Sanskrit has inherited from its reconstructed parent the Proto-Indo-European language an elaborate system of nominal morphology. Endings may be added directly to the root, or more frequently and especially in the later language, to a stem formed by the addition of a suffix to it.[1]
Sanskrit is a highly inflected language that preserves all the declensional types found in Proto-Indo-European, including a few residual heteroclitic r/n-stems.[2] [3]
Declension of a noun in Sanskrit involves the interplay of two 'dimensions': three numbers and eight cases, yielding a combination of 24 possible forms, although owing to syncretism of some forms, the practical number is around 18 or so.[4] Further, nouns themselves in Sanskrit, like its parent Proto-Indo-European, can be in one of three genders.
In addition, adjectives behave much the same way morphologically as nouns do, and can conveniently be considered together. While the same noun cannot be seen to be of more than one gender, adjectives change gender on the basis of the noun they are being applied to, along with case and number, thus giving the following variables:[5] [6]
| 1 | 3 numbers | singular, dual, plural | |
| 2 | 3 genders | masculine, feminine, neuter | |
| 3 | 8 cases | nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative, genitive, locative, vocative |
The oldest system of declension was to affix the endings directly to the nominal root. This was an ancient feature already in decline in later Proto-Indo-European. Of the daughter languages, this system has been best preserved by Sanskrit, especially the older form of Indo-Aryan termed Vedic Sanskrit.[7]
| Sanskrit | Latin | Glossary | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pā́d- | pē(d)s, ped- |
| foot | |
| vā́c- | vōx, vōc- |
| speech | |
| rā́j- | rēx, rēg- |
| king, ruler |
In Proto-Indo-European, a new system developed wherein an intermediary called the thematic vowel is inserted to the root before the final endings are appended: *-o- which in Sanskrit becomes -a-, producing the thematic stem.
Declension of a thematic stem is less complicated as a host of Sandhi rules apply no more, and the later stages of the Sanskrit language see an increase in the profusion of thematic nouns. Thus in classical Sanskrit, the thematic pā́da-s is more likely to be found than its athematic predecessor.[8] [9]
\underbrace{\underbrace{root+suffix
Sanskrit nouns are declined for eight cases:
marks the subject of a verb.
used for the direct object of a transitive verb.
marks the means by which the subject achieves or accomplishes an action, physically or abstractly.
used to indicate the indirect object of a transitive verb.
used to express motion away from something.
marks a noun as modifying another noun.
corresponds vaguely to the English prepositions in, on, at, and by.
used for a word that identifies an addressee.[10]
In the ancient literature, Pāṇini identified six classes as kārakas, operating as accessories to a verb. The six kārakas are the nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative, and locative cases.[11] He defined them as follows (Aṣtādhyāyi, I.4.24–54):
Pāṇini did not identify the genitive Sambandha and vocative Sambodhana as kārakas.[13]
The basic scheme of suffixion is given in the table below and applies to many nouns and adjectives.
However, according to the gender and the final consonant or vowel of the uninflected word-stem, there are internal sandhi rules dictating the form of the inflected word. Furthermore, these are standalone forms, which when used in actual phrases are subject to external sandhi, such as, the mutation of -s to -ḥ or -r and so on.[14] [15]
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masc./Fem | Neu. | Masc./Fem | Neu. | Masc./Fem | Neu. | ||||||
| Nominative | -s | rowspan="2" | -∅ | rowspan="2" | -au | rowspan="2" | -ī | rowspan="2" | -as | rowspan="2" | -i |
| Accusative | -am | ||||||||||
| Instrumental | colspan="2" | -ā | rowspan="3" colspan="2" | -bhyām | colspan="2" | -bhis | |||||
| Dative | colspan="2" | -e | rowspan="2" colspan="2" | -bhyas | |||||||
| Ablative | rowspan="2" colspan="2" | -as | |||||||||
| Genitive | rowspan="2" colspan="2" | -os | colspan="2" | -ām | |||||||
| Locative | colspan="2" | -i | colspan="2" | -su | |||||||
Substantives may be divided into different classes on the basis of the stem vowel before they are declined on the above basis. The general classification is:
When the nominal endings are being affixed to a noun of each class, they may undergo, in some cases, some changes, including being entirely replaced by other forms. This happens most profusely in the a-stem class. However, for reasons noted below, grammars both traditional and modern tend to start with this class.[16] [17] [18]
The vast majority of nouns in Sanskrit belong to this class, and are masculine or neuter. The position of the accent is maintained throughout, except in the masculine vocative singular. The paradigms are illustrated in their pre-sandhi forms, along with the formation treatment using two stems in the masculine devá- and kā́ma- and two in the neuter yugá- and phála- with different syllables accented.[19] [20] [21] [22]
a-stem adjectives are also to be found in big numbers, they are invariably masculine or neuter – feminines being formed either in -ā or, less frequently -ī. a-stem adjectives are also declined as below.[23]
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | dev·á- | kā́m·a- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -s | -a- + -s | -as | dev·á·s | kā́m·a·s | |
| Accusative | -am | -a- + - | -am | dev·á·m | kā́m·a·m | |
| Instrumental | -ā | -ena | dev·éna | kā́m·ena | ||
| Dative | -e | -a- + -a- + e + a | -āya | dev·ā́ya | kā́m·āya | |
| Ablative | -as | -āt | dev·ā́t | kā́m·āt | ||
| Genitive | -as | -as + ya | -asya | dev·ásya | kā́m·asya | |
| Locative | -i | -a- + -i | -e | dev·é | kā́m·e | |
| Vocative | -Ø | – | -a | dév·a | kā́m·a |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | dev·á- | kā́m·a- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative Accusative Vocative | -au | -au | -au | dev·áu | kā́m·au | |
| Instrumental Dative Ablative | -bhyām | -ā- + bhyām | -ābhyām | dev·ā́bhyām | kā́m·ābhyām | |
| Genitive Locative | -os | -a- + -y- + -os | -ayos | dev·á·yos | kā́m·a·yos |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | dev·á- | kā́m·a- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative, Vocative | -as | -a- + -as | -ās | dev·ā́s | kā́m·ās | |
| Accusative | -as | -ān (-āṅs) | dev·ā́n | kā́m·ān | ||
| Instrumental | -bhis | -ais | dev·aís | kā́m·ais | ||
| Dative Ablative | -bhyas | -a- + -i- + -bhyas | -ebhyas | dev·ébhyas | kā́m·ebhyas | |
| Genitive | -ām | -ā- + -n- + ām | -ānām | dev·ā́nām | kā́m·ānām | |
| Locative | -su | -a- + -i- + su | -eṣu | dev·éṣu | kā́m·eṣu |
Neuters only differ from the masculine in the nominative and accusative forms, the two forms always being the same:
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | yug·á- | phál·a- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom, Acc SG | -Ø | -a- + -m | -am | yug·á·m | phál·a·m | |
| Nom, Acc DU | -ī | -a- + -ī | -e | yug·é | phál·e | |
| Nom, Acc PL | -i | -a- + an + -i | -āni | yug·ā́ni | phál·āni |
Final i-stem endings are closer to the standard set compared to the a-stem declension. In general, the -i is gunated in some cases, and a -n- is inserted intervocalically between the stem and the ending in a few other cases, especially in the neuter. The paradigms are illustrated here in their pre-sandhi forms for masculine agní-, feminine gáti- and neuter vā́ri- .[24] [25]
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | agní- | gáti- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | – | -s | agní·s | gáti·s | |
| Acc | -am | - | -m | agní·m | gáti·m | |
| Ins | -ā | -n- + -ā – | -nā -ā | agní-nā | gáty·ā | |
| Da | -e | guna(i) + e | -aye | agn·áy·e | gát·ay·e | |
| Abl, Gen | -as | guna(i) + s -i- + -a- + -as | -es | agn·és | gát·es gáty·ās | |
| Loc | -i | -au | agn·aú | gát·au | ||
| Voc | -Ø | – | -e | ágn·e | gát·e | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | agní- | gáti- | |
| N.A.V | -au | -ī | agn·ī́ | gát·ī | ||
| I.D.A | -bhyām | – | -bhyām | agní·bhyām | gáti·bhyām | |
| Gen, Loc | -os | -i- + -os | -yos | agny·ós | gáty·os | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | agní- | gáti- | |
| Nom, Voc | -as | guna(i) + -as | -ayas | agn·áy·as | gát·ay·as | |
| Acc | -as | -īn (-īṅs) | agn·ī́n | gát·īn | ||
| Ins | -bhis | – | -bhis | agní·bhis | gáti·bhis | |
| Dat, Abl | -bhyas | – | -bhyas | agní·bhyas | gáti·bhyas | |
| Gen | -ām | -ī + -n- ām | -īnām | agn·īnā́m | gát·īnām | |
| Loc | -su | – | -su | agní·ṣu | gáti·ṣu |
Neuters as always remain identical in the nominative and accusative, and also in the vocative. In the other cases, a -n- is inserted between the stem and the standard endings in all those cases where to avoid a collision of two vowels, making the whole process almost perfectly straightforward.
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | vā́ri- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.A.V | -Ø | – | -Ø | vā́ri | |
| Ins | -ā | -n- | -nā | vā́ri·ṇ·ā | |
| Dat | -e | -n- | -ne | vā́ri·ṇ·e | |
| Abl,Gen | -as | -n- | -nas | vā́ri·ṇ·as | |
| Loc | -i | -n- | -ni | vā́ri·ṇ·i | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | vā́ri- | |
| N.A.V | -ī | -n- | -nī | vā́ri·ṇ·ī | |
| I.D.A | -bhyām | – | -bhyām | vā́ri·bhyām | |
| Gen, Loc | -os | -n- | -nos | vā́ri·ṇ·os | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | vā́ri- | |
| N.A.V | -i | -īni | -īni | vā́rī·ṇ·i | |
| Ins | -bhis | – | -bhis | vā́ri·bhis | |
| Dat, Abl | -bhyas | – | -bhyas | vā́ri·bhyas | |
| Gen | -ām | -ī + -n- ām | -īnām | vā́r·īṇām | |
| Loc | -su | – | -su | vā́ri·ṣu |
i- and u-stem declensions are so similar that they can be grouped together. The u-stem paradigms illustrated here in their pre-sandhi forms are for masculine śátru-, feminine dhenú- and neuter mádhu- .[26] [27]
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | śátru- | dhenú- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | – | -s | śátru·s | dhenú·s | |
| Acc | -am | - | -m | śátru·m | dhenú·m | |
| Ins | -ā | -n- + -ā – | -nā -ā | śátru-ṇā | dhenv·ā̀ | |
| Dat | -e | guna(u) + e | -ave | śátr·av·e | dhen·áv·e | |
| Abl, Gen | -as | guna(u) + s -u- + -a- + -as | -os | śátr·os | dhen·ós dhenv·ā̀s | |
| Loc | -i | -au | śátr·au | dhen·aú | ||
| Voc | -Ø | – | -o | śátr·o | dhen·ó | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | śátru- | dhenú- | |
| N.A.V | -au | -ū | śátr·ū | dhen·ū́ | ||
| I.D.A | -bhyām | – | -bhyām | śátru·bhyām | dhenú·bhyām | |
| Gen, Loc | -os | -u- + -os | -vos | śátrv·os | dhenv·ós | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | śátru- | dhenú- | |
| Nom, Voc | -as | guna(u) + -as | -avas | śátr·av·as | dhen·áv·as | |
| Acc | -as | -ūs | -ūn (-ūṅs) -ūs | śátr·ūn | dhen·ū́s | |
| Ins | -bhis | – | -bhis | śátru·bhis | dhenú·bhis | |
| Dat, Abl | -bhyas | – | -bhyas | śátru·bhyas | dhenú·bhyas | |
| Gen | -ām | -ū + -n- ām | -ūnām | śátr·ūṇām | dhen·ūnā́m | |
| Loc | -su | – | -su | śátru·ṣu | dhenú·ṣu |
Neuters are also just as straightforward as for i-stems.
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | mádhu- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.A.V | -Ø | – | -Ø | mádhu | |
| Ins | -ā | -n- | -nā | mádhu·n·ā | |
| Dat | -e | -n- | -ne | mádhu·n·e | |
| Abl, Gen | -as | -n- | -nas | mádhu·n·as | |
| Loc | -i | -n- | -ni | mádhu·n·i | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | mádhu- | |
| N.A.V | -ī | -n- | -nī | mádhu·n·ī | |
| I.D.A | -bhyām | – | -bhyām | mádhu·bhyām | |
| Gen, Loc | -os | -n- | -nos | mádhu·n·os | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | mádhu- | |
| N.A.V | -i | -ūni | mádhū·n·i | ||
| Ins | -bhis | – | -bhis | mádhu·bhis | |
| Dat, Abl | -bhyas | – | -bhyas | mádhu·bhyas | |
| Gen | -ām | -ū + -n- ām | -ūnām | mádh·ūnām | |
| Loc | -su | – | -su | mádhu·ṣu |
i- and u-stem adjectives are a small class of so—called primary adjectives, such as bahus, -us, -u and śucis, -is, -i, as well as ones adapted from nouns like bahuvrīhis. They are inflected like the i- and u-stem nouns described above; occasionally the feminine u may gain an additional ī and become vī.[28]
ṛ-stems are predominantly agental derivatives like dātṛ, though also include kinship terms like pitṛ, mātṛ, and svasṛ .[29] The neuter equivalents of derivative agental nouns once again form secondary stems in -n, as in the -i and -u classes.
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | dātṛ́- | svásṛ- | pitṛ́- | dhātṛ́- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | vṛddhi(ṛ) ( | -ā | dātā́ | svásā́ | pitā́ | dhātṛ́ | |
| Acc | -am | vṛddhi(ṛ) + -am guna(ṛ) + -am | -āram -aram | dāt·ā́r·am | svás·ār·am | pit·ár·am | dhātṛ́ | |
| Ins | -ā | -ā | dātr·ā́ | svásr·ā | pitr·ā́ | dhātṛ́·ṇ·ā | ||
| Dat | -e | -e | dātr·é | svásr·e | pitr·é | dhātṛ́·ṇ·e | ||
| Abl, Gen | -as | -ur | dāt·úr | svás·ur | pit·úr | dhātṛ́·ṇ·as | ||
| Loc | -i | guna(ṛ) + -i | -ari | dāt·ár·i | svás·ar·i | pit·ár·i | dhātṛ́·ṇ·i | |
| Voc | -Ø | guna(ṛ) | -ar | dā́t·ar | svás·ar | pít·ar | dhā́tṛ, dhā́tar | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | dātṛ́- | svásṛ- | pitṛ́- | dhātṛ́ | |
| N.A.V | -au | vṛddhi/guna(ṛ) + -au | -ārau / -arau | dāt·ā́r·au | svás·ār·au | pit·ár·au | dhātṛ́·ṇ·ī | |
| I.D.A | -bhyām | – | -bhyām | dātṛ́·bhyām | svásṛ·bhyām | pitṛ́·bhyām | dhātṛ́·bhyām | |
| Gen, Loc | -os | ṛ + -os | -ros | dātr·ós | svásr·os | pitr·ós | dhātṛ́·ṇ·os | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | dātṛ́- | svásṛ- | pitṛ́- | dhātṛ́ | |
| N.V | -as | vṛddhi/guna(ṛ) + -as | -āras / -aras | dāt·ār·as | svás·ār·as | pit·ar·as | dhātṝ́́·ṇ·i | |
| Acc | -as | -ṝn (-ṝṅs) | dāt·ṝ́n | svás·ṝn | pit·ṝ́n | dhātṝ́́·ṇ·i | ||
| Ins | -bhis | – | -bhis | dātṛ́·bhis | svásṛ·bhis | pitṛ́·bhis | dhātṛ́·bhis | |
| Dat, Abl | -bhyas | – | -bhyas | dātṛ́·bhyas | svásṛ·bhyas | pitṛ́·bhyas | dhātṛ́·bhyas | |
| Gen | -ām | -ṛ/ṝ + -n- ām | -ṛ/ṝṇām | dāt·ṝṇā́m | svás·ṝṇām | pit·ṝṇā́m | dhāt·ṝṇā́m | |
| Loc | -su | – | -su | dātṛ́·ṣu | svásṛ·ṣu | pitṛ́·ṣu | dhātṛ́·ṣu |
A single irregular i-stem noun,[30] sakhi, has a stem in -i but declines similarly to the above – simply with y i ī taking the place of r ṛ ṝ:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | sákh·ā | sákh·āy·au | sákh·āy·as | |
| Acc | sákh·āy·am | sákh·īn | ||
| Ins | sákhy·ā | sákhi·bhyām | sákhi·bhis | |
| Dat | sákhy·e | sákhi·bhy·as | ||
| Abl | sákh·ay·ur | |||
| Gen | sákhy·os | sákh·īnām | ||
| Loc | sákhy·au, sákh·ay·i | sákhi·ṣu | ||
| Voc | sákh·e | sákh·āy·au | sákh·āy·as |
This category is made of ā-, ī- and ū-stems, almost entirely feminine, polysyllabic derivative nouns.[31]
A few forms deviate from the standard in many of which an interspersed -y- can be observed. The vocative also undergoes the usual accent shift.[32] [33]
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | sénā- | kanyā̀- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | -ā | sénā | kanyā̀ | ||
| Acc | -am | -ām | sénā·m | kanyā̀·m | ||
| Ins | -ā | -ayā | sén·ay·ā | kany·ày·ā | ||
| Dat | -e | -ā + y +vṛddhi(e) | -āyai | sénā·yai | kanyā̀·yai | |
| Abl, Gen | -as | -ā + y + vṛddhi(a)s | -āyās | sénā·yās | kanyā̀·yās | |
| Loc | -i | -āyām | sénā·yām | kanyā̀·yām | ||
| Voc | -Ø | -e | -e | sén·e | kány·e | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | sénā- | kanyà- | |
| N.A.V | -au | -e | sé·ne | kany·è | ||
| I.D.A | -bhyām | -bhyām | sénā·bhyām | kanyā̀·bhyām | ||
| Gen, Loc | -os | e + -os | -ayos | sén·ay·os | kany·ày·os | |
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | sénā- | kanyā̀- | |
| Nom, Voc | -as | -ā + as | -ās | sénā·s | kanyā̀·s | |
| Acc | -as | -ā + as | -ās | sénā·s | kanyā̀·s | |
| Ins | -bhis | -bhis | sénā·bhis | kanyā̀·bhis | ||
| Dat, Abl | -bhyas | -bhyas | sénā·bhyas | kanyā̀·bhyas | ||
| Gen | -ām | -ā + -n- + -ām | -ānām | sénā·nām | kanyā̀·nām | |
| Loc | -su | -su | sénā·su | kanyā̀·su |
Again most ī- and ū-stem nouns are feminine.[34] [35] ī- and ū-stem adjectives also belong here.[36]
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | devī́- | vadhū́- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | devī́ | vadhū́·s | |||
| Acc | -am | -īm, -ūm | devī́·m | vadhū́·m | ||
| Ins | -ā | -ā | devy·ā̀ | vadhv·ā̀ | ||
| Dat | -e | vṛddhi(e) | -ai | devy·aì | vadhv·aì | |
| Abl, Gen | -as | vṛddhi(a)s | -ās | devy·ā̀s | vadhv·ā̀s | |
| Loc | -i | -ām | devy·ā̀m | vadhv·ā̀m | ||
| Voc | -Ø | dévi | vádhu | |||
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | devī- | vadhū- | |
| N.A.V | -au | -au | devy·aù | vadhv·aù | ||
| I.D.A | -bhyām | -bhyām | devī́·bhyām | vadhū́·bhyām | ||
| Gen, Loc | -os | -os | devy·òs | vadhv·òs | ||
| Case | Std Ending | Treatment | Ending | devī- | vadhū- | |
| Nom, Voc | -as | -as | devy·às | vadhv·às | ||
| Acc | -as | -īs, -ūs | devī́·s | vadhū́·s | ||
| Ins | -bhis | -bhis | devī́·bhis | vadhū́·bhis | ||
| Dat, Abl | -bhyas | -bhyas | devī́·bhyas | vadhū́·bhyas | ||
| Gen | -ām | -n- + -ām | -nām | devī́·nām | vadhū́·nām | |
| Loc | -su | -su | devī́·ṣu | vadhū́·ṣu |
Stems ending in Sanskrit diphthongs (e, ai, o, au) follow a fairly regular pattern, whilst subject to sandhi rules as usual.[37] [38]
| Case | Std Ending | se | raí | gó | naú | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | se·s | rā́·s | gaú·s | naú·s | |
| Acc | -am | say·am | rā́y·am | gā́·m | nā́v·am | |
| Ins | -ā | say·ā | rāy·ā́ | gáv·ā | nāv·ā́ | |
| Dat | -e | say·e | rāy·é | gáv·e | nāv·é | |
| Abl, Gen | -as | se·s | rāy·ás | gó·s | nāv·ás | |
| Loc | -i | say·i | rāy·í | gáv·i | nāv·í | |
| Voc | -Ø | se | rā́·s | gaú·s | naú·s | |
| Case | Std Ending | se | raí | gó | naú | |
| N.A.V | -au | say·au | rā́y·au | gā́v·au | nā́v·au | |
| I.D.A | -bhyām | se·bhyām | rā·bhyā́m | gó·bhyām | nau·bhyā́m | |
| Gen, Loc | -os | say·os | rāy·ós | gáv·os | nāv·ós | |
| Case | Std Ending | se | raí | gó | naú | |
| Nom, Voc | -as | say·as | rā́y·as | gā́v·as | nā́v·as | |
| Acc | -as | say·as | rā́y·as | gā́·s | nā́v·as | |
| Ins | -bhis | se·bhis | rā·bhís | gó·bhis | nau·bhís | |
| Dat, Abl | -bhyas | se·bhyas | rā·bhyás | gó·bhyas | nau·bhyás | |
| Gen | -ām | say·ām | rāy·ā́m | gáv·ām | nāv·ā́m | |
| Loc | -su | se·ṣu | rā·sú | gó·ṣu | nau·ṣú |
Consonant stem nouns may have up to 3 different stems, as well as two special forms:
One or more of these stems may be identical for some words, but this is generally not regularly predictable from either the nominative singular or the citation form stem. While the stem ending may undergo expected internal sandhi changes as normal, the endings themselves are gracefully regular.[39] [40]
| Case | Ending | marút m. | trivṛ́t n. | mánas n. | havís n. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | marút | trivṛ́t | mánas | havís | ||
| Acc | -am | marút·am | ||||
| Ins | -ā | marút·ā | trivṛ́t·ā | mánas·ā | havíṣ·ā | |
| Dat | -e | marút·e | trivṛ́t·e | mánas·e | havíṣ·e | |
| Abl, gen | -as | marút·as | trivṛ́t·as | mánas·as | havíṣ·as | |
| Loc | -i | marút·i | trivṛ́t·i | mánas·i | havíṣ·i | |
| Voc | -Ø | márut | trívṛt | mánas | hávis | |
| Case | Ending | marút | trivṛ́t | mánas | havís | |
| N.A.V | -au, -ī | marút·au | trivṛ́t·au | mánas·ī | havíṣ·ī | |
| I.D.A | -bhyām | marúd·bhyām | trivṛ́d·bhyām | máno·bhyām | havír·bhyām | |
| Gen, loc | -os | marút·os | trivṛ́t·os | mánas·os | havíṣ·os | |
| Case | Ending | marút | trivṛ́t | mánas | havís | |
| Nom, voc | -as, -āni, etc | marút·as | trivṛ́nti | mánāṅsi | havī́ṅṣi | |
| Acc | -as, -āni, etc | marút·as | ||||
| Ins | -bhis | marúd·bhis | trivṛ́d·bhis | máno·bhis | havír·bhis | |
| Dat, abl | -bhyas | marúd·bhyas | trivṛ́d·bhyas | máno·bhyas | havír·bhyas | |
| Gen | -ām | marút·ām | trivṛ́t·ām | mánas·ām | havíṣ·ām | |
| Loc | -su | marút·su | trivṛ́t·su | mánaḥ·su | havíḥ·su |
an-stem nouns and in-stem adjectives (occurring prolifically in masc. and neu.) show very similar behavior and can be grouped together:[41]
| Case | Ending | rā́jan | ātmán | nāman | balín m.n. | yogín m.n. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | rā́jā | ātmā́ | nā́ma | balī́, balí | yogī́, yogí | |
| Acc | -am | rā́jān·am | ātmā́n·am | nā́ma | balín·am, balí | yogín·am, yogí | |
| Ins | -ā | rā́jñ·ā | ātmán·ā | nā́mn·ā | balín·ā | yogín·ā | |
| Dat | -e | rā́jñ·e | ātmán·e | nā́mn·e | balín·e | yogín·e | |
| Abl, gen | -as | rā́jñ·as | ātmán·as | nā́mn·as | balín·as | yogín·as | |
| Loc | -i | rā́jn·i, rā́jan·i | ātmán·i | nā́mn·i, nā́man·i | balín.i | yogín·i | |
| Voc | -Ø | rā́jan | ā́tman | nā́man, nā́ma | bálin, báli | yógin, yógi | |
| Case | Ending | rā́jan | ātmán | nā́man | balín | yogín | |
| N.A.V | -au | rā́jān·au | ātmán·au | nā́mn·ī, nā́man·ī | balín·au, balín·ī | yogín·au, yogín·ī | |
| I.D.A | -bhyām | rā́ja·bhyām | ātmá·bhyām | nā́ma·bhyām | balí·bhyām | yogí·bhyām | |
| Gen, loc | -os | rā́jṇ·os | ātmán·os | nā́mn·os | balín·os | yogín·os | |
| Case | Std Ending | rā́jan | ātmán | nā́man | balín | yogín | |
| Nom, voc | -as | rā́jān·as | ātmā́n·as | nā́m·āni | balín·as, balín·i | yogín·as, yogín·i | |
| Acc | -as | rā́jñ·as | ātmán·as | nā́m·āni | balín·as | yogín·as | |
| Ins | -bhis | rā́ja·bhis | ātmá·bhis | nā́ma·bhis | balí·bhis | yogí·bhis | |
| Dat, abl | -bhyas | rā́ja·bhyas | ātmá·bhyas | nā́ma·bhyas | balí·bhyas | yogí·bhyas | |
| Gen | -ām | rā́jñ·ām | ātmán·ām | nā́mn·ām | balín·ām | yogín·ām | |
| Loc | -su | rā́ja·su | ātmá·su | nā́ma·su | balí·ṣu | yogí·ṣu |
Participial forms in -ant/-at decline as below, with some stem variation with the -n-.[42] Possessives in -mant and vant- display similar behavior, the difference that stands out is the nom. sing. masc. -mān & -vān.[43] Forms not mentioned fit the existing pattern with full regularity:
| Case | Ending | bháv·ant- m.n. | ad·ánt- m.n. | júhv·at- m.n. | paśu·mánt- m.n. | bhága·vant- m.n. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | bháv·an, bháv·at | ad·án, adát | júhv·an, júhv·at | paśu·mā́n, paśu·mát | bhága·vān, bhága·vat | ||
| Acc | -am | bháv·ant·am, bháv·at | ad·ánt·am, ad·át | júhv·at·am, júhv·at | paśu·mánt·am, -mát | bhága·vant·am, -vat | ||
| Ins | -ā | bháv·at·ā | ad·at·ā́ | júhv·at·ā | pasu·mát·ā | bhága·vat·ā | ||
| etc | etc | |||||||
| Voc | -Ø | bháv·an, bháv·at | ád·an, ád·at | júhv·an, júhv·at | páśu·man, -mat | bhág·avan, -vat | ||
| Dual | ||||||||
| N.A.V | -au, -ī | bháv·ant·au, -ant·ī | ad·ánt·au, ad·at·ī́ | júhv·at·au, júhv·at·ī | paśu·mánt·au, -mát·ī | bhága·vant·au, -vat·ī | ||
| Plural | ||||||||
| N.V | -as, -i | bháv·ant·as, -ant·i | ad·ánt·as, ad·ánt·i | júhv·at·as, júhv·at·i | paśu·mánt·as, -mánti | bhága·vant·as, -vant·i | ||
| Acc | -as | bháv·at·as, -ant·i | ad·át·as, ad·ánt·i | júhv·at·as, júhv·at·i | paśu·mát·as, -mánt·i | bhága·vat·as, -vant·i | ||
| Ins | -bhis | bháv·ad·bhis | ad·ád·bhis | júhv·ad·bhis | paśu·mád·bhis | bhága·vad·bhis | ||
These forms exhibit similarities with the -vant stems illustrated above, with the main exception that in the weakest forms, before vowel endings, -vāṅs is zero-graded alongside the disappearance of the -ṅ-.[44] [45]
| Case | Ending | vidvā́ṅs- m.n. | babhūváṅs- m.n. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -s | vid·vā́n, vid·vát | babhū·vā́n, babhū·vát | |
| Acc | -am | vid·vā́ṅs·am, -vát | babhū·vā́ṅs·am, -vát | |
| Ins | -ā | vid·úṣ·ā | babhū·vúṣ·ā | |
| etc | etc | |||
| Voc | -Ø | víd·van, víd·vat | bábhū·van, bábhu·vat | |
| Dual | ||||
| N.A.V | -au, -ī | vid·vā́ṅs·au, vid·úṣ·ī | babhū·vāṅs·au, babhū·vúṣ·ī | |
| Plural | ||||
| N.V | -as, -i | vid·vāṅs·as, vid·vā́ṅs·i | babhū·vā́ṅs·as, babhū·vúṣ·i | |
| Acc | -as | vid·úṣ·as, -vā́ṅs·i | babhū·vúṣ·as, -vā́ṅs·i | |
| Ins | -bhis | vid·vád·bhis | babhū·vád·bhis | |
A small closed class of comparatives and superlatives are directly formed on adjectival roots, after dropping the original stem suffix. The comparative takes the suffix -īyān (yāṃsas), yasī, yas, which declines as a consonant- and ī-stem adjective; the superlative takes -iṣṭhas, ā, am. The root is strengthened to the guṇa grade.
In some adjectives the original form of the root has been obscured by internal sandhi, making the outcome somewhat irregular. Thus:
The secondary suffixes of comparison are -taras, ā, am for comparative and -tamas, ā, am for superlative. They are appended to the inflectional base, with no modification of the stem. Usually, the pada stem is used for consonant-stem adjectives, but those in a simple -n sometimes retain it.
The numbers[46] [47] from one to ten, along with cognates in closely related languages, are:
| Sanskrit | Latin | Proto-Indo-European | |
|---|---|---|---|
| éka- | ūn- |
| |
| dvá- | duo |
| |
| trí- | trēs, tria |
| |
| catúr- | quattuor |
| |
| páñca- | quīnque |
| |
| ṣáṣ- | sex |
| |
| saptá-, sápta- | septem |
| |
| aṣṭá-, áṣṭa- | octō |
| |
| náva- | novem |
| |
| dáśa- | decem |
|
All numbers in Sanskrit can be declined in all the cases. From one to four, the cardinal numerals agree with the substantive they qualify in number, gender and case; from 5 to 19, in number and case, with only one form for all genders; from 20 onwards in case only.[48]
is declined like a pronominal adjective, though the dual form does not occur. appears only in the dual. and are declined as below:[49]
| Three | Four | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Neuter | Feminine | Masculine | Neuter | Feminine | ||
| Nominative | tráyas | trī́ṇi | tisrás | catvā́ras | catvā́ri | cátasras | |
| Accusative | trīn | trī́ṇi | tisrás | catúras | catvā́ri | cátasras | |
| Instrumental | tribhís | tisṛ́bhis | catúrbhis | catasṛ́bhis | |||
| Dative | tribhyás | tisṛ́bhyas | catúrbhyas | catasṛ́bhyas | |||
| Ablative | tribhyás | tisṛ́bhyas | catúrbhyas | catasṛ́bhyas | |||
| Genitive | trayāṇā́m | tisṛṇā́m | caturṇā́m | catasṛṇā́m | |||
| Locative | triṣú | tisṛ́ṣu | catúrṣu | catasṛ́ṣu | |||
The numbers from 11 to 19 are:
ékādaśam, dvā́daśam, tráyodaśam, cáturdaśam, páñcadaśam,, saptádaśam,, návadaśam.
The tens from 20 to 90 are:
(pañcāśát,, saptatí, aśītí, navatí.
The joint numbers:
21 –, 22 –, 23 –, ..., 26 –, ..., but 82 – dvā́śīti, 83 – trayā́śīti, 88 – .
The hundreds are:
śatam, dvai śatai, śatāni / tri śatam, etc.
The larger numbers:
| 1000 | sahásra | |
| 10,000 | ayúta | |
| 100,000 | lakṣá | |
| 1,000,000 | prayúta | |
| 10,000,000 | kóṭi | |
| 108 | arbudá | |
| 109 | mahā́rbuda | |
| 1010 | kharvá | |
| 1011 | nikharvá[50] | |
| 10140 | asaṅkhyeya! |
All the numerals may be compounded attributively in their stem form:[51]
| Compound | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| dvi-pāda- | two-footed | |
| śata-mukha- | hundred-mouthed | |
| daśa-kumāra-carita- | ten-youth-tale, i.e., the story of the ten princes |
The ordinal numbers from one to ten are:
Other numbers:
11. – ekādaśás, ... 20. –, 30. –, 40. –, 50. – pañcāśattamás, 60. –, 70. – saptatitamás, 80. – aśītitamás, 90. – navatitamás, 100. – śatatamás, 1000. – sahasratamás.
Sanskrit pronouns and determiners behave in their declension largely like other declinable classes such as nouns, adjectives and numerals, so that they can all be classed together under nominals. However, pronouns and determiners display certain peculiarities of their own compared to the other nominal classes.[52] [53]
Furthermore, personal pronouns have an additional dimension not present in the other nominals, but shared by verbs: person.[54]
Pronouns are declined for case, number, and gender. The pronominal declension applies to a few adjectives as well. Many pronouns have alternative enclitic forms.
The official list of Sanskrit pronouns is: sarva, viśva, ubha, ubhaya, utara, utama, anya, anyatara, tvat, tva, nema, sama, sima, pūrva, para, avara, dakṣiṇa, uttara, apara, adhara, sva, antara; tyad, tad, yad, etad, idam, adam; eka, dvi, yuṣmad, asmad, and kim.[55]
Sanskrit pronouns in the first and second person are theoretically termed asmad and yuṣmad respectively.
They resemble one another in how they are declined, and similarly do not mark gender. These pronouns have shortened, enclitic forms in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases (parenthesized in the table below).[56] [57]
| Case | asmad | yuṣmad | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N. | ahám | tvám | |
| A. | mā́m (mā) | tvā́m (tvā) | |
| I. | máyā | tváyā | |
| D. | máhyam (me) | túbhyam (te) | |
| Ab. | mát | tvát | |
| G. | máma (me) | táva (te) | |
| L. | máy·i | tváy·i | |
| Case | asmad | yuṣmad | |
| N.A.V | āvā́m | yuvā́m | |
| I.D.Ab. | āvā́·bhyām | yuvā́·bhyām | |
| G.L. | āváy·os | yuváy·os | |
| & A.D.G. | (nau) | (vām) | |
| Case | asmad | yuṣmad | |
| N. | vayám | yūyám | |
| A. | asmā́n (nas) | yuṣmā́n (vas) | |
| I. | asmā́·bhis | yuṣmā́·bhis | |
| D. | asmá·bhyam (nas) | yuṣmá·bhyam (vas) | |
| Ab. | asmát | yuṣmát | |
| G. | asmā́kam (nas) | yuṣmā́kam (vas) | |
| L. | asmā́·su | yuṣmā́·su |
The forms mad, asmad, tvad and yuṣmad can be used in derivation and composition: mát·kṛta, mát·sakhi, tvát·pitṛ, etc.[58]
Sanskrit does not have true third person pronouns, but its demonstratives play this role when they stand independently of a substantive. The four different demonstratives in Sanskrit are:
Both tad and adas are used for objects of reference that are far away, the latter being more emphatic. Both are translated by the English distal demonstrative that.
By contrast, idam and etad are used for nearby objects, and, again, the latter is more emphatic and has a strong deictic meaning. These two pronouns are translated by the English proximal demonstrative this.[59]
The masculine singular nominative form of tad, sas exhibits irregular sandhi behaviour — before consonants saḥ becomes sa, giving, for instance, sa gajaḥ rather than the expected *so gajaḥ.[60]
etad, is declined almost identically to tad. Its paradigm is obtained by prefixing e- to all the forms of tat. Consequently the masculine and feminine nominative singular forms of this pronoun are and .[61]
The declension of idam is somewhat irregular because it is formed from two different stems, i- and a-. The nominative and accusative forms, except the three singular nominatives, are regularly formed with the stem im-, and the remaining forms from a-; an extra -n- is infixed should the ending start with a vowel.
Most of the forms for adas are regularly formed using the stem u- the same way as if it were a-, with the combination *ui- becoming ī- in the plural. The nominative dual and instrumental singular are formed like u-stem nouns.[62] [63] [64]
| Case | tad m.n. | idam m.n | adas m.n | tad f | idam f | adas f | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. | sás, tát | ayám, idám | asaú, adás | sā | iyám | asaú | ||
| A. | tám, tát | imám, idám | amúm, adás | tā́m | imā́m | amū́m | ||
| I. | téna | anéna | amúnā | táyā | anáyā | amúyā | ||
| D. | tásmai | asmaí | amúṣmai | tásyai | asyaí | amúṣyai | ||
| Ab. | tásmāt | asmā́t | amúṣmāt | tásyās | asyā́s | amúṣyās | ||
| G. | tásya | asyá | amúṣya | tásyās | asyā́s | amúṣyās | ||
| L. | tásmin | asmín | amúṣmin | tásyām | asyā́m | amúṣyām | ||
| Case | tad | idam | adas | tad | idam | adas | ||
| N.A.V | taú, té | imaú, imé | amū́ | té | imé | amū́ | ||
| I.D.Ab. | tā́bhyām | ābhyā́m | amū́bhyām | tā́bhyām | ā́bhyām | amū́bhyām | ||
| G.L. | táyos | anáyos | amúyos | táyos | anáyos | amúyos | ||
| Case | tad | idam | adas | tad | idam | adas | ||
| N. | te, tā́ni | imé, imā́ni | amī́, amū́ni | tās | imā́s | amū́s | ||
| A. | tā́n, tā́ni | imā́n, imā́ni | amū́n, amū́ni | tā́s | imā́s | amū́s | ||
| I. | taís | ebhís | amī́bhis | tā́bhis | ābhís | amū́bhis | ||
| D. Ab. | tébhyas | ebhyás | amī́bhyas | tā́bhyas | ābhyás | amū́bhyas | ||
| G. | téṣām | eṣā́m | amī́ṣām | tā́sām | āsā́m | amū́ṣām | ||
| L. | téṣu | eṣú | amī́ṣu | tā́su | āsú | amū́ṣu |
asmad allows the following forms of possessive pronouns:
The feminines are in -ā.
yuṣmad has these:
tad and etad have tadīya- and etadīya- respectively.
The feminines are again in -ā, except the -aka forms where it is -akī. These are all conjugated like regular a-, ā and ī-stem forms.[65] [66]
Technically a noun, bhavant literally means 'Your Honour' and is treated like a third-person subject. It carries, however, a second person meaning and connotes politeness. This is declined very much like any vant-stem adjective.
This use of bhavant is common enough to suggest that the word should be treated as a polite variant of the second person pronoun, rather than as a more elaborate honorific construction. Bhavant declines like all stems ending in -ant.
In talking of someone not present, one may use tatrabhavant, and conversely for someone present, atrabhavant, whether being addressed or not.[67]
The enclitic pronoun enam is found only in a few oblique cases and numbers. It is unemphatic and mostly refers to persons.[68]
| Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masc. | Neu. | Fem. | Masc. | Neu. | Fem. | Masc. | Neu. | Fem. | ||
| Accusative | enam | enat | enām | enau | ene | enān | enāni | enāḥ | ||
| Instrumental | enena | |||||||||
| Genitive/locative | enayos | |||||||||
In Sanskrit, interrogative and relative pronouns are formed analogously to tat. The interrogative pronoun kim is declined like tat, replacing the initial t or s with k. The only exception to this rule is the neuter nominative/accusative singular form, which is kim rather than the expected *kat. The relative pronoun yat is declined like tat, without exception replacing the initial t or s with y.[69]
The demonstrative tat functions as a correlative pronoun when used in "independent clauses that 'complete' relative clauses to form complex sentences"—unlike in English (where one can say, for example, "The girl with whom you were speaking is my sister"), relative pronouns must be accompanied by correlative pronouns (which, if applied to the previous example, would be: "The girl with whom you are speaking, she is my sister").[70]
For a Sanskrit example of a complex sentence using corresponding relative and correlative pronouns, consider: ('In the forest where Rāma lives, there are no demons'). In that example, the pronouns are alike in gender, number, and case, but matching relative–correlative pronouns need not be alike in case—for example: yena puruṣeṇa saha bhāṣate nṛpaḥ sa muniḥ ('The man with whom the king is speaking is a sage').[71]
Aside from their primary uses, the interrogative and relative pronouns are also used to form indefinite phrases. The two ways of forming indefinite phrases are:
As is evident in the examples, the first method of indicating indefiniteness is stronger, while the latter is more subtle and can simply be translated by an indefinite article in English.[72]
The absolute negative, semantically functioning as the negation of existential quantification, is formed by negating an indefinite phrase.[73]
There are a number of words in Sanskrit that function as reflexive pronouns. The indeclinable svayam can indicate reflexivity pertaining to subjects of any person or number, and—since subjects in Sanskrit can appear in the nominative, instrumental, or genitive cases—it can have the sense of any of these cases. The noun ātman ('self') and adjective svaḥ ('own'; cf. Latin) decline so as to express reflexivity in any case, person, and number. The former is always in the masculine, even when used in relation to a female subject, but the latter declines for gender.[74]
Several adjectives in Sanskrit are declined pronominally. That is, their declension differs from ordinary adjectival declension of a-stems and instead follows the declension of tat in certain respects.
Note that when any of these adjectives are at the end of a compound, they decline exactly like ordinary a-stem adjectives.[75]
Derivation or word-formation in Sanskrit can be divided into the following types:[76] [77]
The root usually undergoes some change of form first, typically to first-grade, or in some cases second-grade, strengthening. A final -n or -m may sometimes be lost, a short vowel may be first followed by a -t, a final palatal or h may revert to the corresponding guttural, and so on.[78] [79]
A very large number of derivatives are formed under this category, with several semantic outcomes and with varying treatment of the root, including gradation, reduplication and no change.[80]
Another large class, mostly feminine action nouns, with some masculine agent nouns and adjectives. The root remains in zero-grade form, largely like past passive participles in -tá.[81]
This is another productive category (PIE *-men), mostly of action-noun formations.[82]
tṛ- or tar-suffix derivatives, mostly agent nouns (PIE *-tor, English -er).[83]
Several basic kinship nouns are classed under here.
Typically nouns expressing the means of doing something.[84]
This is used primarily to form words of adjectival meaning, and with the first vowel usually undergoing vṛddhi-grade strengthening.[85]
A very productive class, nouns or adjectives that denote a relationship. Patronymics are also derived in this manner.[86]
Another very productive class. Closely related are -iya- and -īya- formations.[87]
-iya- is used after a consonant cluster:[88]
These suffixes denote the quality of being, analogous to '-ness' and '-hood' in English. Cf Lat -tas (-ty), Slavic *-ьstvo. Coupled with the prefix a- 'un-', the sense of '-lessness' is derived.[89]
See main article: Sanskrit compounds.