Many words that are similar in Pali and Sanskrit have in the course of time acquired divergent connotations. This Glossary is intended merely to aid readers, who have some acquaintance with Sanskrit philosophical terms, to recognize their etymological parallels in the Pali text of the Dhammapada.
In the transliteration of both Pali and Sanskrit, the character c represents the sound ch as in the English word chair. The aspirate consonants (kh, th, ph, etc) are pronounced (as in blockhead or godhead).
accuta (acyuta) — permanent, imperishable (lit, unscattered, unfallen); 225
adicca-[patha] (aditya) — (path of) the sun; 175
agg (agni) — fire; 107, 136, 392
ahimsa (same) — harmlessness, non-violence; 261, 270, 300
akasa (akasa) — "shining": sky, space, ether; 92, 175, 254
akkhara (akshara) — science of sounds, phonetics; also imperishable; 352
amata (amrita) — immortality; 21
anatta (anatman) — nonself; 279
appamada (apramada) — vigilance, conscientiousness; Canto II
arahant (arhant, arhat) — worthy; the worthy one; Canto VII
ariya (arya) — noble; 22, 164, 208
atta(n) (atman) — self; Canto XII
avijja (avidya) — ignorance; 243
bala (same) — orig young, unable to speak; ignorant, foolish; Canto V
In Sanskrit bala means a boy or young one; in Pali, however, Buddha used the word to denote a childish person, by extension, a fool; for boy or child he used balaka
bhadra (same) — auspicious, lucky, fortunate;119-20, 143
bhikkhu (bhikshu) — mendicant, monk; Canto XXV
brahmacarin (same) — leading a pure and holy life; a celibate student; 142
brahmana (same) — one who leads a pure, ascetic life; Canto XXVI
buddha (same) — enlightened; passim
Buddha (same) — Awakened One, Enlightened One; passim
cakka (cakra) — wheel; 1
canda (candra) — the moon; 172-3, 413
candima (candramas) — luminous, shiny; the moon; 172, 208, 387
chaya (same) — shadow; 2
citta (citra) — to be bright, resplendent; 151, 171
citta (same) — heart, mind, attentiveness; Canto III
dalha (dridha, [drilha]) — resolute, strong [to hold fast, bind]; 23, 61, 112, 313
danda (same) — rod, stick; Canto X
dassana (darsana) — sight, vision; 206, 210
adassana — blindness, not seeing; 210
deva (same) — god, divine being; 105, 420
dhamma (dharma) — "foundation, support": law, justice, doctrine, nature, truth, morality, and good conduct; passim
dhammattha (dharmastha) — standing in the dhamma, just, righteous; Canto XIX
dhuva (dhruva) — permanent, constant (also name of the Pole Star); 147
dosa (dosa) — anger, ill will; see raga and moha, cf nibbana; 20, 251
dukkha (duhkha) — pain, suffering, diseases, discord; passim
gandhabba (gandharva) — heavenly musician: angelic being, demigod; 105, 420
gutta (gupta) — guarded, protected; passim
hamsa (same) — swan, goose; 175
himsa (same) — injury, hurting, killing; 132
iddh (iriddhi, siddhi) — potency, accomplishment; psychic power(s);175
jana (same) — creature, entity, people; 99, 249, 320
jara (same) — old age, decrepitude; Canto XI
jhana (dhyana) — meditation, thought, reflection; 181, 372
kama (same) — desire; 48, 186-7, 401, 415
kamma (karman) — doing, action, result of action; passim
kasava, kasaya (kashaya) — "brown": yellow robe of a Buddhist monk; 9-10
khandha (skandha) — collection, mass, aggregates: "elements of sensory existence"; 374
khanti(i) (kshanti) — patience, forbearance, forgiveness; 184, 399
khattiya (kshatriya) — warrior or ruling caste; 294
khetta (kshetra) — field; 356-9
kodha (krodha) — anger; Canto XVII
loka (same) — space, world; 44, 45, Canto XIII
macca (martya) — mortal; 53, 141, 182
maccu (mrityu) — death; also god of death; cf mara, yama; passim
magga (marga) — path; Canto XX
mala (same) — impurity, stain, dirt; 239, 243
mana(s) (manas) — mind; 1, 2
mara (same) — death, the evil one, tempter; passim
metta (maitra) — compassionate, friendly; 368
(mitra) benevolent
micchaditthi (mithyadrishti) — wrong views, heresy; 167, 316
moha (same) — delusion, folly; see dosa, raga; cf nibbana; 20, 251
mokkha (moksha) — release, freedom, emancipation; the final deliverance; 37
mutta (mukta) — freed, set free from worldly existence; 20, 90, 348
naga (same) — serpent, elephant of great stature; Canto XXIII
nibbana (nirvana*) — dousing (of a flame), dying out of raga, dosa and moha, the three basic character defects; passim
*This is not a negative state, but a condition beyond ordinary comprehension. It is the annihilation of craving, hatred, and ignorance.
nicca (nitya) — constant, perpetual; 23, 109, 206, 293
niraya (same) — destruction, hell; Canto XXII; passim
pabbajita (pravrajita) — a homeless monk; 74, 388
pada (pad, pad) — foot, step, path, track; 179, 273
pakinnaka (pakirnaka) — scattered, miscellaneous; Canto XXI
pana (prana) — breath of life, vitality; 246-7
pandita (same) — wise, sage; pandit; Canto VI
panna (prajna) — intelligence, wisdom, insight; 38, 111, 152, 372
pannasila (prajnasila) — higher intelligence and virtue; 229
papa (same) — suffering, evil; Canto IX
parinibbana (parinirvana) — complete extinction of khanda-life; final release of an Arhat after destruction of physical body; 89
Patimokkha (Pratimoksha) — monastic precepts; discipline (Vinaya) for monks; 185, 375
phala (same) — ripe fruit, result, consequence; 66, 178
piya (priya) — dear, friend, amiable; Canto XVI
puja (same) — honor, reverence, devotion; 73, 106-7
puppha (pushpa) — flower; Canto IV
putta (putra) — son, young of animal, offspring; 62, 84, 345
raga (same) — passion, lust; see dosa and moha; cf nibbana; 20, 251
raja (same) — king; 295
sabba (sarva) — all, whole; 129-30, 183, 353-4
sacca (satya) — real, true; truth; 393, 408
saddha-assaddha (sraddha) — faith, trust, devotion not credulous or dependent on faith; 8,144, 97
sadhu (same) — virtuous, honorable, meritorious; 35, 67-8, 206
sagga (svarga) — heaven; 174
sahassa (sahasra) — a thousand; Canto VIII
samadhi (same) — concentration; exalted state of consciousness; 271
samana (sramana) — religious recluse; 184, 265
samsara (same) — "moving about continuously": the chain of births and deaths; 95, 302, 414
sannojana-samyojana (samyojana) — fetters that bind one to the wheel of rebirth; 221
sarira (sarira) — physical body; 151
sota (srotas) — stream; 339-40
Sugata (same) — "happily gone": after death; faring well; Buddha; 18, 419
sukha (same) — happy, pleasant, blessed; 118, 194, Canto XV, 331
sukka (sukla) — light, pure, bright, white; 87
sunnata (sunyata) — emptiness (nibbana), the Void; 92
tanha (trishna) — thirst, craving;154, 334, 349
thana (sthana) — condition, state, stance; 137, 225
vaca (vak, vac) — voice, word, speech; 232, 281
vagga (varga) — chapter, section; all chapter headings
vana (vrana) — wound, sore; 124
vana (same) — forest, jungle (of desires); 283-4, 324, 344
vijana (same) — understanding, knowing; 6, 64-5
vinnana (vijnana) — cognition, consciousness, one of the five khandhas; 41
viriya (virya) — vigor, energy, exertion; 112
yama (same) — god of death; passim
yamaka (same) — double, twin; Canto I
yoga (same) — "yoke": connection, bond, means; 282, 417
cattari ariyasaccani (catvari aryasatyani) — four noble truths
1) dukkha (duhkha) — ill, pain, sorrow
2) samudaya (same) — origin, cause of ill
3) nirodha (same) — destruction of ill, cessation of ill
4) magga (marga) — road, way
ariya atthangika magga (aryashtaga marga) — noble eightfold path
1) sammaditthi (samyagdrishti) — right insight, right understanding, right vision
2) sammasamkappa (samyaksamkalpa) — right aspiration, right thoughts [right thoughts in the Theravada terminology denote the thoughts free from ill will, hatred, and jealousy]
3) sammavaca (samyagvac) — right speech
4) sammakammanta (samyakkarmanta) — right action
5) sammajiva (samyagajiva) — right livelihood, right living
6) sammavayama (samyagvyayama) right effort
7) sammasati (samyaksmriti) — right memory, right mindfulness
8) sammasamadhi (samyaksamadhi) — right concentration