Pali Dictionary

I. Forms

(See inflection also at Geiger, P.Gr. § 110.) The decl. is similar to that of ta˚ among the more rarely found forms we only mention the foll.
■ sg. nom. m. yo with by-form (in hiatus) yv- as yv’āyaṁ = yo ayaṁ MN.i.258; yv’āssa = yo assa MN.i.137 Notice the lengthening of the subsequent vowel. An unsettled ya is to be found at Ja.v.424 (Fausböll remarks “for yassā”?; perhaps to be combined with preceding pañcapatikā; C. on p. 427 explains ya-kāro nipātamatto)
■ abl. yasmā in adv. use; yamhā Dhp.392
■ loc. yamhi Dhp.261, Dhp.372, Dhp.393
■ f. loc. yassaṁ AN.iii.151 (see below). See further adv. use of cases (below ii.5)
■ At Pv.13:6 yāhi is doubtful (perhaps imper. = yajahi, of yajati; C. leaves it unexplained).

Special mention must be made of the nt. n. acc. sg. where both yaṁ and yad are found. The (Vedic) form yad (Ved. yat) has been felt more like ya + expletive (Sandhi-) d, and is principally found in adv. use and certain archaic phrases, whereas yaṁ represents the usual (Pali) form (like tad and taṁ). See more under II
■ A Māgadhized form is ye (after se = taṁ), found at DN.ii.278 (see Geiger § 105² & 110². Cp. Trenckner Notes 75.). The expression ye-bhuyyena may belong under this category, if we explain it as yad + bhuyyena (bhuyyena equivalent to bhiyyoso). It would then correspond to seyyathā (= sad + yathā, cp. sayathā sace, taṁyathā). See refs. under yebhuyyena
■ The expression yevāpanaka is an adj. formⁿ from the phrase ye-vā-pana (= yaṁ vā pana “whatever else there is”) i.e. belonging to something of the same kind, i.e. corresponding, reciprocal, as far as concerned, respective (See s. v.)-In adv. use it often corresponds to E. as; see e.g. yad-icchakaṁ, yad-idaṁ (under ii.2 b ii.4 b.).

II. Meaning

“which,” in correspondence to a following demonstr. pron. (ta˚); whichever (generalizing); nt. what, whatever. In immediate combination with the demonstr. pron. it is qualifying and specifying the person, thing or subject in discussion or question (see below 4).

1. Regular use as correl. pron., when ya˚; (+ noun) is followed by ta˚; (+ noun). Sometimes (in poetry) the reverse is the case, e.g. at Iti.84 where ta˚; (m. sa) is elliptically omitted: atthaṁ na jānāti yaṁ lobho sahate naraṁ “he does not know good, whom greed overcomes
   ■ Otherwise regular, e.g. : yassa jātarūparajataṁ kappati pañca pi tassa kāmaguṇā kappanti SN.iv.326 In a generalizing sense (cp. below ii.3): yo vā so vā “der erste beste,” some or other, whoever, any Ja.iv.38 Ja.v.362; yaṁ vā taṁ vā karotu let her do whatever she likes Vv-a.208; yasmiṁ vā tasmiṁ vā on every occasion SN.i.160 na yo vā so vā yakkho not this or that yakkha i.e. not any (ordinary) kind of Yakkha (but Inda DN-a.i.264
   ■ The same use (ordinary correlative) applies to the nt. forms yaṁ & yad; in correl. to taṁ and tad (See sep. under II. 2.)
2. Use of nt. forms.
   1. nt. yaṁ
      1. as pronoun SN.iii.44 (yaṁ dukkhaṁ… tad anattā); Iti.78 (yañ c’ aññaṁ whatever else); Vb-a.54 (yaṁ labbhati yañ ca na labbhati taṁ sabbaṁ pucchitvā). See also under 3 a (yaṁ kiñci, yaṁ yaṁ)
      2. as adj. adv.: yaṁmukha facing what, turned where (?) Ja.v.475 (but C reads & explains sammukha!); yaṁ-vipāka having what or which kind of fruit DN.ii.209. yaṁ vā… yaṁ vā whether… or SN.ii.179; yaṁ no… na tv’ eva neither… nor SN.ii.179–⁠SN.ii.180
         ■ yaṁ with pot.: “so that,” that (corresp. to Lat. ut consecutivum) SN.iii.41 (yaṁ rūpe anatt’ ânupassī vihareyya). Ja.v.339 (n’ esa dhammo yaṁ taṁ jahe that I should leave you)
         ■ In the function of other conjunctions e.g. as temporal when, since, after: Ja.iv.319 (yaṁ maṁ Suruci-m-ānayi that, or since, S. married me). As conditional or causal = if, even if, because: Vin.i.276 (yaṁ te sakkā… arogaṁ kātuṁ, taṁ karohi if it is possible… do it; or may be taken in sense of “in whatever way you can do it, do”); Ja.iii.206 = Ja.iv.4 (yaṁ me sirasmiṁ ūhacca cakkaṁ bhamati matthake = because; C.: yena pāpena)
      3. as adv. deictive “so,” in combination with var other (emphatic) particles as e.g. yaṁ nūna used in an exhortative sense “well, now”; or “rather, let me” or “so now,” always in phrase yaṁ nūn’ āhaṁ “now then let me” (do this or that) very freq., either with foll. pot., e.g. “y. n. âhaṁ araññaṁ paviseyyaṁ Dhp-a.ii.91. “y. n. â. katakammaṁ puccheyyaṁ Vv-a.132; dasseyyaṁ Vv-a.138; pabbajjeyyaṁ MN.ii.55 āneyyaṁ Dhp-a.i.46, vihareyyaṁ ibid. 56; etc. cp. Ja.i.14 Ja.i.150, Ja.i.255; Ja.iii.393; Dhp-a.i.91; Pv-a.5 (avassayo bhaveyyaṁ)
         ■ Similarly yañ hi “well then, now then (with Pot.) SN.ii.210, SN.ii.221 (taṁ vadeyya). Cp. yagghe yañ ca & yañ ce; [Sk. yac ca, or cet, ca here = ce see ca & cp. sace = sa + ce] (rather) than that: yañ ca Thig.80; Ja.i.210; yañce (with Pot.) SN.i.176; Iti.43; Thag.666 sangāme me mataṁ seyyo yañ ce jīve parājito (than that I live vanquished) Snp verse 440 (cp. the intricate explⁿ at Snp-a.390); similarly Ja.iv.495: me maraṇaṁ seyyo yañ ce jīve tayā vinā
   2. nt. yad:
      1. as pron in regular relative use e.g. SN.iii.44 (yad aniccaṁ taṁ dukkhaṁ); Iti.59 (yad eva diṭṭhaṁ tad ev’ âhaṁ vadāmi).
      2. as adv., e.g. yad-agge (loc.) from what on, i.e. from which time, since what time DN.i.152 (= mūladivasato paṭṭhāya yaṁ divasaṁ aggaṁ patvā DN-a.i.311); Vv.84:33 (= yato paṭṭhāya Vv-a.344) Also as yad-aggena (instr.) Vin.ii.257 (y. Mahāpajāpati-gotamiyā aṭṭha garudhammā paṭiggahitā tad eva sā upasampannā); Vb-a.387
         ■ yad-atthaṁ for what, why Thig.163. yad-atthiya as much as necessary, as required, sufficient, proper Thag.12 Thag.1274 (“which, for the goal desirous, he led” trsl. refers to brahmacariyaṁ). The same verse occurs at Snp verse 354. The latter passage is mentioned in P.D under atthiya with meaning “on account of what (cp. kim-atthiyaṁ SN.iii.189). The Snp p.ssage is not explained in Snp-a
         ■ yad-icchakaṁ whatever is pleasant i.e. according to liking, as he pleases AN.iii.28; Pp.11 Pp.12; Ja.i.141 (y. bhutta eaten heartily); Vism.154 (+ yavadicchaka); Vv-a.341. Cp. yen’ icchakaṁ below II. 5- yad-icchita see under yathā-icchita! -yadidaṁ: see below II. 4 b.
3. Generalizing (or distributive) use of ya: There are two modes of generalization, viz.
   1. by repeating ya˚; yassa yass’ eva sālassa mūle tiṭṭhasi, so so muñcati pupphāni; “at the foot of whichever tree you stand he (in all cases concerned) sheds flowers” Vv.39:3; yaṁ yaṁ hi manaso piyaṁ “whatever is pleasant to the senses” Pv.13:18; yaṁ yaṁ passati taṁ taṁ pucchati “whomsoever he sees, him he asks” Ja.iii.155; yassaṁ yassaṁ disāyaṁ viharati, sakasmiṁ yeva vijite viharati” in whichever region he lives, he lives in his own realm” AN.iii.151; yo yo yaṁ yaṁ icchati tassa tassa adāsi “whatever anybody wished he gave to him Pv-a.113; yaṁ yaṁ padesaṁ bhajati tattha tatth’ eva assa lābhasakkāro nibbattati “whichever region he visits, there (in each) will he have success” Dhp-a.ii.82-
   2. by combination with ko-ci (cp. the identical Lat qui-cun-que): yassa kassaci rāgo pahīno ayaṁ vuccati… “the lust of whosoever is abandoned he is called so & so” Iti.56. yāni kānici vatthūni… sabbāni tāni… Iti.19; ye keci ārabbha “with ref. to whosoever” Pv-a.17; yaṁ kiñci whatever Pv.4:1.
4. Dependent & elliptic; use of ya (with pron demonstr.). This represents a sort of deictic (emphatic) use, with ref. to what is coming next or what forms the necessary compliment to what is just being said. Thus it introduces a general truth or definition as we would say “just this, namely, i.e.,” or Ger. “so wie, und zwar.”-
   1. The usual combinations are those of ya + sa (nt. taṁ) and of ya + ayaṁ (nt. idaṁ), but such with amu (nt. aduṁ) also occur: yaṁ aduṁ khettaṁ aggaṁ evam eva mayhaṁ bhikkhu-bhikkhuniyo “as there is one field which is the best, thus to me the bh & bhikkhunīs” SN.iv.315. Cp. the foll.: ya + sa e.g. at MN.i.366 (yo so puriso paṭhamaṁ rukkhaṁ ārūḷho sace so na khippam eva oroheyya “just that man, who climbed up the tree first, if he does not come down very quickly”); Ja.ii.159 (yena tena upāyena with every possible means); Pv.9:1 (yā tā [so read for yā ca! “just she over there; who as such, i.e. such as she is”) cp. also the foll.: yā sā sīmā… taṁ sīmaṁ Vin.i.109 ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā etc.… sātthaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti tathā rūpā ‘ssa dhammā honti… MN.iii.11; yāni etāni yānāni (just) these Dhp-a.iv.6- ya + ayaṁ e.g. at MN.i.258 (yv’ āyaṁ vado vedeyyo tatra tatra… vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti); Iti.35 = Iti.93 (nibbāpenti moh’aggiṁ paññāya yā ‘yaṁ nibbedha-gāminī “as it is also penetrating, which as such, or in this quality, or as we know, is penetrating”); Vin.iv.134 (ye ‘me antarāyikā dhammā vuttā… te paṭisevato n’ âlaṁ antarāyāya “just those which, or whichever”) Thag.124 (panko ti hi naṁ avedayuṁ yâyaṁ vandanapūjanā; here = yā ayaṁ); Dhp.56 (appamatto ayaṁ gandho yâyaṁ tagara-candanī; here = yo ayaṁ); MN.ii.220 (yaṁ idaṁ kammaṁ… taṁ)
   2. nt. yadidaṁ lit. “as that,” which is this (i.e. the following) may be translated by “viz.,” that is, “i.e.” in other words, so to speak, just this, “I mean”; e.g. kāmānaṁ etaṁ nissaraṇaṁ yad idaṁ nekkhammaṁ “there is an escape from the lusts, viz. lustlessness”; or: “this is the abandoning of lusts, in other words lustlessness Iti.61; dve dānāni āmisa˚ dhamm˚, etad aggaṁ imesaṁ yad idaṁ dhamma˚ “this is the best of them, I mean dh-d.” Iti.98 = Iti.100; supaṭipanno sāvaka-sangho, y. i cattāri purisa-yugāni etc. MN.i.37. Instead of yadidaṁ we also find yāvañ c’ idaṁ. See also examples given under yāvatā.
5. Cases used adverbially: Either locally or modally with regards to the local adverbs it is to be remarked that their connotation is fluctuating, inasmuch as direction and place (where) are not always distinguished (cp. E. where both meanings = where & where-to), but must be guessed from the context.
   ■ instr.; yena: (local where (i.e. at which place) DN.i.71 (yena yena wherever), DN.i.220 (yattha yena yahiṁ = whence, where, whither; not with translation Dial. I. 281: where, why, whence!), DN.i.238 (id.) yenatena where (he was)-there (he went) DN.i.88, DN.i.106 DN.i.112 & passim; cp. DN.ii.85 (yena âvasath’ âgāraṁ ten upasankami); AN.ii.33 (yena vā tena vā here & there or “hither & thither”)
   ■ (modal) Dhp.326 (yen’ icchakaṁ ii. 2 b.); Pv.11:2 (kiṁ akattha pāpaṁ yena pivātha lohitaṁ: so that)
   ■ loc. yahiṁ where (or whither) Vv.84:29 (yahiṁ yahiṁ gacchati tahiṁ tahiṁ modati); & yasmiṁ yasmiṁ vā tasmiṁ vā on every occasion SN.i.160
   ■ abl yasmā (only modal) because AN.i.260; Iti.37 (corresp. to tasmā). On yasmā-t-iha see Geiger, Pali Grammar § 73#5.

pron. rel. base; Vedic yaḥ = Gr. ο ̔́ς who; cp. Goth. jabai if, -ei rel. part. An amplification of the dem pron. base *i-, *ei-(cp. ayaṁ). See on detail Brugmann “Die indogerm. Pronomina” in Ber. d. sächs Ges. LX. 41 sq.