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sunakkhattassa

sunakkhatta

nt dat sg of sunakkhatta (noun); nt gen sg of sunakkhatta (noun); masc dat sg of sunakkhatta (noun); masc gen sg of sunakkhatta (noun)

1. auspicious occasion; lit. good star sign
2. name of a former monk; lit. good star sign
3. in reference to MN105 Sunakkhattasutta; lit. good star sign

Built from

• su- — prefix · well, good
  Indo-European word for good; the same root appears in Greek eu- (eulogy) and Sanskrit su-. Here it marks the stellar sign as auspicious or favorable.
• nakkhatta — root · star, constellation
  Sanskrit nakṣatra, the 27 lunar mansions; ultimately related to roots meaning 'to pierce' or 'observe', as stars pierce the night sky. In Vedic tradition, the nakṣatras were crucial for timing rituals and reading omens.

Analysis. su- (well, good) + nakkhatta (star, constellation): 'good star' or 'auspicious constellation', used both as an omen term and as a personal name.

Etymology. su- is the Indo-European word for 'well, good' (cognate with Greek eu- as in eulogy, and Sanskrit su-); nakkhatta is from Sanskrit nakṣatra, the lunar mansions or asterisms, ultimately from a root meaning 'to observe' or 'to pierce' (the stars as piercing points of light). The compound transfers the concrete image of auspicious stellar positions into a name and an abstract notion of favorable timing.

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

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