Word journey
The word nirvana
extinction of craving; liberation
The journey
| Form | Language | Date | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| *h₂weh₁- | Proto-Indo-European (reconstructed) · Proto-Indo-European Religion | undated | to blow (as in wind); reconstructed root |
| nirvāṇa | Sanskrit · Buddhism | 400 BCE | blown out, extinguished (nis + vā) |
| nibbāna | Pali · Theravāda Buddhism | 250 BCE | the goal of the Buddhist path |
| nirvana | English · Buddhism | 1835 CE | Buddhist liberation; later any blissful state |
What is certain and what is not
The word means "blown out", as a flame. Steven Collins notes that "the Buddhists seem to have been the first to call it nirvana". The Pali date is approximate, for an oral canon written down later.