Tathagata
(तथागत)Literal Meaning
Thus-gone / thus-come one
Etymology & Sanskrit Root
'Tatha' (thus) plus 'agata' (come) or 'gata' (gone); an epithet the Buddha used for himself, meaning one who has arrived at ultimate truth exactly as previous Buddhas did.
Spiritual Insight & Context
By calling himself Tathagata rather than 'I' or 'me,' the Buddha pointed away from a personal ego toward the impersonal truth he had realized.