Lesson 74

Beginning Prayers:

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

Topic Summary:

• dhaatu-paaTham

Home Work:

• Write the dhaatu rUpa-s in laT lakaara for 4 dhaatu-s of your choice

Topic Details:

paaNini has defined each and every single rule in a beautiful suutra form in his 'aShTaadhyaayI' in 8 chapters.  He has also told them in such brevity that it is just impossible to find a redundant syllable!!  In fact, it is a famous saying among the grammarians as -

"अर्धमात्रा लाघवेण पुत्रोत्सवं मन्यन्ते वैय्याकरणाः"!
If they are able to skip even half a syllable, the grammarians celebrate as if a son was born in the family :).

He is so brief with his words that it is said, the very first suutra वृद्दिरादैच् (vRuddiraadaich) also serves as the mangaLam verse for his text!   (Apart from being the suutra for vRuddhi sandhi, it also means - in the very beginning, may there be progress.)

Let's learn more about verbs now.  Verbs are called 'kriyaapadam'-s.  The root words for the kriyaapada-s are called 'dhaatu'-s.  In samskRutam, there are about 2000 of them!  Those 2000 dhaatus are classified into 10 gaNa-s.  They can be remembered easily with this verse -

भ्वाद्यदादी जुहोत्यादि दिवादि स्वादिरेव च ।
तुदादिश्च रूधादिश्च तनादि क्री-चुरादयः ॥
bhvaadyadaadI juhotyaadi divaadi svaadireva cha |
tudaadishcha rUdhaadishcha tanaadi krI-churaadayaH ||

भ्वादि, दिवादि, तुदादि, अदादि, जुहोत्यादि, स्वादि, रुधादि, तनादि, क्री-आदि, चरादि gaNa-s

These dhaatu-s can be declined in many different tenses.  In English, there are 3 tenses only.  But in samsKrutam, tenses referred as लकार-s (lakaara-s), are 10 in number!  An easy verse form to remember them -

लट् वर्तमाने लेट् वेदे भूते लुङ् लङ् लिटस्तथा ।
विध्याशिषौ लिङ्लोटौ लुट् लृट् लृङ् च भविष्यतः ॥

There are variations in the past, present and future tenses as we know.  Based on the timing of the event in the past, there can be variations.  Near past where one was a witness, near past but one isn't a witness, distant past beyond one's lifetime even - such are the different past tenses.  Similarly, for future too!

'रूप चन्दिर्का' is a good reference book for the different dhaatu forms.

Will look into more details in the lessons further.

Until then, happy practicing.

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - om pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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