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mahapphalā

mahapphala

masc nom pl of mahapphala (adj); fem nom sg of mahapphala (adj); fem nom pl of mahapphala (adj); nt nom pl of mahapphala (adj); …

1. of great fruit; yielding good results

Built from

• maha — root · great
  From PIE *meg-. Cognates: English 'much', Greek 'megas', Latin 'magnus'. The concrete sense of 'large in size' extends to 'great in importance' in doctrinal contexts.
• phala — root · fruit, result
  Sanskrit phala. Denotes both literal fruit and metaphorically the fruit (outcome, result, reward) of action—central to kamma doctrine: actions bear fruit in this life and beyond.
• a — ending · masc/neut
  Masculine or neuter singular stem nominative; agrees with the noun it modifies.

Analysis. maha (great) + phala (fruit); an adjective compound meaning 'great-fruited' or 'bearing great results', used in the canon to describe meritorious actions and their outcomes.

Etymology. maha- (great) derives from PIE *meg- (great; cognates: English 'much', Greek mega-, Latin magnus). phala (fruit) is likely cognate with Sanskrit phala and may relate to the root meaning 'to bloom' or 'to bear'. Together they form a transparent compound emphasizing abundant or significant spiritual fruit.

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

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