ARHAT. The Sanskrit term arhat (Pali, arahant) derives from the root arh (arhati) and literally means "worthy" or "deserving." The term is especially important in Theravāda Buddhism, where it denotes the highest state of spiritual development, but it also has pre-Buddhist and non-Buddhist applications.

History and Development of the Term

In Vedic and non-Vedic contexts, the noun arhat and the verb arhati applied generally to persons or gods whose particular status earned for them the characterization of "worthy" or "deserving of merit." The terms also denoted "being able to do," or "being capable of doing." For example, in Ṛgveda 1.94.1 Agni is addressed in a song of praise as "the worthy one" (arhat). The term arhat does not appear in the Upaniṣads, but the verb arhati occurs there five times with the sense of "being able." The ten occurrences of the verb in the Bhagavadgītā convey...