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abyābajjhā

abyābajjha

nt nom pl of abyābajjha (noun); nt instr sg of abyābajjha (noun); nt abl sg of abyābajjha (noun); nt voc sg of abyābajjha (noun); …

1. freedom from oppressive pain; pain relief; non-affliction; lit. no oppression here state
2. non-afflictive; not harmful; free from pain; without suffering; lit. no oppression here state
3. without ill-will; with goodwill; benevolent; lit. not gone wrong state
4. unafflicted; not suffering; lit. no oppression here state

Built from

• a- — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation. As in avijjā (non-knowing), a- strips away the quality that follows.
• byā- — prefix · thoroughly, intensively
  Intensifying prefix that emphasizes the binding or oppressive action; byābajjha combines it with √bajjh to mean 'thoroughly oppressed or afflicted'.
• bajjh — root · bind, oppress, constrain
  The root carries the concrete imagery of tightening, fastening, or holding fast. Cognate with English 'bind' and the Proto-Indo-European root *bhendh-.
• -a — ending · neuter singular (nominative/accusative stem)
  The neuter singular stem ending; in the nominative plural -ā (shown in abyābajjhā) marks neuter plural.

Analysis. a- (not) + byābajjha (oppressed, afflicted); lit. 'not oppressed'. The root is √bajjh 'to bind, oppress'; byā- is a prefix intensifying the sense of being bound or constrained.

Etymology. The prefix a- (not, without) negates byābajjha, which compounds byā- (intensive prefix meaning 'thoroughly, completely') with √bajjh (to bind, constrain, oppress). The root √bajjh is cognate with English 'bind' and Latin 'baculum' (staff, rod), both from an Indo-European root meaning to constrain or hold. The 'ba-' sound-group carries the concrete image of fastening or tightening; negating it yields the sense of freedom and relief.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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