RBSE Secondary Sanskrit key terms

The joining of two adjacent sounds into one written form when a word ending meets the next word's beginning. It explains why a text shows a single combined spelling where grammar still identifies two original elements.

Sandhi between a final vowel and a following vowel, where the two merge or one is replaced, as when अ meets इ to give ए. It is contrasted with consonant and visarga sandhi.

Sandhi involving a final विसर्ग before a following vowel or consonant. Depending on the sounds on either side, the visarga may become र्, उ, or ओ, or may simply be dropped.

A vowel sandhi in which अ or आ followed by इ/ई, उ/ऊ, or ऋ yields ए, ओ, or अर् respectively. It is named for the गुण vowels that replace the two original vowels.

A compound in which two or more words are combined into one inflected form, usually dropping the case endings of all but the final member. Its meaning and class depend on how the members relate.

A compound whose first member is governed by the second, so the final member carries the main sense and the relation resembles a case relation, as in राज्ञः पुरुषः. The first member loses its ending.

A compound where the whole word denotes someone or something other than either member alone, typically a person or thing characterised by the combination, as चक्रपाणिः for one holding a discus.

A compound joining two or more words of equal status, corresponding to English 'and'. The members are coordinate, and the compound is commonly dual or plural, as रामलक्ष्मणौ.

A compound whose first member is an indeclinable such as उप, अनु, or प्रति, and which itself behaves as an indeclinable, often expressing proximity, following, or direction.

A compound whose members stand in apposition, typically an adjective or descriptive word qualifying a noun, as नीलोत्पलम् 'blue lotus'. The qualifying member normally comes first.

A तत्पुरुष-type compound whose first member is a numeral, expressing a collection or aggregate, as त्रिभुवनम् 'the three worlds'. The resulting compound is generally neuter and singular.

The full set of inflected forms a noun or pronoun takes across the eight cases and three numbers. Learning a paradigm such as राम, लता, or फल means reciting these forms in fixed order.

A case ending, or the case itself, marking a noun's grammatical role: nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative, genitive, locative, and vocative. Sanskrit has eight, each used in three numbers.

The conjugated forms of a verbal root across tense, mood, person, number, and voice. A standard paradigm shows present, past, future, imperative, and optative forms built from the same root.

The present tense, formed from a strengthened present stem with primary endings. It expresses action happening now or a general truth, and is normally the first tense taught.

The imperfect or past tense, marked by the augment अ- before the root and secondary endings. It narrates past events in prose stories and epics and, like the present, distinguishes परस्मैपद and आत्मनेपद.

The optative mood, expressing injunction, advice, or duty, roughly 'should' or 'ought'. It is formed with the -य- suffix and optative endings and appears often in rules and moral statements.

The set of 'active' verbal endings, traditionally used where the fruit of the action is thought to pass to another. Most roots take these endings, at least in some tenses.

The set of 'middle' verbal endings, traditionally used where the result of the action returns to the agent. Some roots are always आत्मनेपद, while others alternate with परस्मैपद by meaning.

The semantic role a noun plays in relation to the verb, such as doer, object, instrument, recipient, source, or locus. Sanskrit normally marks each role with a particular case ending.

The agent, the doer of the action, expressed in the nominative with an active verb. In a passive construction the same participant is instead put in the instrumental case.

The object, the thing the action directly affects, usually marked by the accusative. Different verbs govern different case patterns, so the object is not always in the accusative.

The recipient or beneficiary of an action, marked by the dative, as in giving to a beggar or being pleasing to a king. It answers the question 'for or to whom?'.

The source from which something moves away or is removed, marked by the ablative, as in falling from a tree or fearing a snake. It answers the question 'from what?'.

The locus or occasion of the action, marked by the locative: a place, a time, or a supporting object, as in 'in the forest' or 'in the morning'.

A case ending required by a neighbouring word rather than by the verb, as the dative after नमः or the genitive after अर्थ. The choice is lexical: the companion word fixes the case.

Voice, the way a sentence presents the relation between agent, action, and object. Sanskrit recognises the active, the passive built on the object, and the impersonal passive.

The passive voice built on the object: the object becomes nominative, the verb takes आत्मनेपद endings or य-forms, and the agent, if stated, stands in the instrumental.

An impersonal passive used when no object is highlighted or present. The verb appears in the third-person singular neuter and any agent is put in the instrumental.

An unseen prose passage set for comprehension. Candidates read text not taken from the textbook and answer questions on meaning, word sense, and inference, so memorisation alone does not help.

A stanza or verse passage given for study. Questions usually ask for overall meaning, identification of theme or poetic device, and explanation of difficult words within the lines.

A short extract from a Sanskrit play, printed with speaker names and stage directions. Candidates identify characters, explain the sense of the dialogue, and recognise the dramatic situation.

A picture-story unit in the textbook, where a narrative is carried by illustrations with Sanskrit captions or dialogue. It tests grasp of sequence, character action, and everyday vocabulary.

A letter-writing task. Formal letters follow set conventions of place, date, address, salutation, body, and closing, while informal letters to relatives or friends use simpler, familiar Sanskrit.

A short paragraph on a set topic, written in connected Sanskrit with a clear opening statement, supporting detail, and closing sentence. It tests vocabulary and sentence construction rather than literary ornament.