RBSE Praveshika Sanskrit cheat sheet

Sandhi: savarna-dirgha (a/ā + a/ā → ā), guṇa (a + i/u/ṛ → e/o/ar), vṛddhi (a + e/ai/o/au → ai/au), yaṇ (i/u/ṛ/ḷ + dissimilar vowel → y/v/r/l).

Visarga sandhi: visarga before vowel becomes r (except before a and before a-forms where it becomes o), e.g. rāmaḥ + agacchat → rāmo 'gacchat / rāma agacchat.

Śabda rup: rāma (a-kānta puṃliṅga) - rāmaḥ, rāmau, rāmāḥ; rāmam, rāmau, rāmān; rāmeṇa, rāmābhyām, rāmaiḥ.

Śabda rup: latā (ā-kānta strīliṅga) - latā, late, latāḥ; latām, late, latāḥ; latayā, latābhyām, latābhiḥ.

Śabda rup: phala (a-kānta napuṃsaka) - phalam, phale, phalāni; phalena, phalābhyām, phalaiḥ.

Dhatu rup: √bhū (paṭhyamāna) - bhavati, bhavataḥ, bhavanti; bhavasi, bhavatha, bhavāmi; √as → asti, staḥ, santi.

Kārak: kartā (prathamā), karma (dvitīyā), karaṇa (tṛtīyā), sampradāna (caturthī), apādāna (pañcamī), adhikaraṇa (saptamī), sambodhana (prathamā).

Samas: tatpuruṣa (uttarapada pradhāna), dvandva (ubhaya pradhāna), bahuvrīhi (anyapada pradhāna), dvigu (saṅkhyā-pūrvapada), avyayībhāva (pūrvapada pradhāna).

Taddhit: apatya pratyaya - putrasya apatyaṃ pāutraḥ; strī pratyaya - upādhyāya + ā → upādhyāyā; matu/up pratyaya → guṇavān, guṇī.

Rāmāyaṇa: Vālmīki, 7 kāṇḍas (Bāla, Ayodhyā, Araṇya, Kiṣkindhā, Sundara, Yuddha, Uttara), ~24,000 ślokas; epithet Ādikāvya.

Mahābhārata: Vyāsa, 18 parvans, ~100,000 ślokas; Bhagavadgītā in Bhīṣma parvan; epithet Pañcamaveda.

Kālidāsa: Abhijñānaśākuntalam, Vikramorvaśīyam, Mālavikāgnimitram (nāṭaka); Raghuvaṃśa, Kumārasambhava, Meghadūta, Ṛtusaṃhāra.

Pañcatantra: Viṣṇuśarman, pañca tantras; verse prose frame narrative with animal fables, nīti theme.

Kāvyālaṅkāra: Bhāmaha authored Kāvyālaṅkāra; Daṇḍin's Kāvyādarśa defines kāvya as śarīra (śabda-artha) and alaṅkāra.

Nāṭyaśāstra: Bharata; rasa theory - śṛṅgāra, hāsya, karuṇa, raudra, vīra, bhayānaka, bībhatsa, adbhuta; śānta added later.

Daśarūpaka: Dhanañjaya; defines ten nāṭya types (nāṭaka, prakaraṇa, bhāṇa, vyāyoga, samavakāra, ḍima, īhāmṛga, aṅka, vīthī, prahasana).

Translation direction rule: Sanskrit → Hindi/English preserves kārak vibhakti sense; dvitīyā → object, tṛtīyā → 'by/with', saptamī → 'in/on'.

Sanskrit sentence order is flexible; verb typically final. Translate verb first when converting to English SVO.

Anuvāda of technical terms: sandhi, samāsa, pratyaya remain transliterated; ordinary nouns translate by meaning.

Common translation pairs: gacchati = goes; paṭhati = reads; likhati = writes; khādati = eats; vadati = speaks; hasati = laughs.

Rachanā: sentence must agree in liṅga (gender), vacana (number), and puruṣa (person) between subject and verb.

Passive (karmavācya) uses past participle + √as: rāmeṇa granthaḥ paṭhyate = 'the book is read by Rāma'.

Causative (ṇijanta) adds -aya: paṭhati → pāṭhayati 'causes to read'; kārta → kārayati.

Sandhi-application while translating: split compounds and sandhi before assigning meaning, not after.

Padya reading: follow mātrā/vṛtta count; anuṣṭubh = 8 syllables per pāda, 4 pādas, śloka form.

Gadyāṃśa explanation: identify subject, verb, and sandhi-splits before paraphrase; do not translate word-for-word.

Meters: anuṣṭubh (8), indravajrā (11), upendravajrā (11), vasantatilakā (14), śārdūlavikrīḍita (19), mālinī (15).

Yati (caesura) in vasantatilakā falls after the 8th syllable; in śārdūlavikrīḍita after the 13th.

Padya explanation must state: kavi, viṣaya (subject), alaṅkāra (if any), and bhāva (emotion).

Gadyāṃśa common sources: Bhāgavata, Rāmāyaṇa prose retellings, Pañcatantra, Hitopadeśa.

Alaṅkāra in explanation: upamā (comparison), rūpaka (metaphor), anuprāsa (alliteration), utprekṣā (poetic fancy).

Reading aloud rule: do not split a word at a sandhi boundary; recite the joined form as one prosodic unit.

Vedic period: Ṛgveda (hotṛ), Sāmaveda (udgātṛ), Yajurveda (adhvaryu), Atharvaveda (brahmā); four saṃhitās.

Upaniṣads: 108 traditionally; principal ten include Īśa, Kena, Kaṭha, Praśna, Muṇḍaka, Māṇḍūkya, Aitareya, Taittirīya, Chāndogya, Bṛhadāraṇyaka.

Epic period: Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata as above; Purāṇas - 18 mahāpurāṇas, Viṣṇu, Śiva, Bhāgavata prominent.

Classical poetry: Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita (Sanskrit kāvya), Kālidāsa, Bhāravi's Kirātārjunīya, Māgha's Śiśupālavadha, Bhaṭṭi's Bhaṭṭikāvya.

Prose: Bāṇa's Kādambarī and Harṣacarita; Subandhu's Vāsavadattā; Daṇḍin's Daśakumāracarita.

Grammar tradition: Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī (~4000 sūtras, 8 adhyāyas), Kātyāyana's Vārttika, Patañjali's Mahābhāṣya.

Modern period: Sanskrit revival - Śrī Aurobindo, Pandit Madhusudan Ojha; Jñānapīṭha award honours Sanskrit works.

Nibandh structure: prārambha (2-3 sentences), viṣaya-vistāra (2-3 paragraphs), upasaṃhāra (2-3 sentences).

Nibandh openings use: 'asmākam deśe…', 'adyatve…', 'sarvatra…', 'prāyaḥ…'.

Common nibandh topics: rāṣṭrabhakti, paropakāraḥ, vidyāyāḥ mahatvam, samayaḥ, pariśramaḥ, svacchatā.

Patra types: aupacārika (formal) begins with 'pūjyavaryāḥ / ādarṇīyāḥ'; anupacārika (informal) with 'priye / priya'.

Formal letter closing: 'bhavadīyaḥ' (male), 'bhavadīyā' (female), followed by name and date.

Patra elements: sthāna, dināṅka, sambodhana, viṣaya, mukhāṃśa, upasaṃhāra, hastākṣara.

Sandhi and samāsa in prose writing: prefer simple sentences; avoid long compounds in nibandh for clarity.

Kāraka in letter salutation: sambodhana uses prathamā vibhakti, e.g. 'priya mitra!' not 'priyasya mitrasya'.

Synonyms (paryāya): aśva = haya, turaga, vājin; jala = udaka, ambu, pānīya; pṛthvī = bhūmi, vasundharā, dharā.

Antonyms (viloma): sukha–duḥkha, dina–rātri, jñāna–ajñāna, uttama–adhama, āgama–nigama.

Vākya rachanā uses kāraka vibhakti: rāmaḥ phalaṃ khādati (kartā + karma + verb).

Avyaya: ca, api, eva, iti, hi, tu - indeclinable, no vibhakti change; 'ca' coordinates, 'eva' emphasizes.

Upasarga changes meaning: √gam 'go' → āgam 'come', vigam 'depart', upagam 'approach', nigam 'enter'.

Compound word (samasta-pada) meaning: resolve by identifying pradhāna pada; rāja-putra = 'king's son' (tatpuruṣa).

Kṛt pratyaya: √paṭh + a → paṭha 'reading'; √kṛ + ta → kṛta 'done'; √gam + tavya → gantavya 'to be gone'.

Sentence correction rule: match viśeṣaṇa (adjective) to viśeṣya (noun) in liṅga, vacana, vibhakti.