mandaṁ

adjective

1. slow, lazy, indolent; mostly with ref. to the intellectual faculties, therefore: dull, stupid, slow of grasp, ignorant foolish MN.i.520 (+ momuha); Snp.666, Snp.820 (= momūha Mnd.153), Snp.1051 (= mohā avidvā etc. Cnd.498); Dhp.325 (= amanasikārā manda-pañña Dhp-a.iv.17); Ja.iv.221; Pp.65, Pp.69; Kp-a.53, Kp-a.54.
2. slow, yielding little result unprofitable (of udaka, water, with respect to fish; and gocara, feeding on fishes) Ja.i.221.
3. [in this meaning probably = Vedic mandra “pleasant, pleasing,” although Halāyudha gives mandākṣa as “bashful” soft, tender (with ref. to eyes), lovely, in compounds -akkhin having lovely (soft) eyes Ja.iii.190; and -locana id Thig.375 (kinnari-manda˚ = manda-puthu-vilocana Thag-a.253); Pv.i.11#5 (miga-manda˚ = migī viya mand akkhī Pv-a.57); Vv.64#11 (miga-m˚ = miga-cchāpikānaṃ viya mudu siniddha-diṭṭhi-nipāta).
4. In cpd. picu (or puci˚) manda the Nimb tree, it means “tree” (? see picu-manda & puci-manda.
5. In composition with; bhū it assumes the form mandī˚; e.g. mandībhūta slowed down, enfeebled, diminished Ja.i.228 Vb-a.157.

• -valāhakā a class of fairies or demi-gods DN.ii.259 (“fragile spirits of the clouds” trsl.).

cp. late-Vedic & Epic manda

the top part, best part of milk or butter, etc. i.e. cream scum; fig. essence of, the pick of, finest part of anything parisā˚; the cream of a gathering, the pick of the congregation, excellent congregation AN.i.72 (or for ˚maṇḍala?); bodhi˚; essence of enlightenment, highest state of enlightenment; in later literature objectively “the best place of enlightenment, the Throne of Enlightenment or of the Buddha” (does it stand for ˚maṇḍala in this meaning?) Ja.iv.233 (cp. puthavi-maṇḍa ibid. & puthavi-maṇḍala Snp.990); Dhp-a.i.86; Dhp-a.ii.69 Dhp-a.iv.72. sappi˚; “cream of butter,” the finest ghee (cp Avs.i.15#2 sarpimaṇḍa) DN.i.201; AN.ii.95; Pp.70; Mil.322
■ maṇḍaṃ karoti to put into the best condition to make pleasant Snp-a.81
■ manda at Dhs-a.100 is to be read baddha (variant reading BB). Cp. Expos. 132ⁿ.

• -khetta best soil, fertile ground Mil.255.
• -peyya to be drunk like cream, i.e. of the finest quality first-class SN.ii.20 (˚ṃ idaṃ brahmacariyaṃ).

later Sk. maṇḍa, perhaps dial. from *mranda, cp. Sk. vi-mradati to soften. Attempts at etym. see Walde, Lat. Wtb. s. v. mollis. Cp. also mattikā