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andhavane

andhavana

nt acc pl of andhavana (noun); nt loc sg of andhavana (noun)

1. name of a wood outside Sāvatthī; lit. dark wood; blind wood
2. in reference to MN23 Vammikasutta; lit. dark wood; blind wood

Built from

• andha — root · blind, dark
  Related to Sanskrit andha- (blind); expresses obstruction or absence of light, applied literally and figuratively to ignorance.
• vana — stem · wood, forest
  From √van (to dwell); a productive term for woodlands and sacred groves throughout Pali texts.

Analysis. andha- (blind, dark) + vana (wood, forest); a toponym with both literal and figurative force, the darkness suggesting moral or spiritual blindness.

Etymology. andha- is related to Sanskrit andha- (blind), from a root expressing the idea of obstruction or darkening; vana is the productive Pali word for forest or wood (from √van, to dwell). The compound evokes the spiritual darkness of ignorance.

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

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