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maṇḍanāya
maṇḍana
nt dat sg of maṇḍana (noun)
- maṇḍana (nt): adorning; embellishing; beautifying oneself
- maṇḍanāya (nt): for embellishment; for bulk; for shape
Built from
- maṇḍ — root · adorn, decorate
The root carries the concrete image of arranging things visually or making something attractive and well-formed.
- ana — ending · gerund/abstract noun
This suffix forms abstract nouns and gerunds from verbal roots, turning the action into a noun denoting the act or its product; here it yields 'the adorning' or 'adornment'.
- ā — ending · dative singular
The dative case marker -ā indicates purpose or indirect object ('for embellishment'), answering 'for what?' or 'to what end?'.
Etymology. From √maṇḍ, probably related to Sanskrit maṇḍ- (to adorn, decorate) and ultimately to Indo-European roots meaning to arrange or make attractive; cognate with English 'mend' in the sense of making whole or orderly, though Pali maṇḍana carries primarily visual and aesthetic force.