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saṅkhārakkhandhassa

saṅkhārakkhandha

masc dat sg of saṅkhārakkhandha (noun); masc gen sg of saṅkhārakkhandha (noun)

1. aggregate of mental activity; mass of volitional formations

Built from

• saṁ — prefix · together, with
  Brings things into unified collection. Works like Latin con-.
• kar — root · make, do, create
  Cognate with Latin creare, English craft. Here with -a suffix forms abstract 'making, doing'.
• a — ending · abstract noun
  Nominative stem formation from verbal root; -a abstracts kar (making) into saṅkhāra (formations).
• akkha — root · axle, hub, axis
  The pivot or joining point. Related to Sanskrit akṣa; no common European cognate.
• handh — root · bind, tie
  Concrete image of binding spokes to a hub. Forms the sense of aggregate or heap.
• a — ending · noun suffix
  Forms khanda (piece, fragment) → khandha (aggregate). The -a abstracts the binding action.
• ssa — ending · genitive/dative singular
  Dual function in Pali: marks possession or indirect object (dative) and origin or source (genitive).

Analysis. saṅkhāra (volitional formations, mental activities) + akkhandha (aggregate, heap); the compound refers to the fourth of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandhā) in Buddhist psychology—the mass of conditioned formations and volitions that constitute personality.

Etymology. saṅkhāra: saṁ (together) + √kar (make, do; cognate with Latin creare, Greek -kratia as in democracy); literally 'things made together', hence conditioned formations shaped by intention. Akkhandha: from akkha (axle, hub) + √handh (to bind); the hub binding the spokes—i.e. a heap or aggregate bound into unity. Related to Sanskrit skandha, also 'shoulder' (the joint binding limbs together) and 'aggregate'.

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

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