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bhavanirodhāya

bhavanirodha

masc dat sg of bhavanirodha (noun)

1. ending of becoming; cessation of being; end of existence; (comm) Nibbāna

Built from

• bhava — root · becoming, existence
  From √bhū (be, become), the continuous process of rebirth and conditioned existence. Cognate: Latin fūī (I was), English be.
• ni — prefix · down, into, inward
  Denotes descent into a final state, inward restraint, and cessation. Spatial imagery of motion downward or inward shapes the abstract sense of stopping and ending.
• rodha — stem · blocking, restraint, cessation
  From √rudh (check, obstruct, block). The act of halting or containing; combined with ni-, it expresses the complete cessation of becoming.
• āya — ending · dative singular
  Dative case marks the purpose or goal toward which action is directed; here it frames bhavanirodha as the aim or end-state of the path.

Analysis. bhava (becoming, existence) + nirodha (cessation, restraint); the compound denotes the cessation or constraint of the round of rebirth—a cardinal concept in Buddhist soteriology.

Etymology. bhava from √bhū (be, become; cognate Latin fuī, fūtūrus and English be), and nirodha from ni- (down, into, inward) + rodha (blocking, restraint, from √rudh to check or obstruct). The spatial sense of ni- (downward, inward movement into a conclusion) underlies the abstract meaning of restraint and termination; together, bhavanirodha expresses the Buddhist goal of stopping the cycle of existence through inward cessation.

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

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