Another way to form the Pāli gerund is by directly adding the suffix tvā to the root of the verb. This formation also expresses a completed action and is usually translated as “having done” something. For example, dadāti (to give) becomes datvā (“having given”), tiṭṭhati (to stand) becomes ṭhatvā (“having stood”), jānāti (to know) becomes ñatvā (“having known”), and suṇāti (to hear) becomes sutvā (“having heard”).
Similarly, karoti (to do) gives katvā (“having done”), hanati (to strike) forms hantvā, and gacchati (to go) becomes gantvā. The verb passati (to see) has the irregular gerund disvā (“having seen”), and āgacchati (to come) turns into āgantvā. A variant form you may also encounter is the tvāna ending, as in datvāna, sutvāna, or katvāna, with no change in meaning—just a stylistic variation.
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