attantapo

attantapa

masc nom sg of attantapa (adj)

harming oneself; self-torturing; self-mortifying

Built from

atta — root · self
From ātman-, the reflexive pronoun. Appears throughout the canon as the spiritual object of self-understanding (ātmajñāna).
antapa — stem · burning, tormenting
From √tap 'to heat, burn'; antapa is an agent noun meaning 'one who burns.' The concrete image of burning (physical or moral) underlies the abstract sense of torment.

Analysis. atta (self) + antapa (burning, torturing); one who burns or torments oneself. The word appears in the canon as a description of ascetics who practice extreme self-denial contrary to the Buddha's middle way.

Etymology. atta derives from Pali reflexive pronoun ātman- (Sanskrit ātman, 'self'; cognate with English 'I' through Indo-European *h₂et-), and antapa from √tap 'to heat, burn, torment' (Sanskrit tapas 'heat, austerity'; cognate with Latin tepidus 'warm'). The compound expresses the Pali doctrinal critique of needless self-mortification as a hindrance to liberation.

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

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