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barihisatthāyāti

barihisatthāya

indeclinable (locative-absolutive form with suffix -iti)

1. for the sacrificial grass; lit. for the sake of sacrificial grass

Built from

• barihis — root · sacrificial grass
  Vedic Sanskrit barhis, the kuśa grass used as ritual bedding on the altar. Cognate with Latin farina 'flour' via PIE *bhares- 'grain, barley'.
• satthāya — stem · for the sake of; locative
  Locative singular of sattha (purpose, sake), from √sthā 'to stand'. The locative marks purpose or dedication: 'standing in the place of; for the sake of'.
• iti — ending · quotative particle
  Marks the phrase as a ritual utterance or declared formula. In sacrificial contexts, iti often frames a mantra or vow.

Analysis. barihisatthāya + iti: a locative-absolutive compound meaning 'for the sake of sacrificial grass', where barihis (the grass) is in the locative case (barihisatthāya) marking the purpose or dedication, and iti (quotative particle) marks the utterance or application as a ritual formula. The form reflects Vedic sacrificial terminology.

Etymology. barihis is a Vedic Sanskrit word (barhis) denoting the sacred grass (Kuśa) strewn on the altar; cognate with Latin farina 'flour' (both from PIE *bhares- 'barley, grain'), though barihis retained its ritual sense in Pali. satthāya is the locative singular of sattha (nominative satthā), meaning 'sake' or 'purpose', derived from Sanskrit sattha (itself a variant of stha 'standing place', from root √sthā 'to stand'). Together, barihisatthāya literally means 'in/for the standing-place (purpose) of sacrificial grass'.

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

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