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dhammanvayo

dhammanvaya

masc nom sg of dhammanvaya (noun)

1. inference about the Dhamma; understanding about the teaching (for someone regarding someone)
2. necessity of an idea or principle

Built from

• dhamma — root · teaching, doctrine
  From √dhṛ (to hold, bear). The doctrine holds the practitioner steady; parallels Sanskrit dharma and English firm.
• anu — prefix · along, after
  Trailing behind, following the track. Cognate with Greek ana- in the sense 'along, up through'. Here it shapes the sense of 'following through' a line of reasoning.
• aya — ending · going, motion, sequence
  From √i (to go). In compounds like anvaya, it denotes the act or process of moving along or following after, giving the noun its sense of logical sequence or inference.

Analysis. dhamma (teaching, doctrine) + anvaya (following after, logical sequence, inference); literally 'following-along of the teaching', the reasoned tracking of doctrinal principles to their conclusions

Etymology. anvaya is anu- (along, after, following the track) + √i (to go), cognate with Greek ana- in 'along through'; the prefix carries its spatial sense 'trailing behind' into the cognitive sense of following a line of reasoning. Dhamma is from √dhṛ (to hold, bear) via Pali's regular sound changes, cognate with Sanskrit dharma, Greek tithenai, and English firm—both the doctrine and the cosmic order are what 'holds things in place'.

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

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