Comments

Comm. KT: 1. The above explanation of the word ‘Pāṭimokkha’ seems to be an example of word-play, similar to the Buddha’s definition of a being as one bound: ‘Satta’, from Sk ‘sattva’ means ‘a being’ and ‘satta’ from Sk ‘sajjati’ means ‘to be attached’. In this case, ‘paṭimuñcati’ means to tie together (i.e., the fasteners on a robe), or to tie (i.e., a roll of grass on a girl’s head). As the abstract noun ‘mokkha’: ‘release’ is derived from ‘muñcati’: ‘to release’, with the usual strengthening of the ‘a’ in ‘paṭi’, the noun form of ‘paṭimuñcati’ would be ‘pāṭimokkha’. That’s what the Pāṭimokha is: the rule statements tied together. This would probably be obvious to a native speaker, with the other definitions serving to elaborate and explain the obvious one. — The Commentary offers some other definitions and etymologies of the word. The Parivāra Commentary’s explanation is similar to that followed here. — There ‘Pāṭimokkha’ (means) the virtue of the training rules. ‘For one who keeps watch and guards it, it frees and releases him from the sufferings of the realms of deprivation, etc.’: pāṭimokkha. — ‘In the Pāṭimokkha’: the Pāṭimokkha (means) over-release, heightened virtue, or ‘He keeps watch over1 the various kinds of bias and (it) releases him from and dangers of unfortunate births—whoever keeps watch over it, it releases him,’ (so) it is called ‘Pāṭimokkha’. — 1. pāti: ‘he watches / keeps’. — ‘He doesn’t know the Pāṭimokkha’: He doesn’t know the two lists.

пали	Tena vuccati pātimokkhanti.
Khematto Bhikkhu	therefore it is called ‘Pāṭimokkha’1.