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suññāgāragato

suññāgāragata

masc nom sg of suññāgāragata (adj)

1. gone to an uninhabited place; gone to an empty dwelling

Built from

• suññā — root · empty, void
  From √suñ 'to empty'; the state of being without content. Cognate with Sanskrit śūnya (zero, empty).
• gāra — stem · house, dwelling
  From √gṛ 'to make, build'; a structure built for habitation. Cognate with Sanskrit gṛha, Greek chorion (enclosed space).
• gata — ending · gone, having gone
  Past participle of √gam 'to go'; marks the completion of motion and resultant state. Here it forms an adjective describing one who has gone to such a place. Cognate with English 'come', Sanskrit gata, Latin venire.

Analysis. suññā (empty) + gāra (dwelling, house) + gata (gone, past participle of √gam). The compound suññāgāra means 'empty house' or 'uninhabited dwelling'; gata marks the state of having gone there. In the canon, monks and nuns are praised for retreating to suññāgāragata—secluded dwellings free from distraction, conducive to meditation.

Etymology. Suññā (empty) is from √suñ (to empty, be void); cognate with Sanskrit śūnya. Gāra (house, dwelling) is from √gṛ (to make, build); cognate with Sanskrit gṛha, English 'gore' (a triangular dwelling plot). Gata is the past participle of √gam (go), cognate with English 'come', Sanskrit gata, Latin venire. The spatial imagery is literal: a monk or nun physically gone to (gata) an empty (suññā) house (gāra), used figuratively for withdrawal from worldly affairs into solitude.

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

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