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ajjhattameva

ajjhatta

adj; indeclinable (with eva particle) in this form

1. ajjhatta (adj): inner; internal; personal; in oneself
2. ajjhattaṃ (ind): internally; inwardly; personally

Built from

• adhi — prefix · on top of, above
  Presiding over or seated above; here internalized as the realm of mind and personal experience.
• citta — root · mind, heart
  From √cit 'to perceive, be aware'; the seat of cognition and feeling.
• eva — ending · just, only, indeed
  Emphatic particle reinforcing the sense of exclusivity or certainty: 'purely inward', 'only internal'.

Analysis. ajjhatta (inner) + eva (just, only, indeed) — 'only inwardly' or 'purely internal', emphasizing the interiority or personal nature of something as opposed to the external.

Etymology. ajjhatta is adhicatta contracted: adhi- (on top of, presiding over, above) + citta (mind, heart), literally 'above/on the mind', hence 'in the mind' or 'internal'. The prefix adhi- carries the sense of interiority and personal dominion. Sanskrit adhyātma is cognate, also meaning 'interior, spiritual'; the imagery is of something seated atop or governing the mind.

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

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