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devānaṁyeva

deva

nominative plural masculine in a contraction with eva, expressing emphatic restriction; surface form shows sandhi contraction of devānaṁ eva

1. (by) the gods only
2. (as for) the gods alone
3. gods themselves

Built from

• devānaṁ — root · gods
  Nominative plural genitive form of deva 'god', from PIE *deywo- 'bright, shining one'; the heavenly beings who inhabit the celestial realms in Buddhist cosmology.
• eva — prefix · only, just, itself
  Emphatic and restrictive particle placed after the word it modifies, functioning here to limit or intensify the reference to the gods, equivalent to 'the gods alone' or 'specifically the gods'.

Analysis. devānaṁ (genitive plural of deva, 'of the gods') + eva (emphatic particle 'only, just, itself'); the contraction devānaṁyeva emphasizes that the gods—and only the gods, or in particular the gods—possess or undergo the action in question.

Etymology. Deva from PIE *deywo- 'shining one, heavenly being'; cognate with Sanskrit deva, Latin deus 'god', and English deity. Eva is an emphatic and restrictive particle with no definite external cognate; it functions like Latin -que or Greek -per in intensifying focus.

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

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