Grammar (Vyākaraṇa): sandhi, samāsa, kāraka, verb forms, word derivation
Grammar (Vyākaraṇa) is the most rule-bound and highest-scoring part: sandhi, samāsa, kāraka, tiṅanta verb forms and word derivation through kṛt and taddhita pratyayas.
Sandhi
- Svara sandhi: a/ā + a/ā → ā (dīrgha); a + i/ī → e (guṇa); a + e → ai (vṛddhi); i/ī + vowel → y (yaṇ); e/o + vowel → ay/av (ayādi).
- Hal sandhi: a final voiced consonant becomes unvoiced before a vowel (ścutva); initial ś/ṣ/s becomes ṣ after i/u/ṛ (ṣatva); final -t becomes -d before a vowel (jaśtva).
- Visarga: → o before voiced consonants, → r before vowels, dropped before a vowel after a short vowel.
Samāsa
avyayībhāva (first member indeclinable), tatpuruṣa (case relation), karmadhāraya (adjective), dvigu (numeral), dvandva (coordinate members), bahuvrīhi (the compound denotes something else). Always give the vigraha with the name.
Kāraka
kartari prathamā; karmaṇi dvifīyā; karaṇe tṛtīyā; sampradāne caturthī; apādāne pañcamī; sambandhe ṣaṣṭhī; adhikaraṇe saptamī.
Verb forms and derivation
Learn laṭ, lṛṭ, laṅ, vidhiliṅ, liṭ and luṅ of common roots (भू, अस्, कृ, पठ्, गम्, दा); causative with णिच्; passive with -य; kṛt: ktvā, tumun, kta, ktavatu, śatṛ/śānac; taddhita: matup, inī.
Worked example
देव + आलयः → देवालयः। a + ā = ā is dīrgha svara sandhi. The vigraha is देवानाम् आलयः, a ṣaṣṭhī tatpuruṣa meaning "temple of the gods". Name the sandhi and the samāsa separately - they are marked separately.
Traps
- Splitting a sandhi without checking that both parts are real words.
- Naming a samāsa type with no vigraha.
- Using ṣaṣṭhī where the kāraka rule demands tṛtīyā.