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rukkhamūlagato

rukkhamūlagata

masc nom sg of rukkhamūlagata (adj)

1. gone to the foot of a tree

Built from

• rukkhā — stem · tree
  Singular feminine stem, declined here in masculine nominative as part of the compound. Cognate with Sanskrit rukṣa- (rough wood), from PIE *reug- (break, rough).
• mūla — stem · root, foot, base
  Compounds directly with the preceding noun. Represents the spatial foundation or ground; from √mul (squeeze, compress), imaging the root as what holds fast.
• gata — stem · gone, arrived
  Past participle of √gam (go, come). Masculine nominative singular, agreeing with the overall compound. Cognate with English come, Latin venīre (come).

Analysis. rukkha (tree) + mūla (root, foot, base) + gata (gone, arrived). A compound describing someone who has approached and settled at the base of a tree, typically for meditation or shelter—a stock phrase in the suttas for monks in forest retreat.

Etymology. Rukkha is inherited from Sanskrit rukṣa- (rough, dry wood), from PIE *reug- (to break, rough). Mūla (root) descends from Sanskrit mūla-, related to √mul (to squeeze, compress), imaging the root as what binds and holds fast. Gata is the past participle of √gam (to go), cognate with English come, Latin venire (come), Greek βαίνω bainō (step, walk).

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

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