KSEAB SSLC FL Sanskrit cheat sheet

Theme answer formula: state the central idea in one Sanskrit sentence, then cite one specific event or character action from the lesson as proof.

Character answer formula: name the character, give two qualities, and support each quality with a specific action or utterance from the passage.

Value-based answer: name the value (satyam, dhairyam, ahimsa, dana), then show how the protagonist's choice in the lesson illustrates it.

For 'why did X do Y' questions, locate the causal clause marked by iti, yataḥ, or tasmāt and paraphrase it in one short line.

Comprehension answers should be brief and in Sanskrit; reuse the passage's own verbs and case forms wherever possible.

Distinguish mukhya (literal) from gauna (figurative) meaning; most SSLC prose comprehension questions expect the literal sense.

If sandhi or samasa is not asked, do not split or rewrite the whole sentence; answer only the question set.

Frequently tested prose values: satya, parisrama, bhakti, mitratva, dana, ksama, svadesa-prema.

Anustubh (sloka): four padas of eight aksaras each; padas two and four usually rhyme; even padas often have a laghu fifth aksara.

Vasantatilaka: fourteen aksaras per pada, four padas; built from ta, ta, ja, ja, ga, ga.

Indravajra and Upendravajra: eleven aksaras per pada; Indravajra follows ta-ta-ja-ga-ga, Upendravajra follows ja-ta-ja-ga-ga.

Mandakranta has seventeen aksaras per pada; Sardulavikridita has nineteen; Malini has fifteen.

Upama: comparison using iva, vat, or yatha; both the subject and the object of comparison are stated explicitly.

Rupaka: metaphor; the subject is identified with the compared object and no iva or vat appears.

Anuprasa: repetition of the same consonant sound; Yamaka: repetition of a syllable group with a different meaning each time.

Utpreksa: imagined identification; Atisayokti: hyperbole; Svabhavokti: natural description of a scene or action.

Answer verse meaning in three steps: anvaya (prose order), padartha (word meaning), bhava (overall sense).

Savarna-dirgha sandhi: a/ā + a/ā gives ā; i/ī + i/ī gives ī; u/ū + u/ū gives ū, as in rāma + āgataḥ = rāmāgataḥ.

Guna sandhi: a/ā + i/ī gives e; a/ā + u/ū gives o; a/ā + ṛ gives ar; a/ā + ḷ gives al.

Vrddhi sandhi: a/ā + e/ai gives ai; a/ā + o/au gives au, as in sadā + eva = sadaiva.

Yan sandhi: i/ī before a vowel gives y; u/ū gives v; ṛ gives r; ḷ gives l, as in iti + api = ityapi.

Ayadi sandhi: e + a gives aya; o + a gives ava; ai + a gives āya; au + a gives āva.

Samasa decision rules: Tatpurusa has the last member as principal; Karmadharaya is adjective plus noun; Dvandva has both members principal; Bahuvrīhi names a third entity; Dvigu has a numeral first; Avyayibhava has an indeclinable first.

Vibhakti functions: prathamā = kartā; dvitīyā = karma; trtīyā = karana or companionship; caturthī = sampradana; pañcamī = apadana; sasthī = sambandha; saptamī = adhikarana.

Krt pratyayas: ktvā = having done; lyap = after a prefix; tumun = to do; satr/sanac = doing; kta/ktavatu = past passive or active; anīya/yat/tavya = fit to be done.

Taddhita pratyayas: matup, in, and mayat mean possessing; tal forms abstract nouns; isthan and iyas form comparative and superlative.

Anuccheda-lekha structure: opening statement (aksepa), three to five supporting sentences (vivarana), and a conclusion (upasamhara).

Keep one idea per paragraph; each paragraph should run three to five sentences and the whole piece about 80 to 120 words.

Patra-lekha format: sender's address, date, receiver's address, salutation, subject, body, closing, and signature.

Formal Sanskrit salutations: ārya or pūjya for elders and teachers; priya for friends; mahodaya after a name in the receiver's address.

Sentence construction: subject in prathamā, object in dvitīyā, finite verb last; the verb agrees with the subject in person and number.

Use connectives ca, api, tu, param, ataḥ, tasmāt, and yathā-tathā to join short sentences and show addition, contrast, or result.

Avoid double negation and unnecessary passive; prefer kartari prayoga unless the agent is unknown or deliberately suppressed.

For a paragraph on a value, open with 'X nāma ...' and close with a sentence linking the value to daily conduct.

Read the unseen passage twice: first for overall meaning, second to mark verb forms, sandhi splits, and the agent of each action.

Unseen prose questions usually ask for kartā, kriyā, kāla, sthala, and kim or katham details; answer each in one short line.

For an unseen verse, write anvaya first, then padartha, then bhava; do not translate word for word without arranging syntax.

If a word is unfamiliar, infer its sense from compound members (pūrvapada and uttarapada), the case ending, and the context.

Objective questions: eliminate options that change the tense, the agent, or the number of the verb from what the passage states.

Figure-of-speech question in an unseen verse: check for iva or vat (upama), repeated consonants (anuprasa), and exaggeration (atisayokti).

Metre question: count aksaras in one pada; 8 anustubh, 11 indravajra or upendravajra, 14 vasantatilaka, 15 malini, 17 mandakranta, 19 sardulavikridita.

For 'asya bhavah' questions, answer in a single Sanskrit sentence that states the idea, not a summary of the whole passage.

Translate Sanskrit to Kannada or English by parsing first: identify kartā (prathamā), karma (dvitīyā), kriyā (verb), then add particles and compounds.

Case meanings for translation: dvitīyā = object or motion to; trtīyā = by or with; caturthī = for or to; pañcamī = from; sasthī = of; saptamī = in or on.

Words with multiple meanings: go = cow, earth, speech; hari = Visnu, Indra, lion; kara = hand, tax, ray; sama = equal, calm.

Upasarga shifts root sense: pra- forward, vi- apart, sam- together, anu- following, apa- away, ni- down.

For word-meaning questions, give the sense the word carries in the given passage, not its most common dictionary meaning.

Sanskrit to English: keep technical terms such as dharma, karma, and yoga transliterated, adding a short gloss only if needed.

Kannada rendering: preserve Sanskrit compound order where natural; split a compound only when the meaning is otherwise unclear.

Frequently tested vocabulary: satya (truth), dhairya (courage), jñana (knowledge), bhakti (devotion), ksama (forgiveness), dana (gift).