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pariggahetvā
absolute (past participle) of pariggaṇhāti
- (of meditation) having taken up; having taken hold (of); lit. having grasped all around
- having taken possession; having taken control (of); lit. having grasped all around
- having taken hold (of); having grabbed; having seized; lit. having grasped all around
Built from
- pari — prefix · around, all round
Spatial prefix denoting completeness by going all the way round; cognate with Greek perí- (perimeter). The prefix's circular imagery stays concrete even in abstract use, suggesting comprehensive or integral grasp.
- ggah — root · grasp, seize
From √grabh (PIE *gʰrebʰ-). Cognate with Latin rapere 'seize', English grab. The geminated form ggah- is the reduced grade of the stem pariggaṇhāti.
- etvā — ending · having done
Absolutive suffix marking a past action that immediately precedes or enables the main verb, common in narrative prose and meditation instruction (e.g. 'having taken up [the meditation object], [then] one develops concentration').
Analysis. pari + ggahetvā: pari- (around, all-way round) + √grabh (grasp), giving the sense of complete seizure or comprehensive taking-hold; the geminated g- shows the verbal stem pariggaṇhāti, whose absolutive is pariggahetvā.
Etymology. pari- (from PIE *per-, as in Greek perí 'around') + √grabh (cognate with Latin rapere 'seize', English grab; the root is *gʰrebʰ-). The prefix pari- adds the sense of circularity and completeness to the bare sense of grasping, yielding the idiom of comprehensive seizure or holding used in meditation practice.