nigaṇṭhaputto

nigaṇṭhaputta

masc nom sg of nigaṇṭhaputta (noun)

Jain monk; disciple of Mahāvīra; lit. son of Nigaṇṭha

Built from

nigaṇṭha — stem · naked ascetic
From ni- (without) + gaṇṭha (knot, bond, garment), denoting freedom from material bonds; the Nigaṇṭhas were Jain ascetics who practiced nudity as renunciation.
putta — stem · son
From PIE *putro-, cognate with Latin putus and Sanskrit putra; marks descent or spiritual affiliation to the Nigaṇṭha order.

Analysis. A dvandva or possessive compound: nigaṇṭha (a Jain ascetic, lit. 'naked') + putta (son). The word denotes both membership in the Nigaṇṭha sect and literal or spiritual sonship to its teacher. Historically applied to followers of Mahāvīra, the 24th Tīrthańkara of Jainism.

Etymology. nigaṇṭha is from ni- (without) + gaṇṭha (knot, bond, clothing), thus 'naked one' or 'unbound'; putta is from Proto-Indo-European *putro- (boy, son), cognate with Latin putus and Greek pais. The term reflects the Jain practice of kaivalya (ascetic nudity) as a rejection of worldly bonds.

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

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