BSEB Matric SIL Sanskrit key terms

Sanskrit prose writing, as opposed to verse; in the Bihar Matric syllabus it covers narrative and descriptive passages studied for theme, character and moral values.

Sanskrit verse composition in metrical form; exam passages are analysed for theme, sentiment, figure of speech and word-by-word explanation.

The aesthetic sentiment a poem evokes in a cultivated reader, such as करुण (compassion), वीर (heroism) or शृङ्गार (love); nine rasas are traditionally counted.

A poetic figure that beautifies verse, either by sound (शब्दालङ्कार) or by meaning (अर्थालङ्कार), for example उपमा and रूपक.

A figure of speech comparing two different things through a word such as इव or वत्, stating that one resembles the other in a shared quality.

A figure in which the subject is identified with the object of comparison without any word of likeness, so that the two are fused into one image.

The euphonic junction of two sounds at a word boundary, where vowels or consonants combine or change according to fixed rules, as in राम + अयन = रामायण.

A sandhi between two vowels, including दीर्घ, गुण and वृद्धि types, such as इति + आदि becoming इत्यादि or नर + इन्द्र becoming नरेन्द्र.

A sandhi involving consonants, where a following vowel or consonant is replaced by another consonant, as in सत् + जनः becoming सज्जनः.

A vowel junction in which अ or आ before इ, उ or ऋ produces ए, ओ or अर्, as in नर + इन्द्र = नरेन्द्र and सुर + उत्तम = सुरोत्तम.

A vowel junction where अ or आ before ए, ओ or ऐ produces ऐ or औ, as in एक + एक = एकैक and वसु + ऐक्य = वस्वैक्य.

A compound word formed by joining two or more stems into a single unit, classified as तत्पुरुष, बहुव्रीहि, द्वन्द्व, अव्ययीभाव and others.

A compound whose first member qualifies the last, which remains the head, as in राजपुत्र (a king's son) and गृहगतः (gone to the house).

A compound denoting something other than its members, where the whole refers to a third entity, as in दशरथः (one whose chariot is ten) or पीताम्बरः.

A compound joining two or more words of equal rank, usually linked in meaning by 'and', as in रामलक्ष्मणौ or मातापितरौ.

A compound whose first member is an indeclinable such as उप or प्रति and which functions as a single indeclinable, as in उपगङ्गम् or प्रतिदिनम्.

The grammatical role a noun plays in relation to the verb, such as doer, object, instrument or place, expressed in Sanskrit by specific case endings.

A case ending attached to a nominal stem, eight in number, marking relations such as subject, object, instrument, source, recipient and location.

The agent case, expressing the doer of an action and normally taking the first case ending, as in रामः पठति (Rama reads).

The object case, expressing what the action directly affects and taking the second case ending, as in फलम् खादति (he eats a fruit).

The full declension paradigm of a noun or adjective across all cases and both numbers, such as राम, हरि, गुरु, लता, मुनि and फल.

The conjugation paradigm of a verbal root through tenses, moods and persons, for example पठ् in लट्, लृट् and लङ् with all endings.

One of ten tense-and-mood formations of the Sanskrit verb, including लट् (present), लृट् (future), लङ् (past imperfect) and लोट् (imperative).

Paragraph writing in Sanskrit on a set topic, requiring a clear opening statement, connected sentences and a concluding remark within a word limit.

Letter writing in Sanskrit, either personal or official, following conventions of address, salutation, body, polite closing and signature.

Translation between languages, here Hindi or English into Sanskrit and Sanskrit into Hindi, keeping meaning, tense and grammatical gender accurate.

An unseen prose passage set in the examination with questions on meaning, theme and inference, testing independent reading rather than memorised texts.

An unseen verse passage accompanied by questions on its meaning, sentiment, figure of speech and the sense of difficult words.

The meaning of an individual word as used in a given passage, often asked as a synonym or explanation in Sanskrit or Hindi.

Using a given word correctly in an original sentence, which requires matching its gender, number, case and the verb's agreement.

Valmiki's Sanskrit epic of seven books on Rama's life, exile, war in Lanka and return; a foundational text of Indian culture and ethics.

The vast Sanskrit epic attributed to Vyasa, containing the Kuru war and the Bhagavadgita; a central source of dharma teaching and cultural memory.

Classical Sanskrit poet and dramatist, author of Abhijnanashakuntalam, Meghaduta and Raghuvamsha, regarded as the foremost master of simile.

Kalidasa's mahakavya tracing the kings of the Raghu dynasty from Dilipa to Agnivarna, admired for its polished style and moral portraits.

A long narrative Sanskrit poem in cantos, treating a heroic or legendary theme with descriptions of nature, battles, love and moral reflection.

A dialogue of eighteen chapters within the Mahabharata in which Krishna instructs Arjuna on duty, action without attachment and devotion.

An indeclinable word such as च, अपि, इति or उप, which keeps one form regardless of gender, number or case and often forms compounds.

The optative mood of the Sanskrit verb, expressing injunction, possibility or polite request, as in भवान् आगच्छेत् (you should come).