Vata¹

indeclinable part of exclamation: surely, certainly, indeed, alas! Vin.iii.39 (puris’ usabho vat’ âyaṃ “for sure he is a human bull”) Thig.316 (abbhutaṃ vata vācaṃ bhāsasi); Snp.178, Snp.191 Snp.358; Vv.47#13; Pv.i.8#5; Ja.iv.355; Pv-a.13, Pv-a.61, Pv-a.75, Pv-a.121 Often combined with other emphatic particles, like aho vata Pv.ii.9#45 (= sādhu vata Pv-a.131); lābhā vata no it is surely a gain that Snp.31; Dhp-a.ii.95; vata bho Ja.i.81.

Vedic bata, post-Vedic vata

Vata²

masculine & neuter

1. a religious duty, observance, rite, practice, custom SN.i.143, SN.i.201; SN.iv.180; AN.iv.461 (sīla, vata, tapas brahmacariya); AN.v.18; Snp.792, Snp.898; Vv.84#24; Ja.iii.75; Vv-a.9; Pv-a.60
   ■ subbata of good practice Vv.34#6 Cp. patibbata, sīlabbata.
2. manner of (behaving like) a certain animal (as a practice of ascetics), e.g. aja˚; like a goat Ja.iv.318; go˚; like a cow MN.i.387; Ja.iv.318; vagguli˚; bat practice Ja.i.493; Ja.iii.235; Ja.iv.299 hatthi˚; elephant behaviour Mnd.92 (here as vatta; see under vatta¹).

• -pada an item of good practice, virtue (otherwise called guṇa at Mil.90) Ja.i.202 (where 7 are enumerated, viz devotion to one’s mother & father, reverence towards elder people, speaking the truth, gentle speech, open speech, unselfishness); Mil.90 (where 8 are given in detail, differing from the above). See also vatta¹ 2 where other sets of 7 & 8 are quoted.;
• -samādāna taking up a (good) practice, observance of a vow Ja.i.157.

cp. Vedic vrata vow. fr. vṛt, meaning later “milk” (see Macdonell & Keith, Vedic Index ii.341)