1. colour, hue; colouring, dye Vin.ii.107 (anga˚ “rougeing” the body bhikkhū angarāgaṃ karonti); Thag-a.78; Snp-a.315 (nānāvidha˚).
2. (as t. t. in philosophy & ethics) excitement passion; seldom by itself, mostly in combination with dosa, & moha;, as the three fundamental blemishes of character: passion or lust (uncontrolled excitement) ill-will (anger) and infatuation (bewilderment): see dosa² & moha; cp. sarāga
   ■ These three again appear in manifold combinations with similar terms, all giving various shades of the “craving for existence” or “lust of life (taṇhā etc.), or all that which is an obstacle to nibbāna Therefore the giving up of rāga is one of the steps towards attaining the desired goal of emancipation (vimutti).
   ■ Some of the combinations are e.g. the 3 (r. d m.) + kilesa; + kodha; very often fourfold r. d. m. with māna, these again with diṭṭhi: see in full Cnd. s.v. rāga (p. 237), cp. below ussada.
   ■ Of the many passages illustrating the contrast rāga → nibbāna the foll. may be mentioned: chandarāga vinodanaṃ nibbānapadaṃ accutaṃ Snp.1086; yo rāgakkhayo (etc.): idaṃ vuccati amataṃ SN.v.8; yo rāgakkhayo (etc.): idaṃ vuccati nibbānaṃ SN.iv.251; ye ’dha pajahanti kāmarāgaṃ bhavararāganu-sayañ ca pahāya… parinibbāna-gatā Vv.53#24; kusalo jahati pāpakaṃ… rāga dosa-mohakkhayā parinibbuto Ud.85
   ■ Personified, Rāga (variant reading Ragā), Taṇhā & Arati; are called the “daughters of Māra” (Māradhītā): Snp.835; Dhp-a.iii.199; Mnd.181
   ■ For further detail of meaning & application see e.g 1 with dosa & moha: DN.i.79, DN.i.156 DN.iii.107, DN.iii.108, DN.iii.132; SN.i.184; SN.iv.139, SN.iv.195, SN.iv.250, SN.iv.305 SN.v.84, SN.v.357 sq.; MN.ii.138 (rasa˚ the excitement of taste) AN.i.52, AN.i.156 sq., AN.i.230 sq.; AN.ii.256; AN.iii.169, AN.iii.451 sq. AN.iv.144; Iti.56, Iti.57; Vism.421; Vb-a.268, Vb-a.269 (sa & vīta˚). 2 in other connection: DN.iii.70, DN.iii.74, DN.iii.146 DN.iii.175, DN.iii.217, DN.iii.234 (arūpa˚), DN.iii.249 (cittaṃ pariyādāya tiṭṭhati) SN.ii.231 = SN.ii.271 (cittaṃ anuddhaṃseti); SN.iii.10; SN.iv.72, SN.iv.329, SN.v.74 (na rāgaṃ jāneti etc.); AN.ii.149 (tibba-rāga-jātiko rāgajaṃ dukkhaṃ paṭisaṃvedeti); AN.iii.233, AN.iii.371 (kāmesu vīta˚); AN.iv.423 (dhamma˚); Snp.2, Snp.74, Snp.139, Snp.270 = SN.i.207 (+ dosa); Snp.361, Snp.493, Snp.764, Snp.974, Snp.1046; Dhp.349 (tibba˚ bahala-rāga Dhp-a.iv.68); Pts.i.80 sq.; Pts.ii.37 (rūpa˚), Pts.ii.95 (id.); Vb.145 sq. (= taṇhā), Vb.368 (= kiñcana), Vb.390 Tikp.155, Kp.167; DN-a.i.116
   ■ Opp. virāga.

• -aggi the fire of passion DN.iii.217; SN.iv.19; Iti.92 (r dahati macce ratte kāmesu mucchite; + dosaggi mohaggi); Ja.i.61 (˚imhi nibbute nibbutaṃ nāma hoti)
• -ānusaya latent bias of passion (for = dat.) SN.iv.205 (the 3 anusayas: rāga˚, paṭigha˚, avijjā˚); Iti.80 (yo subhāya dhātuyā rāgo so padūyati).
• -ussada conceit of lust, one of the 7 ussadas (r. d. m., māna, diṭṭhi, kilesa kamma) Mnd.72.
• -kkhaya the decay (waning) of p SN.iii.51, SN.iii.160: SN.iv.142, SN.iv.250, SN.iv.261; SN.v.8, SN.v.16, SN.v.25; Vb-a.51 sq.
• -carita one whose habit is passion, of passionate behaviour Mil.92; Vism.105 sq. (in det.), Vism.114 (+ dosa˚ moha˚), Vism.193; Kp-a.54 (colour of the blood of his heart cp. Vism.409)
• -ṭṭhānīya founded on passion AN.i.264 AN-a.32.
• -patha way of lust, lustfulness, passion, sensuality SN.iv.70; Snp.370, Snp.476 (with explⁿ “rāgo pi hi duggatīnaṃ pathattā rāgapatho ti vuccati” Snp-a.410)
• -rati passionate or lustful delight Dhp-a.iii.112;
• -ratta affected with passion SN.i.136; Snp.795 (As -rāgin, cp Mnd.100 = kāma-guṇesu ratta).

cp. Sk. rāga, fr. raj: see rajati