Kerala SSLC Sanskrit Academic cheat sheet

Gadya (गद्य) is Sanskrit prose; classical narrative prose has two genres - kathā (a freely invented story) and ākhyāyikā (a narrative whose hero and events are drawn from real persons or history).

Accepted analysis order for a prose passage: padaccheda (word division) → naming the sandhi at each join → samāsa-vigraha (compound expansion) → anvaya (normal word order) → bhāvārtha (overall meaning).

Unmarked Sanskrit word order is kartā (prathamā) → karaṇa/karma → kriyā; the finite verb closes the clause, so locating the verb is the first step in translating a prose sentence.

Direct speech is closed by इति after the quoted words; the speech verb (uvāca, abravīt, pratyuvāca, papraccha) may stand before or after the quotation.

Past passive narration uses the kta participle: the object takes prathamā and the agent takes tṛtīyā, and the participle agrees with the object - tena kathā kathitā, 'the story was told by him'.

Clause connectors and their values: atha / atha khalu (now - often opens a kathā), tataḥ (then), tatra (there), tataḥ param (after that), kintu (but), tasmāt (therefore), yāvat–tāvat (as long as–so long).

Vigraha patterns: a ṣaṣṭhī tatpuruṣa title expands as rājaputraḥ → rājñaḥ putraḥ; a bahuvrīhi description expands as dīrghabāhuḥ → dīrghau bāhū yasya saḥ.

Tense markers in prose: liṭ (perfect) such as babhūva, cakāra, uvāca marks remote past at the opening of a kathā; laṅ (abhavat, akarot) marks simple past; laṭ marks present and general statement.

Pāda = one quarter of a verse. In samavṛtta all four pādas have the same pattern; in ardhasamavṛtta pādas 1 and 3 match and pādas 2 and 4 match.

The eight gaṇas of three syllables each: ya (∪ −), ra (− ∪), ta (− − ∪), bha (− ∪ ∪), ja (∪ − ∪), sa (∪ ∪ −), ma (− − −), na (∪ ∪ ∪).

Laghu (∪) = a short vowel not followed by a conjunct, worth 1 mātrā; guru (−) = a long vowel, or a short vowel closed by anusvāra, visarga or a following conjunct, worth 2 mātrās.

Anuṣṭubh (śloka): four pādas of eight syllables (32 in all); the fifth syllable of every pāda is laghu; pathyā and vipulā are its varieties. It is the metre of the epics.

Indravajrā = ta-ta-ja-ga-ga, 11 syllables per pāda; upendravajrā = ja-ta-ja-ga-ga, also 11 syllables - the two differ only in the first gaṇa.

Vasantatilakā = ta-bha-ja-ja-ga-ga = 14 syllables per pāda (samavṛtta), a favourite metre for single-verse statements and benedictions.

Śārdūlavikrīḍita = ma-sa-ja-sa-ta-ta-ga = 19 syllables per pāda, with yati (caesura) after the twelfth syllable.

Āryā is a mātrā-vṛtta, counted in mātrās rather than syllables: 30 mātrās in the first half (12 + 18) and 27 in the second (12 + 15).

Counting procedure: mark every syllable ∪ or −, group them from the start in threes, then match the resulting gaṇa formula against the metre list.

Savarṇadīrgha: like vowels merge into the long vowel - a/ā + a/ā → ā, i/ī + i/ī → ī, u/ū + u/ū → ū (vidyā + ālayaḥ = vidyālayaḥ; na + asti = nāsti).

Guṇa sandhi: after a/ā, i/ī → e, u/ū → o, ṛ → ar, ḷ → al (nara + indraḥ = narendraḥ; sūrya + udayaḥ = sūryodayaḥ; rāma + ṛṣiḥ = rāmarṣiḥ).

Vṛddhi sandhi: after a/ā, e/ai → ai and o/au → au (eka + eka = ekaika; gaṅgā + oghaḥ = gaṅgaughaḥ).

Yaṇ sandhi: i/ī → y, u/ū → v, ṛ → r, ḷ → l before a dissimilar vowel (iti + api = ity api; madhu + atra = madhv atra; mātṛ + ājñā = mātrājñā).

Visarga sandhi: aḥ + a → o with avagraha (rāmaḥ agacchat = rāmo 'gacchat); aḥ + c/ch → ś (rāmaś ca); aḥ + ṭ/ṭh → ṣ; aḥ + t/th → s (rāmas tatra).

Samāsa types with tests: tatpuruṣa - first member in an oblique case (rājaputraḥ = rājñaḥ putraḥ); karmadhāraya - adjective + noun of the same case (mahārājaḥ, nīlotpalam); dvandva - members joined by ca (rāmalakṣmaṇau, mātāpitarau); bahuvrīhi - denotes a possessor outside the members (dīrghabāhuḥ, caturbhujaḥ); avyayībhāva - indeclinable first member, neuter singular (upagiri, yathāśakti); dvigu - numeral first member (trilokī, daśāṅgulam).

Kāraka–vibhakti mapping: kartā–prathamā, karma–dvitīyā, karaṇa–tṛtīyā, sampradāna–caturthī, apādāna–pañcamī, adhikaraṇa–saptamī; sambandha (ṣaṣṭhī) is not counted as a kāraka, and sambodhana also uses prathamā endings.

Kāraka sūtras: kartur īpsitatamaṃ karma (the most desired object of the agent is karma); sādhakatamaṃ karaṇam (the most effective means is karaṇa); karmaṇā yam abhipraiti sa sampradānam; dhruvam apāye 'pādānam (the fixed point of separation is apādāna); ādhāro 'dhikaraṇam (the locus is adhikaraṇa).

Kṛt suffixes attach to roots: kta (past passive, kṛtaḥ), ktavatu (past active, kṛtavān), tumun (infinitive, kartum), ktvā/lyap (absolutive, kṛtvā, gatvā), tavya/anīya (obligation, kartavyam, paṭhanīyam); taddhita suffixes attach to nouns: vant/mat 'possessing' (buddhimān, yaśasvān), tva/tal abstract (rājatvam), mayaṭ 'made of' (hemamayam).

Sanskrit letter sequence: place and date (sthānam, dinaṅkaḥ) → sambodhana (priya mitra / mānaniya ācārya) → greeting (namaḥ, sasnehaṃ namaḥ) → body → closing wish → signature bhava(d)īyaḥ + name.

Sambodhana endings for -a stems: he rāma (singular), he rāmau (dual), he rāmāḥ (plural); polite letter addresses are priya mitra for a friend and mānaniya ācārya for a teacher.

Case-to-preposition map for translation: prathamā = subject, dvitīyā = direct object, tṛtīyā = by/with, caturthī = to/for, pañcamī = from, ṣaṣṭhī = of, saptamī = in/on/at.

Kta passive in translation: tena granthaḥ likhitaḥ may be rendered 'he wrote the book' or 'the book was written by him'; the Sanskrit agent always stays in tṛtīyā.

Comprehension answers are written as one complete Sanskrit sentence whose verb agrees with the subject in person and number, reusing the question's nouns in the case required by their role.

Composition devices: tataḥ / anu for sequence, kintu for contrast, tasmāt for result, iva for comparison, api for 'also', eva for emphasis, iti to close a quotation or reported speech.