Simple Sanskrit Lesson 10

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Towards the end of previous Lesson 9, three aspects
were mentioned for proceeding further. I propose to
proceed with -s.
As mentioned in previous lesson, -s in
Sanskrit are , or
. Actually these names of classes of
-s have some meaning. The meaning can be
deciphered as follows
-s mean such -
s, whereby effect of the action is seen to
influence someone or something else.
In the word there are two

parts and .
means unto another. can be interpreted
to mean having influence. So
would mean having
influence unto another.
For example when saying

(I go to school),
the school is going to have a new element
there, i.e. myself.
 Even when saying (I say) my
saying is going to cause new reverberations in
the environment around me.
-s mean such -
s, whereby effect of the action is seen to
influence the doer, the subject.
The word also has two parts

and . means
unto oneself and as above can be
interpreted to mean having influence. So
would mean having
influence unto oneself.
When saying

(moon waxes and wanes) the

actions of waxing and waning influence the
moon, the subject itself.
In turn -s mean such
-s, whereby effect of the action is seen
to influence either the doer, (i.e. the subject) or
someone (or something) else.
Eminent example of is

(to do). An action of doing

something has an influence both on doer and
on something, that is done.
 This brings to mind a line from where
it is said,
(-
) meaning, the tools, the action itself and
the doer are three types of repositories of
action.
The idea in citing the quote from , is

simply to detail that the consideration of which

is ,
or seems to be very, very subtle.
The nomenclatures ,
, do have specific
meaning. But it is difficult, at least for me to
explain the concept very clearly. But there is no
problem once one accepts whatever the of a
particular is. Practise will make it easier.
Couple of examples given above are my own
attempt to understand the concept. Admittedly
the examples provide some help to understand
the concept, but do not make it entirely clear.
For example it is difficult to explain how the

verbal root in or
is .
We have studied inflections of some 25
-s in simple present,
imperative and and past tenses. Here
are inflections of a commonly used
.
Table 10-1
Inflections of

No. () Meaning /
To get, to
obtain, to -
1 () gain

-

-


-

Actually at http://tdil-
dc.in/san/skt_gen/generators.html# they have
facilitated obtaining inflexions for a large number of
-s in ten types of / options,
known as -s. Of these ten -s four are
noted above under the column / .
The ten -s are described in Table 10-2.
Table 10-2
The ten -s

No. /

- al
5 -

- also k
6
7

10

I could not find an apt Sanskrit explanation for item

7 . Actually various tenses and moods
detailed above indicate only their general usages.
There are also optional usages.
For example Simple present has optional usage
1. for Immediate past, e.g.
When did you come ?

Here I am

2. and also for immediate future e.g.

When will you go to town ?

?
Here I go
3. Both these optional usages are not just
colloquial, but very much endorsed by Sanskrit
grammar by Paninis aphorism

(.
--) meaning when present is close-by
or when tense is similar to present tense.
4. The (chapter on
meanings of -s) in -
by
discusses as many as 49
-s detailing various usages of different
-s. I wonder whether there is a readily
available translation of such a useful and
important chapter as this.
5. Actually the usages will be clearer when
clarified by examples. The examples under para
(1) are from this very book -

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