Assam HS Sanskrit flashcards

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Savarṇa-dīrgha sandhi

When a simple vowel is followed by a similar simple vowel, both coalesce into the corresponding long vowel: अ + अ = आ, इ + इ = ई, उ + उ = ऊ.

Guṇa sandhi

अ or आ followed by इ/ई becomes ए; by उ/ऊ becomes ओ; by ऋ becomes अर्. Example: नर + इन्द्र = नरेन्द्र.

Vṛddhi sandhi

अ or आ followed by ए/ऐ becomes ऐ; followed by ओ/औ becomes औ. Example: एक + एक = एकैक.

Visarga sandhi

Final ः becomes र् before voiced sounds (नरः + गच्छति → नरो गच्छति is the parallel o-case), and becomes ओ before voiced consonants or अ.

Yaṇ sandhi

इ/ई before a dissimilar vowel becomes य्; उ/ऊ becomes व्; ऋ becomes र्; ऌ becomes ल्. Example: इति + अपि = इत्यपि.

Three numbers in Sanskrit

Sanskrit nouns and verbs distinguish singular (eka), dual (dvi), and plural (bahu). The dual is obligatory for exactly two items, e.g. रामौ for two Rāmas.

Eight cases (vibhakti)

Nominative (prathamā), accusative (dvitīyā), instrumental (tṛtīyā), dative (caturthī), ablative (pañcamī), genitive (ṣaṣṭhī), locative (saptamī), vocative (sambodhana).

Rāma a-stem declension

Singular: rāmaḥ, rāmam, rāmeṇa, rāmāya, rāmāt, rāmasya, rāme, he rāma. Dual: rāmau, rāmābhyām, rāmayoḥ, he rāmau. Plural: rāmāḥ, rāmaiḥ, rāmebhyaḥ, rāmāṇām, rāmeṣu.

Kanyā ā-stem declension

Singular: kanyā, kanyām, kanyayā, kanyāyai, kanyāyāḥ, kanyāyāḥ, kanyāyām, he kanye. Dual and plural add -bhyām, -bhiḥ, -bhyaḥ, -nām, -su.

Muni i-stem declension

Singular: muniḥ, munim, muninā, munaye, muneḥ, muneḥ, munau, he mune. Plural: munayaḥ, munibhiḥ, munibhyaḥ, munīnām, muniṣu.

Nadī ī-stem declension

Singular: nadī, nadīm, nadyā, nadyai, nadyāḥ, nadyāḥ, nadyām, he nadi. Plural: nadyaḥ, nadībhiḥ, nadībhyaḥ, nadīnām, nadīṣu.

Guru u-stem declension

Singular: guruḥ, gurum, guruṇā, gurave, goroḥ, goroḥ, gurau, he guro. Plural: guravaḥ, gurubhiḥ, gurubhyaḥ, gurūṇām, guruṣu.

Present tense laṭ endings

Parasmaipada: -mi, -si, -ti, -maḥ, -tha, -nti. Ātmanepada: -e, -se, -te, -mahe, -dhve, -nte. Example: paṭhāmi, paṭhasi, paṭhati, paṭhāmaḥ, paṭhatha, paṭhanti.

Root √as (to be)

Present: asmi, asi, asti, svaḥ, sthaḥ, santi. Imperfect: āsam, āsīḥ, āsīt, āsma, āsta, āsan. The root is unaccented and takes secondary endings.

Root √kṛ (to do)

Present: karomi, karosi, karoti, kurmaḥ, kurutha, kurvanti. The weak stem kur- appears before endings beginning with vowels or -m-.

Root √bhū (to become)

Present: bhavāmi, bhavasi, bhavati, bhavāmaḥ, bhavatha, bhavanti. Past participle bhūta; future bhaviṣyati; perfect babhūva.

Root √gam (to go)

Present: gacchāmi, gacchasi, gacchati, gacchāmaḥ, gacchatha, gacchanti. The infix -ccha- is added to the root before endings.

Six kārakas

Kartā (agent, nominative), karma (object, accusative), karaṇa (instrument, instrumental), sampradāna (recipient, dative), apādāna (source, ablative), adhikaraṇa (locus, locative).

Tatpuruṣa compound

A determinative compound in which the first member is in a case relation to the second, e.g. rājaputraḥ = 'the king's son'. The compound's gender follows the final member.

Dvandva compound

A copulative compound joining items of equal status, e.g. rāmalakṣmaṇau = 'Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa'. It is often dual or plural in number.

Bahuvrīhi compound

An exocentric possessive compound denoting a person or thing possessing the compound's meaning, e.g. dīrghabāhuḥ = 'long-armed one'. Its gender follows the referent.

Dvigu compound

A tatpuruṣa whose first member is a numeral, e.g. trikuṭam = 'three peaks'. The whole compound is often neuter singular.

Avyayībhāva compound

A compound whose first member is an indeclinable (avyaya) and which functions as an indeclinable, e.g. uparājam = 'near the king'. It does not decline.

Upamā alaṃkāra

A simile marked by iva, yathā, or sadṛśa, comparing two things, e.g. mukhaṃ candra iva = 'face like the moon'. The comparison must be explicit.

Rūpaka alaṃkāra

A metaphor that identifies the subject with the image without a comparative particle, e.g. 'the moon-face'. The two are superimposed, not merely compared.

Anuprāsa alaṃkāra

Alliteration, the repetition of the same consonant sound in close proximity, e.g. repeated प or त sounds. It depends on sound, not meaning.

Śleṣa alaṃkāra

A pun in which one word or passage yields two meanings by grammatical or semantic ambiguity. It is often used to praise two persons at once.

Anuṣṭubh metre

A metre of four pādas of eight syllables each, the common epic and didactic metre. The cadence typically has a trochaic close in even pādas.

Indravajrā metre

A metre of four pādas of eleven syllables each, with a fixed pattern of heavy and light syllables. It is a classical samavṛtta metre.

Upajāti metre

A mixed metre in which the pādas are eleven syllables but combine indravajrā and upendravajrā patterns. It is common in classical kāvya.

Sandhi of final त्

Final त् before a voiced consonant becomes द्, e.g. तत् + गच्छति → तद्गच्छति; before a vowel it becomes द् and combines, e.g. तत् + अपि → तदपि.

Numerals in Sanskrit

एक, द्वि, त्रि, चतुर्, पञ्च, षट्, सप्त, अष्ट, नव, दश. Tri and catur decline in three genders; ekasya, dvayoḥ, trayāṇām show case forms.

Pronoun tad declension

Singular: saḥ/sā/tat, tam/tām/tat, tena/tayā, tasmai/tasyai, tasmāt/tasyāḥ, tasya/tasyāḥ, tasmin/tasyām. Plural: te/tāḥ/tāni, tān/tāḥ/tāni, taiḥ/tābhiḥ.