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CHAPTER III.

ON SANSCRIT ROOTS, AND THE CRUDE FORM OF NOUNS.

35. Before treating of Sanscrit nouns, it will be advisable to point out in what respect the peculiar system adopted in their formation requires an arrangement of the subject different from that to which we are accustomed in other languages.

In Sanscrit nouns, then, there is this great peculiarity, that every one of them has two distinct states prior to the formation of the nominative case: viz. 1st, a root; 2dly, a crude form, coming from this root.

*

In the first place, therefore, let us inquire, what is the root. There are, in Sanscrit, a number of monosyllabic sounds, which are called roots. These are mere artificial inventions, having only an ideal existence; mere blocks, so to speak, of themselves quite useless; from which, however, are carved out and fashioned all the varieties of nouns and verbs which exist in the language. Every one of these roots conveys some simple idea, which appears under different modifications in the derivatives from it. Thus, to mention a few of the most common: the root kship conveys the idea of "throwing"; kri of "doing," "making"; hri of 'seizing"; yuj, “joining"; as, vṛit, "being"; bhū, “becoming "; jīv, “living"; nī, “leading"; ji, "conquering"; gam, yā, char, kram, i, sri, "going"; vad, vach, brū, "speaking "; budh, gyā (), 'knowing"; drish (), "seeing"; ish, kam, "wishing"; mri,

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dying"; dā, “giving"; jan, “producing"; dhā, “placing"; ad, bhaksh, bhuj, "eating"; pā, "drinking "; pach, “cooking"; han, “killing”; pat, “falling"; vas, "dwelling"; vish (fan), “entering”; sthā, "standing"; shru (), "hearing"; sprish (), "touching "; sidh, sudh, "accomplishing "; krī (),"buying "; kup, krudh, “being

* Except in a few cases, where they are used by themselves as nouns.

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angry"; chi, "collecting"; ghrū, "smelling"; khyā, “relating"; nash (), "perishing"; tyaj, rah, "quitting"; dwiṣh (fau), "hating"; nind, "blaming"; dru, "running"; dyut, dīp, bhā, shubh, shining"; pū, "purifying"; prachchh (), "asking"; āp, labh, "obtaining"; stu, shans, "praising"; yat, "striving"; yam, straining"; shak (), “being able"; tap, "heating"; dah, “burning"; much, “liberating"; muh, “being foolish "; yudh, “fighting”; ruh, "growing"; has, laughing"; swap, "sleeping"; hrish (4), nand, hlad, “being glad"; snā, "bathing"; rabh, “beginning”; swar, "sounding"; sah, vah, "bearing"; smri, "remembering."

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The student is recommended to commit to memory the commonest of these roots or elementary sounds, as here given. For it will appear in the sequel, that from each of them may be drawn out, with great regularity, 1st, a set of simple substantives; 2dly, of simple adjectives; 3dly, of simple verbs. To take, for example, the root budh, to know. From this root are formed, on fixed principles, the following substantives and adjectives; bodha or bodhana, “knowledge"; buddhi, "intellect”; bodhaka, “an informer”; bauddha, "a Buddhist"; budha, wise"; buddhimat, "intellectual"; and the verbs, bodhati, "he knows"; bodhayati, "he informs"; budhyate, "it is known"; bubhutsate, or bubodhishati, "he wishes to know"; bobudhyate, "he knows well." And the simple idea contained in the root may be endlessly extended by the prefixing of prepositions; as, prabodha, "vigilance"; prabudhyate, “he awakes."

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36. In the second place, it has been said that the Sanscrit noun, substantive and adjective, makes its first appearance in a state called the crude form. The same may be said of the pronouns,

* It will be convenient, in the following pages, to express the idea contained in the root by prefixing to it the infinitive sign to. But the Student must not suppose that the sound budh denotes any thing more than the mere idea of "knowing"; nor must he imagine that in deriving nouns from it, we are deriving them from the infinitive, or from any part of the verb, but rather from a simple original sound, a mere imaginary word, which is the common source of both nouns and verbs. This state of the noun will, in the following pages, be called the crude.

numerals, and participles. Thus, bodha, bodhana, tad, panchan, bhavat, are the crudes of the nominative cases bodhah, bodhanam, sah, pancha, bhavan, respectively. The student should endeavour to understand, at the outset, the meaning and use of this crude form. It is an intermediate state between the root and nominative case, the naked form of the noun, which serves as the basis on which to construct its eight cases, beginning with the nominative. In a Greek or Latin dictionary we look for the noun under the nominative case, but in Sanscrit we look for it under its crude state; as, for example, sah, "he," is found under tad. And here let it be distinctly understood, that the crude form of a noun is very far from having a mere ideal existence, like the root. It is of the utmost practical utility. It is that form of the noun which is always used in the formation of compound words; and as every Sanscrit sentence contains, perhaps, more compound words than simple ones, it may with truth be said, that the crude state of the noun is not only that form under which it appears in the dictionary, but is also the most usual form under which it appears in books.

We may conceive it quite possible that Greek and Latin grammarians might have proceeded on a similar plan, and that they might have supposed a root λey, from which was drawn out the nouns λέξις, λεξικὸς, λεκτὸς, καταλογὴ, ἔλλογος, and the verbs λέγω, kataλéyw, ¿Mλoyéw: so also, a root ag, from which was derived the nouns agmen, actio, actus; and the verbs ago, perago; or a root nau, from which would come nauta, navis, nauticus, navalis, navigo. Again, they might have supposed a crude form to each of these nouns, as well as a root; as, for instance, λeğiko of λeğikòs, and navi of navis ; and they might have required the student to look for the noun navis under navi, and the verb navigo under nau. Further than this, they might have shewn that this crude form was the form used in the formation of compound words, as in λeğıkoypάpos, naviger. But Greek and Latin are too uncertain in their construction to admit of such a method of arrangement being extensively applied: such, however, is the artificial character of the Sanscrit language, that here it has been done throughout with great regularity and precision.

FORMATION OF THE CRUDES OF SIMPLE NOUNS.

37. Nouns substantive and adjective are of two kinds, simple and compound. Simple nouns are those which stand alone, and uncompounded with any other. Compound, are those made up of two or more nouns, the last only receiving inflection.*

It may be easily understood, from the preceding remarks, that the consideration of simple nouns divides itself into two heads : 1st, The formation of their crudes; 2dly, The formation of their cases; or, in other words, the enumeration of the different systems of declension which belong to each variety of crude form.

Observe, that it is not intended that the student should dwell long, at first, on the following pages, printed in small type. It will be essential for him, however, to read them over with attention, as a necessary introduction to the subject of declension in Chapter IV. Their importance will not be fully appreciated till he arrives at a more advanced period of his studies.

The crudes of nouns are formed in two ways, either by adding certain affixes to the ROOT, the vowel of which is liable, at the same time, to be changed to its Guna or Vriddhi substitute, or by adding certain affixes to CRUDES OF NOUNS already formed. It must be remembered, however, that, although every single word in the Sanscrit language is derived from some root, there are many in which the connection between the noun and its source, either in sense or form, is by no means obvious.† With the derivation of all such we shall not concern ourselves; and the following rules have only reference to those classes of nouns whose formation proceeds on clear and intelligible principles.

38. FIRST CLASS.-Crudes in a, Masculine and Neuter; in a and i, Feminine.

Formed by adding to ROOTS—

1. a, forming, 1st (nom. -ah), after the Vriddhi of medial a of a root, and the Guna of any other vowel, a large class of substantives masculine: as, from the root div, "to sport," deva, "a deity." If a root end in ch or j, these letters

* Compound nouns are treated of in Chapter IX. on Compound Words.

+ Thus, पुरुष,

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66 a man," is said to come from pur, to precede "; shrigala,

a jackal," from srij, "to create"; shiva, "the god Shiva," from shi, “to sleep."

are changed to k and g respectively: as, from pach, "to cook," pūka, "cooking "; from yuj, "to join," yoga, "joining."

Forming, 2dly (nom. masc. -ah, fem. -ū, neut. -am*), after Guna of a final, and sometimes Guna of a medial vowel, nouns of agency: as, from plu, "to swim," plava, "what swims"; from srip, "to creep," sarpa, "what creeps" (see r. 131. 1.).

Forming, 3dly (nom. -ah -ā -am), adjectives: as, from shubh, "to shine,” shubha, "beautiful." Sometimes there is great change of the root: as in shiva, "propitious," sundara, "beautiful; and sometimes the feminine may be formed in : as, sundari. There are very few adjectives formed with this affix.

11. aka (nom. -akah, -akā or -ikā, -akam), after Vriddhi of a final vowel or medial a, and Guna of any other vowel. Still more common than a to form adjectives and nouns of agency: as, from tap, "to burn," tāpaka, “inflammatory ”; from kṛi, “to do,” kāraka, "a doer" (r. 131.3. b.); ОвS. -akā is the feminine of the adjectives, and -ikā of the agents: as, tāpakā, kārikā.

III. ana (nom. -anam), after Guna of the root, forming, 1st, a large class of neuter substantives: as, from ni, "to guide," nayana, "guidance"; from dā, "to give," dāna, "a gift.”

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Forming, 2dly (nom. -anah, -anā, -anam), nouns of agency and adjectives: as, from nrit, “to dance,” nartuna, a dancer" (r. 131. 3. c.); from shubh, “to shine,” shobhana, "bright." The feminine of the agents may be in ani.

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iv. tra (nom. -tram), after Guna of the root: as, from pū, “to drink,” pātra,

a vessel"; from shru, "to hear,” shrotra, “the organ of hearing." This affix is used to form neuter nouns denoting some instrument or organ, and corresponds to the Latin trum in aratrum, plectrum, &c.

v. There are other uncommon affixes to roots to form adjectives in a (nom. -ah, -ā, -am): as, ala, vara, ra, ura, ira, uka, tra, ma, ūka. The following are examples of adjectives formed with these affixes; chapala, jitwara, namra, bhidura, ruchira, varshuka, chitra, bhima, jāgarūka.

Formed by adding to nouns,

vi. twa (nom. -twam), forming neuter abstract substantives from any noun in the language: as, from purusha, "a man," purushatwa, “manliness." In adding this affix to crudes ending in nasals, the nasal is rejected: as, from dhanin, “rich,” dhanitwa, “the state of being rich."

* OBS. When there are three genders, it will be sufficient, in future, to place the hyphen between them.

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