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parisuddhavaṇṇamevassa
parisuddhavaṇṇa
neuter nominative singular with enclitic -mevassa; the surface form is parisuddhavaṇṇamevassa 'of him with perfectly pure complexion'
- perfectly pure in complexion
- spotless in appearance
Built from
- pari — prefix · around, completely
Spatial prefix meaning complete encirclement; here intensifies the sense of purification into an all-encompassing radiance. Cognate: Greek perí (perimeter).
- sudh — root · purify, clarify
The root √sudh yields suddha (pure); in the canon it characterizes both moral purity (sīla) and radiant clarity (vaṇṇa).
- a — ending · (neuter nominative)
Neuter nominative singular suffix completing the adjective; agrees with an implicit subject (appearance, complexion).
- vaṇṇa — stem · complexion, appearance
Noun meaning colour, complexion, or radiant form; often used of the Buddha's transcendent beauty.
- meva — ending · just, indeed
Enclitic particle -meva (= mva) stressing certainty or emphasis; follows the nominative.
- assa — ending · his, of him
Enclitic genitive pronoun (masc. sg.) attached to -meva, making the phrase possessive: 'his perfectly pure complexion indeed'.
Analysis. pari- (around, completely) + suddhavaṇṇa (pure complexion); -meva (indeed, just) + assa (his, of him, enclitic genitive). The compound parisuddhavaṇṇa emphasizes complete purification of appearance or radiance, used of the Buddha or arahants.
Etymology. pari- from *peri-gʰ (Proto-Indo-European 'go around', Greek perí); suddha from √sudh (to purify, clear; no common European cognate); vaṇṇa from *u̯ar-no- (colour, form; akin to Latin virga 'rod', English warp). The prefix pari- drives the sense toward exhaustive purity.