Lesson XXIII | A. | Kitaka - Verbal Derivatives |
| Lesson XXIV | A. | Rules of Sandhi (Combinations) |
| Lesson XXV | A. | Uses of the Cases |
| B. | The Genitive and Locative Absolutes | |
| Lesson XXVI | A. | Passive Voice |
| B. | Conjugation of huu (to be) and asa (to be) | |
| Selections for Translation Notes on Selections for Translation Vocabulary Pali-English Vocabulary English-Pali Guide to Excercises |
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