Translation for pronouns ‘ima’ and ‘amu’
Let us translate a few Pali sentences, adopted from the Suttas, which contain various declined forms of the pronouns ‘ima’ and ‘amu’.
1. “Passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, amuṃ mahantaṃ dārukkhandhaṃ gaṅgāya nadiyā sotena vuyhamānan”ti?
passatha (imp, second p, p) = you all see,
no = no,
amuṃ (masc, acc. s of amu) = that,
mahanta = big, great;
dārukkhandha = log of wood,
gaṅgāya nadiyā = by river Ganges
sota = flow, current;
vuyhamānan”ti = vuyhamāna
vuyhamāna (adj) = (the thing that is) carried
Translation : “Bhikkhus, do you (don’t you) see that great log of wood being carried away by the current of river Ganges?”
Note : amuṃ is adjective of dārukkhandha which is a masculine noun. Hence amuṃ in the above sentence is masculine (to match the noun in gender, number and case)2. Amukasmiṃ nāma gāme vā nigame vā itthī vā puriso vā buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gato hoti, dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gato hoti, saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gato hoti.
amukasmiṃ (masc, loc. s of amu) = in that, in such & such;
nāma = by the name, such and such;
gāma = village,
nigama = town,
saraṇa = refuge,
gata (adj) = gone
Translation : In such and such a village or town a man or a woman has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha.
(By Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi)
3. Puṇṇo nāma āvuso āyasmā mantāṇiputto amhe iminā ovādena vadati.
Puṇṇa mantāṇiputta = name of a monk,
āyasmā = venerable,
amhe = us, to us;
iminā (masc, inst. s of ima) = by this,
ovāda = advice, instruction, exhortation;
vadati = speaks, says
Translation : Friends! Venerable Punna Mantāniputta instructs / exhorts us with this exhortation.
Note : The verb vadati can also imply historical present tense, in which case it will be translated as ‘instructed / exhorted’. It will be apparent from the context whether it is used to indicate Present or Past Tense.
4. “Icchāmahaṃ, āvuso Ānanda, imasmiṃ dhammavinaye brahmacariyaṃ caritun”ti.
icchāmahaṃ = icchāmi + ahaṃ
imasmiṃ (masc, loc. s of ima) = in this,
dhammavinaya = doctrine and discipline, teaching and practice;
brahmacariya = holy life
caritun”ti = carituṃ + ti
carituṃ (infinitive of carati) = to live, conduct;
Translation : “Friend Ānanda, I wish to lead the holy life in this Dhamma and Discipline.”
(By Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi)
5. Imesu, bhikkhave, catūsu satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacittā viharatha.
imesu (masc, loc. p of ima) = in these,
catu = four,
imesu catūsu satipaṭṭhānesu = in these four satipatthanas,
suppatiṭṭhitacitta (adj) = (one with) well established mind,
viharatha (imp, second p, p) = you all dwell
Translation : Dwell, bhikkhus, with your minds well established in these four establishments of mindfulness.
(By Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi)
6. Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, upādānāni - kāmupādānaṃ, diṭṭhupādānaṃ, sīlabbatupādānaṃ, attāvādupādānaṃ.
cattārimāni = cattāri + imāni,
cattāri = four (neuter)
imāni (neut, nom. p of ima) = these,
upādāna = grasping, clinging, attachment;
kāma = sensual pleasure,
diṭṭhi = view,
sīlabbata = rites and rituals, rules and practices;
attāvāda = doctrine of self
Translation : Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of clinging: clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, clinging to rules and vows, clinging to a doctrine of self.
(By Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi)
7. Bhūtapubbaṃ, bhikkhave, imissāyeva sāvatthiyā vedehikā nāma gahapatānī ahosi.
bhūtapubbaṃ = in the past, formerly;
imissāyeva = imissā + yeva = imissā eva
imissā (fem, loc. s of ima) = in this,
vedehikā = name of a woman,
gahapatānī = housewife, householder woman;
ahosi = was
Translation : Formerly, bhikkhus, in this very (in this same) Sāvatthī there was a housewife named Vedehikā.
8. Imāya dhammānudhammapaṭipattiyā buddhaṃ pūjemi … dhammaṃ pūjemi … saṅghaṃ pūjemi.
imāya (fem, inst. s of ima) = by this,
dhammānudhammapaṭipatti = following Dhamma in accordance with Dhamma / truth / nature
pūjemi = I revere / worship / respect
Translation : By walking on the path of Dhamma from the first step to the final goal, I pay respects to the Buddha, I pay respects to the Dhamma, I pay respects to the Sangha. (The Gem Set in Gold, Pg. 79)
Note : In the above translation, Dhamma and Anudhamma are taken as greater and smaller truths or step by step following of the truth.
An alternate translation can be as follows :
By practising Dhamma in accordance with truth (Dhamma), I revere the Buddha … the Dhamma … the Sangha.
9. Idha, bhikkhave, sekho bhikkhu ‘idaṃ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti, ‘ayaṃ dukkhasamudayo’ti yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti, ‘ayaṃ dukkhanirodho’ti yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti, ‘ayaṃ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti.
idha = here,
sekha = learner, trainee;
idaṃ (neut, nom. s of ima) = this,
dukkhan’ti = dukkhaṃ + ti
yathābhūtaṃ = as it is, in its true nature;
pajānāti = knows clearly / thoroughly,
ayaṃ (masc / fem, nom. s of ima) = this,
dukkhasamudaya = origin / cause of dukkha,
dukkhanirodha = cessation of dukkha,
dukkhanirodhagāminī = leading to cessation of dukkha,
paṭipadā = path, way
Translation : “Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu who is a trainee understands as it really is: ‘This is suffering’; he understands as it really is: ‘This is the origin of suffering’; he understands as it really is: ‘This is the cessation of suffering’; he understands as it really is: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’
(By Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi)
Please Note :
● There are three nominative singular forms of the pronoun ima in the above sentence.
○ idaṃ (neuter, nom. s) – used as an adjective of dukkha which is a neuter noun,
○ ayaṃ (masc, nom. s) – used as an adjective of dukkhasamudaya and dukkhanirodha – samudaya and nirodha being masculine nouns, the compounds dukkhasamudaya and dukkhanirodha become masculine.
○ ayaṃ (fem, nom. s) – used as an adjective of paṭipadā – (dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā) – which is a feminine noun.
● Sekha is an adjective used for a person who has attained any of the first three attainments – i.e. sotāpanna (stream enterer), sakadāgāmī (once returner) and anāgāmi (non-returner). An arahant is called an asekha – one who has completed the path / training / learning, and there’s nothing left for him to learn.