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abyāpannacitto
abyāpannacitta
masc nom sg of abyāpannacitta (adj)
- with a kind mind; lit. not gone wrong mind
Built from
- a — prefix · not, without
Plain negation, as in avijjā (ignorance). Cognates: English un-, Greek a(n)-.
- byāpanna — stem · corrupted, gone wrong
Passive past participle of vi-ā-pan-: vi- (apart, in different directions) + ā- (toward, up to, reverses motion) + √pan (to spread, go wrong). The spatial imagery becomes mental: harm or corruption spreading through the mind.
- citta — root · mind, thought
Central Pali noun for mind or consciousness (citta-ṭṭhāna: the place of mind). Cognate with Sanskrit cit (to perceive, understand), related to Latin citus (quick, moving) — both trace to an Indo-European root for motion and perception.
- a — ending · nominative singular masculine
The nominative singular masculine ending for adjectives agreeing with a masculine noun (here implied or contextual).
Analysis. a-byāpanna-citta: a- (not) + byāpanna (corrupted, gone wrong, from vi-ā-pan-) + citta (mind). Compound adjective denoting a mind free from malice or corruption.
Etymology. The prefix a- (not) negates byāpanna, itself formed from vi-ā-pan-, where vi- (apart, asunder) and ā- (toward, up to) intensify the root √pan (to go, spread, harm). English cognates: un- (negating prefix); Latin panis suggests motion/spreading. The word points to mental purity by negating the opposite state.