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savitakkaṁ

savitakka

adjective, accusative singular masculine

1. with thought
2. accompanied by discursive thinking
3. characterized by initial application (of mind to meditation)

Built from

• sa — prefix · with, together
  Cognate with Latin simul and English same; here means 'having' or 'accompanied by'. Brings elements into one collective state.
• vitakka — stem · discursive thought, initial mental application
  From vi- (clarity, apart) + takka (weighing, turning). The vitakka is the first of the five hindrances when unwholesome, but the initial bright thinking in meditation; it turns or weighs possibilities within the mind.
• ṁ — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the word as the direct object (here in accusative form, common in Pali after prepositions and in adverbial use).

Analysis. sa- (with, together) + vitakka (discursive thought, initial mental application). The prefix sa- here means 'having' or 'together with', yielding 'with vitakka'. In early Buddhist meditation doctrine, savitakka-savicāra samādhi is the first jhāna, where thought and evaluation are still active within collectedness.

Etymology. vitakka derives from vi- (apart, asunder, with clarity) + takka (weighing, turning over; related to Sanskrit tarkana 'reasoning', root *tak-). The prefix sa- is cognate with Latin simul (together), Greek homou, and English same. The concrete image of vitakka is thought turning or weighing possibilities; savitakka is the state where the mind still carries that discursive turning.

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

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