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karaṇīyā
karaṇīya
nt nom pl of karaṇīya (noun); nt instr sg of karaṇīya (noun); nt abl sg of karaṇīya (noun); nt voc sg of karaṇīya (noun); …
- duty; obligation; business; something to be done; lit. to be done
- should be done; must be done; ought to be made; to be observed; lit. to be done
- should be; must be; should be had; lit. to be done
- need (of); use (for); lit. to be done
Built from
- kar — root · to do, make
The root kar underlies action and creation across Indo-European languages: English 'create', Latin 'creare', Sanskrit kṛ. In the canon it drives the ethical sense of duty and karma.
- aṇ — stem · verb stem formant
Links the root to the gerundive ending; standard nominalizing medial.
- īya — ending · gerundive (to be done)
Forms adjectives meaning 'fit to be' or 'that should be'; marks obligation and necessity. Common in Pali ethical and prescriptive language.
Etymology. Derived from √kar 'to do, make' (Sanskrit kṛ, cognate with English 'create', Latin 'creare', Greek 'keras' to mix/blend). The suffix -ṇīya forms gerundives (what should be done). Doctrinal use: karaṇīyā metā sukhino hotu 'may beings be happy through what should be done' (Mettā Sutta).