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anusāsanti

anusāsati

pr 3rd pl of anusāsati (verb)

1. advises; instructs; teaches
2. orders; commands; metes out; punishes
3. manages; rules; governs
4. judges; adjudicates; decides

Built from

• anu — prefix · along, after
  Trailing behind; following the track of. Indicates following a track or path as one is instructed or led. Related to Greek ana- (along, up through).
• sāsa — root · teach, rule, govern
  From √śās: to teach, instruct, rule. The sense of 'teaching' and 'governing' share the root idea of directing or guiding others according to wisdom or authority.
• ti — ending · 3rd plural present
  The -ti ending marks the 3rd person plural present indicative, so anusāsanti = 'they advise/teach/govern'.

Etymology. anu- (along, following) + sāsati (to teach, instruct), from √śās (to teach, rule, govern). The prefix anu- adds the sense of 'following along after' or 'in accordance with', so the verb means to teach by way of instruction or guidance that one follows. √śās is related to Sanskrit śāsayati and the root that yields English 'sage' and Latin 'sapere' (to be wise), though the Pali form shows the specific sense of teaching or ruling as a function of wisdom.

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

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