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sakaṁyeva

sakam

accusative singular neuter of saka- (possessive adjective, 'own'), intensified with enclitic eva (just, only)

1. one's own (emphatic)
2. by oneself alone
3. one's own very thing

Built from

• sak — root · own, self
  Possessive stem; related to Sanskrit sva-, English self, German selbst. Expresses proprietorship and identity with the subject.
• -am — ending · accusative singular neuter
  Marks the object or thing possessed as neuter accusative singular, often used adverbially.
• eva — prefix · just, only, even (emphatic)
  Enclitic particle that isolates and intensifies the preceding word, here strengthening the reflexivity and solitude of 'one's own'.

Analysis. saka- (one's own) + yeva (= eva, 'just, only', with y- linking particle). The enclitic eva emphasizes and isolates: 'just one's own', hence 'by oneself', 'alone'. Common in doctrinal contexts to stress individual responsibility.

Etymology. saka- derives from sa- (reflexive/possessive stem, related to Sanskrit sva- 'own'; cognate with English 'self' and German 'selbst' via Proto-Indo-European *swe-). eva is a stative particle of emphasis, probably connected to the root meaning 'be' or 'exist'.

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

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