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Translating Compounds

Chanda-Rāga, and other similar compounds are mostly translated 'x and y'. But Pali can be constructed 'x-y' as easily as English, and I suggest that the intent of making these a compound is to have them understood as a compound. Here literally (SN 3.22.25)'wish-rage' (rage as in 'it's all the rage') 'wish-lust' (the madness of wishing which would emphasize that what was being spoken of was a broad spectrum of wishes more clearly than the two ideas 'wishing' and 'lust' separately) or 'lust-wishing' (wishing for things giving rise to lust); at least 'lustful wishing' or 'wishful lusting'. In cases where we have two persons linked in a compound (Sariputta-Moggallāna) too I suggest that they are, when spoken of this way, to be understood as more closely linked than if separated by the 'and'. Something to be thought of as a single unit. The 'Sariputta-Moggallāna' team. So such compounds were intended to 'unite to emphasize'.

I'm not saying 'always' or 'must', but much more frequently that is at present the case.


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