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naccagītavāditavisūkadassanā

naccagītavāditavisūkadassana

nt nom pl of naccagītavāditavisūkadassana (noun); nt instr sg of naccagītavāditavisūkadassana (noun); nt abl sg of naccagītavāditavisūkadassana (noun); nt voc sg of naccagītavāditavisūkadassana (noun); …

1. dancing, singing, instrumental music and watching shows

Built from

• nacca — root · dancing
  Verbal noun (gerund) from √nacc-. The root suggests rhythmic movement.
• gīta — root · singing
  Past participle of √gai- (sing). Cognate with Sanskrit gita, Greek aoidos (singer).
• vādita — root · instrumental music
  Past participle of √vād- (play/sound an instrument). Related to Sanskrit vāda, cognate with Latin vōx (voice).
• vi — prefix · apart, clearly
  Marks the visual clarity and distinctness of the spectacle. Works like English dis-.
• sūka — root · display, spectacle
  Related to √śuc- (shine, be visible). A show that stands out visibly.
• dassana — stem · seeing, viewing
  Gerund of √das- (see, look at). The instrumental/nominalized form emphasizes the act of viewing as a distinct pleasure category.

Analysis. A dvandva (coordinated) compound of four elements: nacca (dancing) + gīta (singing) + vādita (instrumental music) + visūka-dassana (watching shows). The final element visūka-dassana itself compounds visūka (show, spectacle) + dassana (seeing, viewing). This stock phrase enumerates pleasures of the senses forbidden to renunciates.

Etymology. Each component is a straightforward verbal noun or gerund: nacca from naccati (dance); gīta from gāyati (sing); vādita from vādeti (play an instrument); dassana from passati/dassati (see). Visūka is from vi-śuci- (visible things, displays). The compound is formulaic in the Vinaya and Sutta Piṭaka, listing sensual entertainments as obstacles to the path.

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

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