STD 10 Sanskrit | Abhyas 2 | Visheshana - Prayog - Parichayaha | English Medium

STD 10 Sanskrit Grammar 

Read the following sentences: 

    1. नगरे एक: धार्मिक: विनम्र: श्रेष्ठिपुत्र: प्रतिवसति |

        (In the city son of a religious, humble rich person lives.)

    2. समायां परिशुद्धायां भूमौ तान तप्तवती |

        (She heated them on the leveled clean land.)

    3. तत: स्नानशुद्धाय तस्मै अतिथये सा भोजनं दत्तवती |

        (After that she gave food to that guest (who had become) clean by bathing.)

    In the first sentence, the underlined words are the adjectives. एक: धार्मिक: and विनम्र: describe the noun श्रेष्ठपुत्र:, In the second sentence, समायां and परिशुद्धायां are the adjectives qualifying the noun भूमौ. In the third sentence, स्नानशुद्धाय and तस्मै are the adjectives of the noun अतिथये. since तस्मै is basically a pronoun, it is a pronominal (सार्वनामिक) adjective in this sentence.

What is an adjective? 

    The adjective is that which differentiates the noun (भेदकं विशेषणम). the three adjectives in the first sentence differentiate श्रेष्ठिपुत्र: from other sons of the other merchants. In fact, the purpose of these adjectives is to show how this son of a is different from others. These are meant to separate, isolate the particular श्रेष्ठपुत्र. The noun that is qualified is called विशेष्य (substantive). It is defined as भेद्यम विशेष्यम - that which is separated from others.

    While using adjectives in Sanskrit we should remember the important rule. The adjective should agree with the noun that it qualifies (विशेष्य - substantive) in gender. number and case. This is the laid down in the following verse which is easy to remember:

                                यल्लिङ्गं यद्वचनं या च विभक्तिर्विशेस्य ।                                           तल्लिङ्गं तद्वचनं सा च विभक्तिर्विशेषणस्यापि ।।

    whatever gender, number, and the case of the noun, the same gender, number, and case should be of the adjectives. The adjective and the noun are like twins.

    Now read the following sentences: 

    1. बालक: प्रात:काले मधुरं दुग्धं पिबति |                                                                          2. अस्मिन वर्षे मधुरा द्राक्षा मिलती |                                                                               3. विगते सोमवासरे वयं मधुरान आम्रान अखादत |

    In the above three sentences, the same adjective मधुर is used. In the first sentence, it qualifies the noun दुग्धम which is neuter, nominative, singular so मधुरम is also neuter, nominative, singular.

    In the second sentence, it is describing the feminine, nominative, singular noun द्राक्षा so मधुरा is also feminine, nominative, singular.

    In the third sentence, the noun आम्रान is masculine, accusative, plural so मधुरान is masculine, accusative, plural.

    Therefore it is said adjectives are declined in all the three genders. मधुर is declined like देव in the masculine genders, like वन in neuter gender and माला in the feminine gender. दधि मधुरं, मधु मधुरं, द्राक्षा मधुरा, सितापि मधुरैव (सिता+अपि, मधुरा + एव). दधि and मधु are neuter nominative singular nouns so मधुरम is neuter nominative singular. सिता (sugar) is feminine, nominative singular so मधुरा is feminine, nominative, singular.

    This rule applies to participles also. In the sentence श्रुतोSयं घीवरालापः (श्रृतः + ईयम्) श्रुत: is a past, passive participle which is like the noun आलाप: both masculine, nominative, singular. Now compare this with the other two sentences of the same meaning: श्रुतमिदं वचनम, श्रुतेयं (श्रुता + इयम) वाणी.

    While reading the lessons in that look textbook pay attention to the words that look similar. In most cases, they are adjectives and nouns. कथं गुणवतीं भार्याम अहं विन्देयम? This sentence contains a pair of a noun (भार्याम) and an adjective (गुणवतीम) Now if the girl is thinking, how will the sentence change ? कथ गुणवन्तं पतिमहं विन्देयम ? have you noticed that the adjective गुणवत is formed by adding वत to the noun गुण?

    Sometimes the adjectives are used as nouns. In English also this kind of usage is common. When we say "help the poor and the needy." The adjective poor stands for poor people, and needy for the people in need. In the line लक्ष्मीवन्तो न जानन्ति प्रायेण परवेदनाम (The rich mostly do not understand the pain of others) लक्ष्मीवन्त: is basically an adjective formed by adding वत to the noun लक्ष्मी and it stands for लक्ष्मीवन्त: जना:.

Additional points about the use of adjectives and substantive :

    Numerals are also adjectives. The words एक, द्वि, त्रि and चतुर change their genders according to the nouns they qualify. e.g., एकस्मिन नगरे (N.), एक्स्याम नगर्याम (F.), एकस्मिन पर्वते (M.), द्वौ पुरुषौ (M.), द्वे वचने (N.), तिस्र: गतय: (F.), त्रय: मार्गा: (M.), त्रिणी रत्नानी (N.), चतस्रः नद्यः (F.), चत्वारः वेदाः (M.), चत्वारि कुसुमानि (N.), etc.

    But the words पञ्चः to अष्टादश are singular in all the three genders. All the words from एकोनविंशति (19) to नवनवति (99) are used in the feminine gender and शतम्, सहस्रस्, etc. in the neuter gender.

    Tho nouns used as adjectives of the verb (i.e., adverbs) are mostly in the neuter gender, accusative case, and singular number. e.g., सुन्दरं लिखत । मधुरं वदति । सत्वरं गच्छति । In these sentences सुन्दरम्, मधुरम्, सत्वरम् are all neuter gender accusative singular forms.