Vyakarana: Same Compound Form, Two Samāsa Classes
A 3-mark Vyakarana item asks students to classify the compound in two sentences: (i) “कृष्णः पीताम्बरः” and (ii) “पीताम्बरं वस्त्रम्.” Candidate F writes “कर्मधारय” for both, arguing that “पीत” qualifies “अम्बर” in the same way. The key allows “बहुव्रीहि” for (i) and “कर्मधारय” for (ii). F objects that one compound cannot carry two classifications. The examiner must decide whether to award 1, 2, or 3 marks, and how to explain the referent test without appealing to a memorised example. The rubric is: 1 mark for each correct classification and 1 mark for a valid reason. F’s answers on tatpuruṣa elsewhere are correct, so this is not a general weakness in compound identification.
1. Is F’s objection correct? Classify both sentences and explain the referent difference.
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F’s objection is not correct. Classification depends on what the compound denotes in the sentence, not on its spelling alone.
- (i) “कृष्णः पीताम्बरः” - the compound refers to Krishna, not to a garment. It means “the one whose garment is yellow,” so it is बहुव्रीहि.
- (ii) “पीताम्बरं वस्त्रम्” - the compound refers to the garment itself, and “पीत” qualifies “अम्बर,” so it is कर्मधारय.
The same form can function differently because the head of a bahuvrihi is outside the compound, while a karmadharaya denotes its own final member.
2. Apply a formal agreement test using gender and number to justify the two classifications.
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In (i), “अम्बर” is neuter, but the compound appears as “पीताम्बरः,” masculine, agreeing with “कृष्णः.” The compound agrees with the possessor, not with its final member. That mismatch is a bahuvrīhi clue: the compound denotes Krishna, “the yellow-garmented one.”
In (ii), “पीताम्बरम्” is neuter, agreeing with “वस्त्रम्.” The compound agrees with its own final member and denotes the garment. That is a karmadharaya clue.
The test is therefore: “Does the compound agree with the noun it describes, or does it agree with its own final member?” The first points to bahuvrīhi; the second to karmadharaya.
3. Score F out of 3 and give feedback in one sentence.
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1/3: 1 mark for the correct karmadharaya classification in (ii); 0 for (i); 0 for the reason, because F applies the same reason to both sentences.
Feedback: “Classify by what the compound denotes in the sentence, not by the form of the words alone; check agreement with the noun it describes.”
This is not a general weakness, as F’s tatpuruṣa answers are correct. The error is specific to compounds that can be either bahuvrīhi or karmadharaya depending on the referent.