Lesson 31

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Understanding 5th case with examples
• Extending application of cases learnt into dual and plural numbers

Home Work:

• Practice writing syllables putting consonants with consonants.  Write 25 such syllables.  Refer  http://sanskritstudy.blogspot.com/2009/10/making-syllables-consonants-with.html for further help
• Practice writing 5 different masculine nouns in all cases (singular)

Topic Details:

To have a better understanding of the usage of the 5th case (ablative), we will see a very useful subhaaShita.

तैलाद्रक्ष जलाद्रक्ष रक्ष मां श्लथबन्धनात्
आखुभ्यः परहस्तेभ्यः एवं वदति पुस्तकम्

tailaadrakSha jalaadrakSha rakSha maaM shlathabandhanaat
aakhubhyaH parahastebhyaH evaM vadati pustakam

On breaking the word sandhi-s, the verse becomes

तैलात् रक्ष जलात् रक्ष रक्ष मां श्लथ बन्धनात्
tailaat rakSha jalaat rakSha rakSha maaM shlatha bandhanaat

आखुभ्यः पर हस्तेभ्यः एवं वदति पुस्तकम्
aakhubhyaH para hastebhyaH evaM vadati pustakam

Protect from oil, protect from water, protect me from loose binding, from mice and from stranger's hands - so says the book.

(Books should always be handled gently and carefully. They are the source of 'vidyaa' (knowledge) and should be protected and preserved always. The book here is imploring to its owner to protect it from getting dirty from oil or water. Also books should be bound well and not ripped off their bindings. The pages should be handled gently and not roughly. Leaving behind books is not a great idea either. Mice might get them or they may get stolen (taken by strangers). The owner should be responsible and take good care of his books. Only then can the vidyaa in the books be accesible.)

Highlighted, are the words in 5th case.  The last two are the 5th case words in plural.  So, the case should be applied to the word, only extending the number to plural.

With this, we have see all the cases in masculine and neuter genders.

We will see the feminine gender 5th case in the next lesson.  Until then, happy practicing!

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 30

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Introduction to 4th case feminine gender words
• Introduction to 5th case in masculine/neuter genders
• Introduction to sambhodana prathama vibhakti (vocative)
• Putting all the cases into the shabda grid, along with the dual and plural forms

Home Work:

• Practice writing syllables putting consonants with consonants.  Write 25 such syllables.  Refer  http://sanskritstudy.blogspot.com/2009/10/making-syllables-consonants-with.html for further help
• Know by heart, the raama shabda grid, till 3rd case, in all numbers.  (http://sanskritstudy.blogspot.com/2009/10/raama-shabdah.html).

Topic Details:

Let us see the 4th case in feminine gender now.  Below are some examples -

लता -> लतायै (for lataa)
सीता -> सीतायै (for sItaa)
गीता -> गीतायै (for gItaa)
माला -> मालायै (for maalaa)
लेखनी -> लेखन्यै (for the pen/pencil)
गौरी -> गौर्यै (for gaurI)

lataa -> lataayai (for lataa)
sItaa -> sItaayai (for sItaa)
gItaa -> gItaayai (for gItaa)
maalaa -> maalaayai (for maalaa)
lekhanI -> lekhanyai (for the pen/pencil)
gaurI -> gauryai (for gaurI)

We will briefly see the 5th case in masculine.  It is used in 'Ablative case' sentences.  It is used in 'from' and 'than' kind of sentences.

रामः -> रामात्
कृष्णः -> कृष्णात्

raamaH -> raamaat

kRuShNaH -> kRuShNaat

The vocative case (sambodhana prathama) examples for masculine gender are as below, 

रामः -> हे राम

कृष्णः -> हे कृष्ण

raamaH -> he raama

kRuShNaH -> he kRuShNa

That completes all the vibhakti-s (cases) in the masculine gender, singulars.  Now that we have understood the concept of the cases, we will talk a bit about numbers.

We generally see singular and plural in English language.  What's special to Sanskrit, is the dual number.  Two of anything, has a special 'dual number' word.  We can understand this better by seeing the grid with all the 7+1 case in the 3 numbers.  It goes as below - 

अकारान्तः पुंलिङ्गः राम शब्दः
विभक्तिः	एकवचनम्	द्विवचनम्	बहुवचनम्
प्रथमा	रामः	रामौ	रामाः
सं.प्रथमा	हे राम	हे रामौ	हे रामाः
द्वितिया	रामम्	रामौ	रामान्
तृतिया	रामेण	रामाभ्यां	रामैः
चतुर्थी	रामाय	रामाभ्यां	रामेभ्यः
पञ्चमी	रामात्	रामाभ्यां	रामेभ्यः
षष्ठी	रामस्य	रामयोः	रामाणाम्
सप्‍तमी	रामे	रामयोः	रामेषु
एवं देव, मुकुन्द, शिव, हर, प्रभृतयः (etc.)

akaaraantaH puMli~NgaH raama shabdaH
vibhaktiH	ekavachanam	dwivachanam	bahuvachanam
prathamaa	raamaH	raamau	raamaaH
saM.prathamaa	he raama	he raamau	he raamaaH
dwitiyaa	raamam	raamau	raamaan
tRutiyaa	raameNa	raamaabhyaaM	raamaiH
chaturthI	raamaaya	raamaabhyaaM	raamebhyaH
pa~nchamI	raamaat	raamaabhyaaM	raamebhyaH
ShaShThI	raamasya	raamayoH	raamaaNaam
saptamI	raame	raamayoH	raameShu
evam deva, mukunda, shiva, hara, prabhRutayaH (etc.)

Knowing this grid by heart, will help in deducing the meanings and quickly understanding a simple text.  We will go in installments and learn the first half of the grid for this week and move to the second half later.

Happy practicing!

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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