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anāsavacittassa

anāsavacitta

masc dat sg of anāsavacitta (adj); nt dat sg of anāsavacitta (adj); masc gen sg of anāsavacitta (adj); nt gen sg of anāsavacitta (adj)

1. with a pure mind; with an undefiled mind; (or) intent on the undefiled

Built from

• an- — prefix · without, not
  Negation prefix (cognate English un-, Greek a-). Plain negation forming the opposite of āsava.
• ā — prefix · toward, up to
  Prefix reversing or directing motion (cognate Sanskrit ā). Here combined with √sav 'flow'.
• sav — root · flow, ooze
  Root indicating motion of liquids or efflux. Gives āsava 'influx', the mental contaminants flowing into the mind.
• citta — root · mind, consciousness
  Central term in Buddhist psychology (Sanskrit citta). Nominalized form of √cit 'to perceive, be aware'.
• ssa — ending · genitive/dative singular
  Inflection marking either genitive (of, belonging to) or dative (to, for) singular, depending on syntactical context in the sentence.

Analysis. an- + āsava + citta: 'mind (citta) without (an-) mental influxes (āsava)'; a compound epithet of the arahat or enlightened state, emphasizing freedom from the three influxes (kāma, bhava, avijjā).

Etymology. an- (negation prefix, cognate with English un-, Greek a-) + āsava (from ā 'toward' + √sav 'to flow', hence 'influx' or 'outflow'; the word's spatial root captures the sense of mental defilements flowing into consciousness). The prefix an- empties āsava of its content, making anāsava 'without influx, undefiled'.

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

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