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bojjhaṅgā

bojjhaṅga

masc nom pl of bojjhaṅga (noun); masc instr sg of bojjhaṅga (noun); masc abl sg of bojjhaṅga (noun); masc voc sg of bojjhaṅga (noun); …

1. element of awakening; factor of enlightenment
2. element of awakening; factor of enlightenment

Built from

• bod — root · awaken, perceive
  From √budh. The concrete sense is perception dawning; cognate with Sanskrit bodhi and distantly with English 'bud' (opening, growth).
• hi — ending · nominalizing suffix
  Forms abstract noun bodhi (awakening, enlightenment) from the root.
• aṅg — root · limb, factor, component
  From √aṅg meaning 'to join, connect, form a limb.' The image is of the constituent parts or members.
• ā — ending · nominative/thematic marker
  Thematic vowel marking the stem bojjhaṅga in the noun class.
• — ending · nominative plural marker
  Zero or elided plural marker; the nominative plural of masculine ā-stems is identical to the singular in Pali.

Analysis. Compound: bodhi (awakening) + aṅga (factor, limb, component). The seven bojjhaṅgas—mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, equanimity—are the constituents of awakening essential to the path to Nibbāna.

Etymology. bodhi from √budh 'to awaken, perceive' (Sanskrit bodhi, cognate with English 'bud' in the sense of growth and opening); aṅga 'limb, member, component' (Sanskrit aṅga, cognate with English 'angle' through the sense of a joint or corner). The image is that of the limbs or organs of awakening.

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

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