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tathāttānaṁ

tathā-attā

accusative singular of tathā-attā (masculine noun in tatpuruṣa compound); surface form shows contraction and case inflection

1. one's own true nature
2. the self as it really is
3. authentic self-identity

Built from

• tathā — prefix · thus, as it is
  Emphasizes authentic condition or true nature; used to distinguish how things actually are from illusion or misperception.
• attā — root · self, soul
  From Indo-European *ātman-; Sanskrit ātman, Latin anima. The word underlying Buddhist analysis of the illusion of a permanent self.
• -aṁ — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the noun as object of a verb or in apposition, showing how one relates to or takes up this notion of selfhood.

Analysis. tathā (adverb, 'thus, as it is') + attā (noun, 'self') in tatpuruṣa compound = 'the self as it truly is'; the accusative singular -aṁ marks this as a direct object or internal accusative in context

Etymology. attā derives from Indo-European *ātman- (Sanskrit ātman, 'breath, self, soul'), cognate with Latin anima 'soul, breath'. The prefix tathā (from ta- 'that' + -thā, an old instrumental) emphasizes 'just as it is, in its true form', turning a simple noun into a philosophical term for authentic identity or self-knowledge as understood in the Buddha's teaching on anattā (non-self) and the proper seeing of phenomena.

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

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