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ekapuṇḍarīke

ekapuṇḍarīka

nt acc pl of ekapuṇḍarīka (noun); nt loc sg of ekapuṇḍarīka (noun); masc acc pl of ekapuṇḍarīka (noun); masc loc sg of ekapuṇḍarīka (noun)

1. name of a pleasure park in Tāvatiṃsa heaven; lit. one lotus
2. name of a monastery for wandering ascetics; lit. one mango tree
3. name of king Pasenadi's elephant; lit. one lotus

Built from

• eka — root · one
  From PIE *oiko-. Cognates: English one, Gothic ains. Used as a numeral adjective and prefix to express singularity or unity.
• puṇḍarīka — stem · lotus
  Derived from Sanskrit padma or a parallel Indic root; the etymology within Pali is opaque. The name was applied to celestial and terrestrial sites, suggesting the word's referent shifted in local usage or was reinterpreted by folk etymology.

Analysis. eka + puṇḍarīka: compound of eka 'one' and puṇḍarīka 'lotus' (or folk-etymologically 'mango tree' in certain contexts). The lexical form ekapuṇḍarīka appears as a proper name applied to three distinct places and objects in the canon, suggesting the compound's meaning shifts with context or that folk etymology has obscured an original sense.

Etymology. eka 'one' (from PIE *oiko- 'single, one'; cognate English one, Gothic ains) + puṇḍarīka 'lotus', from Sanskrit padma via folk-etymological reanalysis or a regional variant. The lotus epithet suits a celestial garden; the 'mango tree' meaning appears to rest on local tradition or a different etymological path now obscure.

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

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