A Short Guide to Sanskrit Nominal Compounds

M.J.C. Scarborough
Darwin College, Cambridge
Version 1.1
Last Modified: August 5, 2012

1 कमधारय (karmadhāraya/descriptive)-compounds
Sometimes also called ‘appositive’ compounds, this class is formed through the apposition of two nom-
inal stems or an adjectival stem with a nominal stem to create a descriptive noun, e.g. Gk. κακο-δικία
’bad justice’, Lat. angi-portus ‘narrow alley’.

1.1 ADJ.+NOM.
• यिम म् priya-mitram = य िम म् priyaṃ mitram ‘a dear friend’

• हतरा साः hata-rākṣasāḥ = हता रा साः hatā rākṣasāḥ ‘slain rākṣasas’

• य तभाय tyakta-bhāryā = य ता भाय tyaktā bhāryā ‘abandoned wife’

1.2 NOM.+NOM.
• नर सहः nara-siṃhaḥ = नरः सहः naraḥ siṃhaḥ ‘man-lion, lion-like man’
• राज षः rāja-rṣiḥ = राजा ऋ षः rājā r̥ṣiḥ ‘king-sage, king who is a sage’

2 त प ष (tatpuruṣa/syntactic)-compounds
This class comprises compound nouns whose analytical relations could be restated in terms of a (non-
nominative) case relationship. For example, in English a schoolbus is a bus for school. Cf. Gk. ἀκρό-πολις
’the city on high; citadel’, θεο-είκελος ’equal to a god; godlike’, Lat. mūs-cerda ’mouse droppings’

2.1 General Type

• वप ः deva-putraḥ = व य प ः devasya putraḥ ‘the son of the god’

• नरो मः narottamaḥ = नराणाम मः narāṇām uttamaḥ ‘best of men’

• नपहत- nr̥pa-hata- = न ण हत- nr̥peṇa hata- ‘slain by the king’

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2.2 Special Type: Rektionskomposita
This type is also known as the verbal governing compound (Germ. Rektionskompositum), where the final
element is derived from a verbal root, and the compounded element is its object. The verbal root itself
is reduced to the lowest possible Ablaut grade, e.g. Gk. (Ἕκτωρ) ἱπποδάμος ‘tamer of horses’ = (Ἕκτωρ)
ἵππους δάμναται, Lat. agri-cola ’cultivator of fields’ = ille agros colit.1

• द वत् veda-vit = दा ि vedān vetti ‘knower of the vedas’

• शा ः śāstra-jñaḥ = शा ािण जाना त śāstrāṇi jānāti ‘knower of the śāstras’

• सोमपः soma-paḥ = सोम पब त somaṃ pibati ‘drinker of soma’

• लोक यकत् lokakṣayakr̥t = लोकान य करो त lokānāṃ kṣayaṃ karoti ‘destroyer of worlds’

3 ब ी ह (bahuvrīhi)-compounds
Those in this class are also known as possessive or exocentric compounds and can usually be para-
phrased as ‘whose Y is an X’ for a compound of XY structure, e.g. Gk. Ἀριστο-κλῆς ’whose fame is best’,
ῥοδοδάκτυλος ’whose fingers are roses’

• बहद ः br̥had-aśvaḥ = बह तो ऽ ा य य सः br̥hanto ’śvā yasya saḥ ‘(he) whose horses are great’
• वीर नः vīra-senaḥ = वीराण ना य य सः vīrāṇāṃ senā yasya saḥ ‘(he) who has an army of heroes’

A second group of ब ी ह-compounds, in the traditional grammatical terminology are the ग/dvi-gu-
compounds (two-cow compounds), where the compounded element is a numeral. These are popular in
Sanskrit as appellatives and epithets

• दशरथः daśa-rathaḥ = दश रथा य य सः daśa-rathā yasya saḥ ‘(he) who has ten chariots; (the king)
Daśaratha’

• दश ीवः daśa-grīvaḥ = दश ीवा य य सः daśa grīvaḥ yasya saḥ ‘(he) who has ten necks; (the rākṣasa)
Rāvaṇa’

4 (dvandva/copulative)-compounds
dvandva ’pair’ compounds are formed by juxtaposing the bare stem of a noun with another to form
a compound expressing the sum of the two parts. These compounds are rare in English and Ancient
Greek, cf. νυχθήμερον ’a space of time lasting one night and one day’ (lit. ’night-day’), δώδεκα ’12’.
There are traces of dvandvas in some Latin derived nouns, e.g. suovetaurīlia ‘a triple sacrifice of a pig
(sūs), ram (ovis), and a bull (taurus)’

• सीतरामौ sīta-rāmau = सीता राम Sītā Rāmaś ca ‘Sītā and Rāma’

• वासरग धव पशाचरा साः deva-asura-gandharva-piśāca-rākṣasāḥ = वा असरा ग धव पशाचा

रा सा devā asurāś ca gandharvāś ca piśācāś ca rākṣasāś ca ‘gods, asuras, gandharvas, piśācas, and
rākṣasas’
1 In Greek the position of the verbal element in the compound is more flexible, e.g. Στησί-χορος.

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5 अ ययीभावसमास/indeclinable compounds
Compounds of these type combine an indeclinable element such as an adverb or an adposition to con-
struct meaning, e.g. Gk. σύνθεσις ’a putting together, combination’. As such, these are frequently also
referred as prepositional governing compounds.

• प त दनः pati-dinaḥ = प त + दनः ‘every day’

• अनलोम- anu-loma- = अन + लोम- ‘with hair’

• सकामः sa-kāmaḥ = स + कामः ‘with desire’

References
[1] Goldman, R. & S.J. Goldman. 1999. ववाणी िशका – Devavāṇīpraveśikā: An Introduction to the Sanskrit
Language. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.207-254
[2] Lindner, T. 2011–. Indogermanische Grammatik – Bd. IV: Wortbildungslehre, Teil I: Komposition. Heidelberg:
Carl Winter Universitätsverlag. (Two fascicles published to-date).
[3] Weiss, M.L. 2009. Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin. Ann Arbor: Beech Stave
Press. pp.262–265