________________ 105 (2) bhadanta is quite well-known in Pali as a terni of respectable address or adjective with respect to Buddhist mendicant, monk etc. Its contracted form bhamte (for bhadamte) is fregnerily used similarly in the Jain Agamas. (Pischcl $S 165, 349, 366 0, 417, 463, 465). The root bhand is given in the Dhatupatha (2, 11) with the meanings kalyana, sukha-. bhadanta- derived from it is noted in the Unadi-sotra-vrtti (3, 130) according to Monier Williams dictionary. Semantically, bhadanta can be possibly explained as meaning kalyanakaraka. But its very frequent use in spccches as a respectful term of address leads nie to suspect that it may have been also influenced by the MIA. form of the traditional blessing formula bhadram tc > bhaddani te > bhadante). The addresser thereby expresses his or her reverence and good wishes "Bless you !' 'Let no evil visit you'. This is comparable to the utterances jaya, jiva, nanda, vardhasva shouted as blessing for a great person on a festive occasion. A parallcd case is that of Sk. jiva 'long live, Ap. jiu, jiul, occuring in various NIA. languages as jiu ! jyu, ji etc. as a particle of assent or respect and also as an honorific particle added to names (Turner, 5240). From the respectful terny of address bladarte was created the address bhadanta which later became specialized as applying to the Buddhest monks and mendicants. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
