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bhagavaṁnettikā

bhagavannettikā

feminine noun, nominative singular (or possibly accusative plural), nominative plural). Surface form appears to be a contraction or sandhi fusion of bhagavant + nettikā.

1. guide to the Blessed One
2. commentary or treatise on the Buddha's teachings
3. a specific exegetical work in the Pali tradition

Built from

• bhagavant — root · Blessed One
  An epithet of the Buddha, derived from bhaga meaning fortune or share; used as a respectful designation throughout the canon.
• nettikā — stem · guide, guidance
  Feminine agentive noun from √nī 'to lead'; -ikā is a feminine diminutive suffix. Denotes a guide or the act of guiding, often used for textual guides or exegetical works.

Analysis. bhagavant (the Blessed One, epithet of the Buddha) + nettikā (guide, fem. of nettika from netti 'guidance', derived from √nī 'to lead'). The compound bhagavannettikā denotes a guide or manual directed toward the Buddha's doctrine, or possibly a guide authored by or centered on the Buddha.

Etymology. bhagavant: from bhaga 'fortune, share, power' (cognate with English bag, Sanskrit bhaja 'to distribute'); nettikā: from √nī 'to lead' (cognate with English nene, Latin necto 'to bind', Greek nema 'thread'; the image is of following a thread or path). The prefix nett- implies a thread-like guidance through doctrine.

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

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