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pasannacittā
pasannacitta
masc nom pl of pasannacitta (adj); fem nom sg of pasannacitta (adj); fem nom pl of pasannacitta (adj); nt nom pl of pasannacitta (adj); …
- full of devotion; mentally full of confidence (in); lit. settled mind
Built from
- pa — prefix · forth, forward
The prefix pa- intensifies and directs the action outward, here suggesting the mind coming to clarity and being set in a stable direction.
- sad — root · sit, settle
√sad (Latin sedēre "sit"; English sit) carries the concrete image of settling down. Pasīdati is the denominative causative, 'to settle, to make clear; to trust'.
- na — ending · past participle
The -na suffix forms the past participle, here indicating a settled state already achieved: 'having been made clear, settled'.
- citta — stem · mind, heart
Nominalized from √cit (perceive, cognize). In compound, citta carries both the literal sense (the organ of thought) and the emotional sense (the heart as seat of confidence and devotion).
- ā — ending · nominative feminine singular/plural
The -ā ending marks feminine forms; the compound pasannacitta inflects as a feminine stem (or as an adjective in multiple genders depending on the noun it modifies).
Analysis. pasanna (past participle of pasīdati, "becomes clear, trusts") + citta (mind, heart); lit. "mind that has become clear/settled"; a compound expressing the mental state of faith and confidence in the Buddha's teaching.
Etymology. pasanna from √sad (sit, settle; Latin sedēre, English sit) with prefix pa- (forth, forward), giving the sense of "settled forth, clarified"; citta from √cit (perceive, think; cognate with Latin cittus, though disputed; related to English keen). The compound embodies the doctrinal notion of the mind settling into trust (pasāda) through hearing the Dharma.