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kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgaṁ

kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāga

accusative singular masculine of kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāga, a compound noun (resolved surface form, likely kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgaṁ with -aṁ ending)

1. equal counterpart of dark and light
2. balance of demerits and merits
3. equipoise of kamma results

Built from

• kaṇha — root · dark, demerit
  Denotes the dark or unwholesome side; the concrete image of darkness carries into moral demerit.
• sukka — root · bright, merit
  Denotes the bright or wholesome side; the image of luminosity extends to moral worth.
• sa — prefix · together, equal
  From sam-; indicates equality or balance between the two opposing qualities.
• ppaṭibhāga — stem · counterpart, equivalent
  From paṭi- (against, reciprocal) + bhāga (share); the reciprocal share in opposition.
• aṁ — ending · accusative
  Marks the object case, singular masculine, used when the compound is the direct object of a verb.

Analysis. kaṇha- (dark, black; demerit) + sukka- (bright, light; merit) + sa- (together with, equal) + ppaṭibhāga (counterpart, equivalent). The compound denotes a state where dark and light, or unwholesome and wholesome actions, are in exact balance or reciprocal proportion.

Etymology. kaṇha derives from PIE *kan- (dark, grey); sukka from *sweuk- (shine, bright) cognate with English 'swallow' (bird of light); sa- from *sṁ (same, together); paṭibhāga from paṭi- (back, counter) + bhāga (share, part), meaning 'counter-share' or 'reciprocal portion'.

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

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