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Lesson8|

AneasypacedapproachtolearnSanskrit

Lesson8

SimpleSanskritLesson8
PostedonMay12,2012October20,2013byslabhyankar

SimpleSanskritLesson8

HavingdiscussednumeralsextensivelyinthepreviousLessonNo.7,somediscussionabout
interrogativeswithnumeralsisyetleftout.
Howmuch?andHowmany?arethecommoninterrogativesthatyieldnumericalanswers.
Sanskritinterrogativeis.
Whenwegotoashop,wewouldask,
Howmuchdoesthisthingcost?
?(**NoteAsdetailedbelow,is

alwaysplural.Henceusingitwith
,whichissingular,becomeswrong.ThankstoMr.

DhananjayNanivadekarforpointingthiserror.Thequestioncanratherbe

?or

?)
TheshopkeepermaysayTenRupees.
Sincecoinagesystemswillbedifferentatdifferentplaces,wewillhavetoadaptinSanskrit
speakingsamenames,astheyprevail.Thesearepropernouns.ProperNounsarenevertobe
translated.
TheotherdayIcouldnotgotoameeting.Butwascurioustoknowhowmanypeopleturned
out.
Iaskedmyfriend,Howmanypeoplewerethere??Note,
is

inectionofverb(=tobe)Hence
=were.Weshalldiscusspast

tenseseparatelyinanotherchapter.

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tenseseparatelyinanotherchapter.
Surprisingly,hetold,Onlytwoofus,Mr.RameshandMyself

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Somepeoplethinkitgoodtodoinectionsofpropernounsalso.In

thereareinectionsoflargenumberofpropernouns.Butpropernounsinmany

countriesaroundtheworldmaynotbeeasytomaketheirinections.Mr.Johnmayrather
becalledas
Itwouldsoundoddtosay:,right?Actuallyisaconsonant

endingword.So:wouldnotbegrammaticallycorrect.Thatbecomestheproblemtodo
inectionsofpropernouns.
InfactHindispeakingpeoplewhoalsofollowDevanagariscriptforHindimaywrite
andpronouncethenameas
InMarathiwriting,whichalsousesDevanagariscript,writingthepronunciationas
withacrescentaboveisacceptedalmostasanorm.
LikewiseAnnmaybecalled
.

Anyway,thesearedigressionsfromthemainsubjectofNumbers.
Bytheway,theinterrogativeisbyconventionalwaysplural.Andithasidentical
inectionsforallgenders.Itsinectionsindierentcasesare(),(),
(

().

),(),(),
),(
Answersofquestionsaskedusingcouldbevagueoruncertain.InLesson5towardsitsend,
therewasthementionofthesuxanditsusagewithallinectionsofthepronoun
.The

suxcanaswellbeusedwithallinectionsoftoobtainameaningsomeorfew.For

example
Theproposalwasacceptedbysomepeople=(proposal)(bysomeorfew)

(people)
(wasaccepted).
Itisusefulforsome=
Note

(=+
=forsome)

(useful)
(=this)

Thisphrase
couldaswellbeaquestion,Isitusefulfor(atleast)afew

?RightatthebeginningofLesson3,therewasintroductiontomakinginterrogativesfrom
simplesentencesbyusingpronoun.However,sincesomeinterrogativesenseisimplicit

in,aquestioncanbeformedevenwithoutusinganyotherobviousorclearinterrogative.

isagoodexampleofthis.Justachangeinintonationwouldmake

itarmativeorinterrogative.
InAptesdictionarymanymoreinterestingdetailsaboutaregiven.
Meaning1ofHowmany
Meaning2ofsome
Whenfollowedbythepronounlosesitsinterrogativeforceandbecomes

indeniteinsense,meaningsome,several,afew
ThisdetailinAptesdictionaryputsindoubtusageofintheinterrogative,asshown
2/5
aboveinthephrase
asaquestion,Isitusefulfor(atleast)afew?

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aboveinthephrase
asaquestion,Isitusefulfor(atleast)afew?

Sanskritexpertsmaypleasecomment.
Inthedictionary,somemorewordsderivedfromaredetailedseparately.

or
:anindeclinablemeaninghowmanytimes

HereIwouldliketothankfullyacknowledgeanimportantcommentpostedbyDr.H.N.
Bhat.Toensurethatthecommentmaynotbemissedout,IameditingthisLesson8itself.
Thepointisthat
or
:isasuxwhichmakesanadverbfromanumeralnominal.

isanumeralnominal,similartoothernumeralnominalssuchas

Agoodexampleofderivationofanindeclinablebyaxingasux
or
:to

anumeralnominalisin

(,)

Meaningof

(,)isMaymy

obeisancesbeathousandtimes,againandagain
Note
meansagain
alsomeansagain.Arjunaissooverwhelmedthathe
wantstopayobeisancesbeathousandtimesandagainandagain!
anindeclinablemeaninghowoften,inhowmanyplacesorparts
Agoodexampleofthisispossiblythequotation

(=ViShNuputhis

footatthreeplaces).Thisquotationcanpromptaquestion

?(=At

howmanyplacesdidViShNuputhisfoot?)
Thisquotation

hasthecontextofwhenLord

asks

of
kinglandenoughforjustfoursteps.Although
appearsas,asa
smallboy,inthreesteps
pervadesallthreeworldstheheaven,theearthandalso
thenetherworld.Truetohisoeroflandoffoursteps,kneelsbefore
for
toputthefourthsteponhisownhead.
anadjective
,hencewouldhaveinectionsinallthreegenders,allsevencases

andinallthreenumbers.meanssome,several,acertainnumberof(Hereacertain
hasindenitesense)
Comestomindanexamplefroms
where,

isnarratingofearly
daysofhissecondbirthasaparrotwithhumantongue.Hesays

Here
(=Thus)beinglovinglytendedby

(thesonofRishiJaabaala)

,inafew
days

Ihadwingsgrownonme
.
Note,
asadjectiveof
hasidentical(masculine)gender,(third)caseand
(plural)number.
,anadjective,
hencedeclinableinallthreegenders,allsevencasesandinall

threenumbers.Itsmeaningofhowmanykinds.Forexample,
Livingbeings
areofhowmanykinds?:(=bipeds)
:(=quadrupeds)(=birds)(=
aquatic)
(=reptiles)(=insectsandmicrobes)
HerealsoIwouldliketothankfullyacknowledgeanimportantcommentpostedbyDr.H.
N.Bhat.Toensurethatthecommentmaynotbemissedout,IameditingthisLesson8
itselfherealso.
Thepointisthatisasux,whichmakesanadjecivefromanumeralnominal.is
anumeralnominal,similartoothernumeralnominalssuchas

Soadjectivesderivedfrom

byaxingthesuxare

also.
Afewexamplesoftheseindifferentgendersandnumberswillbe
Volunteershaveacommonuniform

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=ofvolunteers

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=ofvolunteers
=ofonetype,common,identical

=uniform
Aminddwellingonthisorthatisnotgoodfordecisionmaking

=oftwotypes(ofthoughts)
=ofmind

=nodecision

=nodecision(happens)ofmindoftwotypesofthoughts
Ofpeoplewhobecomemydevotees,therearefourtypes,i.e.Fourtypesofpeople
becomemydevotees

(,).Note

is

actually

oranindeclinable,meaninghowmanyatatimeSay,forexample,In

howmanypiecesdidthewoodcuerbreakthelog?
?

=bythewoodworker(i.e.woodcuer)
=log
=inhowmanypieces
=wascut

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AsmentionedabovefromAptesdictionary,maybefollowedbyanothersux.Thereit
wasalsomentioned,Whenfollowedbythepronounlosesitsinterrogative

forceandbecomesindeniteinsense,meaningsome,several,afewBythatwould
meanfew,some.Forexample,

meaning

(=of
theleader)(=forwelcome)

(=workers)(afew)(=garlands)

(=oer)i.e.Workersoerafewgarlandsforwelcomeoftheleader.
Bytheway,itistobenotedthat,andcanaswellbeaxedtointerrogativeadverbs

suchas
.Withthesesuxestheadverbsalsowilllosetheirinterrogativeforce.They

maygetsomenegativeshadeofmeaning!
Infactsomepeoplecontendthathasthederivation+=andnot.Bythattokenuseof
lendssomedierentshadeofmeaningthanuseof.Useofalsohasaneectsimilarto

thatof.Forexample
Isitpossibleanytime?
?

Maybepossible

Itmaybenotedthatherehasthemeaningofmaybeandnotjustassometime

Neverpossible
Heresuxmakesthenegativesomuchmoreforceful!
Insteadofthequestion
?onecouldaswellsay

?or

?Butconventionallytheforcebecomesdierent.

?=Isitanytimepossible?Herethequestionercouldjustbeinquisitive.

?=Isthereapossibilitythatthiswouldbepossible?Herethequestioner

impliessomepositivepossibility.

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impliessomepositivepossibility.

?=Isiteverpossible?Thequestionerisalmostimplyingthatitisnever

possible.
Thedierenceinforceinuseof,andissubstantiallyconventional.

Justseehowtheinterrogativecanalsobecomearmativeornegative

?=Isitanytimepossible?

|
?=Sometimeorotherpossible,whynot?or
=Notpossibleanytime,i.e.neverpossible.

Hereisanotherexampleof.
Twoandtwowillbefouralways.Neverotherwise.

||

=twoaddedtotwoNote,
is+

=fouralways
=nototherwiseever.
Notein

theyareallinneutergender,againbyconvention.Whenspeakingof
numbersasnumberstheywillbebyneutergender.

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oOo
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