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tathāgatassāti

tathāgata

masculine nominative singular, with suffix -ssa (genitive) and quotative particle -ti

1. Such Become; realized; being in such a state; arrived at the truth; epithet of the Buddha

Built from

• tathā — root · thus, in such manner
  Demonstrative adverb rooted in the same PIE stem as Sanskrit tad- and Latin is- (that, this). Carries the sense of archetypal sameness: the way things are in their true nature.
• gata — ending · gone, arrived
  Past participle of gacchati (√gam, to go). Cognate with Latin venio and English go (PIE *gʰem-). Here marks completion of the journey to awakening.
• ssa — ending · genitive, emphatic
  Genitive case suffix marking possession or relation; emphatic force here focusing discourse on the Tathāgata himself.
• ti — ending · quotative particle
  Particle marking reported speech or doctrine (thus, saying that). Signals the statement as a pronouncement or teaching.

Analysis. tathāgatassa + iti: tathāgata (the Thus-Gone One) in genitive case + -ssa (genitive suffix, emphatic) + iti (quotative particle 'thus, saying'); signals a reported utterance or doctrine concerning the Tathāgata.

Etymology. tathāgata: tathā (thus, in such manner) + gata (past participle of gacchati 'goes'). The compound denotes 'the one who has gone thus'—arrived at the truth as all Buddhas have done. Tathā derives from the root of demonstratives (Sanskrit tad-, Latin is-dem 'that same'); gata cognates with Latin venio 'come' and English go (both from PIE *gʰem-). The epithet emphasizes the Buddha's entry into that singular awakened state which is the very pattern (tathā) of all Buddhahood.

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

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