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tathāgataṁ

tathāgata

masculine accusative singular

1. the Thus-Gone One (epithet of the Buddha)
2. one who has gone to that (i.e. Nibbana)
3. the Tathāgata (the Buddha)

Built from

• tathā — root · thus, that way
  Adverbial form of tat (that); emphasizes the manner or mode of the Buddha's attainment.
• ā — prefix · toward, up to
  Reverses motion verbs to mean arrival or approach; here bringing the sense of coming toward (Nibbana).
• gata — root · gone, reached
  Past participle of √gam (go); cognate with English 'go'. Conveys arrival at the goal.

Analysis. tathā (thus, in that way) + āgata (gone, past participle of āgacchati), a compound epithet signifying one who has gone the way of the Buddhas before him and attained the goal in the manner of all Buddhas.

Etymology. tathā from *tat-hā (that-wise); āgata from ā + √gam (come), with ā reversing the direction of motion to mean approach. The epithet appears in the suttas as a formal title emphasizing the Buddha's realization as the fulfillment of an established dharmic pattern.

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

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