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vedanupādānakkhandho
vedanupādānakkhandha
masc nom sg of vedanupādānakkhandha (noun)
- accumulation of feeling that is clung to
Built from
- vedanā — root · feeling, sensation
From √vid 'to see, know, experience'; cognate English wit, witness, Latin vidēre. The concrete sense of 'seeing' becomes 'experiencing' and thence the emotional tone (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral) coloring all perception.
- upa — prefix · up close to, near
Cognate Greek hypo-, Latin sub-, English up. Concrete sense of approach and proximity.
- ā — prefix · toward, up to
Reverses motion verbs; cognate Sanskrit ā. Here compounds with √dā to mean 'take up, grasp toward oneself'.
- dā — root · to place, give
Cognate Sanskrit dā, Latin dare, English do. The root sense is placing or laying down; combined with upa-ā, it means 'take up' (place near oneself).
- na — ending · feminine singular nominative
Feminine nominative singular marker, making upādāna a noun; here in stem form before khandha.
- khandha — stem · aggregate, heap, group
Used for a bundle or mass; in Buddhist philosophy, one of the five factors (feeling, form, perception, volitional formations, consciousness) into which experience is analysed. Gender and case agreement with the compound.
Analysis. vedanā (feeling) + upādāna (clinging, fuel) + khandha (aggregate, heap). In the doctrine of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandhā), this denotes the mass of feeling-states that are grasped and held fast; feeling is singled out here as a primary locus of attachment because vedanā directly triggers taṇhā (craving) and thus the clinging that perpetuates saṁsāra.
Etymology. vedanā from √vid (to see, know, experience; cognate English wit, witness, Latin vidēre); upādāna from upa- (near, taking up) + ā- (toward) + √dā (to place, give); khandha of uncertain origin, but used for a heap or bundle of sticks, hence any aggregate or mass. The compound reflects the Abhidhamma analysis of experience into constituents that are seized (upādāna).